Moto Guzzi V1000 Convert

The Moto Guzzi V1000 Convert, also known as the V1000 I-Convert, was a motorcycle made by Moto Guzzi at Mandello del Lario, Italy, launched in 1975 and sold until 1984 after an update in 1979. Its designers aimed it at the United States police market, and it was the first big-capacity automatic motorcycle with shaft drive. Moto Guzzi increased the bore and stroke of the pushrod V-twin to give 949 cubic centimetres, and replaced the manual gearbox with a torque converter built by Sachs and a two-speed gearbox. The name came from the converter, which fed engine power to a conventional clutch. The clutch had to be used to shift between the two speeds, but the converter let the rider stop in either gear and accelerate smoothly without it. A period account credits it with 71 horsepower and a top speed near 170 km/h, and says it was never a big seller.