Impressions of the Quota
Impressions of the Quota by Marcel Blais:
I bought my Quota about a year ago in Colorado Springs. I spent the summer and fall weekends riding all over Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. I came home to Portland Oregon in the fall on my Quota and did not ride all winter as I was in New England working till March. I now have about 7500 miles on this bike and love it. I spent the last twenty years before the Quota on various BMW's. They were all good bikes, but no comparison to the Quota for handling and personality.
It took the first thousand miles to get used to the seat but now that it has settled in to my butt, I can do 500-600 mile days and feels sore all over and not sore in any one spot. I think that's about as good as it gets. The torque and handling are great and I like the feel of the bike as it works it's way through the revs and I can feel the cams coming on. The bike is tall and the side winds will surprise you if you are dropping down the Front Range in Colorado or moving along the Columbia Gorge in
Oregon/Washington.
The problem the bike has is the Excel rims. They are developing cracks in the rear rim and I expect the front ones will show soon. I have heard of many similar complaints from other Quota riders. The dealers are aware oft his and Guzzi is replacing them. They should do a recall on these rims but it has not happened yet.
I do my own maintenance and the first filter change showed the normal amount of aluminum chips in the old oil. There were enough chips to mound up on the handle end of a normal teaspoon. No oil leaks were detected anywhere on the exterior of the bike. There is a small amount coming through the vent hole in the clutch housing. I suspect this is the rear main leaking. I am not losing enough to make a difference between oil changes so I will not worry yet.
Overall, the bike is great handling in the twisties (WG note: YES IT IS!), tall enough for great commuting in traffic, sensitive to side winds, an absolute blast to ride, and there has been no inclination whatsoever to go back to BMW's. I do get an itch to find a BSA like I used to have back in the 50's though. (But without the oil leaks and kick start problems) Hope this helps if you are thinking of a Quota.
Marcel Blais
Portland Oregon
Wildguzzi note: I have had my Quota now for 2 months (as of 09-28-02) and absolutely love it. It handles every bit as good in the twisties as my EV and is a real "gas" to ride. I've not had any rim cracking problems, but if I do, a simple call to my dealer will get that fixed.