MOTO
GUZZI V7
The
stylish, charismatic and impressively rapid
V7 Sport was the bike with which Moto Guzzi established a reputation
for performance that would last through the 1970s and beyond. The
lime green Sport had a capacity of 748cc and was aptly named, as it
was the first truly sporting model to be built using Guzzi's
distinctive 90-degree transverse V-twin engine.
Guzzi's
air-cooled, pushrod-operated V-twin motor had unlikely origins, as it
had been developed for the Italian military in the late 1950s to
power a tractor-like machine called the 3x3. The shaft-drive engine
had then been adapted to power Guzzi's first V-twin bike, the 704cc
V7 tourer, which had been launched in 1967. Two year later the engine
had been enlarged to 757cc and used for the V7 Special, known as the
Ambassador in America.
This
model, too, was a softly tuned tourer but Guzzi's management could
see its potential. In 1969, tuned and lightened V7s were ridden
tstring
of world speed records at Monza racetrack, including hour and 100km
records at over 135mph (217km/h). Encouraged by this, the firm from
Mandello del Lario began development of a purpose-built sportster.
MOTO GUZZI V7
The
V7's 757cc engine was reduced in capacity to 748cc, to allow entry in
750cc races, and tuned with a hotter camshaft, increased compression
ratio, lighter valvegear and conrods, new ignition system and
unfiltered 30mm Dell'Orto carburettors. With a peak output at the
crankshaft of 70bhp at 7000rpm (52bhp at the rear wheel), the Sport
motor was among motorcycling's most powerful, as well as considerably
lighter than the old engine.
Another
important change was the new engine's alternator on the front end of
the crankshaft, replacing the old generator in the Vee. This enabled
Guzzi engineer Lino Tonti to design a lower frame with
a steel backbone between the cylinders. On the first batch of about
150 Sports, assembled in Guzzi's race department, the frame was
painted red. Cycle parts were of high quality, including Guzzi forks
with sealed damper units, Koni shocks plus a big twin-leading-shoe
front drum brake.
The
result was a stunning machine that combined aggressive looks with
taut handling and a thrilling turn of speed - so much so that in the
two years following its launch in 1971, the V7 Sport was arguably the
world's fastest production motorcycle. In 1972 Italian magazine
Motociclismo timed
the Sport at 125mph (201 km/h), faster than rivals including the
Honda CB750. Kawasaki 750 H2, Laverda 750 SF and Ducati GT750. The
magazine's testers also lapped Monza quickest on the Guzzi.
MOTO GUZZI V7 yellow body paint |
MOTO
GUZZI V7 prices 2014
MINT $14,000 $18,000 £12,000 £15.000
GOOD $11,500 £10,000
FAIR $7,000 £5,500
PROJECT $800 $1,800 £800 £1,500
No comments:
Post a Comment