Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128210
reflecting the huge amount of work Brovazzo's engineers have invested in addressing the achilles' heel of previous Mandello V-twins. Indeed, the best compliment I can pay them is that within a couple of miles I'd completely forgotten I was riding a shaftie at all: The Breva doesn't jump out of gear as other Guzzis have been known to do, nor does it present the typical Guzzi trouble of third gear refusing to select about 50 percent of the time, and even when it does go in, doing so under protest with a graunch and a clatter that even Enfield India owners would deem a little excessive. You can even change up without the clutch in the upper four gears, previously a Guzzi no-no, and really the only complaint now is the long throw of the lever sticking out from the left of the bolt-on gearbox casing. This makes changing gears slightly unnatural for those with normal-sized (male!) feet, because you must hoick your ankle around to get full purchase on the lever or else lift your foot slightly off the rest to change gear cleanly - especially since to be sure of a clean change every time, you must keep your foot on the lever all the way until you feel the gear is home. This still needs attention - and especially so for those with smaller feet, I'd say. The Breva's Brembo brake package is a conventional type - so no sign of Guzzi's idiosyncratic linked system - with a single 320mm front disc gripped by a four-pot caliper matched to a 260mm rear, which together deliver sufficient stopping power for a bike of this performance, though you'd have to make extra allowances when riding with a passenger. The only adjustment on the twin Paioli shocks is on spring preload to compensate for two-up riding, though the Breva aftermarket catalog does offer a Bitubo option with adjustment for compression and rebound damping, which probably should be a must-have fitment for brevisti. The Paiolis claim to offer 4.72 inches of rear wheel travel, but even that restricted figure seems optimistic when you ride the Breva over a rougher surface, when you're bounced up and down in the seat over bumps. Ride quality is not particularly high, so the extra travel and increased control that a more sophisticated pair of shocks could supply would be desirable - riding the Breva for any great distance over a typical American concrete freeway with raised sealing joints would be a trial of patience, though I suppose by comparison with most Harley-Davidsons, the Guzzi has elastic rear suspension. The 40mm Marzocchi conventional forks are equally low-rent, built to a price and non-adjustable, but the 5.2 inches of wheel travel they offer is effectively damped, and they eat up road shock well. Set at a 28-degree angle with 109mm of trail, the forks contribute to conservative steering geometry that allows the Breva's twin-spar steel frame to deliver a predictable, safe-handling bike, with the leverage from those well-set handlebars compensating for the raked-out front end to deliver light, confident steering. The Breva goes exactly where you point it, and with the 57.96-inch wheelbase and narrower-section 130/80-17 rear tire, it changes direction really easily in tight mountain hairpins or narrow country lanes. Guzzi is to be applauded for not fitting too fat a rear tire for styling purposes - the Breva's skinny Pirelli enhances the bike's agility and gives plenty of grip, within the limits of the rear suspension's capabilities. Just looking at the Breva in the Italian spring sunshine makes you aware of how much Brovazzo has transformed the Moto Guzzi modus operandi of recent years - yet while retaining the right to adorn the Breva's shapely 4.6-gallon fuel tank with a tricolore decal declaring Una Storia Italiana - a piece of Italian history. The Breva is not only evidently better manufactured than previous models, with a deeper, more lustrous paint finish (the bike is available in either Black, Dark Red or Light Gray) and better-looking, with less roughhewn engine castings, it also appears to have been designed all of a piece rather than being just an assembly of components, as some other Guzzi models have seemed. Nobody could accuse the muscular-looking Centauro 8V model of being that, though so perhaps it's no coincidence that the Breva is the work of the same man, noted Italian designer Luciano Marabese, who also produced the Griso cruiser-with-attitude that debuted in prototype form alongside the Breva at Intermot 2002 and will enter production as a 2004 model. Marabese's design gives the Breva a somewhat improbable degree of presence for an entry-level product, as well as an extremely comfortable riding position, with relatively low footrests that don't, however, ground too easily, even when exploiting the grip of the Pirelli Sport Demon rubber, and a one-piece handlebar sufficiently tall and wide to deliver good leverage and a straight-back stance yet has the grips dropped and pulled back just enough for a sportier feel. The single round headlamp's deflector screen pushes wind off your helmet well enough to make 90 mph cruising fairly comfortable - though this is faster than most brevisti will probably wish to go, even if the bike has ton-up capabilities - and shrouds a well-designed and very readable dashboard. This includes not only an array of warning lights that are bright enough to be visible in sunlight, but also a digital readout in the speedo which can be scrolled through via the bar beneath the hazard warning switch on the dash to show mileage and trip (not convertible between miles and kilometers, though), as well as the time and ambient temperature, with a red warning light that comes on automatically at 35 degrees Fahrenheit to warn of possi- level member of the Moto Guzzi range - a bike which recreates the traditional values of old-time models like the Gambalunga or Dondolino singles, such as the one complete with modern topbox used every day by Ercole Ringhini, who paused to look at the Breva while I stopped for a coffee overlooking Lake Maggiore. "Moto Guzzi used to be synonymous with dependability and innovation," he said proudly. "Their models were built to very high standards but were easy to maintain, and that's why my bike is still in constant use even today, 40 years after it was built. I hope Aprilia brings those days back again. We're all watching to see what they do." Judging by my day on the Breva, I think Ringhini and his mates can rest easy, for perhaps most of all, the new model confirms that after more than 20 years of living in the past, surviving on the basis of its glorious past, Moto Guzzi is on the way back, with Aprilia's money backed up by the much higher standards of manufacturing and engineering that the historic company's new owners have imposed in the wake of their takeover. It's about time, some will say - though it wasn't the fault of Moto Guzzi's workforce that this most historic of Italian trophy marques drifted in the wind for more than two decades, starved for investment as part of the De Tomaso empire. Now the breeze has turned: The wind of change is blowing better late than never for Moto Guzzi - and the Breva is the proof the company is back on course once again. The wings of the eagle on the Guzzi badge are starting to flap a lot harder at last. CN ble ice on the road. The well-shaped seat has good passenger space, with his/her footrests positioned just right - not too high in spite of the shapely megaphones of the three-way catalyst exhaust, which is Euro 2 legal. This, in keeping with the rest of the engine, is very quiet, with just a fruity burble at speed to remind you and passersby what you're riding. When you stop and get ready to dismount, there's an easyout sidestand, but no centerstand though, which seems a pity. As the first, baseline model in a range of middleweight V -twin motorcycles, which Roberto Brovazzo confirms will include a 750 Dual street enduro - with significantly more offroad ability than Guzzi's 1100 Quota that requires a stepladder to climb aboard - a 750cc version of Marabese's prototype Griso musclerod, and an uprated Nevada, the V750ie Breva is exactly what the company claims it to be: Moto Guzzi's moto totale is a practical all-rounder encompassing everyday use for commuting or town work or just a quick run to the shops, yet it can deliver fun and enjoyment on weekends or holidays, with the potential to cover longer distances when needed than could be considered practical aboard even a multicylinder maxi-scooter, compared with which it may not be much faster but surely offers greater safety. The shaft final drive gives the Breva the convenience that its few real direct rivals like the Yamaha Diversion lack, and the fact that it's evidently built to a new standard for a Mandello-made motorcycle will make it worthy of serious consideration by those stepping up from a scooter or buying a proper bike for the first time, after passing their test. It's not difficult to see a genuine market for this entry- cue I e n e _ S • APRIL 23, 2003 33