Most riders think of the 3 1/2 when they hear Moto Morini, but the firm was also known for their 500 Sei-V that was produced a decade later…to very little fanfare. What was once a classically beautiful motorcycle became an odd jumble of plastic and angular lines as the Italian company tried to compete with bikes coming out of Japan.
2002 Moto Guzzi V11 Scura
Take the Moto Guzzi V11, add some higher spec components, black paint scheme, and limited production numbers, and you get the Scura. Approximately 700 examples of the Scura were built, and they were upgraded with Ohlins suspension (forks, shock, and steering damper), carbon fiber panels, and a single disc clutch/aluminum flywheel that was supposed to be more aggressive, though there …
1976 Moto Guzzi Race Bike
Built by Stan and Pearl Friduss, this Guzzi race bike competed in AHRMA Middleweight Superbike for years, though it’s been sitting for some time and it needs to be awoken from a slumber.
1973 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport
Nowadays, Moto Guzzi offers several variants of the modern V7. They don’t sell particularly well, but they do hark back to one of Guzzi’s prettiest motorcycles of all time – the original V7 Sport. It was an instant classic that was created by Tonti to honor the Italian firm’s racing history.
1991 Moto Guzzi 1000S
In 1990, Moto Guzzi released the 1000S, styled to look like an update of the ’75 750 S3. It sold poorly but the classic styling has held up over the years and unlike the average Guzzi, the resale values for this model are somewhat staggering.
1997 Bimota Mantra DB3
Following up on yesterday’s oddball Italian upright is…another oddball Italian upright. The Bimota Mantra is definitely one of the most distinctive motorcycles to come out of the Rimini company’s doors. With that said, I love that they took a chance – you may never see a bike that looks like this again.
731 Miles – 2006 Ducati Multistrada 1000S
Multistrada is Italian for “many roads”, and that reflects the broad capabilities built in by Ducati and Pierre Terblanche – their attempt at a touring bike you could hustle with. As MCN put it, “On face value, the Ducati Multistrada 1000DS shouldn’t work – monster trailie motorcycle dimensions and posture mixed with street brakes and tyres should equal boingy mess …
1990 Ducati 750 Sport
This 750 Sport is one of the rare reborn SuperSports that America didn’t get got for one year, per Dennis Martin in the comments (thanks, Dennis!). Here in the US, we think of the updated SS generation as the 900 model that debuted in 1991, but Ducati actually tried to bring it back in 1987 with the machine you see …
1980s Moto Guzzi Classic Superbike
Built as a replica of a Guzzi factory race bike created for Dr. John Wittner, this incredible Guzzi features an extensive list of modifications and has been successfully raced in its current form since 2013.
1992 Ducati 851
Introduced in 1987, the 851 made Ducati relevant in motorcycle racing again. It featured fuel injection, liquid cooling, and desmo 4V heads. 1992 as the last year of production – the next year Ducati would unveil the 888. This example stands out as it’s been signed by Troy Corser, Pascal Picotte, and David Kieffer – three of Fast by Ferracci’s …
1995 Magni Australia
Arturo Magni started working with Moto Guzzi in 1985, and their first project was the “Parallelogrammo” swingarm created to counter the shaft jacking that was common with older driveshaft designs. In 1990, Magni customized a Daytona road racer that was campaigned by Ted Stolarski, Moto Guzzi’s Australian importer for 3 decades. In the early 90s, Magni named their next production …
No Reserve – 2003 Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans Rosso Corsa
The Moto Guzzi LeMans Rosso Corsa is a rare version of an already rare bike. Only 50 of the Rosso Corsa editions were brought to the United States. Based on the previous generation of the venerable LeMans, this bike was the pinnacle of a bike known for classic Italian cafe racer lines and the bulletproof, well-known MG V-Twin engine. Designed …
2005 MV Agusta F4 1000 Tamburini
When MV Agusta released the F4 1000 in 2005, they released two limited edition models along side the regular “S” bike. One was the AGO – the first 300 models built. The other was the Tamburini, a $42,695 sculpture named for the iconic designer who called this “My dream. My bike.” 300 were produced, 59 of which were imported to …
No Reserve – 1955 Moto Guzzi Galletto
Carlo Guzzi was one of Moto Guzzi’s three co-founders back in 1921, and he was the brainchild behind a scooter/motorcycle hybrid called the Galletto (cockerel in Italian). Over approximately 15 years of production, 75,000 units were sold.
Pre-Motocompo Folder – 1970 Carnielli Motorcycles Moto Graziella
3/19/22 Update: Four years later, this Moto Graziella is back up for sale. Find it for $3,500 or best offer in West Palm Beach, Florida here on Facebook Marketplace. When the subject of “folding scooters” comes up, most people’s minds will wander to Honda’s Motocompo, but there are a number of other collapsible, small-wheeled scoots that predate the Honda by …