Moto Guzzi V7 Special & Stone - Guzzi's Best Kept Secret?

First ride on Moto Guzzi’s latest entries into the flourishing midsize motorcycle market, with new version of the transverse 90º V-twin engine introduced in the V85-TT in 2019

- Alan Cathcart

As you may possibly be aware - depending on how successful the Piaggio-owned brand’s PR campaign has been! Moto Guzzi is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, thus joining other legendary brands like Indian, Royal Enfield, Triumph, Husqvarna, Harley Davidson, Norton and Benelli in the Centurions’ locker room.

As the oldest existing Italian manufacturer in continuous production since its birth in 1921, Guzzi has marked its Centenary by introducing a couple of new bikes – three, even – carrying the designation of one of its most historic model platforms. These are the classy-looking, chrome-bedecked V7 Special retro bike listed in the UK at £8,600 (inc. 20% tax) in either grey or blue with white striping, with a brown seat, wire wheels with aluminium rims, twin analogue clocks and machined cylinder head finning, and its more minimalist, modernist-styled V7 Stone sister bike costing £8,000, with a sinister-looking all-black powertrain, black seat, six-spoke cast aluminium wheels, a digital speedo and LED lighting, that’s available in a choice of three matt colours, blue, black or dark orange. There’s also a Centenario version of the Stone for £200 extra, wearing the silver and green paint scheme of Guzzi’s 1950s serial 350cc World champion road racers, and its exotic but ultimately short-lived 500cc V8 engineering miracle.

All these bikes come with switchable MGTC traction control with a choice of two settings, and Continental dual-channel ABS, but have a cable throttle rather than RBW/ride by wire, hence have no choice of riding modes or other such digital paraphernalia.