Top 10 Moto Guzzis

1950-67 Falcone

The Falcone was the last of the classic, original, horizontally-mounted 500cc singles before the Italian marque’s range slowly converted to V-twins and as such is classic, bread and butter 1950s Moto Guzzi. Directly related to the Normale, like that bike it was available in a variety of forms including the Turismo tourer and Sport. Production ceased in 1967 with the debut of the first transverse V-twin, the V7.

1960-75 Stornello

Although best known today for its large capacity four-stroke V-twins, up to the 1970s the Italian marque was also a hugely successful lightweight manufacturer, the most famous and successful of which was the Stornello, a 125cc four-stroke single produced in a variety of forms including Sport and Turismo and up to 160cc. Cute, simple and useful it remained in production until 1974 by which time a Scrambler variant, as recently referenced by Guzzi’s new V7 Stornello Scrambler, had also been produced primarily for the US market.

1972 California

Following the launch of the V7 Guzzi realized sales in the US were critical to its success and growth. To help promote this the very first two V7s were sold to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for just $1 each. This grew into a series of orders for police-spec machines from not just LA but ultimately Texas and Georgia and the production, from 1970, of a special police version (with footboards, different instruments and black and white livery) of Guzzi’s touring, ‘Eldorado’ V7 (these are the bikes, incidentally, featured famously in the Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry sequel ‘Magnum Force’. This in turn led to public demand for a similar machine with the 1972 California being the popular result. The US-style tourer has lived on ever since as one of Guzzi’s most popular models.

1999-2006 V11

Not to be confused with the V7, the V11, in all its guises, was Guzzi’s most significant product during the company’s period of ownership by the ambitious Aprilia concern between 2000 and 2004. Initially developed under the old regime and launched as the unfaired V11 Sport in 1999, the Aprilia regime developed the base bike, improving its style and quality and launched a huge number of variants ranging from the basic but effective Sport Naked to the Ohlins and Brembo lavished, half-faired retro ‘Le Mans Tenni’ complete with suede seat. Although not the success Aprilia’s efforts deserved (Aprilia themselves collapsed in 2004 leading to a takeover by Piaggio) they’re increasingly valued today.

2007- on V7

With the V7, Guzzi’s ‘small block’ middleweights finally came good. The first variant, the V7 Classic, was launched under Piaggio ownership in 2008 and as a straightforward, good-looking and novice-friendly retro-styled roadster rival to Triumph’s Bonneville, it proved an instant hit – enough for a succession of variants, including 2009’s Café Classic, the Clubman Racer from 2010 and the Special from 2012, to have followed in succession. Modern Guzzis don’t get any more classic – or appealing.