Just Asking, But Why Isn’t the Bellagio Sold Here?

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Given the popularity of Harley-Davidson’s Sportster variants, you’d think that any company making a similar mid-sized cruiser model would want to sell it in North America. That isn’t the case, though.

While Triumph has the America and Speedmaster models and Yamaha has several V-Star 950 versions as well as the Bolt, for example, Moto Guzzi offers nothing in that 800 to 1,000cc niche. You may be able to find the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, but you can’t find a Bellagio model motorcycle on the showroom floor at a Moto Guzzi dealer.

You’ve never heard of a Bellagio? Neither had I until recently, despite the fact it has been sold in elsewhere since 2007. Too bad, too, considering that this 936cc, 75-horsepower, shaft-driven model is a looker. It’s named after a town on Lake Como in Italy.

Nearly seven years ago, “The Telegraph” newspaper in England praised the Bellagio, declaring that “there’s a classy, restrained air to the bike … with pleasing attention to detail. It’s very much an Italian interpretation of the cruiser theme, and all the better for it.”

MotorcycleNews.com called it a “credible rival to Harley’s 1200 Sportster” and “found it to be fun, easy to get on with, respectably punchy and with more than a dollop of Italian cool.”

If that’s the case, shouldn’t it be sold here? To get a better idea of what the Bellagio offers, check out the following video and see if you agree that it might sell well in the U.S. and Canada:

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It has been a little while since Chaplin Kawasaki owner Kenny Ives acquired Burt Ives Honda in Columbia, CT from his father, but the dealership’s website is finally back in operation, with a note stating that the store will reopen in February.

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Happy New Year!