Considering just how few Ghezzi-Brian Supertwin 1100s there are running around anywhere, let alone North America, I’ll forgive the “WTF” face your computer or phone’s built-in camera is secretly recording because of an undetected malware infection. You’re looking at what is functionally a Moto Guzzi sportbike, the company’s pushrod, two-valve twin and shaft-drive and dropped…
In spite of its shaft drive and pushrod valvetrain, the original Moto Guzzi Le Mans went head-to-head against bikes like the Ducati 900SS. Unlikely as it might seem, it held its own, but later generations gradually lost ground on the competition. A new platform and six-speed gearbox introduced in 2000 on the V11 Sport was…
These days, Moto Guzzi “sportbikes” really need the quotation marks I’ve included here. Ducati managed to develop their signature 90° v-twin format and stay competitive among the current crop of tech-heavy rockets, but it’s unlikely that, even given a pretty large budget to attempt something like that, Guzzi could have stayed true to their longitudinal…
Moto Guzzi cross-pollinated their 1990’s unfaired sport model with the newly developed 992cc four-valve V-twin, the result being the V10 Centauro. Calendar-girl bodywork surrounds the air and oil-cooled beast within, tuned down from the Daytona 1000’s peak but still happy to rev to the 8,400 rpm limit and crank out 95 hp. This one has…
In remembrance of the Bal d’Or from 1971, when a Moto Guzzi 850 made a podium finish after 24 hours, came the Le Mans 850. This Mark 3 has all the good stuff, revised heads with bigger valves, air-charged suspension, full-featured dash, and still wears its early 1980’s emissions and noise regulation gear. Complete as…
If asked to picture a red, Italian vee twin sportbike, the majority of the world would come up with a single marque: Ducati. But in truth the Italians have been rather prolific with their sporty scoots across dozens of manufacturers, even though some brands may not be household names here in the United States. And…
Update 4.15.2018: Now listed on eBay for $18,500. Good luck to buyers and seller! -dc These days, Moto Guzzi is pigeonholed as the Piaggio Group’s resident bearer of the sporty retro banner, building the Italian equivalent of Triumph’s classic Thruxton, Speed Twin, and Bobber. Which is a damn shame, given Guzzi’s history of legitimately competitive…
Rare as an air-cooled Moto Guzzi Le Mans is these days, a square-head Mark III is not often among them. And you wouldn’t be faulted for expecting orangey-red or black, but this example was re-done in a very BMW-ish grey metallic. The overall condition, trim Mk.III fairings and black wheels mask the age of this…