1985 Moto Guzzi Le Mans 1000
Miles: 25,075
Clean Title
Bid at post: $3,250
BIN: $5,500
Auction ends: Mon, March 25
Newport, RI
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SELLER
1985 Moto Guzzi Le Mans 1000.
The bike was refreshed by a Guzzi mechanic last year. All fluids changed, carbs rebuild, shaft drive serviced, heads removed and inspected (new gaskets installed). It is in great working order. 25K mikes. Paint is original except for front fender that has been resprayed (color does not match perfectly. Tank has a few scratches. Not showroom condition but shows exceptionally clean. It has a factory 18″ matching front rim (rides much better) but I also have the original 16″ front rim that will go with the bike.
Ready to ride for the upcoming season, happy to help with shipping logistics if needed.
RSBFS
We have only seen two of these here in the past 15 years. And both were listed back in 2015, so it’s been a minute. Donn schooled us accordingly, “Sporting a more angular but bikini-style fairing, the Mk. IV Le Mans looks back at the sporty cafe racer it was when introduced in 1976. The red-orange paint, now extended to the frame and forks, recalls earlier 850 models. Small body fairing and chin scoop direct air over the cylinders. Larger valves and 10:1 compression ratio gave a nice bump in power from the 850, needed as weight had creeped up to over 500 lbs. With shaft drive and the fairly high-geared 5-speed transmission, if not super quick the 1000 was plenty fast with a top speed of almost 140 mph. Steering was enhanced with the 16-inch front wheel, though not all riders considered it an improvement to the long heavyweight the bike had become. Early linked brakes were a safety enhancement, handlebar lever operating the right front brake disk, and pedal gave you left front and rear brake together, each disk 270mm.”
According to Nolan Woodbury in a CycleWorld retrospective, “1985’s new Le Mans IV was the first true full-liter model (948cc), and Guzzi’s most serious effort to date. It sported a compression ratio of 10:1, huge 47mm intake and 40mm exhaust valves, and 88mm Nikasil bores. Guzzi also added the high-lift, long-duration B10 camshaft (lifted from the LM1 racing kit). The result: a machine capable of covering the quarter-mile in the high 12s with a top speed of 135 mph. Not bad for an engine originally designed for use in a military tractor.”
If you know any Guzzistas out there – share this with them.
Good luck to the buyer and seller!
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A friend had one of these. I had an ’83 850 LM3 at that time. The 1000 did have a stronger engine, but it felt much heavier and harder to steer. I don’t think the weights were much different. Maybe the larger engine w/ more rotating mass made the difference.