“His power became greater in reality and in the minds of others.” This is a description of ‘Griso’, a character in ‘I promessi sposi’ by Alessandro Manzoni, one of the most famous works of Italian literature. In the book, Griso is a tough and fearless leader of the Bravi, and a man “who naturally undertook all the most daring enterprises”. This description could just as well be applied to the new Griso 8V, the most exciting and spirited of all Moto Guzzi models, designed to create a new, more intense concept of sports riding based on sheer power and four valve cylinder head technology. Designed to respect a tradition that has lasted forty years, the new engine adopts the rational 90° transverse V twin layout but with 563 new parts, and introduces for the first time single overhead cam valve timing and silent running Morse chains to operate the four valves per cylinder. 75% of this highly developed Moto Guzzi 1200 cc engine has been modified compared to its predecessor, to produce 110 HP at only 7500 rpm and a maximum torque of 11 Kgm at 6400 rpm.