TRANSLATE 'Quota' into English and you get something like 'heights'. If this means seat height, fine, but if it refers to the peaks this new big off-road tourer from Guzzi is expected to 1990s-style suspension travel needed explore, we don't know.

What we do know is the Quota s the first real Guzzi off-roader with :he big V. (Forget the old TT650 and NTX650, everyone else did.)

The engine is standard big Guzzi: :wo valves per cylinder on top of iSnim Nigusil cylinders displacing the decreed 948cc. What is new is the iwitch from the traditionally wrist-wrenching Dell'ortos to the Webcr-Marelli injection system previously only available on the California III. Unlike that, however, the Quota also gets a majestic two-into-one exhaust collecting under the gearbox before wrapping round to a monster, upswept stainless steel silencer on the right side.

But the real news is found in the :hassis. The old steel tube frame which has served Guzzis for so long, bad to go, for the simple reason there was no way to accommodate the in a design drawn up before Man Utd. last won the championship.

Instead two, powerful-looking box-section steel beams connect the swinging arm to the steering head with the lower rails unboltablc so the engine can be dropped out.

Up front are a pair of Marzocchi 42mm teles with 240mm of travel and preload and damping adjusters. At the rear a Deltabox-lookalike swing-arm works a rising-rate linkage onto a single Marzocchi shock.

Elsewhere the Quota is equally state-of-the-art Very Big Trailie: the 21-inch, straight spoked aluminium front hoop is complimented by a similar 17-incher rear wearing a fat 130-section tyre. Twin 280mm front discs and four piston calipers give an alternative way of using all that fork travel. A 260mm disc operates independently (is Guzzi's linked brake system now dead?) and powerfully enough to provide its own brand of jollies at the rear.

And jollies most certainly can be had. Despite a very un-VBT-likc four-and-a-half gallon tank, the Quota remains a bit of a fatty at over 5601b before you even think about adding any four star. Mostly, however, it's very manageable.

That 'mostly' bit is its height, or, in Italian, the quota of the Quota. 880mm above ground level is one thing, wide handlebars positioned somewhere in front of the tank is something else. But despite these intimidating measurements the Quota is well balanced, can be easily balanced on your toes and at walking speeds there is never any insecurity. With that weight, this is not an unimportant factor.

Those with first-hand experience of Guzzis will be impressed by the clutch. Although unchanged, the easy lever action is a vast improvement which the engineers put down to revised gearbox ratios.

The familiar twin runs cultivated and strong, thanks to the injection system, yet it's true power is, as always,' masked by the enormous flywheel effect: acceleration seems slow, the engine feels a bit tired, but don't doubt for a moment the factory's claim of a 181kph (113mph) top speed — identical, interestingly enough, to that claimed for the BMW R100GS. My short excursion on an Autostrada had the speedo well over 190kph.

The chassis is rock steady, even at top speed, which is maybe no wonder given a wheelbase as long as a small motorhome. But the Quota is also a joy on twisty B roads and not-too-serious excursions into the shrubbery. The suspension package is well put together and responds smoothly to very small changes in the road. Even jumps can be dallied with without the suspension bottoming out. The only real glitch off-road, apart from its size, is the elevator effect typical of shaftdrivc bikes. It's not as bad as on the pre-Paralever GS BMs, but it is there.

Ultimately, however, one major problem stands head and shoulders above any minor niggles. At a likely price (should it come into the UK) the wrong side of £7000, the new Quota is an expensive toy and much more expensive than the competition from Honda, Yamaha and even BMW. True, the Guzzi is made up of high-quality components, but in view of the strong competition, the Quota will have its work cut out for it in the fight for buyers. D

Once you've done that you've passed the entrance-exam to a world of impossibly light controls, tractable power, nimble handling and comfortable cruising. Like its Daytona sister, the Quota has been a long time in the pipeline. Unlike the Daytona it's still not here yet, having been delayed still further by the plastic fuel tank that annoyingly means it's not strictly road-legal in this country - But if you ask your local Guzzi dealer nicely they'll probably be able to order you one for just over £7000, (1994 price ) which puts the Quota on a par with Cagiva's equally well-named 900 Elefant.

The Quota doesn't share the Daytona's new eight-valve motor, instead relying on the old 948cc Spada lump with its pushrods and two valves per pot. Like the sportster, though, the Quota is fitted with a Weber-Marelli fuel-injection system which helps give a peak power output of 70bhp at 6600rpm.

The healthy torque maximum of 58.5ft.lb arrives 600rpm earlier. Perhaps more revealingly, at just 3400rpm the big V-twin grunts out 56ft.lb - which is more than the aforementioned Super Ten makes even at its 6750rpm maximum.

If the engine's not new then the frame certainly is. It consists of two large-section steel beams running from headstock to swing arm pivot, plus a duplex-cradle made from smaller square-section steel tubes. Forks are 42mm Marzocchi units with a suitably laid-back angle of attack. The same firm's shock works via a rising-rate crank, but the swing arm has no Daytona-style parallelogram system to counter drive-shaft reaction.Each end has a full 200mm of travel, which goes some way to explaining the beast's ludicrous height. But once you've clambered aboard - and provided your inside-leg measurement is up to putting at least one foot on terra firma - the Quota's crows nest is a pleasant place to be.

Bars are high and wide, but there's shelter of sorts behind the twin- headlamp fairing's stubby screen. Riding position is roomy, with a decent flat perch for a pillion, and there's a small carrier on the tailpiece.

First ride on the big dipper is a memorable experience. It fires-up with that time-honoured earthy thud, rocking and rolling with each warming flick of the wrist. And as you pull away the back-end rises round the drive-shaft, extending the shock to lift your seat still higher and give a view almost like that from the top of a double-decker bus.
In this fuel-injected form, Guzzi's V-twin is an amazingly sophisticated motor for something that started life powering an ancient armoured car. Those torque figures barely do the Quota justice, because its low-rev delivery is fantastic. You can happily tool along as low as 1500rpm in top gear. Then when the light-action throttle is snapped open the bike dob-dobs crisply away, vibration disappearing at three grand while the tacho needle twirls towards the yellow warning mark set at 7000rpm.

The redline's at nine thou but with so much low-down muscle available there was no point in revving that high. Better to short-shift up another gear - the five-speed box needs a cautious prod, especially on downchanges - and let the monster torque do the rest. Best I saw on the black-faced speedo was 180km/h, about a ton-ten, at which point on a crowded lakeside dual-carriageway the Quota was still pulling hard enough to make me think that Guzzi's claim of 125mph is not that far out.

The chassis is good too, and not just because much of the motor's increased smoothness is apparently down to the rigidity of the new frame. Approaching its top speed the Quota felt very stable, despite its long legs and exposed riding position. And although I wouldn't be surprised to find a slight high-speed weave appearing when the tyres get worn, the big Guzzi's broad seat is a relaxing place from which to watch a fast road disappear beneath your wheels.

Despite its size the Quota is not that heavy, at 210kg dry, and on twisty roads it handles surprisingly well. Front tyre is all of 21 inches in diameter but it's quite narrow. With the help of those wide bars and a low centre of gravity the Guzzi was easy to flick round even the tightest of bends. And although both ends were set-up soft there was enough damping to make attacking even the local brand of tight blind bends enjoyable.

By trail-tyre standards the Pirelli MT50s put plenty of rubber on the road, and held on well. Even so, front-tyre grip would probably be what limited stopping-power on tarmac, given the bite of the four-pot front calipers on their twin 280mm discs. I barely used the footbrake, and can't say I missed having to do so to work Guzzi's traditional but seemingly abandoned linked braking set-up.

A few laps of the factory's private motocross track showed the Quota to be a demon off-road iron, too. All that smooth power made it easy to slide the back wheel out of bends with a huge rooster-tail of dirt, and the suspension kept control as I made a perfect landing after flying over the big triple-jump. Actually, that last paragraph's a lie.

Given knobblier tyres on its alloy rims and a burly motocross expert at the controls, the Quota might prove a great bike for off-road explorations. Or it might not. As for me, I didn't even contemplate venturing an inch off the tarmac with that big bugger waiting to leap on me.

The Quota is road-biased even by the standards of big trailies, which is why it's a shame that what is basically a very good bike should be compromised unnecessarily by its sheer size. Once it's under way there's no problem, but at a standstill...

Perhaps I'm being unduly sensitive on behalf of short people, but surely the Quota would be a handier tool if Guzzi shrunk it a bit by fitting firmer, shorter-travel suspension. As things stand, the Quota's blend of comfort, looks, power-delivery and agility make for a very desirable motorcycle. Provided you're built like Conan the Barbarian.