Take a ‘normal’ V-twin, twist it through 90-degree, put it back into the bike frame and what do you have? A Moto Guzzi that’s what! There’s absolutely no doubt that Moto Guzzi has possibly the most distinctive engines in motorcycling and I for one love their ‘in-your-face layout, don’t you?
But Guzzis do tend to be ridiculed a bit and labelled a bike ‘for old geezers’ who used to have one in their youths and therefore want one again. I must agree though, it does seem to be the older generation who walk away with a Guzzi under their armpit instead of some spotty arrogant kid who drools over the latest 200hp superbike and prefers ‘knee-down’ to a good old ‘knees-up.’ So how could Guzzi possibly turn this stereotypical pensioner purchase around?
Well, how about this funky new Griso 8V SE for a start? Just look at the thing and you’ll see that this bike isn’t really aimed at a person who enjoys a pipe, slippers and a smear of Preparation H after every bath. Instead it’s a mean and moody street fighter lathered with European attitude and a curious combination of old meets new, but the basic configuration remains the same.
Once again the motor dominated this particular Guzzi and the factory has spent a lot of time giving this Quattrovalvole 8V more power and zest. This 8V SE unit replaces the old 1064cc 2V engine found in many previous bikes and lifts the performance levels considerably in the process, which is a good thing.
Moto Guzzi Griso’s engine is now 1,151cc and of course has 8-valves in the head operated by a single-overhead-cam (SOHC) but is still a 90-degree transversely mounted V-twin, sweet. Power output is now a much more youth friendly 110hp@ 7,500rpm with a chunky 95Nm@5,000rpm of torque. But more power equals more heat from the bigger air-cooled engine so Guzzi lobbed on a big ol’ oil-cooler to keep things, er, cool.
The new fuel injected motor is a peach of a thing and revs like no other Guzzi I’ve had the pleasure to swing a thigh over. Off the line it hauls yer ass like a drag bike because you can give it everything and the wheel will not lift, helped or not by the claimed weight of 263kgs, so don’t drive it over yer girlfriend’s foot or she’ll walk like a duck for the rest of her life but then again Moto Guzzi has never trodden the path of lightweight materials.
But all this mass combines well with the ‘beefy’ stance and sinister matt paint finishes. In fact the whole bike is beautifully executed and quality components abound. Check out those massive spoke wheels, fancy clocks, hand-stitched seat, gorgeous high-risers for the ‘bars and that massive set of twin headers sneaking out of the cylinder heads. Are those the fattest headers you’ve ever seen or what? They are to me and wouldn’t look out of place hanging from the walls of Troy whilst being venomously blown to repel would be invaders!
Some bikes do not work well with all these fancy bits but the Griso does, which means, by the way, ‘tough and fearless leader of the Bravi,’ whoever they are but they would be proud to know that the Griso is one sweet and intoxicating ride and it is my favourite Guzzi by far. It handles nicely with its modern Marzocchi suspension and powerful Brembo radial brakes and just feels such a damn cool place to be and no wonder the younger people are taking notice.
I’m on the older side of the fence but thoroughly enjoyed my short stint with the Grisso and for only R134,990 it’s a bit of a bargain for such a hunk of Italian meat and metal and I’m sure Guzzi’s future with blossoming new riders will be secured if they keep churning out bikes like this, nice one.
This Moto Guzzi Griso 8V SE is available from www.fourwaysmotorcycles.co.za and you can also visit www.motoguzzi.com to see the full range.
