MANY motorcyclists are looking for an Italian alternative to a four cylinder sports model and no bike is more Italian than a big V-twin Moto Guzzi. Moto Guzzi offers three styles of machine - the new 750cc Breva all-rounder, the 1100cc California cruisers and the V11 sports bikes. The latest incarnation of the latter is the V11 Caf Sport, a real man's machine, which is fitted with Ohlins gold finished front forks, bronze fuel tank and seriously sporty looking chequered black carbon fibre parts. Pressing the electric starter produced a rorty big twin bark from our test machine, which was fitted with the Moto Guzzi Titanium 'silencers'. These take about an hour to fit and come with a replacement ignition box that re-tunes the electronic fuel injection. They save weight and produce more power and torque, as well as a wonderful sound. Power delivery is super smooth and I got well over 40mpg, despite some very hard riding.

The 6-speed gearbox is an improvement on the previous 5-speed one and is well matched to the thumping power of the big twin. Selecting first is particularly smooth and silent compared to many other bikes and it will have you checking that it's actually gone into gear, it's so quiet. If you're used to the frantic activity your left foot is normally involved in on a smaller capacity four cylinder bike, the Guzzi will surprise you with a less hectic, but equally rapid ride.

Pulling this big bike down from high speed is surprisingly easy. This is mostly down to the front brakes - high spec four piston Brembo calipers holding onto twin 320mm stainless floating discs. I have to admit to not using the back brake a lot, when riding a motorbike, but the Guzzi item did work well on the few occasions that I remembered to use it. Certainly, it didn't lock up the back wheel easily, which is mostly all I ask of a rear brake on a bike.

The Caf Sport costs nearly a thousand pounds more than the standard V11 'Ballabio' model and this is mostly down to the top spec gold finished, 43mm Ohlins upside-down front forks and Ohlins monoshock rear suspension, all of which are fully adjustable for spring preload, compression and rebound damping. Topping this lot off, is the high spec Ohlins steering damper, so if you can't find a suspension setting to suit you, you're not trying hard enough.

In keeping with the streetbike style, Guzzi has fitted the Caf Sport and Ballabio with higher 'straight' handlebars, rather than the usual V11 Sport model clip-ons. The handlebars are finished in gold on the Caf Sport and grey on the Ballabio. They do look good and they make the bike more controllable in traffic and are certainly more comfortable, being easier on the back and wrists. The Moto Guzzi's bikini style fairing, although quite small, suits the handlebar position and is good up to 90 plus, although taller riders may have to crouch down a bit at faster speeds.