Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

We realized we had to regenerate the product range with fresh models, fresh technology, but to do so by building on the marque's traditions. But we also realized we couldn't do this alone, so we recruited a team of engineers to help achieve this, then worked with the clubs and the media to reach all those many people around the world for whom Moto Guzzi is close to their hearts, and who've told us what they want us to do. We wanted to emphasize that this isn't Signor Beggio's personal ego trip, but a sincere attempt to recreate a significant slice of motorcycle history by breathing new life into Italy's historic premier marque, with the support of the people that count: the enthusiasts who love Moto Guzzi and have been waiting for this moment to arrive. A ln creating these fresh models, did you ever consider doing so with anything other than a twin-cylinder engine - and a crossways one, at that? We made an exhaustive poll via the Internet of all the Guzzi websites and clubs around the world, to ask both guzzisti who were dedicated to the marque and knowledgeable but uncommitted bike enthusiasts, what kind of bikes they wanted to see with a Guzzi badge on the tank. We made certain suggestions, all from Guzzi's past history, such as a water-cooled 90-degree V-twin with either longtitudinal or crossways architecture, a threecylinder, a four-cylinder, etc. - and the overwhelming response was that potential customers wanted a 1000cc/1200cc water-cooled V -twin with transverse cylinder layout but up-to-date technology, respecting the traditions of the current model range but more modern in concept, offering added performance where necessary, and built to higher standards of qu?olity. The exact cylinder angle wasn't an issue, but the architecture was what counted. This was a great comfort to us, because already by then we had spent several billion lire and been working for 1'/2 years on developing just such an engine, a new-generation version of the existing Vtwin motor! This meant we could go ahead and tool up for production with it - but it also encouraged us to update the existing 750cc air-cooled pushrod engine, which is now fuel-injected, as well as its 1100cc counterpart which will have hydrauliC lifters as well as several other improvements, and the 1000cc eight-valve engine which we unveiled at Munich in the Griso and MGS/Ol prototypes. So in addition to developing a new family of motorcycles powered by our forthcoming all-new transverse Vtwin liquid-cooled engine, we are completely overhauling and improving the existing range of Moto Guzzi models, while remaining - sorry for underlining this again - faithful to those of its traditions built up over the last 35 years, since the debut in 1968 of the V7 which introduced the transverse V -twin concept. Then, I must admit, our advisers out there in the public arena also told us that, later on, after this new V-twin, they wanted to see a three-cylinder Moto Guzzi. We've taken note of that and filed it away in our 'pending' file, for future attention! Q A Q was this new family of V-twin engines designed and developed here in Mandello or in Aprilia's more extensive and better-equipped R&D center in Noale - or maybe even by outside consultants? Everything is conceived here at Mandello in the Moto Guzzi factory, but of course we make A use of specialist elements within the Aprilia Group. For example, at Noale we have Europe's leading chassis design center, equipped with machinery and software in which we have invested more than 40 billion lire [about $13 million], and of course we employ this facility to develop new chassis solutions for Guzzi. But evolving the basic concept, constructing the prototype, and of course manufacturing the finished version, all happens right here in Mandello. We won't be putting the Guzzi badge on products created in Aprilia. What kind of motorcycles will wear the Moto Guzzi badge in future? Is your idea to turn Guzzi into a kind of Italian Harley-Davidson? No, absolutely not! Moto Guzzi stands alone and you need only walk around the museum within the factory to understand that. This is a company which for 60 years was the world leader in motorcycle engineering. It built single-cylinder racing machines which beat the four-cylinder bikes to win World Championships; it built the legendary V8, wide-angle V-twins, in-line fours, even a threecylinder machine. Yet it also conceived the successful Galletto, with its spare wheel and singlesided swingarm, which was the volume production equivalent in those days of our Scarabeo today. This was a company full of innovation, constantly at the leading edge of motorcycle design, and our aim is to restore it to its previous stand-alone eminence, without comparison to any other rival brand. With the kind of engine configuration we have under development, with its own tradition, we propose making three families of bikes - the first of these were introduced at Intermot 2002, with more new models to come in one year's time at the 2003 Milan Show. One will be the everyday touring famiIy, of which the Breva will be the first, and represents a window on the range of other such bikes we will launch successively within the next few years. Then the second family will be the California and its offspring, which makes Moto Guzzi the only European marque able to offer a range of Naked bikes of what I call traditional appearance - cruisers, if you like, powered by engines of small, middle and large capacity in size, from 750cc through 900cc up to - well, quite a bit larger, all with simple styling of a traditional nature. Then finally we will have a sporting family of models, bikes like the MGS/Ol which for me represents the epitome of what a Moto Guzzi sports bike should be - it's the Guzzi formula for a sporting model, displaying great originality in both engineering and styling, offering satisfying real world performance without being capable of winning the World Superbike Championship - though we might well run a one-make race series for those customers eager to race one. It's a modern recreation of the legendary Le Mans, which competed so successfully in Battle of the Twins races. So these are the three families of bikes we will concentrate on for the next five to seven years. After that - we'll see what comes next! Q A Q Will all of these bikes be powered by the new generation watercooled engine you referred to earlier, which you have under development? No, for the time being we will rely on the substantially improved versions of the current range of air-cooled engines, but including the eightvalve version which we are currently engaged in completely revamping, and all with fuel injection and a catalyst exhaust as standard which with the lampda sensor will allow us to meet Euro 3 emis- A eye sions restrictions still with the current engine design. [The year] 2005 is the earliest we could expect to launch new models powered by the forthcoming water-cooled motor, maybe even 2006 - it takes so long to develop an all-new four-stroke engine! But Moto Guzzi's traditional focus on technological innovation will continue in the meantime, as we showed at Intermot with the introduction of our sequential-change gearbox and the ABS system we will also offer. Guzzi has always been at the leading edge of mechanical design on two wheels it was the first marque in Italy to adopt fuel injection, for example, and the first to offer an automatic gearbox. We will continue with this strategy to keep our existing family of engines fresh and attractive while of course ensuring that quality of manufacture is at the highest level - while awaiting the debut of the new generation of Guzzi powerplants. YOU touched briefly on the question of racing, with the possible MGS/Ol monomarca series. Given Moto Guzzi's glorious competition past, do you have any intention to return the marque to the race tracks - perhaps in Endurance racing, where it was once so successful? That would respect Guzzi's traditions! Ahh - hmm. It depends what races. Even Endurance today has become an extremely competitive 24-hour sprint race, and while I'm sure Moto Guzzi would last the course and perform well, I think we have to look at other kinds of competition. Certainly not MotoGP or World Superbike - but first I want to focus on making Guzzi's products reliable and well made, as well as innovative in design. Then, having done that, as the racing enthusiast myself that you know I am, then it'll be time to think about going racing - and we will! Q A HOW about off-road? You were a big dirtbike enthusiast yourself before concentrating on building Aprilia up to its present level, and Moto Guzzi also has a glorious off-road history. Would you conceive bringing the Aprilia Group back into dirtbike contention via Moto Guzzi and developing one or more specialist models to allow you to do this? That's a bit more difficult, because while it's true that Guzzi had undoubted success in the dirt, it's always really been better known as a tarmac marque. Really, the brand in our group that has most off-road history is Aprilia, so if and when we come back to the dirt, I think it must be under that name. I really only want to focus Guzzi on those three families - everyday/touring bikes, naked/custom, and tarmac sporting models only. Q A Q TO raise Moto Guzzi up from the low level to which it had sunk won't come cheap. How much are you budgeting for it to cost you in all, including restoring and re-equipping the factory, R&D of new models, etc. - and how much have you spent so far? [Reachin g for a cup of tea] I need sustenance just thinking about it! It will cost approximately 120 million Euros [$120 million] in all, not including the 40 million we spent on acquiring the company, spread over five years and including sixty million Euros [$60 million] for developing the new range of engines and new models. But restoring Moto Guzzi to its former glory is a duty as well as a commercial challenge - and I'm confident that we're on the right road and running to schedule. eN A I e n e _ s • DECEMBER 1 1 ,2002 25

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