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1994 Moto Guzzi Nevada 350

This little cutie has a great deal of importance as far as I'm concerned: It was my first big bike and It was my first Moto Guzzi!

I had passed my test on a Honda CG125 and the excitement was unbelievable. No more pottering around, no more getting bullied by car drivers, no more vans up my exhaust! The moment I got my new, full, licence document I was off down to the dealers to have a good look to see what I could see.

Typically, all the local dealers nearby were concerned with rice burners and, although any bike's better than no bike, I wanted something different. You don't see many Moto Guzzis on the road in the UK but I knew they existed alright. My buddy Charlie Finlay was the proud owner of a V1000G5. It had once been black...rust was the predominant colour at the time, though I thought it was the nuts! It sounded like hell was tearing itself apart and went like snot off a stick!

I also thought it had a kinda post-modern anti trend retro cool hero thang going on...but that was during those contemplative moments when one would sit in the comfort of one's pied-a-terre having indulged in a spot of relaxation of the kind only obtained from a certain herbal friend...the rest of the time I just thought it was the bollocks! I wish I had a pic to show you....but I digress...

Charlie and I used to talk endlessly about bikes and he would go on and on about Guzzis..."the engine's had 50 years constant development man...its bulletproof by now...they patented linked brakes years ago...nothing sounds like a Guzzi man..." and that sort of thing... I could hear his soft scottish drone in my head as I walked around the dealers...jap?, naah...jap?, naah, jap?, haah...finally I came across this Nevada in Garozzo's, a dealership near Sidcup in the London suburbs it just looked totally different to anything else I had seen that day...so I asked for a test ride...

I thought it looked fantastic, as I had only just passed the test I didn't want anything too eager and this seemed to fit the bill...perfick! The seat was really comfy, the riding position was excellent, the controls were easy to use and the motor sounded great; as I headed off up the road after an initial wobble or two, the world seemed to be at my disposal. I remember that moment so clearly. I found the motor to have plenty of go and, satisfied this was the one for me did the deal.

Riding home I felt bloody fantasic, the 5 miles distance turned into 55 as I went for a bit of a canter...rude not to! My wife gave it the seal of approval and that was that...I was, officially, Dude Number 1 of Her Majesty's highways and byways...cool...or maybe not...

I believe if you own a bike you should ride it. I couldn't bear having one sitting in the garage just waiting for a sunny day...this is Britain for God's sake! Sunny days are about as common as chicken teeth! Because of my rigorous belief system, I used the little Guzzi every day, delighting in having the Mandello Eagle on the tank...no other bugger seemed to apart from one seriously cool dude on a black Dr John that used to pass me on the way to work.

That's when I became Dude Number 2 of the highways etc...oh, and there was Charlie with the mystical G5...hell, being in the top 3 ain't bad for a beginner! The guy on the Dr John used to wave to me as he thundered past and I soon discovered the following. When you ride a bike you become part of a huge club of bikers who will always stop for you if you are introuble, wave as they ride past etc...but when you ride a Guzzi you are part of an exclusive band within the big club that straight away has something in common with a total stranger aboard another Mandello Eagle...this was the beginning of my passion for the Guzzisti thing.

Living with the Nevada was a red blooded affair, at times love and hate in equal measure...it was all very latin and exotic...she was called Sofia by the way, after Loren!

Sofia used to have this habit of dropping the right hand silencer at will, almost like discarding a handbag in a tantrum...you'll be thudding along quite happily then you'd suddenly hear ROARRR, look in the mirror to see a glint of chrome bouncing down the road...most peculiar. Another time I was on a motorway and stared dumbfounded and helpless as, at 70 mph, the left hand mirror began unwinding itself, it sped up like a whirling dervish and flew off into the evening sky...just like that!

I put 20000 mostly happy miles on Sofia travelling from Kent to London each day. On the dual carriegeway it was perfectly happy to cruise at 70 mph all day. In town, it was small and nimble enough to get through rush hour traffic whilst at the same time having sufficient bulk to give you a presence on the road. Probably the ideal commuter really...

In the end it was illness that got Sofia I've still got her actually, sitting around waiting for a sunny day when I might have the skill and/or inclination to attempt a restoration, for old times sake...

So there you have it...the end of a much loved bike...

...or is it?

You see? Gary has been looking for a bike to restore for some time now. It'll be a while until he can get his Lodola over from Uganda so I suggested this one.

Gary though it may be just a bit small for his frame but when he came round and saw it in the flesh I think he was amazed...you see, the 350 and 750cc versions of the Nevada were exactly the same, certainly in terms of machined parts and dimensions. There were some differences in primary gearing etc but thelarger lump slotted in the same frame.

Mowadays, of course, there are many many Nevada 750s out and about...in the continent, in particular, it is an extremely popular model due to its compact propoprtions, comfort, ease of use, and above all manouevrability (is that spelling correct?) in town...

I think Gary plans to turn it into a 750cc which would be cool, it means he certainly will not be short of parts; you never see 350s any more however.

Yesterday, Gary came along with his trailer to taker her away...sniff! Typically, and in best Guzzi tradition, the brakes still work! The bike still rolls...no seized bearings here...we reckoned if we'd stuck a battery in it would have started ! There are so many stories like this when people start to fix broken Guzzis...

I am a little sad that my first Guzzi isn't with me any more...on the other hand, I'm delighted that she's gonna be restored and out and about again! Good luck Gary!

So, Gazza...she's with you now...what are your first impressions? Read about and keep up to date with Gary's progress here: GO




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