Moto Guzzi Nevada 750
MOTO GUZZI NEVADA 750
Quick Ride
Phoenix rising
"A GAVE FLOWER, sleeps beside me, drivin’ on,” Marillion’s Steve Hogarth sang in the earphones inside my helmet. “Nevada’s burning, Phoenix rising, drivin’on...”
Maybe not the most appropriate lyrics to be listening to while riding Moto Guzzi’s latest cruiser, the Nevada 750, but something did smell kind of hot. Turns out it was my pant legs melting on the transverse V-Twin’s air-cooled cylinder heads. Serves me right for propping my legs up there!
I was in Georgia for the Nevada’s formal press introduction, and a more informal affair I’ve never been to-just four journalists, a bluegrass band and a handful of Aprilia/Moto Guzzi USA personnel, those two companies now purportedly part of the Piaggio empire.
We convened at the Two Wheels Only Motorcycle Resort in Suches, and then spent a day roosting around the North Georgia Mountains en route to a Sportbike Track Time event at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Where we rode Aprilias, though we did take the Nevadas on track for a session-and my apologies to the leading threesome in that women’s-only group for
hanging tough on a cruiser!
We here at CW have always liked Guzzi cruisers; in fact, a California 1100 topped our “Lucky 13” comparison back in March of 1998. Similar in execution, the Nevada has been offered in Europe for years but never here because the former U.S. importer didn’t feel there was a strong enough demand
for a 750. Well, the recent sales success of the Breva blew that theory out of Lake Como, and with the Nevada now benefiting from the same engine upgrades (i.e. fuel-injection), importing it suddenly seemed like a Very Good Idea.
Which it is, because the $7990 Nevada is a very pleasant motorcycle. Obviously aimed at smaller riders with its 30-inch seat height, the Nevada’s upright riding
position is a bit unusual tor a cruiser in that your feet fall straight down below your knees. Any farther forward and you’d burn your pant legs on the cylinder heads...
While the Nevada doesn’t quite display the California’s level of refinement, it is remarkably smooth, as a 90degree V-Twin should be.
There is a little side-to-side movement courtesy of the longitudinal crankshaft and some up-and-down due to the driveshaft, though that’s more character than flaw. With a claimed 46 horsepower and 42 foot-pounds of torque, performance is understandably reserved, but there’s a nice spread of power and excellent throttle response-both boons to beginners. Our only complaint concerned the fivespeed gearbox, which has a much longer throw than the V1 l’s six-speed.
What we like best about the Nevada it its handling.
Not compromised by that slammed-to-the-ground boulevard-bike look, the 388-pound machine can be ridden briskly on twisty roads without fear of dragging off the undercarriage. Take that to mean the fashion doesn’t interfere with the function.
Guzzi has suffered through hard times recently, but with new models like the Nevada and Breva 750s-to say nothing of the forthcoming Breva 1100, MGS-01 and Griso-the eagle is soaring once again. Talk about your Phoenix rising...
Brian Catterson
