Why Are Motovloggers Selling Their Moto Guzzis?

If you’ve been following Moto Guzzi motovloggers on YouTube lately, you might have noticed a trend. A few of us are selling our Moto Guzzis in 2025, and I’m no exception. A friend suggested I check out Spite’s Corner’s video on why he sold his Moto Guzzi Griso, so I did. And now, I want to share my take on his reasons and whether they line up with why I sold my V7.

The Guzzi Appeal

Spite’s Moto Guzzi Griso and my Moto Guzzi V7 share a few similarities. Moto Guzzi motorcycles are known for bringing a unique and outgoing character that becomes a huge part of the experience of riding one. They have a torquey feel, a distinctive engine shake and vibration. The sound and the noticeable rocking from side to side will make you grin every time you start them up.

Spite nailed it when he described the sideways rock of the engine – it’s one of the quirks that makes these motorcycles special. But quirks don’t always mean perfection.

The Trade-offs

Moto Guzzis, for all their charm, come with a few trade-offs. One major issue is what Spite refers to as “mechanical sympathy.” A feeling you get that you shouldn’t be pushing the motor beyond a certain point. Spite described how his Griso feels like it doesn’t want to be revved high. When it comes to the V7, well, it’s a mid-displacement sized air cooled motorcycle. The powerband is fun and torquey up to a point, but beyond that, it feels like you’re asking the motorcycle to do something it wasn’t designed for.

Then there’s the infamous warm-up time. In cold weather, my V7 takes forever to reach operating temperature. Living in Canada, that’s a serious inconvenience. A short 10-minute winter ride to go pick up some take-out for dinner, takes an extra 5 minutes to let the bike idle long enough before you can even go.

One of Spite’s biggest gripes was the cost and difficulty of maintaining his Griso. Moto Guzzis require expensive oil, and Spite’s Griso requires frequent valve adjustments. I do my own maintenance, and don’t find the costs with this motorcycle to be too high, but your results may vary.

The Sportster Comparison

Throughout his video, Spite kept comparing the Griso to a Harley-Davidson Sportster. I thought that was peculiar. Both the Griso and my V7 both bring a raw, mechanical feel, just like a Harley-Davidson Sportster does, but in a different way.

But here’s the thing, the Harley-Davidson Sportster has a massive aftermarket, endless parts availability both new and used, and a huge community of riders always buying and selling parts for them right in your city. If something breaks on a Sportster, there’s a good chance you can fix it the very next day. With a Moto Guzzi? Not so much.

And that’s where a funny thing happened. As it turns out, both Spite and I were selling our Moto Guzzis at the same time for a Harley-Davidson Sportster. What are the odds?

Restoring and owning the V7 had been an amazing experience for me, and Spite had similar thoughts on his Griso. In the end we both sold our Moto Guzzis for different reasons, but we both bought our Sportsters for the similar reasons: You still get an old school, rough, raw, elemental motorcycle feel with the Sportster. But you get less hassle than you do with the Guzzi.

I didn’t mind my Moto Guzzi V7’s downsides because it was a secondary motorcycle for me. Parts take a while to arrive? No problem, I’ll just ride one of my other motorcycles. Warm ups take too long to make me want to ride it most of the year in Canada? No problem, just ride one of the other motorcycles. But with the Sportster, I don’t have to wait for parts or wait for warm up. I get that old school vibe from my motorcycle, but by comparison, it’s always ready to go.

At the end of the day do I regret owning a V7, and picking the Moto Guzzi over my Triumph Bonneville and Royal-Enfield Interceptor 650? No, not at all. I wasn’t looking to buy a Sportster, or looking to sell my V7. A deal just came up on a Sportster that was too good to pass up, so I took it… but one of these days you’ll see me on a V7 again. Probably a V7 III, with a chromed out tank. Stay tuned!