Beschreibung:

Guzzi’s Carcano-refined, across the frame, v-twin turned out to be a great success for the Italian company, who developed it into a range of powerful machines respected around the globe. The first ‘hot’ sports version was the 750S of 1974 which convinced the riding world that a fast Guzzi, with its thunderous noise and formidable power output, could be a most desirable acquisition. Two years later, Moto Guzzi unveiled a motorcycle which, in the opinion of many, they have never surpassed, the Guzzi ‘Le Mans’ 850. This machine, often termed ‘the most beautiful bike in the world’ went even better than it looked, the mighty – in terms of remorseless urge rather than size – v-twin producing over 70bhp which gave the bike an honest 120mph. The brakes were massive Brembo discs, coupled in the normal Guzzi way and well capable of hauling the heavy bike down to legal speeds when necessary. Shaft-drive helped by restricting the maintenance to the important essentials and is, as one modern authority says, ‘primitive by modern standards’ but makes ‘mastery of riding hard and fast despite the restrictions it imposes into one of the joys of ownership’. In other words, riding a flying ‘Le Mans’ will never be the armchair option but brings great inner rewards. The Mark 1 model of the ‘Le Mans’ was only in production for two seasons before a Mark 2, with only cosmetic changes for the most part, was introduced and is thus relatively scarce, particularly in low-mileage condition. The ‘Le Mans Mark 1’ offered here is just such a bike, resplendent in its maker’s red and black with the original fairing intact. Cosmetically good rather than gleaming, a polishing program while enjoying the riding is easily possible as an alternative to the full strip. It is a machine easy to buy but looking for an expert to master on the road. Without reserve