Bonnie loved the looks of the Breva when she first laid eyes on it. It had classy looks mixed with modern sport bike touches she said. The silver one was nice, having a red seat would make it stand out in a parking lot for sure. And then she tried on the charcoal color, this would be somewhat universal and looked very nice too, but oooooh look at the red one! It was certainly eye catching and she wanted to try it on…I like the red, it is deep and velvet like and looks fast just sitting here! She had tried them on, each of them twice in fact. She could touch the ground with little or no effort, and it would be a change in riding position from the Shadow. But really, she had a bike already, a Honda Shadow 750, pearl white just as she wanted and did she need a new bike??? No, few of us “need” a new bike right, but you can’t find a used bike when they are new models and the Breva was no exception (I tried). And, well, it fit her. A few months later Christmas was near, and we were to be out of town for the holidays so I made arrangements with Eric at Exotic Motorsports and surprised her with a new membership to the Moto Guzzi National Owners Club and a key to her new Breva 750. To say the least she was happy.

First let’s look at the classic side of the Breva. The dual chrome exhaust pipes look great and sound even bet­ter. They sound so sweet; it’s a low rumble, very throaty and distinctively “twin” sound. Twin coil over shocks hold up the rear of the bike and while only adjustable for preload, they seem to do a fine job. Perhaps the most noticeable are the trademark “Guzzi” heads reaching out from each side to catch the breeze. They also effect the “twisted head puppy dog look” from admirers when they look at it in the parking lot. It’s modern sport bike aggressive­ness shines through with the Brembo Gold calipers framed by the tri-spoke wheels. At first glance it seemed to us like they may have chosen the wrong color for the wheels but that thought is gone now, and we realize that they got it right. The red on the tank draws your attention and you notice that the large vessel holding 4.5 gallons is cut perfectly to allow even a 6ft tall husband to enjoy a ride every now and then. With fuel injec­tion, shaft drive and full instrumen­tation it has everything a beginning rider needs except a gear indicator. Even the seat has the detail of fine Italian craftsmanship, with the two-tone material stitched by red thread making it a unique piece of work in itself. Moto Guzzi has a few acces­sories available for the Breva, some of which are a lower seat, a tank bag, adjustable shocks, and a stor­age cover. Also available are a center stand and a larger touring windshield, which I was able to install without an extraordinary amount of foul lan­guage. And the Hepco and Becker bags that Moto Guzzi offers may not be the ultimate choice for her how­ever; luggage for the lady is needed (she has stuff, and wants to take it with her!) In fact we may consider a set of GIVI units if we can get mounts for the Breva so any help would be appreciated in that area.  

So far, the mileage has been slowly increasing, last check was 53 mpg and the bike has been “loosening up”, making it more enjoyable to ride every mile. Shifting to first was a challenge in the beginning. Once you know the “combination” it becomes a quirk instead of an annoyance. The first 600-mile service included fresh oil, valve adjustments, head bolt re-torque and visual inspection of everything else on the bike. RPM limitations are now raised to 6,000 maximum for the next 650 miles at which point the final stage of break-in will allow full loads and red-line RPM making long distance travel possible. 

Even prior to having the required 600 miles on it to lift the 5,000-rpm restriction, I was able to check the grip of the tires even out near the edges of the 130/80-17 and 110/70-17 Dunlop’s.  With the short wheel base it has no problems changing from a tight right curve to a tight left curve and back. While the tires are not the biggest, you will drag toes before you run out of tire, (I speak from experience). 

Sure the horsepower is lower than other 750cc bikes out there, and you can find a U.J.M. for less money, but I would argue that the value of this motorcycle is unbeatable.  With its shaft drive, and fuel injection, combined with how lightweight it is (401 dry), this beautiful Italian motorcycle looks to serve Bonnie well.