The wide Guzzi V-twin is instantly recognizable, the big air-cooled heads only lately fuel-injected and in this case protected by tipover guards. The longitudinal crankshaft machine has a history going back to 1976, long and stable, if not a lightweight. This V11 has some miles but looks undamaged and well cared-for. 2002 Moto Guzzi LeMans…
The Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans II took the marque’s sportiest offering from the ’70s and updated its styling and technology for the new decade. What had been born in the mid-70s as the high-compression, big-carb version of Guzzi’s familiar v-twin standard was updated with air-assisted forks, linked brakes and Nikasil cylinder walls. The 850 LeMans…
Fans of modern machinery may not understand how Moto Guzzi, with their clunky driveshafts and pushrod v-twins, is allowed even a grudging membership to the sportbike club. Of course, a look back a bit further shows Guzzi was very successful in a variety of racing classes throughout the 40s and 50s. But they wanted to…
It’s a shame we’ll probably never see a modern Moto Guzzi sportbike, since they’ve been nominated official “heritage brand” for the Piaggio Group. Especially disappointing, since Guzzi was active and successful in a variety of racing classes up into the 1970s. Guzzi even had a modern superbike in the works intended to compete head-to-head with…
The days might still be hot here on the East Coast, but they’re steadily getting shorter, and the evenings have the familiar cool snap. Summer is nigh over, but here at RSBFS we are just gearing up for one of the best seasons to get out on a sportbike and relish the crisp temperatures and…
Guzzi is generally thought of these days as a purveyor of weirdo touring rigs, butch nakeds, and alterna-Harley cruisers, all with their big v-twins turned 90° from the expected orientation and the cylinder heads sticking out by the rider’s knees. But in the 1950s and 1970s, Moto Guzzi made genuine sportbikes and competed successfully in…
Not too many motorcycles look good in screaming yellow, but I think the Guzzi 1100 Sport is definitely one of them. A two-valve version of the exotic Daytona that was developed by Dr John Wittner from his successful Battle of the Twins racer, the 1100 Sport was a very unconventional motorcycle. By the 1990s, sportbike…
The Moto Guzzi MGS-01 found itself in a weird doldrums between an ultra-premium streetbike and a pure race bike for the well-heeled. It was bedecked with super high-end kit befitting a competition machine, but was portly and down on power compared to its peers. 2004 Moto Guzzi MGS-01 for sale on eBay With 121 horsepower…