Famous motorcycles: Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans

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Famous motorcycles: Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans
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Famous motorcycles: Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans

When eagles still flew

Eagle wings are majestically emblazoned in the Moto Guzzi logo. At the time of the 850 Le Mans, the northern Italians had every reason to be proud of their brand. The original Le Mans set standards in the mid-seventies.

Yes i had one. It had the frame number VE 11632 and stood in my garage for a good eight years. Why did I sell them then? A man makes between three and ten mistakes in life, and that was one of mine. A great Le Mans. Neatly preserved, with 70,000 kilometers on the shaky clock at the end and pistons and cylinders already changed. I discovered it at a dealer in central Italy. There she stood in the corner and peeked furtively out of her little handlebar cover. She was adopted subito for 4,600 marks. And made it to Germany in the van. Oil change, new battery in and off you go. Lovely! Flashback: At the beginning of the 1970s, Guzzi was in a crisis and was sold to the sports car maker De Tomaso. He had the large series completely renovated. The cumbersome Tourer V7 with its sweeping chassis gave way to a slim construction. With the V7 Sport, chief developer Lino Tonti created a masterpiece. And with its successor, the racing-inspired 850 Le Mans, a celebrity in 1976.

What made the Guzzi stand out? The powerful engine was held in place by a narrow undercarriage made up of straight tubes. The motor stabilized the frame because it was integrated in the load-bearing capacity. For dismantling, the beams could be unscrewed and the entire upper part with fork and front wheel removed. Despite the simple structure of the V2 engine with a central, lower camshaft, the Le Mans produced an astonishing 70 hp. So you were at the front. Stronger than any BMW, on par with Ducati and reasonably competitive with the Japanese. The Guzzi was superior in many respects: an integral braking system ensured excellent deceleration values, a steering damper prevented the handlebars from shaking, and the rear wheel was driven by a cardan shaft. In times when chain maintenance was an issue on a daily basis, an invaluable asset on long journeys.

My pride and joy was a self-made choke lever. The original plastic flap had crumbled at some point, which is why I filed and bent a new sheet of aluminum. It worked brilliantly. Before every cold start it had to be opened, then turn on the ignition with the cheap key in the ignition lock, turn the throttle once or twice and press the starter button. The huge starter slammed his pinion onto the flywheel with one hard blow and brought the engine to starting speed. At least my Le Mans always started like this. At first he shook himself like a wet dog, only to walk slowly after a few warming gas bursts. The Moto Guzzi proves how logically and simply a motorcycle can be built. Take the flow of power, for example: the pistons press via connecting rods on the heavy crankshaft, which on the Guzzi has only one crank pin. The generator sits on the front pin, the flywheel with dry clutch on the rear. This transfers the power directly to the gear shafts, which are arranged so that the output shaft leads to the universal joint of the cardan shaft. Only with the rear-axle drive is the force deflected by 90 degrees.

Inner and outer values


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Racing provided the inspiration and concept for Le Mans.

The cylinder heads are also simple: a powerful intake valve ensures sufficient filling in the cylinders, and an exhaust valve opens the way for the burnt gases to escape. Bumpers and rocker arms were sufficient for the Guzzi to control valves. The mixture formation in large Dellorto carburettors and the exhaust in a really simple two-in-two system show how much was regulated by the legislature in those years? nearly nothing. Moto Guzzi was even able to do without an air filter, the Le Mans breathed freely through open funnels, as standard. In the age of gear recognition and map-controlled flaps in air filters and exhaust systems to defraud registration regulations, this type of motorcycle seems strangely honest. And Le Mans wasn’t that loud at all. At least in its original condition, the intake noise clearly drowned out the somewhat clogged-looking mufflers. Some treated themselves to a set of Lafranconi silencers. The real ones with the indicated turbine on the end piece. That lit correctly, today the noisepipes would be an outrage. In any case, my Le Mans remained standard. And gently sniffed to himself at low speeds. Whoever thought a Guzzi would pull out of the cellar like an ox has never driven one. It moves, it also accelerates underneath, but steam only reaches the boiler from 5000 rpm.

From this mark onwards, the cozy cuddly toy turns into a nasty bite, and the 850 V2 actually drives forward with performance. The suction noise becomes hard, the cardan harder and the right forearm even harder. Because he has to fight against the powerful return springs in the two carburetors. They consistently pull the slider back down as soon as you let up even a little. Long-time Le Mans drivers develop what is known as Dellortus disease, a pathological enlargement of the right forearm muscles. Head down behind the mini fairing, let go of the gas? The Le Mans can be tormented at a good 200 km / h. The bumpers buzz, the tachometer needle oscillates in the yellow to red area. 70 Guzzi horsepower are 70 real horsepower. At my Le Mans I always let it be good at 150, 160 things.

Chassis and brakes


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If everything fits, the Moto Guzzi can paddle around corners at an infinite angle.

The chassis plays the big trump card in the contemporary machine field. On the one hand, the tight-fitting frame makes the machine incredibly low and compact. On the other hand, the chassis geometry, wheel loads and the lengthways crankshaft fit together perfectly. The Guzzi is stable at any speed and yet sufficiently handy. Its narrow tires and the cast wheels, which are really heavy in lead, allow them to swing around bends completely neutrally. Sure, by today’s standards, the Guzzi is an unwieldy jelly. But with an accomplished driver, that is, with about 10,000 kilometers of Le Mans under his belt, things are moving forward quickly. Then you learned to move the throttle as little as possible, to change gears gently despite the huge flywheel and to demand as few load changes as possible in curves. If everything fits, the Guzzi can pound around curves at an infinite angle. Modern tires required. I quickly swapped the mounted Pirelli Phantom for a Metzeler ME 55 rubber movement. This did not result in the optimal stability, but in good liability reserves and good handling.

What has been written about the integral brake: bad to dose, too much hand strength, blablabla. All nonsense, gentlemen testers. You just have to get used to decelerating consistently with the foot brake. It brakes really well, even deep into bends without any set-up moment. The handbrake, which also activates the front left disc brake, is only used in emergencies. After a certain time you have it in there. If an 850 Le Mans with the frame number VE 11632 is hanging around in any garage, please call. I’ll buy it back right away. For a long time I have suppressed the unsuitable main stand, the lousy paintwork on the tank and the cheap switches and instruments. And I get my right forearm trained again. At Moto Guzzi, there is currently zero short-time work again. Production has stopped and nobody knows when it will start again. The eagle is in crisis. Again.

Technical data – Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans


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Engine:
Air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 90 degree V engine, crankshaft lengthways, bore x stroke 83 x 78 millimeters, 845 cm3, 52 kW (70 hp) at 7000 rpm, 74 Nm at 6500 rpm, electric starter, dry clutch , Five-speed gearbox, cardan drive.

Landing gear:
Double loop frame made of tubular steel, telescopic fork, two spring struts, cardan drive, integral brake system, double disc brake at the front, disc brake at the rear, cast wheels, tires 100/90 H 18 and 110/90 H 18.

Measurements and weight:
Wheelbase 1490 mm, seat height 780 mm, weight with a full tank 225 kg.
Price (1973) 9,130 ​​marks including ancillary costs (4668 euros)

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