Moto Guzzi V850 X teased… but is it an off-road TT or a rebooted V7?

Moto Guzzi has let slip that it will be launching another brand new motorcycle at the top of 2022 after branding for a so-called Moto Guzzi V850 X ended up online.

Last month Visordown ran a story with a spy shot originating from Moto.it that appeared initially to detail a new generation V7, a model line that has been endemic to the Moto Guzzi range for decades.

In it we reported it looked like a more contemporary overhaul for the V7, which has traded on its retro grandeur over the years. 

At the time we (privately) questioned why Moto Guzzi during its 100th Anniversary year would be willing to steer away from its heritage in favour of combining modern details on a classic design synonymous with the brand.

Well, we are now confident of revising this to suggest the model we saw was a mule that combined the V7 frame with styling of what we think will become the V850 X.

However, we won’t lie, from the minor details we know about this model, we’ve been left a little confused. It’s not clear if this is a scent-throwing mule or whether it does indeed hint towards a more contemporary reboot of the V7.

What aligns with this theory is that the model has been arranged by Piaggio USA where the V7 remains popular, so appetite for a more modern reimagining would potentially be popular.

However, looking at the naming structure, V850 X is at odds with, well, everything in the range. 

Generally Moto Guzzi has a habit of lopping the excess ‘0’ from its model names - it’s why we have the new V100 Mandello (1000), V85 TT (850) and so on.

In fact, the naming structure has more to do with the V85 TT, a model that leans towards adventure motorcycle but is more in the vein of tourer and scrambler. As such, we wonder whether this new model is in fact a more dedicated off-road version of the V85 TT (hence the X) - if so, that means we have two different motorcycles on our hands.

Frankly, it would seem a relative no-brainer for Moto Guzzi to add a model such as this. The segment remains the most popular in Europe and has just been bolstered by the addition of the Benelli TRK 800, Ducati Desert X and MV Agusta Lucky Explorer 9.5.

Time will surely tell, but given Moto Guzzi leaves it a couple of years between new model launches, it is certainly busy at the moment.