Wednesday 18 January 2012

Better than the original?? Moto Guzzi 1000S v S3







A very nice looking Moto Guzzi 1000S, with cast wheels and some non-standard but better looking seat and Conti silencers, recently reached £8,000 on UK Ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-Moto-Guzzi-1000S-/320824003442?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item4ab299cb72#ht_1123wt_1398

A handsome bike without doubt, but the final sale price was a shock, to me at least. A bike is always worth only as much as someone is willing to pay for it, and in this case, seems someone fell in love with the bike and wanted it, no matter what. It must set a precedent for the values of the 1000S models. I remember when they came out - they were generally disregarded by the mainstream motorcycle press as just Guzzi trying to make a few quid when things weren't going particularly well for them. I didn't think much of it either, just a late Le Mans dressed up, a copy - and I found it amusing that it sported the same paint job as my older S3.

This is an article that came out in late 1990, and I remember buying it when I found my S3 as I was interested and curious to see why Guzzi were bringing out new bikes that were looked just like their models from 15/20 years earlier. The article infers that there's not much between the two bikes, despite the years that seperate them. So if a non-standard 1000S sells for 8 grand (and generally speaking, original bikes that appeal to collectors fetch more), what does that make the S3 worth nowadays? Maybe the 1000S is simply a better bike?

Funny how twenty years on, Guzzi is still selling loads of bikes that look like they came from 30 years ago or more..


5 comments:

Mad Farquhar said...

I had the 1000SE which I bought from Frontiers M/Cs. Viggen Vartevanien was the name of the salesman if I remember correctly. The 1000SE was even nicer - spoked wheels etc.. The wife and I did Europe on it and I sold it when the Sporti came along to a chap near Dundee.
Saw the 1000SE in the Ally Pally bike show and fell in lurve!

ITALIAN MOTOR magazine said...

That's what's even stranger about the 8 grand 1000S is that it even has the IMHO ugster cast wheels on it - the spoked ones on the 1000Se were so much more appropriate. I reckon there's something fishy goin' on..

asko said...

I've the 1000SE, the difference between the 1000S and the SE, is that the SE was only sold in the UK, was red, and had the LMI cupolino.

I'm absolutely in love of my bike!

cheers!

Marcus Young said...

If you look at the website www.guzzi1000s.com you can see some very nice pictures of this Italian beauty.

ITALIAN MOTOR magazine said...

Hi Marcus - very nice website thanks - though I'll always see the 1000S as a copy of the original 750s to make some money for Guzzi..