Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

:- _ to_G_ M o_ u_ZZ_I_'C e _po _t _Q_f_S __r _ The Cafe Spa rt gets the bene fit of Ohlins suspensio n front and rear in additio to quality Brembo brakes, including fo ur-piston ca lipers and 320mm rotors fe by stainfess-steel line s. cables , the bike makes usable power until it hits the rev-limiter at 8250 rpm . This sort of behavior sees triple digits co ming up fast, but it is not the Cafe Sport's forte . Around the bike, there are a lot of nice details to be found like the aforementioned Ohllns steering damper attached below the headstock and lower triple clamp . The use of bra ided steel lines for the small oil cooler and the whole tidy view of the engine area are also firstclass. These days, I find myself put off by bikes that have ugly, cheap-looking clamps and wires sticking out everywhere. Not so on the Guzzi. Back up on the handlebars , the hydra ulic reservoirs for th e brakes and clutch are attached with some nicely machined hardware. The brake lines also come in braided stainless steel. The mirrors loo k good but do little to inform you of what's going o n behind , as th ey need to have longer stalks and some way of damp ing the big tw in's vibes thro ugh the bars. The turn Signals are pretty slicklooking with their clear lenses , and the Single, round headlight does a great job at night. On the way to start my tour, it was a dar k, lonely ride over the mountains to Chattanooga, making the broad, pie rcing beam of light a good friend, for sure. More chic details abound with the stylish carbon -fiber side panels and front mudguard. The rear seat has a small cowl, wh ich attaches with two bolts to en hance the sport look when riding solo. And the tw in upswept exhausts run parallel to the rea r sub frame to mainta in the theme. Tucked over the chunky I80/55ZR 17 rear Metzler is a plast ic hugge r, which I th ink would have loo ked a whole lot nicer in ca rbon fibe r. Wheels are light a lloy Brembo three spok es , and a 120/ 70ZR 17 front tire matches the sporty rear. Leaving the magical piece of lakeside road that runs under the mountains, I rolled along some nice , gent le four-lane highway. The big Guzzi soon settled into a comfortable, re laxed beat. The seat is broad and comfortable and the sporty foot peg placement easy on the knees . T he wide, upright han dlebars , wh ich attach to the trip le clamps by brush ed aluminum bar risers , definitely mak e th ings fee l roomier. Out on the op e n road, I found my average fuel co nsumption to be around 40 mpg. The big fuel tank holds 5 1/2 gallo ns, and the fuel light regu larly came on with 150 miles on the trip meter, meaning there was well ove r a gallon left in the tan k. Better safe tha n sorry, I guess . Back on US 64 , I left th e four-lane to start my ascent over the next mountain range . The road was thankfully devoid of traffic as I attacked the smooth sweepers with gusto. Valve gear chattering, intake noise roaring, and the twin exhaust noise reverberating off the rock walls as we passed , I was totally in sync with the big Guzzi. At $1 3,999 this Italian impo rt isn't cheap , and air-cooled, shaft -drive bikes are certainly not everyone 's cup of tea. But for the mature enthusiast who wants a long-legged, ro bust bike that doesn't have to trade character fo r reliability, Moto Guzzi has got you covered . eN MOTO GUZZI VII CAFE SPO RT LIST PR ICE $13,999 DISPLACEMENT I064cc ENG INE TYPE Air-cooled V-twin BORE x STRO KE 92 x 80mm CO M PRESSIO N RATIO 9.8: I CARBURETION Electro nic fuel injection IGNITION Digital electronic TRANSMISSION Six-speed STARTING SYSTEM Electric FUEL CAPACITY 5.46 gal. WH EELBASE S8.66 in. RAKEITRAIL 2S"/ 103mm SEAT HEIGHT 31.49 in. FRONT TIR E 120 /70ZRI7 REAR T IRE 180155ZRI7 FRONT-WHE EL TRAVEL.. ..4.72 in. REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL 5.03 in. FRON T BRAKE Dual disc REAR BRAKE Disc FINAL DRIVE Shaft CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT ..487.22 Ibs. 68 MAY 12, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS 40th Anniversar y

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