One of the coolest performance-oriented tech innovations in recent memory just has to be the IMU. The inertial measurement unit was something that was once found on the world’s most high-performance superbikes. Designed to maximize the bike’s grip through corners, the IMU is essentially the closest thing to make our motorcycles sentient beings.
By giving a motorcycle spatial awareness, it equips performance-oriented safety features to be smarter and perhaps even safer. Usually, IMUs work on six axes—left and right lean, left and right yaw, and forward and backward pitch. This means the bike knows when you’re leaned over, when you’re sliding, or when you’re doing a wheelie or stoppie, and is able to make rider aids like traction control and ABS work alongside this information.
It also makes you look really cool, as you’ll be able to do wheelies without having to worry about looping out (not something I recommend you doing if you have absolutely zero wheelie experience).
And so clearly, there are some bikes that are better suited to be equipped with an IMU than others. Bikes like the KTM 890 Duke R, Yamaha MT-09 SP, and Ducati Panigale V4 are all well and truly deserving of this tech. But what about a retro-inspired roadster like the Moto Guzzi V7 Sport?
IMU-powered riding aids make perfect sense for a hooligan bike like the Yamaha MT-09.
With 66 horsepower on tap and 58 pound-feet of torque on tap, you’d think it wouldn’t even need a basic TC system, let alone one with the brain power of an IMU. And yet, here we are, the 2025 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport comes out of the box with cornering ABS and traction control. Pretty cool, and a bit superfluous if you ask me.
If anything, knowing that a bike that’s supposedly as chill as the V7 has cornering ABS and traction control might send the wrong signals. Maybe riders will think that this thing’s capable of some sick lean angles, slides, and wheelies and stoppies. And who knows, in the hands of a capable rider, maybe the V7 Sport is actually sporty?
Photo by: Moto Guzzi
As its name suggests, the V7 Sport is the most performance-focused model in the V7 lineup.
Photo by: Moto Guzzi
But with less than 70 horsepower on tap and a fairly docile character, does it really need cornering ABS and traction control?
To that end, it’s clear that Moto Guzzi had to find something to set the V7 Sport apart from the rest of the V7 range. And maybe, fitting it with an IMU was the best option, all things considered. Personally, I’d have preferred it if Moto Guzzi instead gave it more of a cafe-racer look—perhaps with a lower handlebar, rearset controls, and more aggressive styling. A styling revision like this instead of a tech update might even result in a lower price tag, too. But hey, that’s just me.
At the end of the day, the V7 Sport’s value proposition isn’t that bad. With an MSRP of $10,690 USD, there are sportier, more performance-oriented models out there for less money, but none with the quirky character of a punchy transverse V-twin with retro styling. So yeah, folks who are eyeing this thing certainly have niche tastes, and more than likely know exactly what it is they’re looking for.
