GUZZI SPECIALE
Modern bikes are just like any other technology – always chasing the next big thing. More power, better brakes, more safety; it can get relentless. But after spending a day riding the latest reincarnations of Moto Guzzi’s V7 model, I find myself asking – do we really need it?
Moto Guzzi should know – they’re steeped in tradition. The longest surviving European motorcycle manufacturer, Guzzi started making bikes in 1921. Despite many ups and downs through the decades, Guzzi bikes are still all made in Mandello del Lario, a small town on the shores of beautiful Lake Como, at the northern end of Italy.
Despite the terrain – nestled in the south of the Alps – this area is heavy with industry, which allows the factory to source its third-party suppliers from nearby. It’s not a cheap way to make bikes, but heritage and nationalism is important to the Italians. Thanks to the demand for modern retro-styled bikes taking their owners back
