Church of MO: 2007 Moto Guzzi 1200 Sport

John Burns
by John Burns

Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto Guzzi the things that are Guzzi’s. If this one ever immigrated to the US, I never saw it?

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2007 Moto Guzzi 1200 Sport Introduction Report

Do you need proof that sometimes factories actually listen to what we journos have to say?When I sampled the new Moto Guzzi Breva more than a year ago, the only thing that prevented me from crowning it with a “Perfect Roadster” title was the nice but somewhat flat-ish 1100 motor. However, later this year, while testing the 1200 Norge tourer, all I could think of while enjoying the hefty oomph was: `for Gawd’s sake why can’t they put this fine engine in other Moto Guzzi models?’

The swearing was amply justified, in my humble opinion. In times past, you’d have to wait a lifetime for an Italian factory to move on and renew its offerings. Luckily, the pace in the reformed Piaggio group is very different nowadays. No more waiting around till clients crawl and beg for improvements or simply drop dead hoping. After setting the

Guzzis gone wild! All models are over 18 (at least the engine is).

ambitious sight of offering at least three new models per year, things happen fast even in the very sleepy village of Mandello del Lario. Seeing what a stonking engine the 1200 turned out to be and the enthusiastic reactions from the press, no time was lost in transferring the healthy mill into what is basically a “Super Breva”. Wishful thinking fulfilled, and mighty quick too.The “Sport” moniker evokes sweet memories among Guzzisti but don’t let that carry you away too much. Back in `72, the arrival of the Guzzi 750 Sport shot the company into the high-performance battle raging then against the likes of CB750 and KZ900. However, this 1200 Sport is clearly not a GSXR beater but rather a nice big-bore roadster. A quick glance proves that the term Sport carries a very different meaning in Mandello nowadays.

If you’re wondering why Yossef looks so good, it’s because that’s not Yossef.

The transformation of the sweet Breva into a more aggressive tool started with the aforementioned engine transplantation. The claimed figures for the actually 1151cc mill are 95 hp at 7800 rpm with 73.8 foot-pounds of torque 6000 rpm; pretty much the same as in the Norge Seemingly, not many changes in tuning were effected and that’s perfectly fine with me. In order to give the Breva a more aggressive and sporty stance, a small fly screen was added over the big front headlamp and most importantly, the tall cast handlebar halves have been replaced by a single stubby tubular item. It’s got a typical Streetfigther bend and is fixed to the triple clamp with low risers.There are other upgrades as well. There is now adjustable suspension at both ends; the fork got a TiNi treatment to the legs for reduced friction, while wave-type rotors replace the fully circular discs of the regular Breva. A humped rear seat with an optional racy cover and a “carbon like” finish to the silencer give the otherwise sedate-looking design of the Breva a more purposeful look.

Wave rotors on a Guzzi? We at MO think this is like the Pope getting his navel pierced.

The verdict when facing the Sport from up close? Nice, but maybe too much Breva has been left in there. Those front side panels with their chromed accents hovering above the cylinder heads are out of pace in this sporty context. Otherwise, it’s got a cool sinister look with the commanding overall black color enhanced by the white accents that have a more than passing resemblance to race number plates.Swing a leg over the thing and it’s hard to believe the impact of those flat handlebars on the seating position. The original Breva bars put you in an almost “big-trailie” posture while here, the rider’s upper torso is canted forward quite notably, to the point where shorter testers in the launch event complained about the long reach to the bars. For me it was spot-on, reminding me more than anything of the riding position in my old-skool GSXR-based streetfighter.

Blipping the throttle in the parking lot is quite a tease; the healthy bark reflected from the walls of the old factory is a nice tell-tale sign. Moving on slowly at first, all the sweetness of the original Breva is here intact, though the quick and light steering do not create the same shock effect anymore. Better get used to that; the truck-like steering manners of Guzzis of yore are gone forever.

Staggered high-mount exhaust! What’s next, a 17,500 rpm redline?

Just as slick are the gear changing and throttle response. While dealing with the traffic along the shore of Como Lake, the 1200 Sport pulls cleanly from 2000 revs, already exhibiting some proper grunt in the process. As already noticed in the Norge 1200 test, the increase in capacity has enhanced the Mandello twins with even nicer manners down low the rev range.We only have a few hours of riding planned so instead of taking the long way around, “Checo” — our trusty lead and Guzzi road tester — takes us straight to the nearest twisty road. He doesn’t wait too much before rolling on in earnest and the 1200 turns out to be a tool that lets you start pushing with confidence from the word go. Roll on with decision driving out of turns, and the 1200 responds with a strong pull, the likes of which you could only dream of with the 1100 mill.

Try this on Grandpa’s V7. On second thought, don’t.

Between hairpins the Sport gathers speed in an impressive manner and above five or six thousand rpm things get really interesting. 95 horsies might not sound like much these days, but the Sport puts down the power down in an extremely effective way and in this 40-70 mph road dotted with some really slow corners, the wide powerband lets you get away with very little gear changing. The only item that initially bothers me is the strong engine braking, that coupled with a dab on the rear brake tends to lock up the rear while downshifting for turns. The solution is to downshift much less and accompany the move with swift throttle blipping.Although it’s a shafty, the CARC system does a good job canceling torque reactions at the rear, but just like on Beemers, the system can’t get rid of the effect fully. Get used to that and it becomes a minor distraction, but for now, I’m really enjoying the extra precision that the flatter bars give. It might not amount to much, but the little extra weight over the front makes this “Super Breva” more reactive than the 1100 model while front end feedback is improved as well.

After this medium-length hill climbing session our guide is in bad need of a cigarette and we stop in the empty parking lot leading to a ski resort above the lake. Up here, sly smiles abound. Guzzis used to be mature rider tools, like connoisseur’s wine to be enjoyed in slow sips, yet this one is like a good shot of grappa and can bring out a little devilish grin in anybody, experienced as he might be.

Checo notices that everybody’s looking for some hotter action and suggest that we do the (in)famous Pian di Razzinelli hill climb. The road has been used in the past in numerous open road races. Sounds good — our photographic session has been cancelled anyway (hence the PR shots at Monza) – so let’s go.

Good things come in threes…

The pace gets hotter and for most of the time the Sport 1200 handles very well with the increased loads while the Metzler M3 tires have no problem coping with anything we throw at them. It steers pretty quickly considering the 510 pounds (claimed) of weight. When you’re pushing and going for it, the engine’s got no problem climbing above 8000 rpm; it actually likes it. Even if there’s no real advantage in stretching it that far, it’s nice to know that unlike another 1200 pushrod thing — namely the Buell — this thing doesn’t hit a wall up high the rev range.“…this one is like a good shot of grappa and can bring out a little devilish grin in anybody…”

The brakes, although not of the latest radial fashion, supply very reassuring deceleration rates with plenty of feel. These wave-type rotors might lack the classy looks but they sure work. If anything, an increase in fork preload could help here, but I didn’t have time to play with the adjusters.

Just because you’re a hooligan doesn’t mean you don’t have stuff to carry around.

The one limit to the overall sporty groove lies in the footpegs. Close examination reveals that the cast aluminum members that also serve as footpeg brackets have not been changed from the Breva. So there’s indeed plenty of leg room for long-gammed creatures like me, but while riding at a 95 percent pace, you have to place the ball of your feet on the pegs in order to save your boots and eventually, the pegs do drag. Regretfully these brackets can’t be changed that easily with aftermarket rearsets as they are pretty big and have a complex shape. To put in the right perspective, you’d have to be following a mad Guzzi tester around on his “home track” to reach this kind of limit.

He’s not Yossef, but don’t worry, Yossef will be back in photos soon.

We finish our Hill climb race, err…. sorry, I mean ride and the stunt-oriented journos celebrate in a major burn out session in the little village square. For the ride down I ask for a special treat. In view of possible trackday use, Guzzi has developed a performance kit that includes polished inlet tracts and a pair of cool staggered open Lafranconi silencers, as well as a dedicated EFI chip and higher-compression pistons. The kit’s spec sheet reads “at least 100 rear wheel horsepower”. There’s such an equipped Sport on hand and I ask for/grab the keys as soon as the bike is free. And boy, what a difference! The Duc Monster style Franconi kit emits a deep, almost impossibly loud bark. I almost feel guilty for the noise I am making but the way those free-flowing bits transform the power delivery is nothing short of amazing. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were indeed an extra 10 hp down there as the thing really jumps ahead on throttle openings. It just goes to show you how strangled these big twins must be in order to pass the stringent Euro 3 emissions.Nice way to finish the day. On paper, Guzzi did a parts bin special: a Breva frame, a Norge engine and some goodies thrown in. The reality? It not only works, but the Sport 1200 and Breva have an entirely different character. Need I explain which one I’d rather? Guzzisti can play the hoodlum hooligans at last.

Specifications Courtesy of Moto Guzzi
Engine
Type90° V-Twin, 4 stroke
Cooling systemair cooling
Displacement1,151 cc
Bore and stroke95 x 81.2 mm
Compression ratio9.8:1
Timing systemintake open 24° B.T.D.C.
intake close 52° A.B.D.C.
Exhaust open 54° B.B.D.C.
Exhaust close 22° A.T.D.C. with valve clearance 1.5 mm
*Claimed* Maximum powerover 70 kW (95 HP) at 7,800 rpm
*Claimed* Maximum torqueover 100 Nm at 6,000 rpm
Fuel injection system / IgnitionMagneti Marelli IAW5A, a-n type; 2 Ø 45 mm throttle bodies, Weber IWP 162 injectors, Lambda control, twin spark ignition
Spark plugInternal NGK PMR8B (Long Life) external NGK BPR6ES
Startingelectric
Exhaust systemstainless steel, 2 into 1 type with catalytic converter, height-adjustable muffler
HomologationEuro 3
Transmission
Gear6 speed
Internal ratios1> 17/38 = 1 : 2.235
2> 20/34 = 1 : 1.700
3> 23/31 = 1 : 1.347
4> 26/29 = 1 : 1.115
5> 31/30 = 1 : 0.967
6> 29/25 = 1 : 0.862
Lubricationsplash
Primary drivehelical teeth, ratio 24/35 = 1 : 1.458
Secondary driveCompact Reactive Shaft Drive CA.R.C.; double universal joint with floating bevel gear, ratio 12/44 = 1 : 3.666
Clutchdouble disk, dry
Chassis
Frametubular cradle, high tensile steel
Wheelbase1.485 mm
Trail120 mm
Rake25°
Steering angle32°
Front suspensiontelescopic hydraulic fork with Ø 45 mm and TIN surface treatment, preload adjustable
Front wheel travel120 mm
Rear suspensionsingle arm suspension with progressive linkage, rear shock absorber adjustable in rebound and pre-load (hydraulic)
Rear wheel travel140 mm
Front braketwin stainless steel floating disc, wave type, Ø 320 mm, 4 opposed pistons
Rear brakesingle steel fixed disc, Ø 282 mm, floating caliper with 2 parallel pistons
Wheelsthree spokes, light alloy wheels, gravity die-casting
ABSTwo channels anti-block system
Front wheel3.50″ x 17″
Rear wheel5.50″ x 17″
Front tyre120/70 ZR17″
Rear tyre180/55 ZR17″
Electrical
Battery12 V – 18 Ah
Voltage12 V
Alternator12 V – 550 W
Dimensions
Length2.195 mm
Width840 mm
Height1.160 mm
Seat height800 mm
Ground clearance185 mm
*Claimed* Dry weight229 kg
Fuel tank capacity23 litres
Reserve4 litres
* Technical specifications of 1200 Sport may change without notice.
John Burns
John Burns

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