On 15th March 1921, Societa Anonima
Moto Guzzi Bikes, one of the longest continually-running European bike
manufacturers, was constituted. It was founded in Genoa, Italy, for the
fabrication and sale of motorcycles. It also catered to all other activities
pertinent or correlated to the metalworking and mechanical engineering
industries. The partners were the renowned Genoese ship owner, Emanuele
Vittorio Parodi, his son Giorgio Parodi, and his friend Carlo Guzzi. Guzzi was
a former comrade of Parodi's in the Italia Air Corps during the First World
War. His friend Giovanni Ravelli – an aviator like Parodi - died on 11th August
1919 during a test flight. It was in memory of this friend that the
spread-winged eagle motif in the Moto Guzzi badge was chosen.
Moto Guzzi’s first motorcycle was the
legendary 500cc Normale. This was followed by more successful models such as
the 1928 Guzzi GT. It was titled ‘Norge’ to commemorate the polar expedition to
the Arctic Circle undertaken by Carlo Guzzi’s brother. The Airone 250, launched
in 1939, remained Italy's best-selling medium-capacity motorcycle for over 15
years.
In the meanwhile, the marque also
notched up numerous racing successes. The first was in the prestigious Targa
Florio in 1921, which marked the beginning of an impressive succession of
victories. Up until its withdrawal from motorsports in 1957, Moto Guzzi's two-wheeler
accumulated an enviable collection of accolades. Among other titles, it also
won an astonishing 14 World GP championships and 11 Isle of Man Tourist
Trophies.
In 1950, Moto Guzzi became the first
motorcycle company in the world to build a motorcycle-specific wind tunnel. It
was installed at Mandello Del Lario in Italy. Soon, Moto Guzzi motorcycles
achieved legendary status for creating the Otto Cilindri, a V8-powered racing
bike. It could hit speeds of up to 285 km/h in the 1950s, becoming a bike much
ahead of its time. Unfortunately, its extreme speed ensured its minimal
success, even on the track.
On 30th December 2004, Moto Guzzi
motorcycles became a part of the Piaggio Group. Expressing the spirit of this
new era for the brand was the Moto Guzzi Breva 1100, presented in March 2005.
It signified a new and successful Italian offering for the naked bike segment.
2005 also saw the widely acclaimed launch of the Griso 1100, a bike boasting
original engineering solutions and unique styling. From April 2006, the Breva and
Griso have also been offered with Moto Guzzi’s hallmark 850cc engine.
Piaggio entered the Indian
two-wheeler market in 2012 by opening Northward Motors, India’s first Moto
Guzzi dealership in Gurugram, Haryana. In other parts of the country, Piaggio sold
the Moto Guzzi bikes with other marques such as Vespa and Aprilia. They were
sold under one roof, through their ‘Motoplex’ dealerships. The Pune Motoplex
showroom, opened in 2015, was the first one from the company in all of Asia.
Initially, the company offered the Griso 1200 8V SE, the V7, and the Breva
V1100, brought as CBUs. In 2013, Moto Guzzi added the Bellagio to its India
line-up.
The
range of Moto Guzzi bikes, ever sold in India, consists of the V9 Bobber, the V9
Roamer, the Griso 1200 8V SE, the California 1400, the Audace, the Eldorado,
and the MGX-21, among others.
