On the move: MV Agusta 600 4C

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On the move: MV Agusta 600 4C
Jahn

On the move: MV Agusta 600 4C

Motorcycle from the world

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Riding out on a touring motorcycle, driven by a four-cylinder with a world-champion flair, like a landlord – this seemed to Count Domenico Agusta to be a good plan.

Like a street motorcycle from M.V Agusta had to look like, every Grand Prix fan knew in the mid-1960s: red as sin, with a four-cylinder racing engine, long, curved tank, seat hump, clip-on handlebars and the bare essentials that road traffic dictates.

But it was to turn out quite differently: The MV Agusta 600 4C carried a rectangular headlight the size of a bread box, chrome-plated signal horns on lush crash bars and fenders, plus a step bench for a relaxed tour for two and a wide US handlebar. Painted black, the sides of the 20 liter tank are chrome-plated. All of this would have looked good on a tourer or even a chopper, but by no means on an MV. Nevertheless, this ensemble adorned the very first production four-cylinder from the Italian manufacturer.

The 500 series turismo street version with four-cylinder engine presented in 1950 never went into series production, and it was a decade and a half before the next rollout of a street four-cylinder from Gallarate. Amazed or shocked, the fans stood in front of an MV Agusta at the Milan trade fair in 1965, which did not really fit into their worldview. Technically and optically, the engine showed its similarity to the four-cylinder MV racing machines, which under John Surtees, Gary Hocking and Mike Hailwood had won 13 titles in the 350 and 500 World Championships from 1956 to 1965. But that ended the parallels. In its bulky regalia, the 600 4C looked more like a designer accident at work.

On the move: MV Agusta 600 4C

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Jahn

MV Agusta 600 4C.

In fact, there was sober calculation at the highest level behind the deliberation. Exactly what sporty and ambitious motorcyclists managed to achieve in their imagination when they saw the 600 series, namely a sporty conversion, was what the head of the company, Conte Domenico Agusta himself, wanted to prevent at all costs. Nobody should get the idea of ​​converting the tourer or even competing with the company’s own racing machines. This approach also explains the displacement of 600 cm³ and the cardan drive. According to the boss’s will, the 600-series MV should represent a noble tourer for a wealthy clientele and primarily appeal to American customers. The motorcycle cost 1,060,000 lire, the equivalent of around 7,500 marks. For comparison: the BMW top model, the R 69 S, was available for 4,430 marks; Munch 4 was to go on sale at 6500 marks. Only the large Harley models with 1200 cm³ exceeded the price of the MV.

The renowned brand name and the technically sophisticated inline four-cylinder alone promised a high level of exclusivity and could have aroused sporting ambitions. The engine was just as elaborately designed as the engines of the factory racing machines and, with the two overhead, gear-driven camshafts and bucket tappets, corresponded to the state of racing technology. The construction with the "banquet", MV had taken over from the racing machines that took up the crankshaft and with the help of which the completely pre-assembled engine could be placed in the housing; likewise the bearing of the steering wheels in a steel tower, which is adapted to the thermal expansion of the gears.

Technical specifications


Jahn

MV Agusta 600 4C.

MV Agusta 600 4C

Engine: Air-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two valves per cylinder, two overhead, gear-driven camshafts, bucket tappets, bore 58 mm, stroke 56 mm, displacement 592 cm³, compression 9.3: 1, 52 HP at 8200 rpm, two round slide carburetors, Dell’Orto UB 24, 24 mm

Electrical system: E-starter, battery 12 V / 18 Ah, contact-controlled battery coil ignition, direct current generator, 12 V / 135 W.

Power transmission: Multi-disc oil bath clutch, dog-shift five-speed gearbox, primary drive: gear wheels, secondary drive: cardan

Landing gear: Double loop frame made of tubular steel, front Ceriani telescopic fork, rear double-arm swing arm made of tubular steel, two spring struts, wire-spoke wheels, tires front 3.50 H 18, rear 4.00 H 18, front double disc brake, 216 mm, mechanically operated floating calipers, rear simplex drum brake

Mass and weight: Length 2210 mm, wheelbase 1390 mm, seat height 810 mm, weight (dry) 221 kg, tank capacity 21 liters

Driving performance: Top speed 175 km / h

Price: 1060000 lire, approx. 7500 marks (1966)

Manufacturer: Mecchanica Verghera S. p. A., Gallarate, Italy

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