I had one of these for 7 years. Beautiful, but the finish is fragile in the British weather. As for the plastic tank... The chassis is brilliant and the frenetic rush to 90 plus on full throttle is pure old-school exhilaration. A unique experience, in its way.
Brought mine new in 2006. Finnish is still good, although I don’t use it when they salt the roads. I don’t think any modern bike finish last long on salty roads these days I am in the UK incidentally, unfortunately after a really crap March
Just bought a 2006 Breva with 8000 miles and hard bags in new condition, can’t wait to flush the fluids and get her out on a long trip in the Midwest of USA
2 months later and I love this bike. I’ve owned about 30 bikes in my years, mostly Japanese. I am VERY happy with this bike. It’s unique, it’s very easy to work on, I already did the Startus Interuptus mod, flushed all fluids. The 1100 is a great long range bike as the seat is excellent, perhaps the best stock seat I’ve ever had. I can confirm this bike is HEAVY moving around, but riding you don’t have to man-handle it. It drops into the corners very easy, and pulls out very easy. The Brembo brakes are very good, the fuel efficiency is running at 50mpg consistently at 70 mph. The best part of owning the bike is it’s uniqueness. You don’t have to worry about seeing one every day, let alone seeing another Moto Guzzi.
Difficult because I’ve never had any problems to be honest. Obviously any unusual bangs and rattles, it shouldn’t leak oil or smoke. Always best to look below the clutch housing housing because any oil from there often indicates a leaky main seal.I have had this on other Guzzi’s but not the Breva. They have twin plug heads and should never struggle to start no matter what the weather.
After removing the engine 3 times on my Breva. I can definately confirm the engine is not rubber mounted. Excellent bike. Supremely comfortable. Starter circuit is poorly designed but can be modified with my circuit modification. The clocks can let in water and fail expensively.
Nice review. I see that you changed the stock mirrors. Which ones did you replace them with? I have the V850 and the mirrors are not great so I thought about replacing them.
Any issues when starting? my 2006 Breva 1100 no longer starts. sat in the garage for about 2 years. I'm now getting around to looking into why the starter fuse used to burn out. Thank you for sharing.
Research on this has thrown up some oddities, some claim that it may be linked to the condition of the battery causing a surge on start. An Australian guy put a 20amp in temporarily and after a couple of starts it settled. Who knows fresh battery wouldn’t do any harm a short is a possibility or an issue with the relay. Guzzi’s do use big old starter motors so they must put quite a load on the system
Excellent video thx. I am considering buying a second hand Breva and this was very useful. Do you have any indication as to the riding differences between the 1100 and 850 models?
I’m afraid not. I don’t believe the 850 made here to the UK. The Bellagio was the only 850 so here. But I believe the weight is bout the same and there is of course a bit less Torque, although it’s probably a bit more free reving and importantly these days a bit less thirsty. I’m sure either would serve you well .
I've got a V9 but I'm thinking of getting a moto guzzi california 1100 🤔 from what I read 2001 on are better as aprilia bought it, Stone looks nice but I imagine owners are keeping them. Have you got any advice I'm new to moto guzzi ownership
Well on a lot of big blocks you have to remove the sump to change the oil filter which is a pain in the back side, worth considering if you do you own service work. Small blocks are easier in this regard For the CARC bikes , Breva 1100, Griso etc the modified this to make servicing easier We had a California Stone for a few years, much bigger than a V9 and heavier of course but handling is very good for cruiser, will run circles round a Harley, breaks are ok on the Stone , better on the others with twin discs. The engine produces a Lot of torque I had a V11 at the time and the Cali wasn’t as smooth but he open the throttle at 50 mph and it left the V11 for dead up to 90 at least If you plan on carrying a passenger the Cali would be much better All I can say is if you want a Cali just be patient, owners club may be a source of bikes Stone is very good but there are lots of variations on the theme , all good With any Guzzi oil dripping out of the clutch housing is a pain . Fixable but engine out so a massive pain , speaking from experience Cali went fuel injection very early so all the 1100s pretty much will be efi
@@nigelthomas8315 well it’s electronic rather that mechanical so EFI mechanical was in some 70s cars but too bulky for bikes Besides much easier to Text EFI Never really noticed any problems but there’s always someone out there trying to flog a product Re map Better tyres Better suspension Some companies make a fortune selling shit you don’t actually need
I read that they used some of the internals on the California vintage range, so I’m wondering where they gain or squeezed the extra ponies from for the Breva? Perhaps the napping? The injectors? Anyone got any ideas?
Well that’s not really the case. The internals were quite different to the Cali although on the very last cali model ( the vintage they employed some of the Breva internals to meet emissions. So the sharing of parts is the other way around. The vintage was still very different however, much heavier fly wheel, different gearbox and bottom end etc
What make screen is on the bike. Just got an 1100 but struggling to find a screen for it. Plus my clutch is very noisy when you pull the lever ie disengage it. Thanks
The screen is an official factory item I got when I brought the bike new. The load rattle when you pull the clutch lever in is normal Some Ducati models use a very similar dry clutch which similarly noisy . As long as it’s engaging and operating normally with no slippage it’s probably fine , mine rattled from day one and 16 years later she’s still At it
@@bikerdood1100 I have read that the low speed throttle response can be a bit jerky, many fuel injected bikes are. Is it the case with the Breva? It’s one aspect of some modern FI bikes that I really can’t live with. I had a Quota that was quite bad for it.
I’m basically lazy and don’t do gear changes so running at low rpm is me. I haven’t noticed any glitches but then I’ve had the bike since 2006 so you just get used to any bikes idiosyncrasies. With a Guzzi the relatively low rev range and big flywheel do tend to smooth matters out somewhat
No I’m afraid not .I’ve sat on a few but never ridden one . There really aren’t too many differences apart from the obvious fairing. The bars are a bit higher on the Norge making for a more upright position otherwise most comments about the Breva apply to the Norge with a bit more power .
@@bikerdood1100 thanks, I’m going to look at examples of both tomorrow. The Breva has less than 2000 miles £5995, and the Norge has about 13,000 at £4995 at a Guzzi dealer.
@@markbright7845 The Norge is not so popular because of the large amount of plastic but offers better value as second hand pr prices are lower. They offer a slight increase in torque but not over all top speed. 4 valve models are great but must be the rollerized version. The two valve 1200 is fine. Servicing becomes more difficult due to the plastic removal and actually makes the bike more difficult to deep clean. The Norge is heavier than the already heavy Breva. Overall they are the unsung heros of the touring world. Servicing can easily be done for the reasonably competent owner. Software is available (for free but please make a donation) to make injection system adjustments and fault finding. Like all Guzzis clutch changes are expensive if dealer done. Faults: Dashboard failure due to moisture..not a simple cheap fix. Some tanks have suffered from Ethanol blistering but this is not universal. Click no start: Well recorded fault easy fix modification. Rear suspension links can often be un serviced and hence worn. As the video says supremely comfortable for rider, passenger and well finished and assembled. An all day bike. Something different and fairly cheap.
I had one of these for 7 years. Beautiful, but the finish is fragile in the British weather. As for the plastic tank... The chassis is brilliant and the frenetic rush to 90 plus on full throttle is pure old-school exhilaration. A unique experience, in its way.
Brought mine new in 2006. Finnish is still good, although I don’t use it when they salt the roads. I don’t think any modern bike finish last long on salty roads these days
I am in the UK incidentally, unfortunately after a really crap March
Just bought a 2006 Breva with 8000 miles and hard bags in new condition, can’t wait to flush the fluids and get her out on a long trip in the Midwest of USA
2 months later and I love this bike. I’ve owned about 30 bikes in my years, mostly Japanese. I am VERY happy with this bike. It’s unique, it’s very easy to work on, I already did the Startus Interuptus mod, flushed all fluids. The 1100 is a great long range bike as the seat is excellent, perhaps the best stock seat I’ve ever had. I can confirm this bike is HEAVY moving around, but riding you don’t have to man-handle it. It drops into the corners very easy, and pulls out very easy. The Brembo brakes are very good, the fuel efficiency is running at 50mpg consistently at 70 mph. The best part of owning the bike is it’s uniqueness. You don’t have to worry about seeing one every day, let alone seeing another Moto Guzzi.
@@naps3386 what is a startup interruptus modification?
Happy riding
I have had mine for 2 years, it's a beautiful bike, a perfect bike.
Nice 👍
I am looking at an 1100 in a couple of days anything in particular I need to look out for and by the way this review was excellent.
Difficult because I’ve never had any problems to be honest.
Obviously any unusual bangs and rattles, it shouldn’t leak oil or smoke. Always best to look below the clutch housing housing because any oil from there often indicates a leaky main seal.I have had this on other Guzzi’s but not the Breva. They have twin plug heads and should never struggle to start no matter what the weather.
Great review, I think these are a very underrated bike. How is it for a tall rider, I'm 6' with a 34" inside leg? I do wonder how it is for comfort.
My so rides it and he’s 6”1
Seems to be ok, it’s quite a large bike really very different from the 750
Great review of a bike I'm interested in, on roads I know well
Thanks
Lots of useful information here. Can I ask how heavy the clutch is at the lever and is the tank metal ?
Well the clutch lever is not light but it’s not bad as it’s hydraulic. The tank on the Breva and all it’s derivatives is plastic
After removing the engine 3 times on my Breva. I can definately confirm the engine is not rubber mounted. Excellent bike. Supremely comfortable. Starter circuit is poorly designed but can be modified with my circuit modification. The clocks can let in water and fail expensively.
1100?
Yes 2006 1100.
Nice review. I see that you changed the stock mirrors. Which ones did you replace them with? I have the V850 and the mirrors are not great so I thought about replacing them.
Well no they are in fact stock
At least for that model year
Thanks for the reply. My Breva 850 (2007) has completely different (and quite useless) mirrors.
Any issues when starting? my 2006 Breva 1100 no longer starts. sat in the garage for about 2 years. I'm now getting around to looking into why the starter fuse used to burn out. Thank you for sharing.
Never had that, sounds a bit like a sort circuit.
Research on this has thrown up some oddities, some claim that it may be linked to the condition of the battery causing a surge on start. An Australian guy put a 20amp in temporarily and after a couple of starts it settled. Who knows fresh battery wouldn’t do any harm a short is a possibility or an issue with the relay. Guzzi’s do use big old starter motors so they must put quite a load on the system
Excellent video thx. I am considering buying a second hand Breva and this was very useful. Do you have any indication as to the riding differences between the 1100 and 850 models?
I’m afraid not. I don’t believe the 850 made here to the UK. The Bellagio was the only 850 so here. But I believe the weight is bout the same and there is of course a bit less Torque, although it’s probably a bit more free reving and importantly these days a bit less thirsty. I’m sure either would serve you well .
I've got a V9 but I'm thinking of getting a moto guzzi california 1100 🤔 from what I read 2001 on are better as aprilia bought it, Stone looks nice but I imagine owners are keeping them. Have you got any advice I'm new to moto guzzi ownership
Well on a lot of big blocks you have to remove the sump to change the oil filter which is a pain in the back side, worth considering if you do you own service work.
Small blocks are easier in this regard
For the CARC bikes , Breva 1100, Griso etc the modified this to make servicing easier
We had a California Stone for a few years, much bigger than a V9 and heavier of course but handling is very good for cruiser, will run circles round a Harley, breaks are ok on the Stone , better on the others with twin discs.
The engine produces a Lot of torque I had a V11 at the time and the Cali wasn’t as smooth but he open the throttle at 50 mph and it left the V11 for dead up to 90 at least
If you plan on carrying a passenger the Cali would be much better
All I can say is if you want a Cali just be patient, owners club may be a source of bikes
Stone is very good but there are lots of variations on the theme , all good
With any Guzzi oil dripping out of the clutch housing is a pain .
Fixable but engine out so a massive pain , speaking from experience
Cali went fuel injection very early so all the 1100s pretty much will be efi
@@bikerdood1100 I like fuel injection how is it efi? I've heard that guzzi's need some remapping
@@nigelthomas8315 well it’s electronic rather that mechanical so EFI
mechanical was in some 70s cars but too bulky for bikes
Besides much easier to Text EFI
Never really noticed any problems but there’s always someone out there trying to flog a product
Re map
Better tyres
Better suspension
Some companies make a fortune selling shit you don’t actually need
Thanks for replying it's been very helpful, think I might join guzzi owners club for more information
I read that they used some of the internals on the California vintage range, so I’m wondering where they gain or squeezed the extra ponies from for the Breva? Perhaps the napping? The injectors? Anyone got any ideas?
Well that’s not really the case. The internals were quite different to the Cali although on the very last cali model ( the vintage they employed some of the Breva internals to meet emissions. So the sharing of parts is the other way around. The vintage was still very different however, much heavier fly wheel, different gearbox and bottom end etc
Found one locally but is has 35k miles. Not sure if that's a problem?
Not if looked after 35k is nothing to this things . Owners don’t tend to thrash em
@@bikerdood1100 thank you for the reply and very informative video
My friend has one with way over a 100K on one and it's still going strong.
What phone mount are you using? How does it attach to the handlebars?
It’s a Ram . It’s mounted on the handle bar retaining bolt.there wasn’t room on the bar themselves
What make screen is on the bike. Just got an 1100 but struggling to find a screen for it. Plus my clutch is very noisy when you pull the lever ie disengage it. Thanks
The screen is an official factory item I got when I brought the bike new. The load rattle when you pull the clutch lever in is normal
Some Ducati models use a very similar dry clutch which similarly noisy . As long as it’s engaging and operating normally with no slippage it’s probably fine , mine rattled from day one and 16 years later she’s still At it
@@bikerdood1100 Thanks for that. Put my mind at rest.
What Octane petrol do you run the bike on?
Been using higher octane super as it contains less ethanol , runs ok on the lower stuff I’m worried about that plastic tank and the fuel lines
Very informative review Excellent
We try
Sound like he is using microphone on top of his helmet?????
Am I ?
Excellent review, I don’t think you missed anything!
Oh I probably did 😂
@@bikerdood1100 I have read that the low speed throttle response can be a bit jerky, many fuel injected bikes are. Is it the case with the Breva? It’s one aspect of some modern FI bikes that I really can’t live with. I had a Quota that was quite bad for it.
I’m basically lazy and don’t do gear changes so running at low rpm is me. I haven’t noticed any glitches but then I’ve had the bike since 2006 so you just get used to any bikes idiosyncrasies.
With a Guzzi the relatively low rev range and big flywheel do tend to smooth matters out somewhat
Have you tried a Norge?
No I’m afraid not .I’ve sat on a few but never ridden one .
There really aren’t too many differences apart from the obvious fairing.
The bars are a bit higher on the Norge making for a more upright position otherwise most comments about the Breva apply to the Norge with a bit more power .
@@bikerdood1100 thanks, I’m going to look at examples of both tomorrow. The Breva has less than 2000 miles £5995, and the Norge has about 13,000 at £4995 at a Guzzi dealer.
@@markbright7845 The Norge is not so popular because of the large amount of plastic but offers better value as second hand pr prices are lower. They offer a slight increase in torque but not over all top speed. 4 valve models are great but must be the rollerized version. The two valve 1200 is fine. Servicing becomes more difficult due to the plastic removal and actually makes the bike more difficult to deep clean. The Norge is heavier than the already heavy Breva. Overall they are the unsung heros of the touring world. Servicing can easily be done for the reasonably competent owner. Software is available (for free but please make a donation) to make injection system adjustments and fault finding. Like all Guzzis clutch changes are expensive if dealer done. Faults: Dashboard failure due to moisture..not a simple cheap fix. Some tanks have suffered from Ethanol blistering but this is not universal. Click no start: Well recorded fault easy fix modification. Rear suspension links can often be un serviced and hence worn. As the video says supremely comfortable for rider, passenger and well finished and assembled. An all day bike. Something different and fairly cheap.
Norge is pretty much the same bike but faired
Higher bars and a larger engine in later models
I want to buy a Breva1100
Well I need mine 😂