This Charming Retro Motorcycle’s Most Illogical Feature Captured My Heart

Six decades ago, Moto Guzzi rotated its engine 90 degrees — and never turned back. Now that I’ve ridden the V7 Special, I understand why.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published November 18, 2024

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Updated November 19, 2024

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The motorcycle wind tunnel. The eight-cylinder engine. The center stand. All these innovations can be attributed to Europe’s oldest continuously operating motorcycle manufacturer, Moto Guzzi.

Yet for most moto enthusiasts, that’s not the first thing that comes up in a game of word association. Nope, what comes to mind is more likely some version of “transverse 90-degree V-twin engine.”

Though the brand has undergone a number of ownerships over the past 57 years, the engine orientation has become its most iconic branding element — one you’ll find on V7s and the four other nameplates Moto Guzzi offers to this day.

It is without a doubt the most distinguishing feature of the 103-year-old Italian brand’s lineup of adventure, sport and street bikes.

But where the heck did this design approach come from, and what’s it like to actually ride? Grabbing seat time on a Moto Guzzi V7 Special recently, I found out.

Heavy rotation

For all its innovations — and early racing success — by the mid-1960s, Moto Guzzi found itself in dire financial straits, to the point where by early 1967, the brand had come under state receivership. With founders Giorigo and Angelo Parudi and Carlo Guzzi having all passed away, the company needed a spark.

Ironically enough, the inspiration for the engine reorientation came not from a desire to break the rules but from law enforcement: The Italian government sponsored a contest for a new police bike.

moto guzzi front view — We rarely show bikes from this angle, but it’s the only way to really appreciate the V7’s engine orientation.

In came engineer Giulio Cesare Carcano, designer of the DOHC V8 Grand Prix racer, with a 700cc, 45-horsepower air-cooled, longitudinal crankshaft, transverse cylinder, pushrod V-twin.

The unconventional engine was nonetheless reliable enough that it won the competition, and with that single stroke seemed to kick start the whole operation’s road to recovery.

Though the brand has undergone a number of ownerships over the past 57 years, the engine orientation has become its most iconic branding element — one you’ll find on V7s and the four other nameplates Moto Guzzi offers to this day.

Twisted in the twisties

So what’s it like to actually ride a bike with an engine oriented this way? I got my chance on the V7 Special recently and it made quite an impression right off the bat. From a visual standpoint, it’s not something you really notice from most angles, unless you are looking at the front or back dead-on — or you’re sitting on it.

I would imagine some long-legged folk might feel somewhat impeded by the way it juts out in the knee area. Not an issue for yours truly, so the first time I really felt the effect was at the first red light I hit. With the bike in neutral, I gave the throttle a playful rev — and immediately felt this 492-pound steed shake side to side.

In the brand’s defense, a rep gave me a heads up that this would happen, but it was still pretty wild to experience. That being said, once I was in motion, I did not really notice it so much. I was just itching to get out of Lower Manhattan so that I could see what this bike was like on the open road.

moto guzzi v-twin macro — Say what you will about the angle of this engine — in my experience it is charming as hell.

It is worth noting that with an engine size of 853cc and relatively compact wheelbase of 57 inches, it’s a pretty compelling urban bike. Nimble, responsive, easy to maneuver through traffic — as I learned during a rather harried zig-zag through congested streets on the way to the airport — and a snap to park.

(The only issue I experienced was sometimes struggling to shift from neutral to first. On occasion it seemed easier to just kick it up to second and power through, but I am fully ready to concede that user error may be a factor here.)

All that said, I just had a sense this bike would be most at home on the open road. So first weekend chance I got, I headed over to the west side highway and lit out for New Jersey’s Palisades Parkway and Bear Mountain beyond.

Glad to say that in this environment, the V7 Special really seemed to come to life. I found the bike to be incredible zippy in the higher gears, quickly getting up to speed and comfortably hurtling down the highway at 80 miles per hour.

My main reference point here is my own bike, a 2014 Triumph Bonneville T-100, which despite having a similar sized engine (865cc) starts to groan like an old dog once I get over about 75 mph.

moto guzzi v7 coming at ya — Tackling winding two-lane roads on a brisk fall day, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more fun set of wheels.

Granted, part of that is age, but also Moto Guzzi touts improvements in its 850cc engine, including a notable increase in torque, from 60 Nm at 4250 rpm to an impressive 73 Nm at 5000 rpm, with more than 80% available at 3000 rpm.

While I am no moto expert, I can say the bike generally felt breezy and free, its suspension and brakes acute enough to handle curves and bumps and slow-downs much better than I do as the operator. Honestly, once I got out in the country a bit, where the roads have two lanes or even one and enough contours to naturally regulate speed, I truly felt like this bike was in its happy place.

More importantly, however, I came to really love and appreciate the engine orientation. It’s somewhat reassuring to look down at your gas tank and see that V-twin rumbling away on either side of it. It makes its presence known in this undeniably tangible way, never letting you forget you are riding an old-school, gas-powered, mechanically engineered machine with its own distinct personality.

It got to the point where I would consciously rap the throttle at traffic lights, relishing in the side-to-side shudder and the 60 years of history built into it. What a quirky little reminder of a (literally) pivotal moment in a brand’s lifespan, and one that, against all odds, they’ve (literally) turned from a bug into a feature.

Editor’s note: Earlier this month, Moto Guzzi announced the all-new V7 Sport, which will join the V7 Special and V7 Stone as the V7s of 2025 and beyond. And hey guess what? The transverse 90-degree V-twin engine remains.