tends towards finding what it does well . In other words , the action of defining it , automatically produces a positive response to your criteria . This is why most reviews are strongly positive , and are a lot less to do with keeping suppliers happy than would be supposed . So , there , I said it , I talked about Fight Club . Sue me .
PRETTY TO THE EYE The MotoGuzzi V7 850 Special is pretty to my eye , immediately . It ’ s low slung , with the usual two black snouts of the cylinder heads at a 90 degree transverse under the smart blue tank . Twin clocks with analogue displays and the merest flicker of electronica , harking back to around 1970 , point this bike firmly towards the retro naked market . And , of course , it does it very well ( see how that happens ?). It ’ s handsome in its snappy blue livery and judicious white striping with a bold 850 picked out above the MotoGuzzi logo on the heads . Bright chrome spoked wheels add the right gleam and sparkle and the winged Guzzi logo
appears with judicious Italian styling cues . At the front of the blacked engine is a disc with the logo embossed . Two chrome exhausts sweep back to tailored pipes and the finish is perfect . No shit welds , and the plastic is at a minimum . The usual Guzzi shaft drive is in place , the whole is compact , cohesive and beautiful . The headlight is LED and retro in look , as are the clear plastic circular tail-lights , with a nod to exceptional modern utility . There is nothing superfluous on the Special , the electronics package offers some fuel data , traction control , and odometry , but it is basic and present only in a small window of the analogue clock . The switch gear is simple , basic , and the focus is very definitely on the experience of the road ahead . There is ABS , but the entire ‘ feel ’ is about motorcycling in the now .
THAT TRANSVERSE V-TWIN The engine supplies the standard horizontal flinch to the right on a blip of the throttle , but its charming and somewhat endearing , and that was perhaps my overall response to the bike . It is not over-powered with the 850 plant
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