Good news comes from Moto Guzzi, which has announced plans to make the new V7 Classic available to U.S. buyers. Guzzi announced the new retro-themed V7 Classic (named after Guzzi’s first-ever V-twin, the 1966 V7 700) at the November 2007 Motorcycle and Bicycle Manufacturers show in Milan, Italy, where it was an instant hit.
We featured the new V7 — which went on sale in Europe in mid-2008 — in our September/October 2008 issue, and while U.S. interest has been strong, a weak dollar kept the V7 at arm’s length. Since that 2008 report, when we estimated an $11,000 price based on the weak dollar-to-euro exchange, the dollar had made enough of a rally for Guzzi to slot the 744cc V7 in at a suggested retail of $8,490, which puts it in the territory of Triumph’s Bonneville T100 and below Ducati’s retro-themed SportClassic GT1000.
That puts the V7 into serious consideration for anyone shopping for something in the popular retro category of new bikes, which has shown more growth and staying power than expected. Moto Guzzi made its first foray into the category in 2007 with the introduction of the California Vintage, a 1,064cc cruiser with roots in Guzzi’s big baggers of the 1970s, the Ambassador, the El Dorado and the California.
Styling for the V7 Classic draws heavily from Guzzi’s past, including a gas tank that looks like it belongs on a 1972-1974 V7 Sport, wire wheels, Lafranconi mufflers and a healthy dose of chrome. Mechanicals are of course all modern, with electronic fuel injection, Brembo disc brakes fore and aft, and electronic ignition. www.motoguzzi-us.com