Givi: in the Brescian lowlands, where motorcycles are still writing the future

As we exit Givi’s Barbariga plant—large, imposing, filled with light—we’re met with a photograph that can’t help but strike anyone who loves motorcycles and the World Championship, even those from Gen Z.

1973 East German Grand Prix, 350cc class: the race had lost its world title status due to United Nations sanctions against the GDR, but all the riders were on the grid anyway, because motorcycling is about brotherhood, not division. The image captures the classic push-start of the time and, at the center, stands the Brescia-born rider Giuseppe Visenzi.

It was he himself, together with his daughter Hendrika and his grandson Umberto, who welcomed us on a special day that Givi dedicated to the press to showcase its Italian production reality up close: four plants employing over 800 people, plus 13 subsidiaries spread across four continents supplying motorcyclists in 60 countries. A massive undertaking, built in less than fifty years, considering that Gi.Vi. was founded in 1978.

The latest creation is the Monokey X Space case, expandable, able to combine everyday compactness with long-range expandability, thanks to a patented telescopic system that ensures practicality and safety, paired with the artisanal care of Made in Italy. "We invented the Monokey,” the founder explains. “In the late seventies there was a boom in Japanese motorcycles: beautiful and high-performing, but with no space to store anything, not even a screwdriver. So we thought of something practical, that could be detached from the bike with a single action to take along—maybe into a hotel—everything needed for a trip. And we succeeded.”

A success that has grown steadily over the years, and this latest product also seems ingenious. The X Space case is very pleasing to the eye and can be used both as a central rear top case and as a single side case, “French style.” “From a technical standpoint, the X Space integrates a patented mechanical system that enables the telescopic expansion of the case, which in a moment switches from the compact 27-liter mode to the extended 36-liter mode, capable of holding an XXL helmet with visor, ensuring practicality even in the most demanding situations,” explains the blonde Hendrika.

Givi’s latest frontier is helmets, a sector the Brescia-based company has entered with force, offering quality products at competitive prices such as the X Carbon. After the presentation, the visit continues through Givi’s plants, crossing the beautiful, industrious territory of the lower Brescia area, where hundreds of small companies produce everything from plastics to cashmere. Inside, women and men work with peace of mind, because the pay is good and there is continuity, safety, and prospects. Are we really sure we want to throw all this away to chase low wages and the precariousness of a tourism-based economy?

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