About MOTO GUZZIs NI and purpose of the Ulster Rally

The out-of-sight Italian marque…

‘There are more Guzzis in the woodwork than you might think’ –  well, there are more now than there were when I originally wrote that! At the time I first bought a Guzzi, a 2002 V11 Sport Scura, I rarely saw others, of any model, out on the roads around Belfast and Northern Ireland. I went over to England and Scotland to meet with others who were enthusiastic about the somewhat out-of-sight, Italian marque. In 2005 and 2006 I went to Moto Guzzi Club GB Erin Rallies down South at Creedons in Inchegeelagh, Cork, though I didn’t know who I saw there from home, I was mostly with friends from England, Wales and South of Ireland.

…and ‘Moto Guzzis Northern Ireland‘

Following UKV11 Rallies I attended in Scotland (Highland Fling, Alguish, 2007 and Ken Bridge, Galloway 2008) Ireland was proposed for the next event… which led to the Ulster Rally in 2009. To see who might be around in the NI woodwork, I put up a Moto Guzzis NI Facebook page in 2008 and organised the Ulster Rally in 2009, hoping for some local attendance. It was attended by Guzzi enthusiasts from UK, Ireland & Europe. There was a second Ulster event, in 2010, after which we decided to have regular local meetings, held mostly around Counties Down & Antrim. I also became NI Branch contact for Moto Guzzi Club GB. The Moto Guzzis NI Facebook’s ‘Page’ structure doesn’t facilitate community input and discussion, so more recently I added a Facebook ‘Group’, Clatter’n’Chatter, for shared discussion and planning meet-and-ride events.

Moto Guzzi V7 models, then the V85s, along with surging social media engagement, have revived the brand with increased sales and visibility. However I still wonder where all the new Guzzis are? Perhaps another Ulster Rally will be opportunity for some newer folk to come together for the first time, as well as for older friends and occasional acquaintances to share Guzzi community over a holiday weekend. 

‘Belfastguzzi’ David Boyd, County Down, January 2024