Year: 1955 Power: 68 HP Engine capacity: 498.5 ccm Weight: 150 kg Top speed: 275 km/h Rank: 9th Greatest Ever Motorbike complete list here: whoridesavespa.com
Greatest Ever Motorcycle: #9 – Moto Guzzi V8 (1955)
Sat, Dec 5, 2009
25 Responses to “Greatest Ever Motorcycle: #9 – Moto Guzzi V8 (1955)”
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December 5th, 2009 at 11:05 AM
was 2 or 4 strokes?
December 5th, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Moto Gutzi ?
December 5th, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Besides my comment was meant as a compliment to Italian bikes. They are beautiful.
December 5th, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Lightning fast comeback there davi. Besides I told you already we like making cars that suck, and going bankrupt.
December 5th, 2009 at 12:47 PM
Considering the size of some components would have fitted inside a wristwatch, it’s not so surprising some parts did break down.
BUT
motor racing has always been the frontier zone for the motor industry, without that V8 Guzzi would we have 16000rpm Ninjas and the like?
December 5th, 2009 at 1:32 PM
Ya ya they could they could so why didn’t they ?
December 5th, 2009 at 1:43 PM
my friend you have to also factor in the legacies left behind by each machine and though all of them are extraordinary in their own right the cub legacy is just gigantic
December 5th, 2009 at 2:25 PM
No but for some bizarre reason these Tards think the cub is the greatest bikes of all time . I was being sarcastic. The only thing the cub could do is make it all the way to Aspen with Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels on it .
December 5th, 2009 at 2:28 PM
the cub do 190 MPH?
December 5th, 2009 at 3:13 PM
It reminds me of old BMWs with the cylinder heads sticking out the sides. They look German to me…
December 5th, 2009 at 3:25 PM
If they would have had the honda cub in that race , it would have kicked Guzzi ass
December 5th, 2009 at 3:39 PM
The modern Moto Guzzi bikes are still as impressive as its older time…though the engine placement look a bit odd not like other Italian bike…
December 5th, 2009 at 4:19 PM
great video
December 5th, 2009 at 5:02 PM
a replica of this bike is commissioned by a rich italian man and built by a small factory(vevini tullio) in 2 pieces whit same materiarls and tecnology.another dimostration of italian engines school
December 5th, 2009 at 5:33 PM
zajebiste
December 5th, 2009 at 6:01 PM
wasn’t it highly unreliable too as the engine components were so small they had regular break downs?
December 5th, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Legendary bike!!! Luv Guzzis!!!
December 5th, 2009 at 7:24 PM
Guzzi abandoned the V8 because they agreed with Gilera and Mondial to withdraw from factory supported racing form 1958 on.
December 5th, 2009 at 7:50 PM
I saw it race in the IoM in 1957, the last year of the dustbin fairings. I think it was ridden by Dickie Dale and finished on seven cylinders.
The 350 single cylinder Moto Guzzis were just as impressive, for different reasons and much more successful.
December 5th, 2009 at 8:18 PM
Guzzi abandoned V8 cause, at the end of 1957, the Italian motorcycle constructors mutually agree to abandon competitions (the costs were becaming to high, since the preference of the public was switching from bikes to small cars like the Fiat 500). Only MV Agusta remained (it wasn’t a real constructor, but a private divertissement of Count Augusta, owner of the elicopters factory) and, with a semplified version of the 4 cylinders Benelli engine, dominated the races for 20 years more.
December 5th, 2009 at 9:15 PM
It didnt win everything. great bike,but very complicated and difficult to keep in tune. Rule changes limiting fairings, number of cylinders and gear ratios sealed the deal.
December 5th, 2009 at 10:07 PM
I thought the reason Guzzi abandoned the V8 was because the GP ruling organization banned it. Why? Because it won everything, and Norton complained.
December 5th, 2009 at 10:20 PM
This is the #1
December 5th, 2009 at 11:12 PM
americans could make an engine like this but we are too busy trying to figure out how to make interiors crappier and suvs bigger
December 5th, 2009 at 11:40 PM
Italian engineering excellence at it’s most audacious! in a word – superb!