Moto Guzzi 254

The Moto Guzzi 254 was a 250 cc inline four motorcycle that Moto Guzzi sold as a badge-engineered version of the Benelli 254, originally the Benelli 250 Quatro, after the industrialist Alejandro de Tomaso bought both makers in 1972. The engineer Lino Tonti designed it, with styling by Paolo Martin, and it was shown at the 1975 Milan Motorcycle Show, with production starting in 1977 by one account and introduction in early 1978 by another. Its transverse four, oversquare at 44 mm by 38 mm, drove a five-speed gearbox and a chain, revved to 11,800 rpm and was claimed at 28 bhp. Plastic and aluminium kept the weight to 117 kg, and the clocks and brake reservoir sat in the tank, cutting its capacity to 8.5 litres and the range to between 121 and 137 kilometres. The Benelli was aimed at a sportier market while the Moto Guzzi was meant to be more touring oriented, with its own tank, seat hump and six-spoke wheels. British importers declined it, sales were slow, and the Guzzi version stopped production in 1981, with fewer than 1,000 made.