
MOTO-GUZZI 1100 SPORT (1995 - 2000) Review

At a glance
Owners' reliability rating: | |
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Annual servicing cost: | £350 |
Power: | 90 bhp |
Seat height: | Medium (31.9 in / 810 mm) |
Weight: | Medium (487 lbs / 221 kg) |
Prices
Overall rating
Next up: Ride & brakesYou can surprise a few four cylinder sportbike owners on the 1100 Sport, but you have to really work hard at the job, and the bottom line is that the 1100 Sport is too heavy, too old fashioned for seriously fast motorcycling. Trackdays often end in tears.
Ride quality & brakes
Next up: EngineIt steers slowly, as you'd expect really, but the suspension is good enough for some determined cornering, so long as you set the bike up well before the corner. The firm suspension and plank-like saddle don't make it a long distance sports-tourer however.
Engine
Next up: ReliabilityThe later fuel injected models are the best of the 1100 Sport range, but the gearbox feels pretty sloppy and full of neutrals compared to the V11 which superceded the 1100 Sport. There's enough poke to get you the wrong side of 135mph and on something like a Guzzi, that feels bloody fast.
Reliability & build quality
Next up: ValueThe bike looks stunning, especially in red, even today. It's a distinctive, old school motorbike and apart from teething troubles with the fuel injected models, plus some gearbox glitches, the 1100 Sport generally makes a good used buy.
Value vs rivals
Next up: EquipmentOwners tend to spend £1000s on maintenance, so you can get loads of Guzzi class for as little as £2500, but look carefully at any 1100 Sport which has been `race kitted,' or heavily modified. Like most big V-twins, there's a certain level of power the unit can produce before all kinds of reliability issues are raised. Find a Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport for sale.
Equipment
The 1100 Sport has some decent kit on it; WP suspension, Brembo brakes, 4 pot calipers and an almost beautiful stainless steel exhaust system. The seating isn't that brilliant and details like the indicators and mirrors look like penny-pinching.
Specs |
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Engine size | 1064cc |
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Engine type | 8v, V-twin, 5 gears |
Frame type | Steel spine |
Fuel capacity | 19 litres |
Seat height | 810mm |
Bike weight | 221kg |
Front suspension | Preload, rebound |
Rear suspension | Preload, rebound, compression |
Front brake | Twin 320mm discs |
Rear brake | Twin 320mm discs |
Front tyre size | 120/70 x 17 in |
Rear tyre size | 160/70 x 17 in |
Mpg, costs & insurance |
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Average fuel consumption | 44 mpg |
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Annual road tax | £93 |
Annual service cost | £350 |
New price | - |
Used price | £5,500 |
Insurance group |
13 of 17 How much to insure? |
Warranty term | Two year unlimited mileage |
Top speed & performance |
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Max power | 90 bhp |
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Max torque | 71 ft-lb |
Top speed | 140 mph |
1/4 mile acceleration | 12.3 secs |
Tank range | 155 miles |
Model history & versions
Model history
1995: 1100 Sport launched.
1996: 1100 Sport Injection, appears, also has a range of chassis tweaks.
2000: 1100 Sport discontinued.
Other versions
None.
Owners' reviews for the MOTO-GUZZI 1100 SPORT (1995 - 2000)
4 owners have reviewed their MOTO-GUZZI 1100 SPORT (1995 - 2000) and rated it in a number of areas. Read what they have to say and what they like and dislike about the bike below.
Review your MOTO-GUZZI 1100 SPORT (1995 - 2000)
Summary of owners' reviews |
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Overall rating: | |
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Ride quality & brakes: | |
Engine: | |
Reliability & build quality: | |
Value vs rivals: | |
Equipment: | |
Annual servicing cost: | £350 |
Version: Carburettored
Year: 1996
Not a bike for around town. Open roads & a well setup 1100 sport will surprise.
My well tuned 1100 will eat a 4 valve ( & I have 1) in power delivery because of its extra torque at lower rpm.
Version: Fuel injection
Year: 1997
Annual servicing cost: £500
Really fun to ride and to be seen riding. The riding position is a bit more aggressive than what I generally like but it is a sports bike so that is all part of it.
Sticks to the road like glue. Good tires and a good setup and she is a fun ride when the road turns into twists.
Geared a bit higher than I would like. Ride around town in first gear most times. The engine has a lot of low end grunt but a lower first gear would be nice
Nothing so far.
Tires oil changes and driveline grease jobs.
Likely the best looking sport bike ever made. Don't be surprised how many people want to ask you about this bike.
Version: Fuel Injectes
Year: 1997
Annual servicing cost: £200
This bike is long and low. Whenever I ride the thing I keep on thinking in my head "torpedo boat". The bike is geared very tall, so for riding around town you are in first and second gear and that is it. You might as well be on a scooter. At 100MPH on the open road she is right in her sweet spot but of course in most places on this planet that will get you into trouble with law enforcement, so learn to live with the frustration of never really being able to enjoy this bike as she was designed to be ridden. You probably won't see another at the local coffee shop so be prepared to spend countless hours of your life explaining to people what it is, who makes it, where it is from, why you won't sell it. Middle aged Italian men will hurl themselves at you as they jump up from their seat at the cafe and run out to grab your arm and tell you about the time they rode on a Moto Guzzi back home, blah, blah, blah. People who really appreciate motorcycles, really true enthusiasts, will give you a pat on the shoulder and tell you that they always admired the 1100 Sport but never got around to getting one. Sitting on a milk crate to adjust the valves is one of the most humane and pleasurable motorcycle maintenance tasks I have ever encountered. I do it once a year. I have never had to actually adjust the valves. Takes me 20 minutes total with a break for a cigarette fit in. My transmission shifts quite well actually. Never really encountered the false neutral thing everybody talks about. You do have to give the shifter a strong boot though. Same sort of thing as you would a Harley. Worst features....open shaft drive is a bit of pain to lube. For me its a 10-15 minute thing. Some of the paint has flaked off the engine block. The stock fuel injection is mapping is trash, you need to have your ECU flashed by someone that knows what they are doing. Most Ducati shops can do this for you.
Ride quality is bloody subjective.
Never had my Guzzi on the on the dyno so really don't know how many horsepower it is putting out. By the seat of my pants I would say 70HP rear wheel. Maybe 75. Good power from 3K RPM on up. If you ride it up around 7K RPM the intake honk is really quite impressive and the sound coming out of the back end is glorious. Very much akin to a NASCAR V8 is the best way to describe it.
A lot of the bits and pieces on the bike are automotive bits sourced from BMW and Fiat and oversized and overbuilt compared to other motorcycle parts. If you know your way around the bike you can source cables and hoses and fittings from your local BMW shop. Which is cheaper than going to Guzzi.
Oil, tires, brake pads and a battery every two or three years.
The 1100 Sport is a very hard bike to like on paper but very easy to love in real like. The bike is a real anachronism. You either get it or you don't. It is probably one of the most sophisticated yet unsophisticated bikes of the 1990's. A real odd bird. I will probably never sell mine.
This year I bought my 1100 sport with 14,000k on clock. As I write 28.12.11 in 12 months Gloria and I have ridden 20,000k together. Bought specifically to take me to Mugello, I also used it for Jerez Moto GP as a test run. We road home to UK in one 23 hour day, 1,477 miles! Whilst it never missed a beat, on its run to Mugello, it burnt out two batteries, melted back disc! and lights failed at midnight near track. Road home to UK in one go, 1,050 miles. It is absolutley brilliant to ride and at 100 mph / 160kph really comfy. Electrics have been its down side. Regulator packing up in Metz,the second time it has reached a garage on a low loader. Whilst my 1200 Bandit has travel 84,000 miles without one problem, the Guzzi put by far the biggest smile on your face. Biggest problem, my wife will not do more than 40 miles on pillion seat. As for vibrations, love them, you know she is alive, you can feel it, become involved with her. To me its is a classic shape, like a E type Jaguar, timeless.