In 1928, Giuseppe Guzzi, the brother of Moto Guzzi’s co-founder, road the Italian manufacturer’s GT 500 4,000 miles, from the factory in Italy to near the Arctic Circle in Norway. The purpose of the trip was to test the swing arm rear suspension Moto Guzzi had just invented. When Guzzi returned, he named the motorcycle ""Norge,"" which means Norway in the Norwegian language. The motorcycle wasn’t meant to be a touring bike, especially since European roads weren’t really touring roads back then, but that’s what it became known as. Moto Guzzi resurrected the name Norge for the 1200 the company introduced for the 2007 model year.
In a news release announcing the 2007 Norge, Moto Guzzi called the new Norge ""A tribute to its predecessor and not just in name - the concept of absolute protection and comfort has simply been translated into modern day language and technologically updated."" Moto Guzzi also described the Norge's design as ""elegant and dynamic,"" with the ergonomics and comfort to make it viable in traffic. The Norge 1200 was the biggest mass-produced Guzzi at the time. The Norge bears many similarities to Moto Guzzi’s Breva, including ergonomics and speed or lack thereof (the Norge isn’t the fastest touring motorcycle on the market), but offers better wind protection for riders. The Norge 1200 boasts an improved version of the manufacturer’s trademark V-Twin engine as it is more powerful but with fewer vibrations that earlier versions.
The sleek 2007 Norge comes in silver and red. Lockable, 36-liter hard side cases are standard; inner bags are optional. Instrumentation includes a fuel level warning gauge, a temperature warning light, lap timer, speedometer, tachometer and trip odometer.