If Ducati has NCR, Moto Guzzi has Ghezzi Brian. Based in the lakes region of northern Italy, the company builds small runs of Guzzi-based sport bikes and created the MGS-01 superbike for the Mandello factory. (The odd name, in case you’re wondering, refers to the founders Giuseppe Ghezzi and Bruno “Brian” Saturno.)
The Ghezzi Brian Super Twin 1100 was designed to give road riders a taste of race bike dynamics. In the 1996 Italian Supertwins Championship, Giuseppe Ghezzi’s Super Twin prototype won nine of the 32 races it entered. So four years later, Ghezzi & Brian was set up to produce a short run of replicas.
This is one of those replicas. In beautiful original condition, it has been recently updated with a Duilio Agostini crankshaft and a Power Commander to optimize the fueling beyond the standard ECU.
The motor, as the Super Twin name suggests, is a 1064 cc V-twin. It pumps out 87bhp and is taken from the V11 Sport, albeit mildly modified from stock—with a balanced flywheel to smooth out the power delivery and a bespoke exhaust system. It’s a stressed part of the steel single-beam frame, which also holds the oil tank and airbox. The wheels are forged aluminum Marchesinis and the front suspension is a Paioli upside-down 41mm fork with three settings. An Öhlins monoshock brings up the rear.
Braking power is substantial, with perimeter discs attached to the front wheel rim and 4-piston calipers. The dry weight of the Super Twin is 192kg, so performance is strong rather than S1000RR-annihilating. Top speed is 140 mph (225 kph).
These images come from True Biker Spirit, a group of Belgian motorcyclists dedicated to photographing and filming unusual motorcycles and their owners. “Through our images and videos, we try to highlight the real bikers and the real spirit in the motorcycle world,” the group says. “We shoot, we ride, we share.” TBS has just released its first magazine, Stay True, a beautifully designed publication that you can savor online.
