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Events

WIDE REWIND
BY 04/16

MOTO GUZZI MGX-21
AMERICAN DEBUT IN SOUTH DAKOTA

THE FIRST PRESS LAUNCH IN THE USA, AT THE 76TH “STURGIS MOTORCYCLE RALLY” IN EARLY AUGUST, WAS FOLLOWED BY THE PRESENTATION TO EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS IN SEPTEMBER, BEFORE THE “MOTO GUZZI OPEN HOUSE 2016”, WHICH CELEBRATED THE 95TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ITALIAN EAGLE BRAND.

“You’ll never do it”. This was many people’s reaction when Moto Guzzi presented the first prototype of the MGX-21 at EICMA 2014. Too big a gamble, too rich, too futuristic. Yet here it is, one of the most courageous and distinctive Moto Guzzi motorcycles ever to come out of the Mandello del Lario factory. It’s the Moto Guzzi bike you don’t expect: the model that more than any other demonstrates the ability of the Eagle to look forward to the future while keeping faith with its unique heritage. It may not be everyone’s favourite type of motorbike, but it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed.

Moto Guzzi MGX-21 at Sturgis 2016

This is how Miguel Galluzzi (head of the Piaggio Group Advanced Design Center in Pasadena, USA) imagined Moto Guzzi crossing an entire continent, taking his inspiration from the forms of Bertone’s Alfa Romeo BAT cars of the 1950s to create a two-wheeler that blends Italian flair and design with the American taste for extremes. The MGX-21 combines a highly eye-catching image with significant substance: the basic platform is the California 1400, a motorbike offering outstanding ridability, not only on motorways, but on bends too, and equipped with the legendary transverse 90° V-twin engine made in Mandello. There are many excellent twin-cylinder engines, but only one transverse V-twin, made entirely in the same factory that has built every Moto Guzzi bike since 1921; the engine has more than 50 years of history behind it and has reached its third evolution, while its monumental structure, an integral part of the motorcycle design, is intact.

Moto Guzzi MGX-21 Still life & Action

The two red heads seem to leap out from the carbon-fibre cheeks of the MGX-21 fuel tank, conveying an impression of the bike’s performance potential at first sight. This is one of the added values of the new two-wheeler: it is the only bagger to offer chassis and engine performance levels usually associated with other categories. Knowing they had created a unique machine, Moto Guzzi decided to proudly present the MGX-21 in a venue where the custom bike culture, and the bagger culture in particular, is strongest and most deeply rooted: in the capital of motorcycling America, Sturgis (South Dakota), which every year at the beginning of August hosts one of the world’s largest and most important motorcycle rallies.

At the 76th edition of the “Sturgis Motorcycle Rally”, 700,000 people were expected to arrive in the small town, which, since 1938, transforms itself to welcome bikers from around the world. An incredible and unmissable showcase, where Moto Guzzi took centre stage. The public gave the MGX-21 a very warm welcome. A chorus of approval for the motorcycle and great respect for the brand, familiar to the majority of motorcyclists who stopped to admire the new Italian creation. The Sturgis rally is an unforgettable experience because it is a real motorcycling festival, irrespective of the brand you “wear”.

Sturgis is also the land of exaggeration and ostentation: the motorbikes the Sturgis crowd loves best are the largest and heaviest machines from the top American houses. Chrome rules supreme and very few bikes have such a dark nocturnal look as the MGX-21: another distinguishing element introduced by the new Moto Guzzi in its segment. The appearance of the mighty black two-wheeler attracted great interest, as if it were a real special, and its large 21” front wheel was also a source of curiosity. The wheel is a brave technical choice (only two baggers in the world feature it): such a large front wheel makes it very difficult to achieve a chassis with good dynamic qualities, delivering performance and fun in all riding conditions, not just on the straight.

The American press launch took place along a magnificent 300 km route out in the countryside offering a variety of riding situations to enable the reporters to test the chassis and engine capabilities of the MGX-21 to the full. After a good long ride, the American press lauded the MGX-21 as the “fastest bagger ever”, and were particularly impressed by its performance levels, normally not associated with a bagger. American bikers, or at least those who go to Sturgis, are very different to their European counterparts. None of them wear a helmet (it is not compulsory in South Dakota) but instead sport a classic bandana tied at the nape of the neck, the finishing touch to their outfit of leather jacket, jeans and pointed boots. They all ride very slowly. They enjoy keeping the bike at minimal revs, leaning only very slightly into bends even on roads that wind so much they are an invitation to experience an extra thrill. And this is where the MGX-21 made the difference.

EUROPEAN PRESS LAUNCH IN THE VALTELLINA. American reporters were not the only ones to be astonished by the dynamic capabilities of the new Moto Guzzi bike on bends: their colleagues who took part in the European launch at the beginning of September, with a test drive on the lovely roads of the Valtellina valley, behind Mandello del Lario (the homeland of Moto Guzzi and the venue for the 2016 Open House, which celebrated the brand’s 95th anniversary; see the next article in the Event section, ed.) were equally impressed. The custom bike culture is not as widespread in Europe as it is in America. The best-selling motorcycles on our market are much lighter, more powerful and dynamic.

The custom culture puts priority on qualities other than power and weight, such as the sensation the bike conveys to the onlooker even when stationary, the perception of the marque on the fuel tank with its history and tradition, the pull of the engine at low revs, accompanied by the beat of the large pistons, the comfort offered by the saddle. It’s a more emotional way to experience a motorbike, less influenced by superlative technical data. European journalists, too, are less familiar with this type of motorcycle, but nonetheless all of them appreciated the sporty side of the MGX-21, which enables the rider to handle winding roads at a surprising pace, without too many compromises for riding comfort on motorways.

MOTO GUZZI MGX-21 – PRESS TEST RIDE

INFO:
mgx21.motoguzzi.com/it

THE “FLYING FORTRESS” AT STURGIS

A NEW PRODUCT SEGMENT, A NEW BIG MARKET FOR MOTO GUZZI. A SPECTACULAR ITALIAN MOTORCYCLE PROUDLY SHOWED OFF FOR 700 THOUSAND BIKERS FROM ALL OVER THE USA.

Sturgis, South Dakota (USA), 4 August 2016 – The first, long voyage of the most luxurious and spectacular Italian motorcycle ever designed reached its first destination at the legendary South Dakota event, directly in the deepest heartland of America. This brings Moto Guzzi into a new market segment, the large cruiser segment, with an offer that is completely new in design and cutting-edge technological content. The eagle brand's strategy is therefore structured on two fronts: on one side, the complete renewal of the range that already enjoys the success of the V7 and V9 ranges, and on the other, the entrance into new markets characterized by large volumes like the American market (the biggest in the world for cruiser motorcycles) that, with their strong motorcycle culture, recognize the value of the Italian brand.

The MGX-21 has had a long journey that began – as always for a Moto Guzzi – on the banks of the Lario, followed by the 2014 Milan show, when the first prototype astonished the world with its personality, innovative lines and technical solutions that had never before been imagined for a bike in this segment. Now, in its definitive form and ready for the market, the MGX-21 introduces itself, bolstered by its authenticity and blatant confidence, to the most demanding public in the world. And so an Italian bike bursts into the temple of the American motorcycle (an act bordering on blasphemy!) sure of its values, of almost one hundred years of history and a respect for the logo it displays on the fuel tank, recognized the world over.

There is no reverential fear as it comes through the main entrance to the 76th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally where at least 700 thousand bikers are expected this weekend from every State in the Union and from around the globe, a perfect stage for a bike that was born not to go unnoticed. This means that thousands of riders will be able to admire a bike up close and personally that comes from a far off land to speak, with new ideas and a new language, to the deepest depths of bikers' souls from every culture.

In fact, the Moto Guzzi MGX-21 is the most non-conventional, rich and technological of the 1400 cc cruisers built in Mandello del Lario. It is the tangible representation of Moto Guzzi's ability to make authentically unique motorcycles, strictly hand assembled as unique units since 1921. The MGX-21 is an example of personality and courage and it is dedicated to those who love exclusive motorcycles, to those who savour the excitement of the journey even before it begins, simply basking in the majesty of this Italian bike. The MGX-21 invites the rider to don a helmet and take off, placing a finger on the map at random. The excitement level increases even more when the 1400 cc 90° transversal V-twin engine rumbles to life. From Mandello del Lario to the edge of the world, the journey is marked by the rhythm of the enormous big block piston strokes and ridden in complete safety with the precision of the chassis characterized by the large 21” front wheel. Total control, on the other hand, is guaranteed by latest generation electronic riding support systems.