Italian motorbike brand Moto Guzzi is celebrating its centenary this year with a number of special bikes. Like this fantastic V7...
Connoisseurs know: the V7 is a legend in its own right, whose story begins around 1961. The success of the mass-produced car necessitated reforms within the motorbike industry. Moto Guzzi, which had impressive design capabilities, responded by exploring new markets: from three-wheelers to agricultural machinery and cars. For the car industry, the genius motorbike constructor Giulio Cesare Carcano designed a 90° V-twin air-cooled engine, destined for a sports version of the Fiat 500, which could reach an impressive 140 km/h with it. The new engine was well liked, but the annual quantity that Fiat president Vittorio Valletta subsequently demanded was far too large for the production capacity of the Mandello del Lario plant. And so the actual delivery never materialised.
Police motorbike
But Carcano did not give up. He enlarged the twin cylinder to 754cc to use it for the 3X3, a popular tracked, three-wheel drive vehicle intended for use by Alpine troops. At the same time, however, a tender was issued from the government to supply motorbikes for the traffic police. The winner would be the one who could cover 100,000 km with the lowest maintenance costs. That was the opportunity to put the twin cylinder, completely revamped, on a motorbike, the Moto Guzzi V7.
Los Angeles
It was an innovative project: reliability to automotive standards, combined with a level of comfort and affordability was something the competition in the motorbike world could not match. This immediately aroused the curiosity of foreign police forces, with Los Angeles' being one of the first. Commissioning of the new V7 700 began in 1964. The motorbike had a 703.3cc engine that developed 40 HP and weighed 230 kg. Mass production began in 1966, destined for police forces and foreign markets, while the following year the V7 700 was launched in Italy at the competitive price of as much as 725,000 liras, much more affordable than its German and British competitors.
New version
And now... there is this one, model 2021. So what you are buying is one chunk of fine history, but of course built in line with the demands of our time. With state-of-the-art gadgets. And with a new engine derived from the one that successfully powers the V85 TT All Terrain. Of course, following the characteristic construction method of all Moto Guzzi motorbikes currently in production: air-cooled transverse 90° V-twin with OHV distribution and two valves per cylinder, the pride and tradition of Mandello production. Engine capacity is 853 cc, thanks to a bore to stroke ratio of 84 x 77 mm. Power is 65 HP at 6800 rpm and torque 73 Nm at 5000 rpm, with more than 80% of the torque already available at 3000 rpm.
This special V7 Stone CENTENARIO 850 costs €11,495
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