Moto Guzzi Le Mans

The Moto Guzzi Le Mans is a sports motorcycle first manufactured in 1976 by Moto Guzzi and named after the 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans in France. The name was first used for an 850 prototype based on the V7 and shown at Premio Varrone in late 1972, and the production 850 was first shown at the Milan show in November 1975. The original was a cafe racer with clip-on handlebars and a bikini nose fairing, developed from the V7 Sport with power raised from 53 to 71 horsepower and a top speed of 130 mph. Its air-cooled 90 degree OHV V-twin sat longitudinally in a Lino Tonti chassis, with a five-speed gearbox and shaft drive. Later models gained larger fairings and, from the Le Mans 1000 of 1984, a 949 cubic centimetre engine, and the Ultima Edizione of 1992, limited to 100 numbered bikes, ended a 17 year production run. It competed against Ducati and Laverda superbikes, took land speed records in 1999 and is held to be one of the most iconic and collectible V-twin Moto Guzzis.