Moto Guzzi Mulo Meccanico

The Moto Guzzi Mulo Meccanico, or Mechanical Mule, was an experimental three-wheeled load carrier that the Italian Ministry of Defence asked for at the end of the 1950s to replace the mules used by Alpini mountain troops. The requirement was a load of 500 kg over every kind of terrain on narrow paths, and the work passed from Antonio Micucci to Soldavini and Giulio Cesare Carcano, who used his new long mounted V-twin with forced air cooling. The 754 cc engine gave just 20 hp but 47 Nm at 2,400 rpm, and the chassis offered variable wheelbase and track width, six forward gears and one reverse, and drive to all three wheels, with 20 percent going to the front wheel. It could climb steep slopes straight on but risked falling over sideways, and it was taken out of production in 1963, so it did not meet expectations.