Repost from Dealer News - Nov 19, 2007 by Guido Ebert...
Be sure to note the MG-01 Corsa text towards the bottom!
Be sure to note the MG-01 Corsa text towards the bottom!
Piaggio CEO Robert Colaninno says the Piaggio Group's plan for North America includes expanding consumer awareness of the Moto Guzzi brand while further building the operation to provide increased customer services. Specifically, the goal is to continue to improve after sales and service and boost market penetration through the introduction of new product.
Another main focus for the Piaggio Group is to reposition its multiple brands to each have their own brand identity. Thus Moto Guzzi plans to expand its range of products to feature, as Colaninno put it, "unique design and historic brand values."
Moto Guzzi unveiled the following new products at EICMA 2007 in Milan.
Stelvio
Moto Guzzi says the Stelvio completes the range renovation program that has helped the brand reshape its entire product lineup in a little over 24 months.
Intended to serve as Italy's answer to the multi-purpose maxi-enduro — like the big BMW GS, KTM Adventure and Triumph Tiger — the Stelvio is powered by Moto Guzzi's newly designed 1200cc "Quattrovalvole" engine.
Tuned to be docile yet powerful at low and medium revs, the 98hp twin-cylinder powerplant is housed in a slender tubular frame further supported by a 50mm upside-down fork and single-sided swingarm. Power is transferred via CA.R.C. (reactive shaft drive) final drive.
Offering the basic comforts expected of a long-range adventure tourer, the Stelvio comes standard with sidebags, has a windscreen and saddle that can be adjusted, and features a small storage compartment positioned between the screen and tank that can be unlocked from the handlebars.
V7 Classic
Hoping to duplicate the success of Ducati's "Sport Classics" line, Moto Guzzi looked to the past while using modern amenities to design the 2008 V7 Classic.
One glance at the bike explains it: ample chrome, a flat bench seat, an upright riding position, analog instrumentation.
However, in contrast to bikes from 1969, Moto Guzzi wanted the 401-lb. V7 Classic to be easy to handle and easy to maintain. The trust factor comes in the form of the thoroughly modern 744cc air-cooled 90-degree V-Twin outfitted with Weber-Marelli electric injection and Euro 3-compliant exhaust, suspension by Marzocchi and braking via the Brembo Series Oro kit.
Griso 8V
As the name suggests, the heart of the returning Griso 8v is Moto Guzzi's newly designed 1200cc Quattrovalvole engine, revamped with 563 new components and now putting out 108hp at 7,500 rpm and 79.5 ft-lb. of torque at 6,400 rpm. Power Moto Guzzi says will propel the bike to over 140 mph.
Other new additions to the Griso 8v: a new 8V logo and new Moon White color scheme, new handlebars in black anodized aluminum, a new sports style saddle, new streamlined bodywork, sportier footpegs and a full black powertrain.
MG-01 Corsa
The Piaggio Group has already earmarked Aprilia to represent the group in the high-performance motorcycle market. But, like a boy vying with his brother for an equal serving of desert, Moto Guzzi explains its development of the MGS-01 Corsa — the latest incarnation of the previously released MGS-01 — by pointing to the brand's 3,329 victories in international competition, including 14 world speed titles, 22 world records and 11 Tourist Trophies.
Moto Guzzi describes the MGS-01 Corsa as "an exclusive motorbike that is built with the care of craftsmen and intended for true motorbike enthusiasts." Thus each model comes with a book with the rider's personal details and frame number, the motorbike cover and the stand carry the MGS-01 Corsa logo, and even the packaging used to ship the product to the new owner is personalized.
Nice, but does it ride? The "standard" MGS-01 Corsa proved to be competitive when it won the 2006 and 2007 "Battle of the Twins" during the Daytona International Speedway Bike Week in Florida.
Powered by an air-cooled 1125cc 90-degree V-twin engine, this version is outfitted with a 43mm Ohlins fork that can be adjusted to three positions, a swingarm in boxed aluminum and a vertical shock absorber tucked just behind the engine. And, with power transferred through a 1450mm wheelbase, this 423-lb. bike will need the ample braking supplied by two 320mm discs up front and a single twin caliper 220mm disc in the rear.
Trivia: Opened in 1921, Moto Guzzi's plant in Mandello del Lario, Italy, on the banks of Lake Como, was the first motorcycle production facility to use a wind tunnel.
