“MORE THAN ANY OTHER MOTORCYCLE, IT EPITOMIZES THE MID- TO LATE-1970’S FACTORY CAFE’ RACER STYLE.”
1977 MOTO GUZZI LE MANS 1
Very nice Le Mans 1 with nice older paint job with new tires and fully serviced, this baby is ready for the road.
Tonti, essentially a “frame man” made a plan to meet De Stefani’s goal of “200 kilometers per hour, 200 kilograms, and five speeds.”
That’s 125mph, 440lb and 5-speeds in American. His plan was the V7 Sport first seen in 1971. Sure it met the goal but it was also a looker, and the frame was masterful, low, stiff and with good ground clearance, and tight to the engine – but with the lower frame rails removable. Watchword: balance.
“While the specially prepared Guzzi 750s were roaring round and round the Monza speed bowl in October 1969, breaking the records Moto Guzzi had set in June, Chief Engineer Lino Tonti, Managing Director Romolo De Stefani, and President Dore Letto were discussing how Moto Guzzi could follow up the new records.” -Tim Parker
MOTO GUZZI LE MANS 1 DETAILS
VIN VE072936
35,581 miles
Nice older paint job
All switch gear original and in perfect working condition
Koni 7610 shocks
New Avon Road rider tires
Lafranconi exhaust
Completely serviced
New Gel battery
A lightly-tuned 850 version of the Sport “was raced in the Bol d’Or 24 hour endurance race at Le Mans, France in September 1971 (know where I am going with this?). The Guzzi led the race for the first 10 hours but mechanical difficulties and a crash dropped the Sport back to third place…” The rest is history.
The 850 Le Mans “gave Guzzi a high profile in the world of sporting bikes”…for what “the Le Mans had going for it…was even more important than actual performance – the look of performance – and this gave it the edge to win the most important race of all, the race out of the showroom door.”
Café styling was all the rage in the mid-1970s – even Harley-Davidson got into the act – but no one did it better than Guzzi. Arguably, Guzzi had Norton, Laverda and Ducati – all café “influencers” - nailed with the Le Mans.
Study both front and side profiles.
Here we have a near perfect integrated design – balancing shape with color with utility. Both form and function in harmony. This example was restored by the second owner “a few years back” except for the race exhaust which was installed by the current (third) owner. There are compromises with any Le Mans restoration… one is that the original early seats would self-destruct. This one is the right shape but will now last forever, if looked after. Early finishes were not the best; this one, too – beautiful and deep - will last forever.
“NOW ACKNOWLEDGED AS ONE OF THE GREAT SPORTING MOTORCYCLES OF THE 1970’S, THE LE MANS WAS A MASTERPIECE.”
PHOTOS BY: JAMES TYLER REED
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DISCLAIMER
Every single bike I buy and sell, I personally go through—not someone else. I am the owner operator of my small business, and I take what I do very seriously. I work on the bikes, I ride the bikes.
If you are serious about buying a true collector piece from someone who not only has a passion for these bikes, but works on them, rides them, and collects them then call me. Jokingly people say to me, “these bikes don’t seem so rare as there are so many in your shop” well... I consider myself a custodian for these machines, they should go to people who will love, and appreciate them.