MECHANIC AL MARVEL
TIPPING THE SCALES
The 500ccV8 Guzzi now incredibly scaled a mere 137kg with full streamlining.
CHASSIS
Spine frame comprised a 85mm diameter central tubular backbone with a twin-downtube duplex steel cradle frame supporting the engine.
BREATHING
23mm inlet/21mm exhaust valves were set at a 58° total included angle.
SUSPENSION
Twin Girling rear shocks gave 94mm of movement. Guzzi’s leading-link fork had 103mm of wheel travel and carried long hydraulic Girling dampers in front of each leg.
OUTPUT
The 500V8 with a five-speed gearbox, which now delivered 79bhp at 12,500rpm, and maximum torque of 47.6Nm at 9300 revs.
Ask any race fan to nominate the most exotic and most desirable Grand Prix racer ever built, and the Moto Guzzi 500 V8 will be almost certainly beThe One. It only raced for two years in 1956-57 and never won aWorld Championship GP. Despite that, there’s an aura about this motorcycle that’s entirely in keeping with its improbable specification.
oto Guzzi built a total of six complete 500cc V8 motorcycles, and while these differed slightly in design, they
