First impressions: Moto Guzzi V7 launch - V7 classic is a retro roadster

Phil West is testing the new Moto Guzzi V7 classic around Lake Como in Italy and these are his initial thoughts:

“The V7 Classic is a straight forward retro roadster that aims to take on Triumph’s proven and popular Bonneville and perhaps unsurprisingly it does a really honest and authentic job of it.

“It’s based on the Nevada 750 running gear with styling that harks back to the old V7 and V7 Sport of the early 1970s. Not only does it look good, it’s also simple, straightforward and easy to use whilst having bags of classic Guzzi V-twin character too.

“In a nutshell it’s half way between the Triumph Bonneville and the Ducati GT1000 Sport Classic and it’s priced between the two as well at £5699. As an introduction to Italian bikes they don’t come much sweeter.”

See Phil’s full test report on the Moto Guzzi V7 in MCN on May 21, 2008.