#MotoGuzzi

When Moto Guzzi introduced the V100 Mandello, we figured it was only a matter of time before its 1,042 cc engine, the brand's first liquid-cooled engine, would make its way to other models.

Bobber fans should take note of the 2023 Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber Special Edition. For the new model year, Moto Guzzi has decided to dress the popular bike up with some special finishing touches. The most obvious addition is the blacked out look of all of the rolling gear. To that is added a two-tone black/grey paint scheme. The bar-end mirrors add a custom look comes straight from the factory, as do the factory slip-ons.

The apex of motorcycle announcement season is here! EICMA, the world’s largest motorcycle show, happens this week in Milan, Italy! While most of the excitement will take place on Tuesday, November 8th, the show itself goes on from the 8th-13th, with the public being allowed in the facility for the last days. Every year the Italian Trade Agency invites editors and distributors from around the world to attend the show so, for 2022, Ryan Adams will be reporting live from the Fiera Milano exhibition grounds, giving Motorcycle.com access to information and photos that sites dependent on press releases can only dream of.

Only three motorcycle manufacturers in the world can claim to have been in continuous production for more than 100 years, and Moto Guzzi is one of them. When it comes time to make a historic transformation to the brand, that change carries a lot of weight on its shoulders. With the Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello, the manufacturer alludes – twice – to that long history in the name alone. First, the V100 honors the century of production and maintains form with past naming conventions, while the last part of the name refers to Mandello del Lario, where all Moto Guzzi motorcycles have been made since 1921. When looking at the V100 for the first time, the Moto Guzzi lineage is unmistakable. So, where’s the risk?

Moto Guzzi is preparing a new special edition model based on the V7 but with modern styling. Spy photos of a camouflaged test bike were first uncovered by Moto.it in late October, leading to speculation that it would appear at EICMA along with the V100 Mandello. That obviously didn’t happen, but Motorcycle.com can confirm that the bike is on the way, and will be called the Moto Guzzi V850X.

Fans of Moto Guzzi V85 TT who want to ride something special should take a look at the Moto Guzzi V85 TT Guardia d’Onore. Produced to honor the 75 year collaboration between Moto Guzzi and the Cuirassiers’ Regiment, the special Carabinieri unit responsible for the honor guard and security of the President of the Italian Republic, have worked together, the limited and numbered edition will be produced in a limited number of only 1,946 units. Although the modifications of this limited edition are small in number, they are distinctive. The black paint receives a decorative white stripe running from the front fender and across the tank to the side panel. The oversized touring windscreen also receives this striping – and an Italian flag displayed front and center. Other niceties include a center stand, engine guards, and auxiliary LED lights. Matching saddlebags are also available.

After teasing us with a preview of the new 2022 Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello in September, the Piaggio Group released further details on the new sport-touring model at EICMA.

After skipping last year because of the global pandemic, the world’s largest motorcycle show is back for 2021. EICMA returns to Milan, Italy, on Nov. 23-28, and we’ll be providing full coverage on Motorcycle.com. Every year the Italian Trade Agency invites editors and distributors from around the world to attend the show so, for 2021, Ryan Adams will be reporting live from the Fiera Milano exhibition grounds.

If this were any normal year, Moto Guzzi would be holding a big party this week to celebrate its 100th birthday. Because of the pandemic, however, the Piaggio-owned brand had to postpone its Moto Guzzi World Days 2021 Festival to 2022, celebrating its centennial on what would actually be its 101st year.

Remember the day you took your first long ride on your very first motorcycle? The weather was TV-commercial sunny as you rolled down the two-lane highway away from home. The wind flowing past your body was filled with excitement as the engine sang beneath your seat. You had the world by the handlebars, and you knew this was the beginning of Great Things, that many Good Times were about to be had – all because you had chosen to take your first steps towards becoming a motorcyclist. For many of us, it was this moment that set the hook, leading to a lifetime of motorcycling, and was less a decision and more of a calling than just about any experience before it. At least that’s how it was for me, and this is the memory I had during the first hour riding the 2021 Moto Guzzi V7. 

Add Moto Guzzi to the very short list of manufacturers able to say they’ve been in existence for 100 years. Today – March 15, 2021 – marks the 100-year mark for one of Italy’s famed motorcycle brands, which can also lay claim to having every single one of its models since the beginning roll out from the same door in Mandello del Lario.

A head-to-head comparison this is not, but rather a showcase of two unique models that blur the lines of what adventure-capable motorcycles can look like. Triumph and Moto Guzzi, motorcycle manufacturers from two very different regions of Europe, both have long storied histories with plenty of ups and downs. The British brand dates back to 1902, two decades before Moto Guzzi began manufacturing in 1921. 

Announced at EICMA 2020, Moto Guzzi has unveiled the V85 TT, a touring-oriented version of the popular V85 adventure bike made up of items plucked from the Moto Guzzi parts catalog – not that that’s a bad thing. Up front, a higher touring windscreen offers greater protection from the wind, thanks to a surface area 60% larger than the standard V85 screen. Out back you’ve got two panniers, capable of holding a ton of stuff – 37 liters for the right case (big enough for a full-face helmet) and 27.5 liters for the left – both lockable with the same key. The panniers were designed along with the overall bike, so there are no unsightly brackets exposed when the bags are off the motorcycle, allowing the V85’s lines to remain true and consistent with or without luggage. Clever.

Moto Guzzi debuted a special, limited edition version of the V7 III Stone – named the V7 III Stone S – at EICMA 2020, paying homage to sporty Moto Guzzis from the 1970s like the 1974 750 S and 1971 V7 Sport. Being a limited edition, only 750 units of the V7 III Stone S will be made, in honor of the 750cc engine displacement. Each unit will have its serial number engraved on the handlebar riser.

The KTM 790 Adventure R blurs the lines between street-worthy adventurer and off-road capable dirtbike more than any machine that has hit the market thus far. While there are worthy contenders in the category when it comes to overall street manners, nothing we’ve tested yet has delivered the kind of off-road capability KTM’s new middleweight adventure has. If there’s any brand that is poised to dominate the serious adventure category, it’s probably KTM. The Austrian manufacturer has more than a few off-road championships under its belt including 18 straight wins of the Dakar Rally this last one in grand fashion, might I add, with a podium sweep. While those bikes are tricked out to the hilt, tech trickles down.