I'm a little disillusioned with the Moto Guzzi's clutch-Transmission set up.  

I got rid of the V-9 Roamer (Beautiful bike)  because the Transmission was so "Clunky".    Either one of my tractors shift's smother any day of the week.  The rest of the bike was a NICE WORK OF ART .  
If the Japanese can build such nice transmissions then why can't the Italians' ?  

The V-7II is a lot better shifting but the clutch is way hard to pull compared to any Japanese bike. The V7III has a softer/smother clutch but the same CLUNKY TRANSMISSION as the V-9.   They just can't seem to get the WHOLE PACKAGE right !   The only harder clutch I've felt was on an old Sportster (1990's).   I'm going back the the Japanese for their clutch/transmissions skills.  

Well  I'm going to West Liberty, Kentucky, to pick-up a third bike to try out for a while.   I just bought a W650 with 12,000 miles on it.  My Guzzi has over 16,000 on it now.   I was looking at the new W800 that is really only 97cc more than the W650 and the new one has less HP listed in the write-ups.   The biggest difference is the fuel-injection.
In reading the reviews on the W650 most owners are getting 60-70 mpg out of the carburetor models , the reviewers only get 46-48 mpg.  ???  
I've read the HP is 48 in some places and 50 in other places.

When I was in my teens I wanted a 650 Triumph , well , the W650 is as close to it as I'll ever find in a newer machine .   Some time this week I'll have more information ?

JOG

I see you've looked at them too !    8 valves could be a nightmare but the shims take care of all that stuff !  

I'm a little concerned about the twin carbs instead of just one ... but if they ever aggravate me I'll be looking for a single carb. manifold .

 I Have one, but the idiot loan officer at the bank screwed up my title.  

????? ?????

Can you sell it to somebody , then buy it back after the paperwork clears ?  

I met Lancer because I had a Savage with a messed up title.

Good going MM. Congratulations.

I like the Honda Shadow Spirit 1100. There was a nice one in San Antonio last week but it went quickly. This weekend another one was listed in Dallas but I got no response from the seller. I like this bike because it is just under 600 lbs, has hydraulic valve lifters, tubeless tires and shaft drive. It is supposed to be very comfortable and very reliable.

I like the Triumph Speedmaster but they are chain drive. But if I could find one for a decent price I think I could put up with the chain drive.

I like the Vstar 950 but it is quite heavy and has very limited lean angle.

The other 2 bikes I sort of like but really do not enough about at the Suzuki S83 and the S50/Intruder.

I'm keeping my eyes open and hopefully something nice will show up here in Houston where I can hopefully jump on it.

Oh yeah, I forgot. If I run across a Honda CTX700 with full fairing and bags at a good price, I might be willing to put up with the chain drive.

MM:

I like the W650 and it would be a bike that I would certainly welcome into my garage.

I am a bit surprised that you are willing to buy a bike that is chain drive and has "toobs" in the tires - but unless you decide to take it on a very long trip I doubt either of those will give you much problem!  Thankfully I have only ever gotten one screw in my tire.....and I was close enough to home to get back before the air ran too low.

The rear fender is prone to cracking......if your is not cracked yet it would be a good idea to JB weld a piece of metal where they are prone to cracking.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/new-to-me-2000-kawasaki-w650.514600/page-33

I would appreciate that

13 hours and 600 miles later -