I had a Street Twin and currently have a V9 Bobber. Guzzi is the funner of the two. Power deliver is very similar. Guzzi handles better, quicker, more solid feeling. Guzzi is lighter feeling too and doesn't tire me out as much as the Street Twin.
@@Eidrian111 Sold the V9 cause the cruiser ergonomics was horrible, but loved the motor layout and shaft...one of my favorite of all time. Top three for me is zero electric motor, Yamaha triple, 90* twin as motoguzzi setup
I’m late to the party Phil but I just wanted to say thank you for this. For whatever reason lately I’ve been looking for something with a classic style and in the last week or so these Guzzi have really caught my eye. There’s just something about them that makes me rather have one of these over a Bonnie. And then I discovered the v9 which while a different bike just makes me say “wow!” Hopefully in a year or so I am on my own. Thanks for this comparison though it’s exactly what I was looking for.
I’ve owned an air cooledTriumph Scrambler 900. Her name was Beatrice. I loved her and thought she could never be replaced until I met Giatta the v9 air cooled Moto Guzzi. Bella! Bella!! I’m an Italian man now through and through!
Love my V7II. I've had all sorts of bikes over the 40 plus years I've ridden & still have a very hot 03 FLHR but the Guzzi is the one I ride the most & love the most. There is something about it that I just can't put my finger on. I mean, I love the way it looks like the venerable 1000S of the early '90s & I love the way I can twist the throttle on any road in any weather without fear of a highside & of course, I love the shaft drive but it's none of these things & all of them plus more. Moto Guzzi seem to have built a bike that is more than the sum of it's parts. One of my mates who has owned & loved the same Guzzi for over 30 years says it's "character". I'm inclined to agree with him!
I completely agree...I own faster bikes, I own more powerful bikes, I own more comfortable (not many) bikes. I even own a Steve McQueen 1200 Scrambler. Nothing puts the same warmth in my heart as my V7.
Very good comparison and technical enough. I rode both. Guzzi is a lot lighter and more maneuverable. Torque is higher (feels, like that due to the lower weight ratio). T100 and T120 on the other hand felt front-heavy, felt like lower torque. Both have a very retro and nostalgic look, but Guzzi ranks higher in style. I ended up buying Moto Guzzi V7 II. Thanks for your very informative review. Pl, keep it coming. I am subscribed.
Great video, thanks. I test rode both a while back and ended up going for the V7ii, I found the Triump's engine lacked character and it also lacked ground clearance so would easily grind pegs, the Guzzi on the other hand has a lovely character and handles beautifully.
That’s a Triumph Bonneville SE . The T100 is a different motorcycle. The T100 has a larger front wheel - spoked. A very different ride dynamic due to the smaller 17 inch front wheel on the SE.
Glad it was helpful! It's funny that 5 years later people are still sharing their experiences about these two bikes, we love our Triumphs, but we notice the V7's are just a little more "snappy".
I'm in New Hampshire (of all places) and there is a Guzzi dealer 4 miles from home. Aprilia, Ducati & Vespa as well. They will let you sit on any bike in the showroom and have a demo fleet. Also an easy to follow route planned for you to take the demo ride by yourself or with a friend riding on another bike. Very accomodating staff; not like other places who want you to buy in 10 minutes or get out.
I’m in the original Hampshire across the pond and I like the sound of your New Hampshire dealership. If all prospective customers did the latter these antisocial dealers would either change or go bust. Never understood why a company trying to sell would be so unaccommodating. Anyway, get the Guzzi, it’s a better bike and it will outlive you. Still have an ‘85 Guzzi and it’s great,
A very helpful video, thanks a lot! I’m right about to make my decision between one of this two bikes, and, although I like the Guzzi styling and it’s shaft drive better than the Triumphs, I I was worrying if 48 hp is enough to have any fun, so I focused on the Bonneville because of the 20 additional horses and significantly higher torque figure it claims to have. I’m really surprised that the Guzzi outperforms the triumph!
Power is only half of any speed equation - weight is the other half. You could have 100 hp, but if it's pushing 1000lbs. You'll be further ahead to have 45 HP and 400 lbs.
@@ClevelandMoto I know, but the real reason, in this particular case, is, that Triumph claims significantly more on paper than it delivers in reality. If it had something even close to the claimed 68hp and 68Nm, it would outperform the Guzzi, at least in straight-line. Another thing is, that performance is anyway not the priority in the case of this type of bikes. I've been just surprised by Your results.
Very informative, but a comment on the differences with the smoothness of the gear change would have been very helpful. I've heard that on some Moto Guzzis the gear changes can be a little notchy, whereas the Triumph may be slicker. I've had a Thunderbird 900 Triple previously and the gear changing was fine, but I've not yet ridden a Bonnie or a V7.
Great suggestion! Both of these bikes have excellent shifters. The Guzzi is a little different because it has a single plate dry clutch. You adjust the clutch so there's less free play to give consistently great shifts.
Published power on the V7 is a bit of an oddity. First there was the 1967 V7, the 'classic' - not this bike. Then what I shall call the V7 (0) and then the V7 (1) with "12%" more power of "48bhp". And then the V7 II with another "2hp". And now the V7 III with "52bhp". The V7 III appears to have had some cost-cutting done, but meets "Euro4". There are no power and torque figures in my UK 2015 V7 II (Stone) handbook but it does state 10.4 compression. I cannot find this compression ratio in any other literature, they normally give 9.8. Whether this is for world market location for fuel I do not know. In Europe 35kW/47bhp is the limit for an A2 licence bike - the V7(1) is, the V7 II is borderline and the V7 III requires a restrictor (ECU limiter); possibly why they did not publish figures for the V7 II.
Have a V7II and chose her over a Triumph. Still think a good decision. Triumph maybe trading on brand a little much theses days. No bull reviews are always the most useful
Just bought a 2016 V7 ii. I chose it over the 2021 850cc because max torque starts at 2800 rpm, and it weighs less. I want to upshift at 5000 to 5500 rpm, not have the power start at that rev range.
We agree, I'm not against the Triumph, I ride them all the time, but the Guzzi has a much better soul. There are definitely shortcomings with the Guzzi as well, but that's what makes being able to have the choice and experience both of them so much fun.
Strangely, they don't. I know Triumph pretty well but have long had Guzzi on my wish list and got the 2015 V7ii Stone. The Guzzi is very easy to ride, comfortable for hours and despite the primitive suspension has magic handling. Perhaps what Cleveland Moto failed to mention is the Guzzi max torque is way down at 2800rpm and its peak power up at 6250 but revs freely to the limiter at 7500. So we have a long, long flat power band.
@@garyk8285 - neither the V9 nor the V85TT handle as well. And the V7 III did not seem as quick as my V7 II despite another couple of ponies. Perhaps because it is a few kilos heavier and perhaps because they have pushed peak torque up to 4000rpm.
@@jeffslade1892 How good are each of these bikes with cross-wind and stability? I seem to get blown around a lot on my 150kg VTR250, it's quite windy around my part of the world.
Gary k, I have a V7lll special and can tell you that high winds are not a problem in fact hardly noticeable until it gets very blustery. It is the best all round bike I have ever owned and it is so beautiful.
We were the #1 Dealer for Moto Guzzi in the 2nd quarter in 2017. After that, Guzzi attempted to flood us with inventory that would have devalued their product in our shop, so we let them go. We would be happy to take them on again at some point when they have a program that works better for their customers, the dealers.
@@ClevelandMoto In layman's terms - Moto Guzzi does not sell many units. Like Indian. They're not well known here and frequently not even an afterthought when going out to buy a new street bike. Triumph, on the other hand, sells by name alone... Especially with the street triple and speed triple, mostly the street triple since it's way cheaper. Those bikes saved Triumph's butt for sure. So they wanted to jam you up with their unsold inventory right? They need to just replace stock as it's sold. But I know of some places selling old stock 2018, 2019, 2020. Brand new I could have bought one for $6,500. Do you begrudge me that? I got here late. Now, with the new 2021-2 Triumph Street Twin and the 2020-2021 Moto Guzzi (notice Guzzi is a year slower putting out), the specs are even closer, including weight. By the way, I do agree - That was a most excellent comparison. That's honesty. That's what I want to see as a customer on the floor. Someone KNOWLEDGEABLE that can hold a customer's conversation with comparison info to inform. You are awesome. Salesman's mistake... 'Can I help you?'... LOL ... I hope so! They should say hi and then, 'What kind of bike are you interested in? Dirt, street, etc... Then what do you have now, or even that first. I went shopping recently. I own a highly aftermarket 2020 Ninja KRT ABS. I was actually looking to trade it in on the 2022 Aprilia 660 RS. Then it occurred to me, why would I buy something I already have and love? So I started that damn journey between the new 850 Guzzi V7 and the Triumph Street Twin.... SHIT!!! Now, I'm seriously thinking of buying the Guzzi. Better suspension in 2021.
This guy clearly has an interest in guzzi note the Italian names on the wall. That is not a t100 it’s a Base model.T100 sits higher has spoked wheels etc etc. You don’t mention dealer network (are there any within 150 miles of each other NO. )My guzzi dealer is 50 miles away,and he doesn’t have a single guzzi in the place only chinese scooters. You really should do your homework my bonnie is 67 bhp and does 55 to 63 mpg imperial gallons
My Guzzi V7 II returns some 60-65 mpg , that's the larger UK gallons too (NB), there is a lot of torque way down the bottom end. Whilst the motor spins up enthusiastically, to give it that long, long power band, you keep the revs low. Top gear is essentially for motorways, it doesn't much like pulling below 40mph in top, it will just manage 30mph in 5th at 2000rpm, 3rd and 4th are quite close together. Even with my 200-lb squashing it, it will easily pull away in 2nd and hit 60mph in 3rd.
Agree that some of the triumph spec was presented less positively. The triumph bonneville 61 to 67 bhp range is due to change in engine size. 2001 to 2007 790cc 62 bhp at 7200rpm torque 44 lbs ft at 3500. 2008 to 2016 air cooled 865cc 67 bhp at 7400rpm torque 50 lbs ft at 5800rpm. I have a Bonneville se and wet weight is 496 pounds and I get 60mpg (50mpg us). To me the guzzi and the triumph are both really practical with plenty of fun capability bikes. A matter of personal choice.
Yeah, we had a Triumph Bobber 1200, Fake headers, fake swingarm, fake Amals, Fake Fins, it was hilarious...but, we loved riding it. We completely acknowledged the trickery and liked it anyway.
