Guareschi Brothers: a life for Moto Guzzi

Published: 15 April 2021

Interview with the Owners of a Legendary Italian Workshop

If you are part of the Moto Guzzi club you're probably a dreamer inside like we are. We've recently spoken to our long-time friends Gianfranco and Vittoriano Guareschi, owners of a legendary Moto Guzzi dealership in Parma, in the North-East of Italy. They've been using our motorcycle engine oil for quite some time so we felt comfortable to ask them to speak about their personal story and their evergreen love for the Eagle of Mandello. This is also our way to pay tribute to Moto Guzzi for their 100th Anniversary celebrated in 2021. Next we will also reveal what's in Guareschi's regular shopping cart at the end of the article if you're interested in what they're actually using for Guzzis maintenance.

This is the story of Guareschi family, a Guzzi-lover breed since two generations which became a reference workshop for fans all around Europe. People come here not only for the dealership. That's clear enough. But mostly for the mechanic ability, the rare Moto Guzzi parts and the authentic passion for classic Guzzis. When you visit Guareschi Moto you feel that tradition perfectly clicks with the contemporary. You can find rare or extremely rare spare parts, smiling pictures of Guzzi riders of the '60s hanging on the walls matching with technological bench tests used for new engineering projects and a very nice area dedicated to sales. You can perceive where the past meets the future in the present. We went to Guareschi Brothers to enter their world of magic.

Well, let's start with a quick introduction. Who are Guareschi Brothers?

Vittoriano: I'm "Vitto" Guareschi. I'm 49 and during my life I was a professional motorcycle rider, a tester, a MotoGp Team Manager in Ducati. On top of this I've always worked in the family workshop, where I take good care of Moto Guzzi motorcycles coming from all over the world.

Gianfranco: I'm Gianfranco Guareschi. I'm 45 and I'm Vitto's younger brother. I've always worked as a motorcycle tester and as a mechanic in the family workshop.

Tell us, how did you start in the motorcycle world?

Vittoriano: Well, the passion for motorcycles starts even before we were born. Our family always travelled on the 2 wheels. Our life revolved around motorcycles since day 1. We ride on them, we work on them, and when we're home we also think about them! It's a never ending loop.

Gianfranco: When we were young Vitto and I slept sometimes here in the workshop with our father Claudio. With all the gasoline we breathed it was pretty hard we would turn into football players.

You are one the most known Moto Guzzi Dealers in Italy. What's your relationship with the brand?

Gianfranco: Our first motorcycle was a Guzzi, and the first little works we did on a motorcycle again were on a Guzzi. This has never been a simple dealership. It's true passion. Our father's motto is still engraved in us: the true heart of a dealership lies in the repair and not in the sales.

Vittoriano: Our father used to tell a story about the people who actually conceived Moto Guzzi brand. In 1928 Giuseppe Guzzi, the brother of the more known founder Carlo, made a 6.000 km expedition to North Cape with the famous Norge, a prototype of the GT 500. After only 300 metres from the factory he got a flat tire. He changed it on his own, even if he was so near the factory. This episode was meant to teach us to that who made Moto Guzzi bikes was a rider in the first place. They always tried to make motorcycles that anyone could ride. To make it accessible. 

Is this devotion to mechanic paying off?

Gianfranco: Sure. Here's what happened to us once. An Austrian passing by stopped for an issue to a Guzzi V11. We fixed it and suggested him other few things to do once back home. We also made a little change without telling him, and on top of it we even changed the engine oil. When he got to destination that evening he called back to ask if we gave him the same motorcycle or another one!! (smiling)

Which is the most surprising MotoGuzzi Model of the past in your opinion?

Vittoriano: All Moto Guzzi models of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s were pretty special in their own way. But the one which excites me most is the "Galletto". Here in Italy we say it's the priest's bike. The Galletto really was a motorcycle for everyone, but with an innovative technology inside for the period. 

How did you end up in the world of competitions?

Gianfranco: The passion for competitions was natural because our father used to prepare a Moto Guzzi for the track. We all went to the circuit in Varano de' Melegari to see it ride. When he was young, Vittoriano always bruised himself because he kept on riding with hot exhausts. He was a good rider and for me - being the younger - it was natural to start trying as well.

After so many years why did you start competing in the Italian Endurance Championship?

Vittoriano: We began the project as a personal challenge because we wanted to see the old Guzzi our father used to prepare for a rider in the 1980s go back home on the track. We restored it and made a few changes. To make a winning bike out of it was very important for us. And we made it. Simple as that.

A few years ago you developed something extraordinary: The GC Corse Kit. What it is?

Vittoriano: Many of our friends and customers looked for an up-to-date version of Moto Guzzi to hit the track. So, we combined our know how with Guzzis with the expertise gained during competitions to develop something that could actually make a Guzzi be competitive on a track. It took us 7 months but we created this kit that we called GC (in honor to our father Guareschi Claudio) which transforms the big block of the last ten years of Moto Guzzi production in track beasts. And it is easy to mount for everyone. You get the chassis, the tank and the bodywork and it.. works! 

Gianfranco: We couldn't stand the critics about the Guzzis that are too heavy, too long, difficult to handle on the circuit. With our kit people will think twice before saying it can't be competitive.

Vittoriano: We still have many new projects in mind. But I can't reveal them because Gianfranco says it's too early.

Gianfranco: Man, he is a volcano! I have to keep his feet down to earth because he has too many ideas! A motorcycle needs engine and brakes. I do the brakes!

How did the relationship with Pakelo Lubricants start?

Gianfranco: Our relationship with Pakelo started 10 years ago when we went to the States to ride the MGS. The engine oil we used at the time didn't fit. Pakelo made a tailored engine oil just for our purpose. When we find a company with our same work ethic we don't change. At the time we were very happy because we won the race! In the workshop we adopted mostly motorcycle engine oil SAE 15w50 and a little bit of other viscosities. As brake fluid we use the Pakelo Brake Fluid 404.

Do you have a motto, guys?

Gianfranco: Vitto, they're asking our motto..

Vittoriano: To take care of the others' bikes..

Gianfranco and Vittoriano (together): like they were our own!

Guareschi's shopping cart:

Here is a selection of products regularly bought by Guareschi for Moto Guzzi Motorcycles' maintenance.

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