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I’ve always had a soft spot for Moto Guzzi. Their bikes always stand out in a crowd. They have that BMW quirkyness with Italian flair. They may have been a force to be reckoned with in racing many years ago, but today they mostly build mediocre street bikes. They are one of the oldest surviving manfacturers on the planet (founded 1921), just barely eclipsed by Harley Davidson for the seniority title. So the term “classic” truly applies.

The BEST Guzzi ever?

I’ve always admired the longitudinal V (twin) engine. It makes perfect sense for a motorcycle: narrow at the bottom for lean angle clearance, wider at the top for good air cooling and short front to back for good weight distribution. Unfortunately, the orientation of the crankshaft in this design contributes to the somewhat annoying right hand pull under sudden acceleration (and corresponding left hand pull during decel). Can you say rotational inertia?

My biggest concern going into this test ride was the fact that while this engine has almost twice the displacement of my Suzuki SV650, it has a comparable peak horsepower number. While it’s true the torque is better by 10 or more foot pounds, the bike also weighs 150 lbs more. You don’t buy this bike for it’s acceleration performance. 

My last ride on a Guzzi was about 6 years ago. I finagled a test ride on the then new V11 Sport (I was lusting after the Mondelo Rosso version). I really liked the styling and hoped the performance was a match, but after about 40 miles, I was very disappointed. The biggest probelm was the combination of serious weight, long wheelbase and radical (for a Guzzi) steering geometry resulted in a bike that wanted to tuck the front while leaned over in bumpy pavement. Not confidence inspiring! Even though the rest of the bike (brakes, suspension, power, ergonomics) wasn’t bad, it wasn’t very good either. I was looking for something with at least a reasonable percentage of the capability of a Japanese bike, then that Italian look could win me over. This particular “Goose” wasn’t even close. (The company’s logo features an eagle in flight)
Since that time, Moto Guzzi was bought by Aprilia, and then changed hands again, being recently purchased by Italian scooter giant Piaggio. I recently read several favorable reviews in the mainstream moto-press about this latest incarnation, the Breva, so I was willing to give the Guzzi another look. Having owned an Aprilia Mille for awhile, I figured the injection of their modern race inspired technology might just be the right medicine for this classic but floundering marque. Like Harley, Guzzi has been relying on reputation and nostagia to sell bikes rather than incorporating the lastest technology.

Fast forward to this past weekend. So, how does the new Breva rate in the grand scheme of real world motorcycles? Winchester Motosports in Virginia was kind enough to give me the opportunity to find out. After the xeroxing of credentials, the signing of release forms and the warnings and well wishes of Carl the Owner, I was led by Ed the Salesman, riding a Victory, on about a 10 mile loop through a nice variety of roads, speeds and conditions. I had ample opportunity to test the acceleration, braking and handling of the bike. I was hoping for some rough road to really feel the suspension but the pavement was in pretty good shape.

My general impression was that the Breva felt like a beefy SV. Almost all the devils I remembered from my previous Guzzi experience had been exorcized from this model! It did pull to right when the throttle was blipped at a standstill, but once underway it wasn’t even noticable (and I’m picky about that, it’s one reason I’ll never consider a BMW Boxer). Considering the weight of the bike (somewhere around 550 lbs wet) the steering was light, precise and gave confidence inspiring feedback. The handlebars were just a bit wider than I like (very similar to my 950 Adventure) but it’s nothing a hacksaw can’t fix.

I was amazed at how Aprilia had found a way to make this bike handle so well compared to previous efforts. The suspension got the job done without protest or complaint. It had a very neutral steering character, not wanting to fall into a turn or right itself once leaned over, even on the brakes (trail braking is a great test for overall bike balance). The overall feeling was one of stability and confidence. The suspension possessed the seemingly mutually exclusive qualities of firmness and plushness. And the comfort of the stock seat is a revelation!!! I’ve ridden on bad seats, OK seats and almost good seats, but the Breva’s stock seat is magnificent! I wish I could have taken a passenger because the pillion seat looked as good, if not better, than the operator’s accomodations. And the overall ergonomics were spot on for my 6′1″/ 220 lb/ 32″ inseam frame. None of that weight on your wrists or weight on your tailbone crap, just bolt upright comfort you don’t need time to get used to.

I’ve never been a fan of shaft drive bikes due to the infamous jacking effects. The most common manifestation is a loss of ride height, hence ground clearance, when rolling off the throttle for corner (exactly the opposite of what you need for safety). While many systems claim to solve this using a varitety of technically unfathomable methods, I can usually still feel it. I honestly couldn’t tell on the Guzzi. Nice job! And of course, there’s always that added no lube/ no adjust aspect. One problem with shaft drive is that it virtually eliminates the possibility of changing gearing, but Guzzi picked an excellent final drive ratio that doesn’t need alteration.

The brakes were satisfactory and I’d whine a little, but I realized they only had 50 miles on them and they were top of the line 4-pad Brembos. I’m sure they’ll improve substantially over time. And in what’s becoming a long overdue but growing trend in the industry, the line are braided steel with clear covers. Sweet!

I felt the instruments were a little awkward. While they were fairly readable, the layout made it hard for me to quickly find the information I was looking for. It’s almost as if the tried too hard to “style” the panel, instead of just organizing it for simplicity. Also, some of the characters were small and hard to read at a quick glance. I rate the rearview mirrors excellent for function but cheap for looks. They looked like something out of a JC Whitney catalog. I’d probably put a nice pair of bar-ends on almost immediately. The switch gear worked fine but again the cost cutting seemed to extend here as well, and the horn button is above, rather than below the turn signal switch, which would take some acclaimation so that you don’t end up honking at people when you want to turn.

As a naked bike, the first accessory this bike needs is wind protection. Even though the instrument cluster may keep the breeze off your gut, for highway riding you need a hole that extends up to the bottom of the helmet at least. I’d probably also go for the bags since as I get older I seem to need to always be taking something with me and I loath wearing a backpack when I ride (it makes my shoulders sore and restricts my movement).

The engine produce a prodigious urge to move you forward, but was so torquey it was hard to tell what gear to use. I honestly thought I could use at least 3 different gears in any corner depending on how much exhaust noise I wanted to hear. The engine doesn’t want to be revved, it gets pretty buzzy near the top and responds much better to short shifting and riding the torque wave. The engine braking is pretty strong and the bike likes smooth inputs to the throttle in both directions. This was not the result of any glitches in the fuel injection system which was flawless, delivering just the right amount of mixture in all gears at all RPMs. The clutch is dry, but covered, so while it’s fairly quiet, you can still hear it during hard launches. But my Ducati makes a lot more noise (especially with a vented clutch cover) and I kinda like it. The only bizarro moment I had was when I pressed the starter button and it seemed to take a full second before the motor turned over. On most bikes this is virtually instantaneous ….. puzzling?

I’d read there were issues with the clearance of the side and center stands during lefties, but I wasn’t able to lean it over far enough to find out on this ride. Of course there are several solutions including adding ride height, a bit of purposeful grinding or even removal.

The bike is priced at around $12,500 which puts right in the middle of the mix. It’s comparable with bikes like the Tuono and Monster. It’s a couple grand more than an SV1000 but several grand less than a Brutale.

As for the styling, it’s probably a love hate kinda thing. While I wasn’t immediately smitten with the look of the Breva, it did start to grow on me. It has a bulldog stockiness in person you don’t see in the photos. It looks purposeful and ready to jump into the fray. If the styling doesn’t appeal to you and you lean more toward the sporty end of the continuum, the Griso might be just your style. Or if you want a little more tour in your stallion, the Norge (I know, stirs up vision of Dan Ackroyd’s butt crack) might be the better choice.

I’ve wanted a Guzzi for some time now but was unwilling to put up with the quirks and the lack of a confident feeling. It seems like every one of my complaints have been addressed in this model. Is it the perfect motorcycle …. NO, but it’s a lot closer than I’d ever imagined. The older I get the more I care about having a bike that’s distinctive rather than one that wins the magazine tests. I want a bike that can thrill me but still retains a level of comfort and competence in normal street riding. And fortunately for Moto Guzzi, it finally has the performance to match the look!

Would I buy one? Plans and schemes are already in the works.