Moto Guzzi expands retro roadster range

19 December 2012 - 13:32 By By DENNIS TAU
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CLASSIC LOOK: There are now three models in the V7 range
CLASSIC LOOK: There are now three models in the V7 range

After returning to our shores this year, Moto Guzzi wasted no time adding two new retro-styled 750cc models - the V7 Special and the V7 Stone - to its range.

These, along with the V7 racer that arrived in August, make up the factory's full range of three machines powered by the Italian small-block air-cooled V-twin engines introduced in 2008.

As with all Moto Guzzis, the engines are mounted transversely and deliver power to the rear wheel via a shaft drive. The bikes have a well-earned reputation for reliability, allied with a healthy dose of grunt from very low revs, and excellent handling.

All three models in the V7 range are mechanically identical but the bikes have been given individual personalities by means, mainly, of cosmetic differences.

The base model V7 Stone comes in matte-black or glossy white and wears 1970s styled alloy wheels shod with Pirelli Sport Demon tyres front and rear. Braking is by Brembo calipers gripping a 320mm disc at the front and a 260mm one at the rear. The price has not yet been announced. The V7 Special comes with a bit more bling - it has red and white paint with natty wire-spoked aluminium wheels. This, the intermediate bike in the trio, sells for R106995.

At the top of the pecking order comes the sexy V7 Racer with its fiery red frame.

It is loaded with period-replica café racer components, such as a chromed petrol tank, racing numbers, a bikini fairing and flyscreen, a racing seat, clip-on handlebars and rear-set footrests.

The V7 Racer sells for R109995 and, like all other models in the Moto Guzzi range, comes with a two-year unlimited-distance warranty. Service intervals are 10000km.

In early January we can expect the eagerly awaited California 1400 Touring ABS.

This 1380cc 90 degree V-twin machine comes fully equipped with everything you'd ever need on a big touring motorcycle, including cruise control, traction control, an engine management system offering three different power modes, hard luggage, plush seating and floorboards rather than footpegs, which are more comfortable for long-hauls.

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