What do you think of a 25-year-old Italian car? | I sold my bike on Kachi-X and bought a 1999 Moto Guzzi V11 Sport.

I fell in love at first sight with a used Moto Guzzi on display at a familiar store.

The encounter was truly sudden. One day in mid-October 2024, when I went to my favorite motorcycle shop, CLUB CIRCLE, as usual, I saw it sitting there in front of the store. Its eye-catching yellow gold color and slim body with a smooth, streamlined shape were a testament to its unique longitudinal V-twin engine. This… this bike is a Moto Guzzi V11 Sport!!

I’ve always loved Moto Guzzi. The V11 in particular was one of my favorites, and when I first saw the actual V11 Le Mans parked in a highway service area shortly after its debut, I was thrilled, thinking, “There really is such a beautiful motorcycle in the world!” However, at the time I only had a medium-grade license (now a regular motorcycle license), and a new bike priced at over 2 million yen was out of my reach. There was no way I could afford it. Since then, it has been a bike I’ve always dreamed of owning.

Curious about this bike, I entered the shop and asked the mechanic, Yamada, “What’s with that bike? Is it for sale?” He replied nonchalantly, “Yes, it’s nice, isn’t it? It was recently entrusted to us. We don’t even have a price tag on it yet, but the previous owner was a regular customer and we’ve been taking care of it for a long time.” He continued, “It was first registered in 1999. It has only 17,000km on the odometer, which is low considering its age, and it’s in excellent condition. Come to think of it, Yamada-chan has always wanted a Moto Guzzi, hasn’t he? He also said he liked the Marusho Lilac, which has the same engine. If you’re someone like that, I recommend this one.” He explained the bike’s history to me.

I’ve known Yamada for over 20 years, even before he started working at this shop. He’s a veteran motorcycle mechanic with nearly half a century of experience, and he’s also a former All Japan Road Race mechanic, so I’m sure there’s no doubt about the condition of the bike. As an aside, when I buy bikes at this shop, I’ve never had the bike inspected in detail like I do at other shops. That’s how much I trust this shop and Yamada.

“That’s nice, but I just got my 9R inspected this summer. It’s my favorite bike, and I really want one, but…”

That’s right. In fact, I had been planning to continue riding my Kawasaki ZX-9R for a while longer, so I just had it inspected in July 2024. What’s more, I still had about six months left on the loan. However, although I’ve ridden over 10 bikes, this Kawasaki was actually my first four-cylinder bike. I thought it might be a good idea to try riding a multi-cylinder bike, especially a special edition, so two years ago I bought a used one from the CLUB CIRCLE store.

However, although I liked the ZX-9R at first, it seems that the four-cylinder engine just wasn’t to my liking. The engine just revved up, but it was boring, and if I twisted the throttle to make the most of its performance, I easily reached crazy speeds. It would take more than a few licenses to do that. What’s more, although the riding position is one of the more comfortable among SS (Super Sport) bikes, long-distance touring still puts a lot of strain on the body, and when I got home I was exhausted, which affected my work the next day.

As expected, my preference is for a single or twin engine with a pulsating feel. I once again realized that an air-cooled V-twin is the best. Well, I knew I would have to replace it eventually…

How do I get rid of my pink ZX-9R?

What I’m curious about is the selling price. I ask the store manager, Miyauchi, who is standing nearby, and he replies, “The vehicle itself costs 790,000 yen. The total including all fees is… (clicks on the calculator)… 938,300 yen.” It’s not cheap, but it’s not out of my reach either. I’m a little tight on money this month, but used cars are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I miss out, I’ll never be able to get the same vehicle again. First, I ask about the trade-in price for the ZX-9R.

“Well, Yamazaki-kun’s 9R has been completely painted pink… 160,000 yen, no, even if I try my best, 200,000 yen is the limit,” he said. That’s true. When I bought my ZX-9R two years ago, I threw a tantrum, saying “I don’t want the old-man-ish, boring silver,” and got the entire car painted in the limited edition Fiat 500’s “Rosa Rosa” paint. At the time, I had intended to keep it for a long time, but considering that it was a change of car, repainting it may have been a mistake.

An ultra-rare car, limited to 600 units worldwide and officially introduced in Japan (50 units), for just 350,000 yen!? Is a used Italian car with over 100,000 km still worth it? [Fiat 500 PINK! Owner’s Report Vol. 1]

In July 2023, I sold my Jaguar S-Type, which I had been using as a utility car for four years, and instead purchased a Fiat 500 Pink!. This car, painted in the special color Rosa Rosa, is a rare limited edition model with only 600 units worldwide and 50 officially introduced in Japan. What is life like with this Cinquecento that I bought at a bargain price? In this article, I will introduce the circumstances that led to my purchase.

https://motor-fan.jp/mf/article/212738

If you take out a four-year loan based on the trade-in value, your monthly payments will be around 20,000 yen… The question is whether the loan will be approved, but Miyauchi says, “If there have been no accidents up to now, Orico, which has a good track record, will probably approve it.”

However, considering that he would need to use it as a down payment, he would have liked to get a little more for the trade-in price. The ZX-9R had plenty of time left on its vehicle inspection and was in excellent condition. The only drawback was the pink body color, which would only appeal to a select few buyers.

So he said, “Let me think about it for a bit,” and decided to leave the store that day. He decided to try out “Kachi-X,” an online buying service that has been making waves recently.

I tried out the popular online purchasing service “Kachi-X”

I tried to get a deal with a nearby major motorcycle chain and a private shop, but the buyback price for the ZX-9R was only 100,000 to 180,000 yen, which was not much. I decided to give up and trade it in at CLUB CIRCLE if the online buyback service didn’t work, so I decided to access the KACHI-X website.

Kachi-X is a web service that allows users to upload a photo taken with their smartphone along with vehicle information to a dedicated upload site. Up to 17 potential buyers from over 300 motorcycle dealers nationwide will then view the image and make bids, with the highest bidder winning the bid.

A dedicated representative from “Kachi-X” will handle all communication and procedures during the process, and will even handle price negotiations if you are not satisfied with the amount. What’s more, even if you change your mind and cancel the sale, there is no penalty, and even if the contract is concluded, the user will not be required to pay any brokerage fees or vehicle transportation fees.

The drawback of online used car buying and selling services is that they can be bombarded with phone calls and emails from potential buyers, and they can also receive persistent sales calls, but with “Kachi-X,” negotiations are only conducted with the highest bidder, so even if you decline the sale, it is not a hassle. Furthermore, unless you intentionally hide malfunctions or scratches, or make false declarations such as falsifying the mileage, the buyers will not negotiate for a lower price after the appraisal, so users can use the service with peace of mind, which is also a selling point.

Let’s try using Kachi-X. After following the instructions and entering the necessary information and images into the upload site, bidding began the next day and ended in just two days. The purchase price was 232,000 yen, which was 32,000 yen more than the trade-in price. The market price for a ZX-9R with 20,000 to 24,999 km on the odometer is around 150,000 to 250,000 yen, so this means that I sold it for a reasonable amount.

I immediately went to CLUB CIRCLE and told them that I had bid high for the ZX-9R. Manager Miyauchi kindly replied that he was happy to sell it to me. This made me decide to buy a Moto Guzzi and I started the preliminary loan process. Thankfully, Orico approved my loan without any problems, and after I received the payment for the ZX-9R, we were able to officially sign the contract.

The payment for “Kachi-X” is transferred to my account after the transaction is completed and the bidder has picked up the bike. On November 7th, I notified “Kachi-X” that the delivery truck arranged by the successful bidder had come to my house to pick up the ZX-9R, and the payment was transferred immediately two days later.

After making the payment, I immediately headed to CLUB CIRCLE with the money from selling my ZX-9R. There, I put down 232,000 yen as a down payment and took out a loan for the remainder in 48 equal installments. This successfully concluded the sales contract for the Moto Guzzi. Fortunately, the V11 I purchased still had a little over a year left on its vehicle inspection, so if there were no problems with the pre-delivery maintenance, I would be able to take delivery of it in about two weeks.

The delivery day has finally arrived! What are your first impressions of the V11?

November 17th was finally the long-awaited day of delivery. When I arrived at the shop, I found a shiny, polished Moto Guzzi V11 Sport waiting for me. After a brief explanation of the bike from Yamada-san, I immediately got on the bike and started the engine. The riding position is what’s known as the Italian position, where the handlebars are a little far away. However, it’s not so bad that it makes riding difficult. In fact, the handlebars are higher than on the ZX-9R, so the riding position feels more comfortable.

When the engine has finished warming up, if you accelerate, the crankshaft reacts and the body of the bike tends to rise to the right, a phenomenon known as “torque reaction.” I have experienced this with a BMW I previously owned, but the impression is that the engine revs up better on the Moto Guzzi.

I released the clutch, put the car in gear, and finally started. It’s said that dry clutches are difficult to operate and require some getting used to, but when it disengages and engages, the touch is sharp and pleasant. V11 clutches are often said to be heavy, but I don’t know if that’s a difference between individual cars or if I’m just insensitive, but I didn’t feel that way at all. However, the shift feel is squishy and vague.

Incidentally, one of the weak points of the V11 is said to be a malfunction of the shift return spring. If this breaks, you won’t be able to shift gears and you’ll have to call a tow truck. This part seems to break down quite often. There are apparently some countermeasures available, but I don’t know if the vehicle I bought has been fixed. Well, there’s no point in worrying about it, so I’m optimistic and will just have to think about it when it breaks down.

The author gradually increases the speed of the V11 in line with the flow of traffic. The driving sensation of this bike is unique; at low speeds, you can feel a strong pulsation along with the thick torque appropriate for the engine displacement, but as the rotation speed increases, the vibration that is traditional to Moto Guzzi subsides and the bike revs up smoothly up to high rotations. It feels like riding a Harley at low speeds and a Ducati at high speeds. The Moto Guzzi, which shows different faces depending on the rotation speed, is like an “Almond Glico” bike that is twice as delicious.

It is said that cornering is a little difficult to lean into right corners and easy to turn left corners due to the counter torque of the vertically mounted crank, but at the level of city riding, my impression was “I guess that makes sense.” If I were to seriously attack the circuit, the difference might be more obvious, but I mainly use it for touring, occasionally picking up the pace on mountain passes. As I only intend to ride on the circuit to the extent that I participate in beginner-friendly driving events, it is unlikely that I will have any trouble controlling it due to its strong handling.

Excellent straight-line stability and sufficient performance…the V11 is the best!

I decided to take a detour and get on the highway. Fortunately, the road was empty. I whipped the Moto Guzzi and accelerated at a rapid pace, keeping me ahead of the flow of traffic.

The traditional longitudinal V-twin engine demonstrated excellent straight-line stability due to the gyroscopic effect, as the crankshaft rotates in the same direction as the vehicle’s movement. This means that driving with both hands free should be no problem (although of course, I don’t do that). One of the concerns about V-twin engines is the unpleasant vibration transmitted through the handlebars, but the vibration is at its lowest at speeds of around 80-90km/h, and gradually increases as you open the throttle further.

Of course, the ZX-9R (2001 model), boasting a maximum output of 144 hp, is superior in terms of speed, but in Japan, where there are no Autobahns or the Isle of Man, there are no situations on public roads where that performance can be fully utilized. And with my limited skills, that extra performance would be wasted. With that in mind, the 91 hp V11 Sport’s performance is all you need. In fact, I doubt I’ll even be able to fully utilize it. So, compared to the ZX-9R, which isn’t fun unless you’re going fast, the V11 is more fun to drive and more flavorful, so it’s more suited to my usage. Considering all of that, I think this purchase was the right decision.

Returning home from a short tour after picking up the vehicle, I parked the Moto Guzzi in my car park and lined it up next to my beloved Alfa Romeo Giulia Coupe and Fiat 500. The picturesque scene brought a smile to my face. If you’re looking for the joy of driving, you really have to choose an Italian vehicle. Latin vehicles are often criticized for their breakdowns and poor reliability, but such trivial matters seem insignificant in the face of momentary pleasure. “Well, if it breaks, I can just fix it. If it breaks, I can just worry about it then. Whatever will be, will be. Que sera sera,” I muttered to myself, without anyone listening.

Anyway, this is how the 1999 Moto Guzzi V11 Sport came into my hands. First impressions were, of course, good. I wonder what will happen next. I’ll be reporting on it from time to time, so please look forward to it.