2008 Moto Guzzi V7 Classic

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At high speed there’s a hint of vibration through the footrests, and the mirrors start to shake a little. Peak torque is 41lb/ft at 3,600rpm, and like an old-school Guzzi the V7 Classic loves to lazily cruise along in fourth or fifth gear at 2,000-3,500rpm, its torque propelling you along. You’ll spend most of the time making use of the bike’s broad midrange and enjoying the low-down V-twin grunt rather than worrying about rapid acceleration and top speeds. Though more power is always nice, Guzzi’s decision to use the Breva 750 engine and frame means there won’t be hotted up versions in the future. But that’s OK, because the V7 Classic is what it is: A simple and competent motorcycle with the bonus of good looks that make you feel good about what you’re riding, and that’s important to many motorcyclists. And it definitely creates a buzz. Parked outside elegant bars on the banks of Lake Como, old men discuss it, teenagers take photos and bikers take a second look. It’ll take you from bar to café or to work and back. Add a tank bag and screen, and you could tour on it, though not in European levels of comfort.

So what is it?

It’d be easy to be cynical and suggest Moto Guzzi is just jumping on the retro bandwagon to flog a few bikes, having seen the success the Triumph Bonneville, the V7 Classic’s most obvious competitor in style, price and performance. In England, the V7 Classic will be close to the cheapest Bonneville in terms of price (about $11,000 U.S., which is more than they cost here!). In some respects, Guzzi has more bragging rights than Triumph to produce such a model. The V-twin lineage stretches back unbroken for 40 years, and Guzzi was already defining “retro” back in 1990 with the 1000S, which was based on Guzzi’s 1970s sports 750s. Recent financial investment into the company and the design and production of Guzzi models like the Stelvio, Griso and track-dedicated MGS-01 show that the factory is trying to look forward, not backward.

Past and present owners of older Guzzis will find the V7 Classic has plenty of familiar V-twin charm, but is unavoidably sanitized and unchallenging to ride in comparison to the originals it’s based on. I kept looking at it, plotting various modifications like clip-ons, rear sets, a single seat, maybe spray it red, maybe some different mufflers, and so on. No doubt someone out there is already planning some trick parts as it’s a bike that will lend itself to being customized and modified — Guzzi is missing a money-spinning trick not having a range of attractive bolt-on goodies already in place; just look at what Harley and Triumph offer.

That said, no doubt the V7 Classic will attract many past Guzzi owners curious to own a new bike from the revitalized company that is reliable, effortless to ride yet looks like it was made in 1973. Guzzi says the bike will come in black in the future and there’ll be some accessories at some point, like a screen and some panniers — but in Guzzi fashion, there’s no idea when.

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