Piaggio is planning to launch their legendary brand, Moto Guzzi in India next year. Moto Guzzi is a highly coveted Italian cruiser bike manufacturer started in the 1940’s. Currently Piaggio owns the brand along with seven other two-wheeler companies, including Vespa, Aprilia, etc. Piaggio recently announced their expansion plans in India, as Vespa is getting steady sales and Aprilia is slowly getting response from the Indian market with around 20 bikes sold from their Pune dealership since inception. The company has now opened the second Aprilia dealership in Gurgaon, which is also the first Moto Guzzi showroom in the country. Northwards Motors is accepting bookings for the Griso 1200 8V motorcycle.
Moto Guzzi is very famous for making few of the best cruisers in the world. The brand is especially loved for their traditional large V-twin engines that are longitudinally placed with the cylinder heads facing outwards from below the tanks. This tradition started in the 1960’s and has given Moto Guzzi it’s typical characteristic. Many motorcycles are on offer from the brand internationally that are very modern fast cruisers, some tributes to their classic bikes as well as really fast race inspired machines.
The iconic Italian brand will take on the likes of Harley Davidson, which has earned a massive following in India, and of course our own Royal Enfield as well and the soon to be launched Triumph. Even though Moto Guzzi does not have such a huge following as its rivals, the brand does stand out from the crowd and the machines are extremely capable and fast to make a mark on the touring and long-distance rider community. Initially Moto Guzzi will be brought in via the CBU route.
The Moto Guzzi V7 Racer is powered by a 744cc, V-twin engine which produces 50 HP of power at 6200 RPM and 58 Nm of torque at 5000 RPM. This engine is mated to a 5-speed gearbox and the bike weighs just 179 kgs. The V7 Racer is priced at $9990 (Rs. 5.5 lakhs) in the US. The California 1400 is powered by a 1400cc engine and is available in custom and touring versions. The Griso 1200 gets a 1151cc V-twin engine which produces 109 BHP of power with the top speed claimed to be 230 km/hr.
Source – Autocar India
