The Griso 8V SE is a fairly long motorcycle and styled to be a mix between a performance cruiser and a naked sportbike. This Moto Guzzi Griso 8V SE will only be produced to a limited 500 units, which should make it a collector's item of sorts. The riding experience is still the same, but when you do stop there’s something extra special to look at. Of all the current Moto Guzzis the Griso 8V is my firm favorite. Even for the sport part I’d rather get the Griso than the Sport but that’s me. Ground clearance is probably not as good, but that Italian “tough guy” styling and feel definitely got to me - even without a horse’s head in my bed. The Griso 8V SE is simply a very good motorcycle.Of the two it’s more of a naked sportbike and the thinking behind the design is for the Griso to be Guzzi’s answer to the Harley V-Rod or even Yamaha’s MT-01. The Special Edition features a hand made brown leather seat, “Tenni” (V11 Le Mans Tenni) graphics on the fuel tank and matte green paint. The frame, engine and instrument panel are all in a black finish. The wheels are spoked for a retro touch, but the racing footrests, radial brakes and USD 43mm fork are all modern performance goods.
Despite the Griso’s fairly long wheelbase, it was easy to dodge traffic on the streets of Rome.
Sitting on the unique luxury brown leather seat with a slight stretch to the handlebars it feels right straight away. Firing up the 1151cc engine the Griso 8V vibrates a tad more than an air-cooled BMW, but less than a Harley. Blipping the throttle leaves no doubt there’s a powerful engine beneath me. The Griso 8V will power wheelie in first gear with a quick on-off throttle action, which speaks of the most powerful Moto Guzzi in the current model line-up. There’s 110 Italian stallions transmitted through the maintenance free shaft drive to the rear tire. While max horsepower arrives at 7500 rpm, max torque of 108 Nm arrives a little earlier at 6400 rpm which you easily notice on the road. Firing the Griso 8V out from the red lights is the easiest thing in the world
