Moto Guzzi updates the registered trademark Stornello – a new Scrambler on the way?

Moto Guzzi has requested new trademark rights for the name Stornello in the US, after its previous trademark expired last year, hinting that the company has plans to resurrect the title in a new model in the not too distant future.

While many companies hold onto the rights to long-expired model names in case they feel the need to reclaim them, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has stricter “use it or lose it” requirements than many other countries, making the new application a stronger indication that the title will reappear on a production bike soon. The last set of trademark rights in the US that Moto Guzzi’s parent company, Piaggio, held for the name Stornello was applied for in November 2015 – at the same time the limited edition 2016 Moto Guzzi V7 Stornello model was launched – and expired in November 2023.

The last Stornello model based on the V7 paid tribute to the Guzzi Stornello 125 Scrambler America from 1965 to 1968, which inspired its red and white paint scheme and top-of-the-line exhaust system, but the name Stornello is older than that, dating back to the early 1960s when it was introduced on a single 125cc road-oriented model. Currently, Guzzi has several options when it comes to revitalizing the name.

One possibility is that the next Stornello follows the example of the last one. The V7 is still in Moto Guzzi’s range, although it has been greatly improved in the last decade, so a new Stornello scrambler based on the V7 would be relatively easy to conceive. Alternatively, the V85 TT – which was not part of the Guzzi range in 2015, when the last Stornello was launched – already has some off-road capability and could easily be transformed into a more retro-styled machine, with the aim of competing with Triumph’s Scrambler 900. Another possibility is that Moto Guzzi is not inspired by the 1960s Stornello Scrambler, but rather by an older machine, oriented towards the street. Earlier this year, Piaggio’s test riders were spotted on a small twin-cylinder engine prototype from Aprilia RS 457, but it was wrapped in a frame and style that seemed to be part of the Moto Guzzi range. A small entry-level Moto Guzzi was precisely what the original Stornello was, so if Guzzi moves forward with a new 450, it could be a suitable title for that model.