The Moto Guzzi V7 Stone is criminally underrated

In the pantheon of motorcycling, some bikes stand out in the consciousness. From high-powered superbikes like the Aprilia RSV4 and Ducati Panigale to the 450MTs and Teneres of the adventure class, and generic Harley style cruisers. Some bikes just stand out.

But some bikes, like the Moto Guzzi V7 Stone, seem to completely fly under the radar to such an extent that many motorcyclists are missing out on genuine great experiences on two wheels.

Now I’ve ridden the past two generations of the Moto Guzzi V7, and I’m pretty sure that despite their mellow power figures, there is so much more to these bikes than the spec sheet lets on.

Falling into the Triumph-dominated modern retro or modern classic category, the Guzzi V7 is vastly underrepresented in the New Zealand motorcycling sales figures, despite the bike offering plenty to would-be riders.

It’s the only bike in the class with an actual V-Twin engine, which in the V7 Stone here puts down a healthy 65hp of peak power, which is in turn more than enough to happily propel the bike’s 218kg kerb weight along at a decent clip. The newer 2025 versions produce almost 68hp on the same chassis. They’re far from underpowered and are highly competitive against the same size Triumphs.

Power gets to the rear wheel via a 6-speed gearbox and a low-maintenance shaft drive. Both of which are quite appealing compared to its direct competition from Triumph - the Speed Twin 900, which sports a chain and a 5-speed gearbox.

The rider triangle is generally comfortable, with a well-cushioned saddle from the factory with enough room for both a rider and a passenger alike.

Styling it is, in my opinion, a stunner, with machined rocker covers gleaming under the sun, while the air-cooled heads sticking out in front of your knees are a real talking point. Even its silhouette is that of a classic European motorcycle.

Now in 2026, the V7 is offered in three primary trims, but you can grab it in other variants in the 2021-2024 models, where several offshoots broaden the bike’s appeal.

The Stone here is what we would call a base model in the V7 lineup, which currently consists of 4 different versions with the V7 Stone Special Edition offering a blacked out bike with sweet sounding Akrapovic pipes as standard, a Cafe Racer V7 Stone Corsa bringing some classic inspire race design into the mix, and the V7 Special which I tested a couple of years ago. The introduction of the V7 Sport this year saw Guzzi adding a much better suspension package to the platform and slightly more power.

There is simply so much on offer from the Moto Guzzi V7, it is astounding that is so under-appreciated here in New Zealand. So what could be the reason there?

For starters, it has a LOT of competition not only from the Speed Twin 900 from Triumph, but the rest of the Bonneville range which sport 1200cc engines. Kiwis traditionally seem to go for the “bigger is better” mentality, so the 850cc of the Guzzi may simply lack appeal in that respect.

Next up is the small dealer network. While most of the major centres have a Moto Guzzi dealer, they aren’t as widespread as other brands, and with more modern examples requiring proprietary electronic gizmos to clear even a service light, that could be a little offputting to the potential customer who is used to working on the mechanically simple Moto Guzzi.

My last thought on why the V7 is so slept on comes down to Moto Guzzi itself. While it is part of the wider Piaggio Group - the same crowd who own Vespa and Aprilia to name a couple of their big-name brands - Guzzi is still manufactured in its original factory in Mandello del Lario on the shores of Lake Como. It’s a small, passionate team, but also means they aren’t quite producing the big numbers as their sister brands elsewhere in Italy and fewer examples floating around to begin with.

So with plenty of options in the V7 range, those are my simple thoughts on what is holding it back from being the success that deep down it deserves to be. But you know what they say about opinions, and I’d love to know yours, so chip in down in the comments below and let’s get to the bottom of it.