Set the way-back machine for 1975 and attend EICMA (Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori) in Milan, there you’ll see the original bikini-faired Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans, the iconic basis for the long line of Le Mans-badged machines. The torquey long-wheelbase heavyweights were ( and are ) the cornerstone of Guzzi’s line-up. 2003 Moto…
The oldest European manufacturer in continuous production of motorcycles, Moto Guzzi has an impressive history, from their founding in 1921 by two Italian Air Force pilots and their mechanic, championship-winning 250, 350, and 500cc racing machines, to the present-day large displacement fuel-injected street bikes. Long a technical innovator, the company developed a 500cc engine with…
As we have posted before, Moto Guzzi is the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production and has over 1000 racing victories including 14 world speed titles. However most of the Moto Guzzi victories came well over 40 years ago. Guzzi has made the occasional attempt to recognize and even revisit their racing history and…
Moto Guzzi is famous for manufacturing quirky, long-legged sports machines like this Daytona RS. The Daytona featured Guzzi’s 992cc four-valve, SOHC engine that was also found in the bizarrely-styled Centauro. Fans fast Moto Guzzi’s from the 1990’s are probably most familiar with the Sport 1100, the lower-spec, lower-cost version of this machine that was fitted…
The story of Guzzi’s 1100 Sport is a bit like the story of Judas Priest and Tim “Ripper” Owens, but with motorcycles. It’s the story of an unlikely amateur being asked to join the big boys on stage, and in this case the “unlikely amateur” was former-dentist-turned-endurance-racing-guru Dr. John Wittner. Wittner’s heavily-modified Guzzis were very…
In the face of increased competition its not really surprising that some motorcycle manufacturers are forced to focus on their strongest products and let their racing efforts “fall to the wayside”. Harley Davidson is probably the most well known brand to do this but on the Italian side, there is Moto Guzzi. Moto Guzzi is…
If you’ve been salivating over the V7 Sport offered by Piston and Chain, you now have a choice of great looking Guzzis offered by them! This bike is clearly not all original but looks like a very sharp and like most, we prefer the round headlight over the square unit that came on the MK2.…
In spite of their pedigree and style, these Guzzis are odd ducks. Or “geese,” I guess. They’re not really sportbikes: way too heavy, and a bit clunky. And they’re not really designed for comfort, so they’re not really touring, or even sport-touring machines, unless you start modifying them with HeliBars and Corbin seats. Back when…