All MG bikes are hand built in the
original factory in the town of
Mandello Del Lario, near Lake Como.SUSPENSION
The suspension offers 6.7 inches of travel front and rear while
the 41mm forks and rear shock are adjustable for preload
and rebound damping. Ground clearance is an adequate 8.3
inches and the seat height is 32.7 inches. For my size, I was
flat-footed and found that paddling the bike around was
effortless. Further, I didn’t experience seat discomfort even
after the all-day spirited riding event. The stock set-up seemed
just about right for my 220-lb. frame. On the street, while hard
front braking, there was no significant nose diving, but rather
a confidence-inspiring reduction of speed. Besides the tunable
suspension, you have three preset riding modes:- Road: Medium level of MGCT, Moto Guzzi’s proprietary
traction control, ABS active on both wheels, and
a “reactive” throttle response. - Rain: High level of traction control, ABS active on
both wheels, gentle throttle response. - Off-road: Low level of traction control, ABS only
active on the front wheel (can also be fully
deactivated), optimized throttle response and
increased engine braking.
Fortunately, I had the option to take the bike on some
mild off-road to get an idea of how it felt on dirt. And that
left no doubt that this is truly a TT-rated bike. You don’t
get the heft of the typical 1000cc+-sized adventure
bikes, but you do get a sufficient amount of power,
torque, and engine braking. While in “Off-Road”
mode, the traction control was nicely set up to give
a little bit of rear wheel spin, if so desired, with a
quick crank of the throttle.38 July/August 2019