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/128335
to have you scraping the sidestand on the left (pity there's no centerstand), but few Nevada owners are likely to ride the bike hard enough to do that: If you want to do 50 on a 750 shaftie, go buy a Breva. Instead , you 're best off going with the flow aboard the Nevada, listening to the distinctive but muffled lilt of the transverse V-twin motor as you cruise to your destination o r nowhere in particular, just savoring the scenery aboard a bike for all roads. Changing up at around 6500 rpm in every gear is the go on a 90-degree Vtwin push rod motorcycle that is relax ing and enjoyable to ride, thanks also to the minimal vibration , but which gets a bit strained and feels not nearly as happy if you rev it anywhere near the 7800 rpm rev-lim iter. Ride the ultraflat torque curve, though, and the 750 Guzzi engine delivers more than enough performance for its target audience. Coupled with the light, controllable action of the single-plate clutch, this flexibility makes riding the Nevada in traffic or town very easy - though for a bike liable to be used by those with small, female-sized hands, Guzzi might have fitted adjustable clutch and brake levers. Still, the Iightaction Single-plate dry clutch is easy to modulate, and the steering lock and balance good, 50 that making feet-up U-turns on a narrow road is very easy - aided by the fact that it'll pull away from just 1000 rpm in top gear, and with the very flat torque curve peaking at that low 3600 rpm, the Nevada is manageable and relatively muscular at lower revs . The five-speed gearbox has the same smoother, quieter change as the Breva (except from bottom to second , which produces just as much of a loud clunk as before). This reflects the huge amount of work Brovazzo's engineers have invested in addressing the Ach illes heel of previous Mandella V-twins, so that within just a few miles you completely forget you 're riding a shaftie at all. The Nevada doesn't jump out of gear as older five-speed Guzzis were known to do , nor does it suffer the typical Guzzi trouble of third gear refusing to select about SO percent of the time , and you can even change up without the clutch in the upper four gears, previously a Guzzi no-no, Really, the only complaint now is the awkward throw for taller riders of the lever sticking out from the left of the bolton gearbox casing, where because you're sitting so low, the angle you have to cock your ankle at in order to change up is rather uncomfortable. On the old carbureted Nevada, that wouldn't have been a problem because of the trad-style Italian rocking-pedal shift-lever, which allowed you to tap it with your heel to shift up . That's been removed from the new Classic 750ie, which is a pity. Bring it back, please, Signor Brovazzo! Gazing at the Nevada with its chrome glinting in the Italian spring sunshine underlines how much Aprilia has transformed Mota Guzzi's des ign and manufacturing quality levels, while still retaining the right to adorn the Nevada's fuel tank with a tricolore decal decla ring "Uno 5torio Italiano " - a piece of Italian history. The Classic 750ie is not only self-evidently better manufactured than previous models, vvith a deeper, more lustrous paint finish (the bike is available in either black and red , or silver livery) and better-looking , less rough-hewn engine castings, it also appears to have been designed all of a piece rather than be ing just an assembly of components, as the o ld carbureted Nevada especially always seemed . As the second model in a range of allnew middleweight V-twin motorcycles, the next addition of which, planned for 2006, will be the 750ie Dual street enduro, with significantly more off-road ability than Guzzi's old I 100 Quota you used to need a stepladder to climb aboard, the Nevada Classic 750ie confirms the genuine and welcome improvement in Mota Guzzi 's fortunes wrought in the wake of the Aprilia takeover. With a wide range of options ranging from a windscreen, main stand, side luggage, a capacious top box , tank bag, and various chrome accessories, etc ., available via a dedicated catalog, the new Nevada is that rare thing - a cruiser quite different from what anyone else has on offer, delivering a relaxing, easy ride , wh ich Single 320mm Brembo front disc offers plenty of stopping power, as lo ng as you're riding solo. Two-up riding requires a little more planning. makes it accessible to a wide range of potential customers, from diehard Guzzisti like Sailor Sam, to newcomers to the world of motorcycling. It's a relaxed ride for chilled-out costeffective cruising, which deserves to play its part in fueling Guzzi's ongoing comeback, whatever the marque's future ownership. eN Ticket Information: Visit our website at www.virclub.com • Call 1-888-RACE-099 or 1-434-822-7700 www.cyclenews.com CYCLE NEWS • AUGUST 4,2004 57