SAN DIEGO – When it comes to Italian motorcycles, there are two choices: Ducati, or Not-a-Ducati.

The main components of “Not-a-Ducati” are Moto Guzzi – a company with a stellar history dating back to the 1920s, and the new kid on the block, Aprilia. Both marques are owned by Piaggio, a huge company whose other products include Derbi, Gilera and Piaggio scooters as well as a name that’s been synonymous with scooters for more than 50 years – Vespa.

Piaggio’s Canadian customers have been on a rough ride lately. The dealer network has always been a little sketchy but last year, due to reasons that are currently the subject of lawsuits, Piaggio moved distribution in Canada to its U.S. office. Confusion followed.

For an update, I was invited to a meeting at Piaggio’s North American headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif. The company knows it has a lot of work ahead to restore dealer confidence.

Paoli Timoni, CEO of Piaggio worldwide, assured me that the company is serious about restoring faith with Canadian customers. “About 50 per cent of our dealers have stayed with us and the plan is to have 50 to 55 dealers total across Canada by the end of 2010,” he said.

Economics dictate there won’t be many stand-alone Piaggio dealers but enthusiasts can expect Guzzis, Aprilias, Vespas and Piaggios to be added to existing motorcycle dealerships as “upscale” or “specialized” brands.

Later this year, Piaggio hopes to introduce a hybrid version of the quirky MP3 three-wheeled scooter with a 125cc gas engine that reportedly gets an astounding 1.66L / 100 km or 170 miles per gallon. The downside is that the gas and electric motors take up virtually all the storage space that scooters are famous for. Still, it sounds interesting.

I hope things work out because Guzzis and Aprilias are definitely not mainstream cookie-cutter motorcycles. They’ve got quirks but they’re good products with a lot of history and style. I briefly rode several of the bikes when the meetings ended and am looking forward to proper tests later this year.

V7 Classic

First up was the $10,595 Guzzi V7 Classic, a black beauty with classic 70s styling including a comfortable flat seat, relaxed riding position, single disc brake and spoked wheels with gorgeous alloy rims. Powered by a two-valve, 744cc longitudinally mounted V-twin that develops an understressed 50 horsepower, the V7 was a very pleasant ride up and down a short stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Weighing in at 182 kg (400 lbs) dry, it’s relatively lightweight and the long 1.448mm wheelbase makes it rock steady in the turns. The single 320mm disc and 4-pot Brembo caliper was adequate for the modest speeds the bike is capable of and the narrow chassis made it a great vessel for filtering through the stifling southern California traffic.

V7 Café

With a similar engine but markedly different looks is the $10,795 V7 Café – easily distinguished by its striking lime green paint job. The clubman handlebars give it a much more aggressive sporty riding position and the single racing-inspired seat is much less comfy than the Classic. I found the clutch pull much heavier on the Café, likely due to the pronounced bend the cable makes as it meets the handlebar. The pegs are a little higher and the wheelbase is 1mm longer than the Classic.

Both Guzzis carry on the amusing tradition of the entire bike rocking to the right when the throttle is blipped, thanks to their sideways-mounted V-twin engines.

Aprilia RSV4

Moving on to Aprilia, I managed to wangle a ride on the stunning $25,995 RSV4 Factory superbike. This thing is the real deal and sounds it, too. Hit the starter button and the 182 horsepower V-4 barks into life and soon settles into an eager, lumpy idle. Once under way, an internal exhaust flapper releases and the bark changes to a throaty growl that lets you know the Aprilia means business.

The street ride wasn’t the ideal habitat for this extreme sportbike but it seems to do everything sportbikes do, including making my neck sore at slow speeds.

The V4 engine is very free-revving, making the fuel injection seem abrupt. Give it some wick and it beams you to Point B faster than you can say it. The top-drawer, radial Brembo calipers require one finger to bring the bike to a safe, controlled stop.

Aprilia SXV5.5

Last up for the day was a bike I’d read about but had never seen in the flesh –

Aprilia’s $11,495 SXV5.5 motard. I’m kinda lukewarm on motards – the 250 versions are underpowered sleeping pills while the liter versions are uncomfortable and too heavy to throw around with confidence. I wondered how a 550cc V-twin could possibly hold my interest.

It didn’t take long to find out. When exiting the parking area, I gave it a bit of gas (anticipating the usual 500cc twin leisurely acceleration rate) and the front wheel lifted while I was still leaned over. I shifted into second and the front wheel lifted again. Hmm. They could be onto something here.

My 15-minute ride soon extended to an hour and not a speed bump went by without the front wheel lifting in the air. Not a corner approached that I didn’t grab a mittfull of Brembo radial caliper and stand the bike on its nose before the supple, yet controlled, suspension whisked me around the turn, usually with the front wheel skimming the pavement surface.

When I got back, I eloquently summed up the little rocketship with, “WOW!”

Shows you what 72 horsepower, a top-drawer suspension and a dry weight of only 128kg (282 lbs.) can do.

Piaggio’s success in other markets is painting a bright future for Aprilia and Moto Guzzi. The latest ads in the glossy magazines say, “Aprilia and Moto Guzzi. Back in Canada. Here to stay.”