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What’s Going on at Moto Guzzi?
So what? Aprilia bought Moto Guzzi a
couple of years ago. Lots of vehicle manufacturers are combining, from Kawasaki
and Suzuki to General Motors and Saab. Is there reason to think this marriage of
Italian motorcycle manufacturers is anything more than business as is now usual?
Read on.
Aprilia could well prove to be the best
owner of Moto Guzzi since its founder, Carlo Guzzi, died in 1964 because Aprilia
is privately held. Guzzi’s many and varied owners in the last quarter of the
twentieth century were largely a bunch of monopoly players, seemingly more
interested in sucking money out of Guzzi, or propping it up to sell to the next
guy for a profit, than in building the company. In 1999, it got so bad you could
purchase interest in Moto Guzzi by buying any of three different US stocks.
One might guess that Ivano Beggio was
bored running the hugely successful Aprilia and needed a new challenge. Actually
he always admired Moto Guzzi as a boy growing up in Italy and wanted to rescue
it from those damn foreigners (Americans). He purchased Moto Guzzi for a rumored
$60 million and has reportedly sunk another $40 million into renovations.
Aprilia, like Triumph, is a closely-held
private corporation. It is the rare large company in which one person has all
three decisive factors at hand: the vision, the decision-making authority and
the money to implement the decisions. Ivano Beggio, like Triumph’s John Bloor,
is the real thing. Beggio’s the reason Aprilia successfully competes against
much larger manufacturers, both in the showroom and on the track. The future of
Moto Guzzi will apparently enjoy this special advantage as well.
So it’s been two years now. What’s
changing? Visit one of our local dealers (Skagit Powersports in Burlington, Moto
International in Seattle, Vince’s Motorcycles in Olympia) and you’ll see for
yourself. Pretty much every model got a new name and a new look for 2002. More
importantly, Aprilia surveyed its dealers and distributors, compiling a list of little details needing attention, and fixed them all. So now the
handlebars do not shake on the V11 Sport, the neutral light doesn’t lie on
the Jackal (now called the Stone), the seat feels decently comfortable on the EV
and you don’t need a 36" inseam to reach the side stand on the California
Special. The next logical step might be that we see entirely new models based on
existing engines and then eventually new models with new engines, as Guzzi’s
charismatic power plant will cease to meet ever-more stringent noise and
emissions regulations in the future.
Moto Guzzi’s apparently not giving up on
their classic engine just yet, though. Already appearing in dealer showrooms are
a few early-release 2003 models with hydraulically-actuated self-adjusting valves.
Local Guzzi guru, Dave Richardson of Moto International, tells me that the
necessary oil galleys for this update were added in 1972 with the introduction
of the Eldorado! What’s with that!? Rome wasn’t built in a day? Dave says he
bugged Guzzi about this feature in 1997 and was told it couldn’t be done with
a high-revving (8000 rpm) air-cooled pushrod engine. If the engine turned slower
like a Harley or was water cooled it could be done. So what’s changed? Simple:
lifter technology. Richardson quips that probably no engine needs this new
feature less than a Guzzi, what with just two cylinders, two valves per
cylinder, screw & nut valve adjustment, and the cylinders conveniently
jutting out the sides. I don’t think he fully realizes how little most of us
like to perform motorcycle maintenance! And just to show the strength of
tradition, Dave reports Guzzi stalwarts turning a cold shoulder to the new
engine because it lacks the familiar Guzzi valve clatter! Perhaps with Aprilia’s
technical expertise a device can be attached to the ignition coil and the rider’s
helmet, reproducing the familiar clang in the rider’s ear.
For a test ride I took out the ’03 Cal
Special Aluminum, named for its unique and very pleasing finish. It’s a little
less bulky looking than the standard version California Special and a bit more
like an American-style cruiser than anything previously offered by Guzzi. The
first impression riding it is that it doesn’t sit as low as the average
cruiser. The second impression is that it’s a bunch sportier, both in power
and handling, than one could expect from a cruiser. Richardson, as usual, has an
explanation: "This bike is a great example of the progression of motorcycle
design and performance over the years. The basic chassis here was introduced 30
years ago on the V7 Sport. At that time, it was a front-line sport bike. Soon
after, it became the basis for a range of standards, sport tourers, touring, and
police models. Now it only serves for cruisers, although granted, an Italian
manufacturer can’t make a cruiser that doesn’t handle. Over the years it’s
gained some extra bracing and now it’s made of chrome moly rather than mild
steel. The frame is also why the seat isn’t as low as most cruisers: these
things have most of the cornering clearance of a sport bike. What’s really an
amazing progression, though, are the brakes and suspension over the years. The
V7 Sport got by with a drum brake held by 35-mm forks. Now this cruiser has
45-mm forks and the same 320-mm discs and 4-piston Brembo calipers as a current
sport bike."
The Cal Special enjoys one of the most
flexible engines among cruisers. Not long ago, Motorcyclist Magazine proclaimed
the Jackal the quickest and fastest big-twin cruiser in the quarter mile. Since
then, however, monster twins from Honda and Yamaha have probably taken that
record. The Guzzi’s 1100 engine, like the bike itself, makes a great balance
between the extremes of cruisers and sport bikes. No other 1100-plus cruiser
twins spins up to eight grand, not that it’s necessary but it sure sounds
great while doing it. For anyone who wonders why Guzzi’s cruisers soldier on
with a five-speed when the company now makes a six-speed, a single ride will
convince you of the logic. The cruisers make less horsepower (74 vs. 91) but
spread it over a wider powerband, therefore requiring less shifting. The Cal
Special is more pleasant at stop-and-go traffic than most bikes, thanks to a
hefty flywheel, while remaining so long legged that fifth seems wrong at speeds
under 70. Five grand in fifth translates to an even 100 mph and the bike tops
out at a touch over 120. In this world of narrowly-focused, overly-specialized
motorcycles, here’s one that is downright versatile. Guzzi even offers enough
touring gear to make this a decent distance bike.
Moto Guzzi’s cruiser line includes the
non-flashy and curiously-named Stone, the previously-mentioned California
Special, and the touring EV. The popular V11 Sport is now called the Sport Naked
to help differentiate it from the fairing-equipped V11 LeMans. For 2002 each
model had a special edition available, a trend that will likely continue into
the future. And speaking of Guzzi’s future, I asked Dave if he had any inside
information on what’s in development. Oddly, he didn’t have much to say for
a change. Dave is the chair of the US Guzzi Dealer Advisory Council and earlier
this year he and three other dealers were invited to the Guzzi factory on Lake
Como to talk about the US market. Afterwards, he was thanked for
"sacrificing" his time with hopes they could bother him again this way
in the future. Needless to say, Dave’s not going to blow an ongoing
arrangement like that by spilling the beans! It is kind of cool, though, that we
have a local dealer with good connections. So be careful what you suggest to
Dave; you might be inspiring the next Moto Guzzi!
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