Just a few hypothesis (what's the plural?) about how Guzzi bikes may have arrived at where they are in 2015. As usual, I'm probably waay off base!
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Demise of the CARC
Thinking back to when Guzzi introduced the B11, which was the foundation for the future Norge and 1200 Sport bikes. Let's throw the early Griso into the mix too, since it was CARC-based. The B11 had to have been developed under Aprilia ownership, since Piaggio didn't take over until the very end of 2004, and the B11 was (I believe) introduced in Europe in 2005. And it would seem that the Norge and 1200 Sport would, out of necessity, have been planned during Aprilia ownership, not Piaggio's, since the B11 was the base platform.
It would appear that the Aprilia marketing philosophy may have been to offer compatible models to several BMW bikes at the time. The B11 targeting the R1150R, Norge taking direct aim at R1150RT, and the 1200S at whatever sport tourer BMW was selling at the time (the R1100/1150RS appeared and disappeared a time or two.)
I would guess Piaggio initially bought into that philosophy, since the original and subsequent CARC bikes are still in the mix. However, with the demise of the Griso, and the increasing emphasis on 1400cc non- CARC cruisers, and smaller V7/V9 bikes, it appears Guzzi may have decided to redirect their marketing efforts in a different direction than many of us would have imagined or hoped for just a few years ago.
Any thoughts or opinions about whether Guzzi will evolve/devolve into a manufacturer of heavy cruisers and small block bikes only in the near future?
I guess one has to consider that Guzzi is a very small manufacturer, and perhaps they plan to thin the herd to only those bikes that appear to be making the numbers for them today. And maybe that's a smart move, or simply a roll of the dice.
