Thoughts as I ride my Brothers Breva 750 this week...

[mxstone]

I swapped bikes with my brother this week and rode his 750 Breva the 2 hours to my place and will be testing the urban waters with the cute little red bike for the week until I have to ride it back. Here are some random observations:

The bike I call home is a 2001 BMW R1100R so this is definitely a smaller and more petite machine for me. I really notice the difference in the width of the seat. The Beemer is a pig compared to this bike and the narrowness of the seat has a lot to do with that impression. I raced MX for a few years and I find myself steering this thing with my knees much like my RM dirt bike.

I'm not sure if it's a mechanical problem or something all of these bikes do, but the Breva will go into a head shake at the drop of a hat. Over the last few years I have developed a bad habit of sitting up straight as I let the BMW motor slow me down and releasing the bars to stretch my hands for a brief second or 2 and the first time I did that on the Breva the bars immediately started to wobble in a bigger and bigger arc. I then noticed that even letting up my grip to the point of almost, but not quite, letting go would result in the feeling of the bars oscillating. Any hints from other Breva owners?

Another thing I've noticed is that people notice this bike. My BMW gets an occasional comment from someone who knows bikes but Little Red gets the commoners waggin their tongues and drooling. This is an extremely attractive bike that both the non-riding and the riding public like a lot. It sure is pretty.

This bike has absolutely no grunt. The 1100 BMW motor is a rocket compared to the Breva's 750. I played around a bit in the higher revs and that helped but I am really spoiled with hitting the throttle anywhere in the curve and getting a response on my BMW. I am learning to ride the Breva with a more careful eye on where the tach is and what gear I'm in.

The suspension is a lot more retro feeling on the Breva. The Paralever suspension on the BMW has completely skewed my riding style and the feel I have on a more standard bike. After riding the Breva I remember what the road feels like and how the little irregularities can come up through to my butt and hands. This isn't a good vs bad thing as these suspensions are vastly different in design and purpose - it's just different.

I offer these observation with the hope that others will share their experiences with riding other bikes for something more than a quick jaunt. I really have developed a certain feel while riding my BMW and it is good to try something else.

[JamesG]

The bike I call home is a 2001 BMW R1100R so this is definitely a smaller and more petite machine for me. I really notice the difference in the width of the seat. The Beemer is a pig compared to this bike and the narrowness of the seat has a lot to do with that impression.

I know what you mean, when I go to my wife's Breva from my Uly, it takes a couple minutes to adjusted to it. I usually stall it in the driveway (and have almost dropped it in turns a couple of times) because of the differences in handling and clutch settings.

I'm not sure if it's a mechanical problem or something all of these bikes do, but the Breva will go into a head shake at the drop of a hat.

That is not normal. Ours tracks and handles perfectly neutrally.  Could be the usual suspects; bad/old/worn out front tire, or loose steering stem.

Another thing I've noticed is that people notice this bike. My BMW gets an occasional comment from someone who knows bikes but Little Red gets the commoners waggin their tongues and drooling.

Yeah... Even at bike events full of people showing off their exotica, crusty old guys would ignore me and come up and oggly her bike and ask her about (or maybe they were just oggling her?).

This bike has absolutely no grunt.

Well, it IS a 750cc aircooled 2 valve engine... Its good enough to get out of its own way and plenty zippy for legal speeds. But yeah, its pretty weak if you are used to a big bore motor with lots of torque.
The trick to keeping the hustle up is corner speed. With its pretty good suspension, light weight, and decent ground clearance, it can do pretty well around turns.

The suspension is a lot more retro feeling on the Breva.

Retro as in you can feel the suspension work and dive under braking? LOL.  Just part of the adjustment to a different bike.

I offer these observation with the hope that others will share their experiences with riding other bikes for something more than a quick jaunt. I really have developed a certain feel while riding my BMW and it is good to try something else.

Yeah, its always good to try different machinery to make you appreciate what you have.

[atadaskew]

I test rode a Breva 2-up and it was completely stable.  Got it up to about 80mph.  No head shake.  There's something wrong with your bike.
As for powah, it only makes about 35 -40 rwhp.  
I found it a very comfy and delightful bike and would have bought one if the previous PO didn't run it low on oil..

[mxstone]

This bike has absolutely no grunt. The 1100 BMW motor is a rocket compared to the Breva's 750. I played around a bit in the higher revs and that helped but I am really spoiled with hitting the throttle anywhere in the curve and getting a response on my BMW. I am learning to ride the Breva with a more careful eye on where the tach is and what gear I'm in.

Update - The flip side of this bike trade is that my brother is riding my BMW until I bring his Guzzi back. He called yesterday to report that he accidentally pulled a straight up wheelie on my bike when he whacked the throttle.  

He is so use to giving his little red bike all of the throttle and waiting for the revs to build that he became a squid on my old man bike. Funny stuff.

The more I ride it, the more I think the issue on the head shake is the front tire. The bike only has 7K miles but I assume the stock tires are done. Any clues on a hot tire for this bike?

[mxstone]

Retro as in you can feel the suspension work and dive under braking? LOL. Just part of the adjustment to a different bike.

The real change is in the type of suspension. The Paralevel suspension on the BMW has me spoiled for a more standard set up. My brother noted it as well. My BMW has clapped out shocks (47K on the ODO vs 7K on the Breva) that need attention and he still reports that the BMW just plain tracks better and takes up the irregularities better than the Breva. Paralevel suspension is amazing if you've never tried it. It makes corner adjustments naturally and without effort.

[JamesG]

The more I ride it, the more I think the issue on the head shake is the front tire. The bike only has 7K miles but I assume the stock tires are done. Any clues on a hot tire for this bike?

The options for the 3" wheel are limited. I really haven't had any problems with the OEM Pirelli Demon on ours and its got 4yrs and 16K on it (but is looking pretty rough now).  Maybe you/he just got a bad one or it got left outside went flat and then thru to many freeze-thaw cycles?

[Flightar]

I have ridden my friends Breva 750 many miles alone and two up. I have never experienced any head shake at all and I also occasionally take my hands off of the bars too. Yeah the engine is gutless if you are coming off a bike that actually has some power but the Breva engine is a lot smoother than I expected and it does have character. The thing I have noticed is that the transmission is very notchy and I hate the cable operated clutch...but then again I'm coming off of a VFR. All in all I really like the Breva though. I would (and have) recommend one to any first time rider or to anyone who wanted a smaller bike that was a bit different....MG'd really be on to something if they would lower the price of the Breva to $6,000 then bring over the baby Norge as a step up model at $8,500.