Moto Guzzi V7 Sport

The Moto Guzzi V7 Sport is a sports motorcycle first made in 1971 by Moto Guzzi, and the first Moto Guzzi cafe racer. It was based on the V7 roadster but had a new frame, designed by the engineer Lino Tonti, and clip-on handlebars. It was lighter than the standard V7, handled well and proved popular. Moto Guzzi had to build at least 100 in 1971 to meet production racing homologation rules, producing the red-framed Telaio Rosso bikes, and regular production started in November 1971. The factory claimed 70 bhp, and in his 1972 road test Motorcycle Mechanics editor Charles Deane called it a BMW with a little bit extra, praising its brakes while noting it was the most expensive superbike on sale in Britain. It was discontinued in 1974 after De Tomaso took over the company, and it formed the basis of later models and ultimately led to the Le Mans. A detuned retro roadster, the V7 Special, loosely based on it arrived in 2008.