Guzzi Got It Right With
The Long-Awaited Breva 1100

By Jessica Prokup, Photos Courtesy Of The Milagro Agency

Remember that sneak peek of the Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 that surfaced a couple of years ago? The company tempted us and teased us, but didn’t deliver until now. But don’t blame the nice people at Guzzi, they’ve been busy — busy keeping their company afloat for the cult-like fans of their products.

Most recently, they’ve been busy rebuilding the company under new leadership. During all this, the engineers kept refining and tweaking the projects on their plate. All this work has resulted in the awesome bike you see here, the Moto Guzzi Breva V1100. This big brother Breva can’t really be compared to the earlier-released 750 model, it just wouldn’t be fair (see sidebar).

I didn’t consider myself one of the Guzzi faithful in the past, but this bike may sway me. I thought Guzzis feel bulky, right? They shift like farm tractors, right? They’re underpowered, right? Not anymore! At first glance, I was attracted to the Breva’s naked standard look — not too small of a bike, nice single-sided swingarm shaft drive, attractive wheels with a hub cover that makes the axle invisible, and the sportbike-spec rubber that all the current self-respecting road burners are wearing these days.

During the press launch, the Guzzi marketing folks kept hyping that the bike was meant for touring. Yet none of our demo rigs had saddlebags. Then, come ride time, I climbed aboard the Breva and thought, “Hmmm, comfy ergos, I wonder how it tours?” — like I’d thought of it before they did.

The handlebars are tall, and the seating position is comfortable. The gauge package is thorough, and you don’t have to go looking for the controls; everything feels well placed. Actually, one of the nice features of the gauge/control package is that the left switchpod contains fingertip switches for instrumentation interaction. Nice high-tech touch!

As soon as we hit the road and I had a chance to shift up and down through the gears, I was impressed. Smooth, quiet, short throw — it made me forget all my former complaints about Guzzi transmissions. There are technical reasons for all of this improvement in the completely redesigned gearbox, like the use of a single driven shaft, the clutch shaft-mounted helical primary gear, and the weight savings of over 2 kg. But the important thing is that the farm-tractor feeling is gone!

All of these positive impressions were sinking in before I even had a chance to feel the power of the refined engine. It still looks Guzzi, and everything appears to be in the right place at first glance. There are those two trademark air-compressor-looking jugs jutting out to the left and right, and the industrial-strength webbing on the engine block. But closer inspection reveals a host of improvements.

There’s a combined 50,000 hours of development on this engine — I told you those engineers stayed busy. The alternator has been relocated and the output increased, which helped shrink the powerplant by 4 cm. The all-new crankcase castings house lighter rods and pistons and a new pushrod lubrication system, and the heads have twin spark plugs on top of each cylinder. Down below, the oil filter is now a remote unit in a new location, making it more accessible for servicing. The entire engine is also in a new location, higher and farther forward than before. The new mounting helps keep vibes from getting to the rider.

Torque was on tap, and I enjoyed the power delivery without having to tap dance on the shifter all the time.

I was impressed with the road-going ability of the big Breva, as its handling makes it feel intermediate and nimble. Low-speed maneuverability was smooth and tight, which I didn’t expect from this large V-twin. My only complaint is the reduced ground clearance due to the centerstand. (I apologize in advance to whoever ends up purchasing the bike I rode on the press intro for the flat spot I ground onto the centerstand footpad.)

The brakes feature dual floating 320mm discs up front and a single 282mm disc out back. You have to use the rear brake cautiously — this bike was indeed built for two-up touring, and the rear brake may seem a bit aggressive when the bike isn’t loaded down. I confirmed this with the engineers present, and I imagine the rear brake strength would be perfect when this bike is ridden as intended. For anyone remotely concerned about brake application, an ABS version is slated for release in the future.

Fit and finish are superb, and the V11 Breva presents nice detail after detail. If you don’t like the shifter or brake pedal position against your toe, no problem, just whip out an Allen key and swivel the peg tip — they’re bolth built on an eccentric and are fully adjustable. If you want to go from the naked standard look to long-distance touring, just four screws add the pannier brackets and on go the hardbags. Guzzi offers a selection of accessories ranging from luggage racks and heated grips to a satellite tracking anti-theft kit and two sizes of top boxes.

All in all, I was impressed and pleased with the new Breva V1100. So much so that I called Editor Jessica from the press launch in Sienna, Italy, and told her we needed a demo unit at the home office for “future extended testing and review.” Make that “indefinite future testing and review.” RB

Sibling Rivalry? No Contest!

By Steve Lita

In my review of the Breva V1100, I was uncomplimentary to its little brother, the Breva 750, and perhaps I should explain. The 750 was available first, and a few test rides left me wanting more out of the bike. That probably contributed to my delight over the bigger version — the 1100 is so much more refined and powerful, it just suits me better. I’m not saying the company rushed the 750 version to market before it was ready, but they certainly produced a better package in the 1100.

However, the Breva 750 is not without its attributes. It’s got nice components like Brembo brakes and stainless steel braided brake lines. The shaft drive is maintenance free, and I found the bike very smooth at highway cruising speeds. But the electronic-fuel-injected twin needs to be whipped to get up to those speeds, and rowing through the gears can be a chore. (The 750 didn’t get the benefit of the 1100’s refined transmission, so get ready for the old farm tractor transmission clunk.) One pleasant feature of the little Breva is the flash-to-pass feature on the left hand control, though you may not get to use it much, as I doubt you’ll be passing many other motorists.

I was also disappointed in the bias-ply tires on the 750. Once you’re rolling, it’s not obvious, as the bike’s handling is fairly neutral at motoring speeds. But at lower rpm and speeds, I found the 750 difficult to maneuver in tight spaces. The V-twin engine seems a bit thumpy at low rpm, and the clutch gets a workout in the friction zone at low speeds.

I wouldn’t suggest the Breva 750 as a first choice for a beginning rider, as it takes some skill to master its low-speed use. I think the ideal customer for this product is a traditional Guzzi fan who might be of smaller stature, or one who’d like to make the 750 part of their stable for other family members to ride. It’s a nice enough looking bike and would complement the bigger Breva when standing alongside. Maybe, if we’re lucky, Moto Guzzi will transplant some DNA from the new V1100 to make the 750 a more enjoyable ride.

SOURCES

List Price $11,990

Engine 90-degree V-twin

Valvetrain Overhead valves, two per cylinder

Displacement 1064cc

Bore x Stroke 92 x 80mm

Compression 9.6:1

Fuel System Electronic fuel injection

MFR HP Rating 86 at 7500 rpm

MFR Torque Rating 62.6 ft-lbs. at 6800 rpm

Transmission Six-speed

Final Drive Shaft

Overall Length 86.4"

Wheelbase 58.8"

Rake/Trail 25/4.7"

Seat Height 31.4"

Fuel Capacity 6 gallons

Dry Weight 509 pounds

Colors Corsa Red, Guzzi Black, Sasso del Lario Grey