2009 Moto Guzzi V7 Cafe Classic Review - Motorcycle.com

I took a seat and tried to get a feel for the ergonomics before we headed out into the Rome traffic. What I love about the small block V7 models is the fact that they feel so small and easy to use whilst the 2-valve air-cooled engine thunders below me aspiring to at least sound like a big block. The seat height is a low 805mm (31.7 in) and the clip-on style Café racer handlebars are placed low to make you look good when racing between the cafés and bars in Europe. It improves handling as well as the V7 Café Classic behaves as expected while I do my motorbike slalom in and out of the busy traffic. To keep myself on course I allied myself with a Roman colleague who really knows Rome like the back of his hand.

The mixed small bike/big bike feel is felt in the handling department. The Marzocchi front fork feels stable on the brakes and the double rear suspension took care of most of what Rome had to offer in terms of big city hindrances in a comfortable way. It didn’t take me long to get a good feel for the Metzeler Lasertec tires either which I’m putting down to the instant kamikaze pace we set. Ride a little bit slower and you may not get too much tire feedback at all on this bike. The rear tire is a narrow and easy handling 130/80-17 and the front a 100/90-18. The wheels are spoked steel ones of course as anything else would have looked out of place!

Out of the traffic lights the V7 Café Classic needs a few revs more than the other new 744cc V-twin Guzzi presented in Rome (the Nevada Classic). Both bikes feature the exact same engine, gear ratios and only differ a few pounds in weight (press kit even says they weigh the same, but they don’t!). I’m inclined to think the clutch set-up might have been different on the two bikes that I rode. They should be the same though, but with different ergonomics and style.

Following a big Griso 8V I did notice that I only had 49 horsepower, but with a nice torque curve that maxes at only 3,600rpm it didn’t take long to catch up in town. Gone are the days when a Moto Guzzi V7 was all about performance and the 40 ft. lbs. of torque is all that I needed to have plenty of fun around Rome at least. The dry-weight is a claimed 401 pounds which is light in this segment. Along with a sturdy engine that’s not tuned to oblivion the 4.4-gallon plastic fuel tank should stay well filled most of the time too.

We also did a short spell on the inner ringroad and allowed the bikes to stretch a little. As you may already have understood looking at the spec sheet the V7 Café Classic is no high speed racer and it starts feeling a little asthmatic on higher revs. So we slowed the pace down a little and cruised around the Coliseum. With the engine thumping gently underneath me surrounded by giant historic artifacts and guided by a Roman I whistled a song while smiling to the pretty lady on a scooter next to me. Life was treating me well again and the V7 helped me relax.

We stopped for a quick espresso which gave me yet another opportunity to look at the machine. Parked outside of a coffee shop in Rome the V7 Café Classic seemed oh so in the perfect place and also in perfect proportion. Too big can quickly become obscene and particularly in Rome.

And what an accessible styling package the new V7 Café Classic is, competitively priced small bike with big bike feel. The big bike feel is mostly as a result of the soundtrack exiting from the double silencers. Moto Guzzi is bragging about it in their press release (the sound) and rightly so I think.

While continuing my ride around Rome I also had time to inspect the beautiful and simple instrument cluster in front of me. Inside the two analogue clocks that show speed on the left and revs on the right there’s digital display of time, ambient temperature and odometer functions. All you need and a little extra is what you get.

Conclusion

I just felt so lucky to be in the seat of the 2009 Moto Guzzi V7 Café Classic sightseeing in Rome on a gorgeous day. Apart from the perfect setting and surroundings, the V7 Café Classic also helps you get that feeling. It’s an easygoing motorcycle without any fuss which should help new riders relax more for safety and more experienced riders for the pure ‘feel good’ factor. The only negative I can think of on the V7 Café Classic is that it might just be too small for big riders, but perfect for everyone else.

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