Moto Guzzi Breva 750ie (2003-current)

I bought my first Breva just over 4 years ago now and only had it a few weeks before my wife decided it was the bike for her. Anyway, after a bit of discussion she won and I went out and bought another. I'd returned to biking after an absence of 10 years so it is a really good bike to get your confidence back on. You can treat it how you want and try as you might it won't get you in to bother. The bike is a doddle to keep clean due to the lack of a chain and the clean design. After 4 years I'm now looking at something with a bit more kick as I find that on the fast A roads you sometime run out of poke when overtaking. Problems I've had on the 2 bikes; 1) Leeking rear diff, took 2 attempts to fix and 8 weeks waiting for the parts; 2) Intermittent electrical fault which ocassionally flattens my battery. 3) I go through more rear brake light bulbs than anything else, I've replaced 9 in 4 years. One big benefit, my wife got knocked off her bike by a car pulling out from a T junction and the V of the engine saved her leg from being crushed. If it had a 6th gear,about 10 more BHP and a wider tyre profile (to stop it dithering on minor indents in the road) it would meet all my current needs, but the problem I now have is that not all dealers will look at it or make me an offer. It's a hard act to follow, but I guess it is time for a change.

Returning to biking as part of my mid-life crisis I found the Breva to fulfill all my needs. I wanted a bike with character and large enough for longer trips but not so big that I couldn't move it around in a car park. The bike copes with daily commuting longer trips of up to 500 miles in a day and carries my teenage son as a pillion without trouble. I find the riding position extremely comfortable, the low down torque relaxing and the handling more than adequate for my trips. I tend to avoid motorways where possible and the bike eats up A and B roads with ease proving perfect for making good progress when traffic builds up. Motorway cruising is possible and comfortable up to about 85mph leaving a little in reserve and the flyscreen is good to tuck behind if the weather gets a bit wet. Shaft drive and a high quality of finish make the bike easy to live with day to day and 50-60 mpg gives a decent tank range of 150-180 miles. I look at the 1200 sport from time to time but to be honest it would be too big for me and the additional running costs would be hard to justify. Overall a great package and still a bike that I look forward to riding every day.

Having ridden smaller bikes for years, I moved up to the Breva, looking for something that I could stand to ride on longer journeys. It is precisely what I wanted: comfortable, nice looking, good performance. It is not as fast as some larger bikes, but performs as well as other bikes its size. It isn't too large to manhandle. The handling is safe and predictable. The one fault I had with it (leaking rear differential--bad casting) was repaired by the dealer, but it took a good while to get the parts from Guzzi in Italy. My dealer was very helpful, and the guaranteed ride program meant I had a loaner the entire time. I ride this bike to work, take longer trips on weekends, and have gone more than 500 miles in a day on it without serious discomfort; I am in my 60s, so stiffness is a problem in every vehicle. There are many nice touches, such as the clock and thermometer in the speedo and the very large reserve fuel tank. As an older rider, I am less interested in blinding speed than in reliable and predictable handling, which the Breva 750 does extremely well. It will easily cruise at 85 all day, with only a slight buzz in the handlebars. The mufflers/catalytic converters make it very quiet, so I can leave in the morning without waking my neighbor's baby. It is well designed for average-sized people, and the looks are eye-catching.

The Breva is my second big bike. The first being a 600 faired Bandit. Compared to the Bandit it's a doddle to move about either on or off the bike. I've had it for just under a year and have been commuting on it for the last 3 months. It starts first time every day and the v-twin makes a nice rumble, plenty of low down go for town riding and have pushed it on the motorway without any trouble. The small fly screen does a fairly goood job but prolonged high speed riding does get a bit tirirng (as with all nakeds). It looks mean and moody especialy in black and gets quite a few second looks and plenty of positive comments. The finish and spec is excellent and servicing is reasonable. I know the price puts it in Fazer, Hornet and Bandit territory but next time you're out, count how many of those bikes you see and compare it to the amount of Guzzis you come across. Just over 5k for a twin shock, twin pipe, v-twin with genuine Italian heritage is pretty good in my opinion. Don't forget it's also a shaftie, so no messsing about with chains either. Downsides? Now I'm getting a bit more confident the low power output(48bhp) has got me looking at bigger things (just don't tell the wife!!)and a centre stand would be nice as standard. Overall I'm very pleased with it and have got my eye on its big brother when trade in time comes.