1973 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport

Frame no. VK033111

• Dry stored in a climate controlled environment
• Maintained to the highest possible standard

With the death of Giorgio Parodi in 1955, followed by that of Carlo Guzzi in 1964, great changes were afoot at Moto Guzzi. The company was bought by SEIMN and the production emphasis was directed more towards larger sporting machines rather than their previously notable lightweight machines.

An engine design that originated in the early post-war years, with Giulio Carcano who introduced the 90° twin in pre-WW2 "military truck", Moto Guzzi's venerable 90-degree v-twin is still around today powering the company's latest generation of superbikes. Guzzi's transverse v-twin engine had been conceived to power a lightweight military three-wheeler intended for the Italian army, and only later was it reassessed for possible motorcycle use. The first motorcycle to make use of this remarkable engine, the 703cc V7, appeared at the International Milan Show in December 1965. The work of Ing. Giulio Carcano, the man who had masterminded Guzzi's spectacular V8-engined Grand Prix racer, the V7 was the biggest and fastest roadster ever to come out of the factory at Mandello del Lario. Its military origins had dictated that the Guzzi v-twin should be both simple and easily maintained; indeed, accessibility was outstanding, while the shaft-drive transmission, another military requirement, provided virtually maintenance-free running.

The Guzzi V-twin would undergo a seemingly never-ending series of enlargements, the first of which, to 757cc, occurred in 1969 on the Ambassador/Special. By this time Carcano had retired, leaving his successor, Lino Tonti, to create the first true sports version - the V7S (Sport) - in 1971. In creating the V7 Sport Tonti did away with the electrical generator mounted atop the crankcase, opting instead for an alternator carried on the crankshaft nose, thus enabling a much lower frame to be used. In marque expert Mick Walker's words, the result was "an amazing transformation of a formerly staid, overweight package." Together with its new frame, the V7S featured a 749cc engine to qualify for 750cc-class racing, a five-speed gearbox and large-diameter drum brakes, the front a double-sided, twin-leading-shoe unit. With 52bhp available at the rear wheel, the magnificent V7 Sport was good for 120mph.

The bike has always been kept in the best conditions, in a climate-controlled environment and has always been maintained to the highest quality of standards. The vendor states that it is a wonderful condition and highly dependable and one of the best handling Italian bikes of all time. Ridden by and cared for by the Guzzi Doctor. This machine comes from a well known car collector that 15 years ago, decided to buy what he thought were the most iconic motorcycles of the 1970's and 1980's and set out to find the ones in the best original or restored conditions. All machines are maintained by the Guzzi Doctor in Illinois and have been kept on a trickle charge ready for a warm ride, they have been stored in a climate-controlled environment set at 65F and are ready to ride away.