2026 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport Review – First Ride

You meet a Moto Guzzi on its terms. Not yours, not the spec sheet’s, and certainly not the motorcycle design dogma of today. The Italian brand goes about its work the way it always has, forging V-Twin engines with shaft drives in its Mandello del Lario-based factory, as it has done for the past 104 years — pretty much uninterrupted, mind you. That doesn't mean it's afraid of change, especially in the current era, as we've seen in the liquid-cooled V100 Mandello and Stelvio, or the V85 with its variable valve timing. No matter the case, it is a brand that remains true to itself. Arguably, the most authentically Guzzi geese in its current flock are its middleweight standard bikes, or rather, its deceptively simple air-cooled V7 range. Of course, that brings us to the 2026 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, said to be the most advanced V7 version yet, replete with IMU-based electronics, beefier brakes, and suspension.

Now, Moto Guzzi isn't using the athletic "sport" descriptor quite the same way its MotoGP-racing sister-brand Aprilia would. Instead, view it through the lens of a heritage marque. To that end, the easiest way to spot the V7 Sport is by its sturdier inverted fork and dual Brembo calipers.

Let's cut to the quick, shall we? Getting caught up in the nuts and bolts of a bike like the Moto Guzzi V7 Sport misses its point. We'll cite the facts and follow up with figures because, after all, that is our job. At its core, the V7 Sport is a classic standard bike: direct, honest, and approachable, but it goes about in a way that few motorcycles, past or present, are able to do. So, we'll set our sights on that.

Our fleet of Guzzi test machines were waiting, after migrating east to Aprilia's headquarters in Noale, Italy, where we’d soon be able to take them for a spin on some nearby country roads. The 853cc air-cooled "transverse" 90-degree V-Twin engine that permeates the entire V7 family proudly displays the brand hallmarks greeted us with its jugs jutting out each side to create that unmistakable silhouette. It's still an old-school two-valve per-cylinder pushrod mill, just like its ancestors. Still, it is thoroughly updated without giving up an ounce of that charm, revving up in a calm, cool, and collected gentlemanly fashion. Then there's the cylinder orientation, which means the engine's crank will pull the bike to the right when revving at stoplights – anyone who's ridden a BMW Boxer Twin can relate.

The V7 powerplants breathe easier these days, starting with an additional 27% airbox volume, feeding larger 52mm throttle bodies and accompanied by a new exhaust system. Internally, a new dual oil-jet piston cooling strategy is used alongside a new camshaft with more aggressive profiles, while the final update goes to new ride-by-wire throttle mapping.

Those tweaks did have a positive performance impact in the face of Euro5+ emissions, bringing claimed peak figures to 67.3 horsepower at 6,900 rpm, while torque comes out to 58.3 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm. Twisting the well-caliberated quick-turn throttle and the 853cc V-Twin's lovely burble builds, where it quickly finds its footing with all that accessible low-end shove, 95% of which is said to be available as low as 3,500 rpm. Guzzisti will tout its torque, but the approachable midrange wave is what this machine is all about because things get buzzy if you start wringing the Goose's neck. The squeeze, friends, ain't worth the juice up top, and short-shifting remains the time-honored strategy.

Its modest power is put down through the single-plate dry clutch and final shaft drive – yet another Guzzi signature and one that hammers the point home: you are riding something different. The V7 is deeply unapologetic about its mechanical nature, plainly telling riders to learn its idiosyncrasies instead of bucking against them. A rough, ill-timed gear change will only unsettle the whole thing with a jarring shock through its shaft linkage – best to respect it, slipping the lever or rev-matching each shift. Rough? If manhandled. Smooth? Absolutely, if treated right. There’s no quickshifter to lend a hand, this is all up to you, bud. But all of this is a conscious decision, as some of the same engineering minds responsible for building 200+ horsepower superbikes and competing in MotoGP are responsible for what we see here.

What takes the V7 Sport to the top of its family line is with respect to its chassis and suspension. Gone are the conventional forks found on the V7 Stone and Special. In their place sits a stout 41mm upside-down unit, paired with dual rear shocks – preload adjustment is available both front and rear.

On the road, it's a noticeable improvement. The Sport feels more planted at speed than its predecessors have ever displayed, and that's an observation that extends through every cornering phase. Having some damping adjustment would fine-tune things, and that's my only gripe in that department, but it does well enough in most circumstances. Moreover, the new V7 Sport rocks a set of cast-aluminum wheels that shed a whopping 3.9 pounds of unsprung mass compared to what the V7 Stone is rolling on. All of that is flattering to this 485-pound bike with an ultra-low center of gravity, letting it flip through corners in a sporty fashion and scrub those peg feelers nicely. Importantly, it's just as inviting while whipping through parking lots, too – it'd make mincemeat of M-Class license tests with its maneuverability.

Naturally, scurrying around canyon roads calls for some decent braking power, which is what the Sport model offers. Last we met the V7; we noted that its single-caliper stoppers weren't quite up to snuff. That's remedied with dual Brembo 4-piston calipers and 320mm rotors. There's far more stopping power than prior. While steel-braided brake lines are a welcome addition, the budget axial master cylinder is a bit spongey. Luckily, it doesn't offer a harsh initial bite that might startle less experienced riders, especially at lower speeds. At the rear, a 260mm disc and two-piston caliper keep things stable and drama-free. But perhaps most impressive is what you don't see: the six-axis IMU that enables lean-sensitive cornering ABS and traction control (on/off). The rider aids are seamlessly integrated and unobtrusive, fitting in with a motorcycle that looks like it just rolled past the big red doors at the Mandello factory circa 1967.

Each V7 does things a little differently, and in the case of the Sport, it comes with a model-specific saddle measuring 30.7 inches tall. Match that to an ultra-narrow chassis, and this Goose quickly emerges as a bike well suited to shorter riders. The riding position is as neutral as it gets aboard this standard, with a casual reach to all the controls aboard what is a petite motorcycle, which my 5-foot 10-inch frame demonstrates in the photos. It flirts with the idea of being too compact, yet the accommodations are both cozy and comfortable. Taller folk can still squeeze their way onto it, and a little front-to-back leeway in the saddle also helps.

There's a lot of retro to revel in, and in most cases, it works like a charm, down to the updated side covers, red-stitched saddle, eagle-shaped LED headlight, and generally flattering finishing. One area that is a swing-and-a-miss for me is the full LCD instrument panel. I'll give it a nod for including a fuel gauge for the first time – fair play, there. However, when looking at the design options between traditional analog clocks and a thoroughly modern TFT display, the LCD screen feels like an awkward teenage phase in display technology that we, as a motorcycling society, need to leave in its past where it belongs.

Moto Guzzi knows its identity, much like Triumph and its Modern Classic lineup; they are faithful custodians of it. Approaching a motorcycle like the V7 Sport is an interesting exercise because many of these words wax poetic and reach for the intangibles of riding. Suffice it to say this is a fine example of a bike that's greater than the sum of its parts: the brakes could have more bite, we could add damping here and there, and the clutch engagement point is a little further out than I'd like. That's all reflected in the score, but I'd almost ignore it because the numbers don't match the experience.

The V7 Sport isn't chasing benchmarks. It never has; it never will. What it does is challenge us as riders, as motorcyclists, and frankly, just as gearheads. Few bikes invite you to fall into their rhythm, as Guzzi aficionados will surely tell you. Whether you like that or not is something you’ll need to discover on your own. The V7 Sport, along with Moto Guzzi, is acutely aware of that. It's approachable, eminently useable, and strikes to the heart of the simple joy of riding a motorcycle. That's just what this is about. Call it quirky, call it wonderfully weird, call it what you will, but I know that I'll call it a Moto Guzzi.

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