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/671116
2016 MOTO GUZZI GRISO 8V SE QUICKSPIN P98 would befall you after you finally take the missus on that trip to Italy you've always talked about. The Griso has that sort of ef- fect on you. It turns well enough and loves a rear brake midcorner to keep everything on its intended path—regardless of the hard- ware it's far from sportbike or even sporty naked-bike-fast in the turning department, but the Marzocchis do make an admi- rable job of soaking up Cali's many, many crappy roads on standard suspension settings. One thing that struck me dur- ing my time with the Griso was the fact that the custom crowd has largely ignored it. With most people's tolerance for poorly modified SR400s and CB750s pretty much maxed out, I can't for the life of me think why, okay, maybe not a brand new Griso, but at least the old four- valver hasn't been at the fore- front of the minds of custom- izers who actually know what they're doing, because this is a unique machine in every sense of the word and a custom Griso bobber, café racer, hell, even '70s superbike endurance trib- ute would look awesome. Anyway, that's an argument for another time. I truly did enjoy my time with the 2016 Moto Guzzi Griso 8V SE. It's not a bike that takes a while to love, it's one you either immediately love or hate. Thankfully for me it was the for- mer—it's got character to burn, and an old world charm that's so authentically Italian, yet it's a current model machine. That's no easy feat to accomplish. CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 2016 MOTO GUZZI GRISO 8V SE ENGINE: .......... 90° V-twin, transversally mounted, SOHC, 8 valve DISPLACEMENT: .............................1151cc BORE X STROKE: ................ 95 x 81.2mm HORSEPOWER: ........ 110 hp @ 7500 rpm (claimed) TORQUE: ........ 80 lb-ft @ 6400 rpm (claimed) COMPRESSION RATIO: ........................11:1 TRANSMISSION: .......................Six-speed CHASSIS: ....... High tensile steel tubular twin cradle FRONT SUSPENSION: .....43mm inverted fork, adjustable rebound and compres- sion damping and spring preload REAR SUSPENSION: Single shock absorber, adjustable rebound and com- pression damping and spring preload FRONT BRAKE: ........ Twin 320mm discs, four-piston Brembo radial calipers, ABS REAR BRAKE: ..........Single 282mm disc, two-piston caliper, ABS FRONT TIRE: ....................... 120/70 ZR17 REAR TIRE: ......................... 180/55 ZR17 RAKE: ...............................................26.3° TRAIL: ........................................... 4.25 in. WHEELBASE: .................................... 61 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ............................... 31.4 in. OVERALL WIDTH: ......................... 32.6 in. OVERALL LENGTH: ...........................89 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ...........................4.4 gal. WEIGHT: .............489 lbs (dry, claimed). COLOR: .............. Red/Black, Grey/Black MSRP: ......................................... $12,990 The Griso is a mix of old and new aesthetics, blended together with unmistakable Italian flair.