Welcome back to a new CMG feature, the Find of the Month, where we share some of the cool bikes we find on autoTRADER.ca. This month, we’re checking out a cool ’90s-vintage Moto Guzzi SP3, for sale in Forestburg, Alberta.
Say you want a vintage bike, but you want something a bit different, too. You want it to be a reliable, proven design, and you want to be able to go touring on it. Maybe this 1994 Moto Guzzi 1000 SP3 would fit the bill?
This bike has the last generation of the VN motor, which was a solid V-twin in the Guzzi lineup for years, with Nikasil-lined jugs and LeMans III medium valve heads. This was also the first generation of Guzzis that came with proper electronic ignition, instead of points.
The SP3 came with 18-inch wheels front and rear; suspension was adjustable for preload and damping. The SP3 also featured linked braking, an oddity in the 1990s (except for Guzzis).
Of course, these machines also featured shaft drive. The fairing is fibreglass, not ABS, and this seller says the bodywork has been repainted. Dry weight was 230 kg when this bike was new, and handling was reckoned to be pretty good as a result, when compared to portly touring bikes from other OEMs.
The SP3 is certainly a rare bird compared to other touring bikes of that era, so spares might be an issue, and given the bike’s vintage, you know you’ll need them sooner or later. It’s hard enough to keep a K-bike, or an FJ1200, or a ‘Wing on the road.
But thanks to the Internet, it’s much easier to find parts for machines like this these days, and the bike has certainly proven its capability, as the seller lists mileage at 130,000 km; he’s taken it all over the US, and even explored a fair chunk of Canada with it.
Depending on your view, that mileage could be high or low. Most riders will never take a bike to a six-digit odometer reading, but the seller says this is his second Guzzi; he sold his first in the early ’90s with just under 400,000 miles on the clocks, and he says that bike is still running!
Still, it might be hard to find someone willing to pay $7,500 for this machine, with that much usage, although the mileage is an indicator that it’s been well-maintained.
As this is a tourer, it comes with heated grips, hard luggage (Givi Monokeys, which were fitted as stock), a rear rack, DC power outlet, and a massive windscreen. The seller also lists an aftermarket exhaust, and he’s changed the cam to a slightly sportier aftermarket part, with gear drive instead of the original chain-driven cam arrangement (which probably helps for longevity as well).
