Guzzi Ballabio

GUZZI BALLABIO

A V11 Sport by any other name

The name “Ballabio” conjures images of male model Fabio’s flab-by forgotten brother, but it’s actually Moto Guzzi’s new streetfighter model. Named after a long-running Italian hillclimb between Ballabio and Resinelli—not coincidentally won last year by a Guzzi-the bike is essentially a V11 Sport with a motocross-style tapered handlebar and frame-mounted bikini fairing.

A brief spin around the shores of Lake Como near the Moto Guzzi factory showed that the Ballabio is more than a mere styling exercise. The high, wide handlebar makes steering a low-effort proposition, the rearward weight bias afforded by the more upright seating position makes wheelies a relative snap, and the fairing, while small, does an admirable job of deflecting windblast. The bar is perhaps a tad too far forward, however, as even my gorilla arms found it a stretch; a set of sweptback risers like those on the Aprilia Tuono would help immensely.

Set to debut at this fall’s Milan Show, the Ballabio will be built in limited numbers, with a price tag likely to fall between $10,000 and $12,000. See you on the hill. -Brian Catterson