Keith's 1000SThis is a featured page

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Interview with a Viking

Keith is one of the mainstays of Squadra Guzzista, but at the same time, he is responsible…mostly…for being the one that turns a sensible thread on the forum into a degenerate mess that would be frowned upon on a lot of forums…but not on ours, ‘cause we’re a bunch of degenerates too!

There’s more to Keith than hitherto undiscovered mental issues however; he knows a whole heap about Guzzis…and he owns a whole heap of them. We went to the Royal Dockyard at Chatham for a chat. Interview and pics by Guzzista.


G: How long have you been riding bikes?
K: Surprisingly not that long…about 12 years…I did a lot of riding with the BMF (British Motorcycling Federation) because you get insurance incentives, haha. I also trained a bunch of people to ride.

G: Why Moto Guzzi?
K: It (his G5) was the only bike I could fit on after a really bad accident in which I suffered a badly broken leg, and my brother says Guzzis are like mushrooms…they grow on ya!

Keith's first Guzzi...the G5...careful, it'll give you whiplash!G: What type of riding do you do? Competition, pleasure, commute.
K: Pleasure and commuting mostly. The 1000S is my daily transport at the mo’ as the Sporti’s being MOT’d.

G: About your bike…what is it?
K: 1000S …blimey, it’s about 17 years old! …still shiny though!

G: How long have you owned it…and, how did you come by it?
K: About 4 years now. I saw it at the V-Twin rally one year, the owner’s wife wanted a new kitchen and I wanted a new shiny bike. Six weeks and one remortgage later and it was mine!

G: This isn’t your first Guzzi is it? Do you own any others?
K: Nope, my first was my G5 and I’ve still got it. I also own a yellow ’96 1100i Sport, which is shiny! And a ’83 V1000G5…that isn’t so shiny at the moment!

My Jackal's surrounded by Keith's Guzzis...there's more inside!G: Is the 1000S standard trim or have there been any mods?
K: No, it’s not standard. It’s carrying Progressive shocks, Honda switchgear, non-standard indicators, the headlight’s from a Suzuki GS500 and it’s like a bloody searchlight! Tomaselli clip-ons, and many shiny stainless bolts.

G: Was there a specific reason for making the changes?
K: Naah, the bike came to me like that, I ain’t bothered to change anything else…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

G: So what’s the bike’s main purpose?
K: It’s my daily ride, I wash it after each ride and then polish it every few weeks…keeps it shiny and it helps to check for loose things etc…it’s part of the maintenance routine.

Keith's shiny 1000SG: The press are physically unable to type the words Moto Guzzi without adding the word “quirks”. So much so, that in the days before I discovered Guzzis and saw the light, I used to think the marquee was called Moto Guzzi Quirk…does your bike have any quirks?
K: It does actually, it can drop out of 2nd gear into neutral if you’re not positive with the gear selector…apart from that, it goes like shit off a shovel!

G: How does it compare with other bikes you have owned?
K: My 1st proper bike was a GPz500S. It had a similar top end; the Kawa was fast for a 500, but it had no character; this has soul. After the GPz I’ve only ever had Guzzis. After my accident I rode a V1000G5 which has tremendous acceleration. It surprised the heck out of a Suzuki riding mate. He pulled away so quick he got whiplash and had to take a week off work!

G: So what’s it like to live with?
K: It’s had the odd minor electric issue…but that tends to be a bit of grit that’s created a bad earth on the terminals…bit of emery paper and WD40 and that’s that. It also had a problem with one of the carbs but it was a 5 minute job. Like most Guzzis, it likes regular oil changes. It’s had no major problems at all.

...in case you wondered...G: What’s it like to ride?
K: Excellent, instant torque…pisses on jap bikes from the lights! In terms of comfort, the bars have been raised by about 10mm and that suits me, it’s not as tight as my brother’s Le Mans II. The seat’s lower too, which means you can get both feet on the ground comfortably. The controls are easy to use and just where you need them to be, but the Veglia clocks are invisible at night so I go by the noise of the engine instead…that’s why I always give speed cameras the one finger wave!

G: What about performance? It was certainly pulling nicely on the ride over.
K: The Brembo brakes are excellent, the acceleration is phenomenal. I’ve never had it full throttle and anyway, when you’re going that fast you don’t wanna be watching the speedo. In town you don’t need anything other than third gear…that instant torque thing again. The previous owner had the gearbox shimmed and I can’t fault it.

G: You obviously like your Guzzis…what is this bike’s appeal exactly?
K: It has bags of character with its traditional looks. How many other Guzzis do you see on the road? Whenever its in a car park, it always draws a crowd. Like today, there was that heavily customised XJR1300…but what did people look at? The 1000S! It’s funny but it seems everyone’s dad had a Guzzi or have one in bits in the garage…people are always coming up to me telling me styories about the days when they rode a T3 or whatever…or their old man’s old Guzzi. The exhaust note is excellent too, so throaty, I love it! The silencers are by OS.

Shiny motorG: What would you say is the bike’s best feature?
K: SHINY!!!

G: Would you recommend a Guzzi…or, even, a 1000S to your best pal?
K: Definitely! I have, many times!

G: What about the current Guzzi models? What do you think of them?
K: I like them, but I couldn’t afford them. Because of the computers they are all about dealer servicing now. There’s very little you can do to them yourself, whereas with the older ones, you can do all the servicing yourself. I like the Vintage and 1200 Sport but they’re too expensive…what are we talking?...ten grand?

G: What, if any, direction would you like Guzzi to take?
K: I think Guzzi should get back to racing…take that MGS and tune the arse off it!

"Phil, the bolt's shinier than yours!" - KeithG: How about your dream Guzzi?
K: I would love an original 750S…with spoke wheels…I’d trade the wife in for one of them! I can live without a wife, but not without a Guzzi…or maybe a Ghezzi-Brian Supertwin…in red!

Thanks for your time Keith, it’s been a laugh…as always. If you would like to talk to Keith yourself, join the forum…he goes by the tag Keithguzzi…he should have been born with that name!






If you would like your bike to be featured, click here: GO and download the form…then send your words in with some pics to joe@guzzista.com .

"…I’d trade the wife in for one of them! I can live without a wife, but not without a Guzzi…"

1000S bizness end...
Lock up yer daughters...some Vikings ride Guzzis!
Keith's G5 has the original clocks...not many do.


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Threads for this page

Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
Morizzi Shiny Bikes 3 May 26 2008, 3:16 AM EDT by Morizzi
Thread started: May 24 2008, 3:09 AM EDT  Watch
Hi Keith,

Are the 3 bikes yours? They do look shiny for bikes that look like they live outside under a cover.

I can't tell from the photos. What colour is the stripe on the 1000S? They all look in very good order. The G5 is of interest to me. I've never seen one in Australia. We got the SP1000 though.

If I bought another bike I think I would like a convert so it is similar.

Cheers
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