You’ve got to love race bikes that started off as unexpected platforms. A military-spec “New Falcon” is a good start. Before Guzzi became famous for their venerable V-Twin, they were known for the flat single found in the Airone/Falcone. The Nuovo Falcone was the imaginatively-named successor to the Falcone, produced between ’69 and ’76.
Updates included a Tonti frame, covered flywheel, and a revised engine. The New Falcon was offered in military and civilian versions – the latter got a speedo and a tach (the military version just had a speedo), a longer fuel tank, and a dual seat. You might not expect it, but the military version is much easier to find nowadays. For more on the “New Falcon”, check out this profile on RealClassic or this review from the Telegraph.
This example was last raced by Kruno Kozar on September 1st, 2013 where it placed 2nd in an “Open Street Racing” class. The seller says it’s in good driving condition and it has been serviced. The first private owner was a racer who “bought the bike from the Yugoslav army.” The mechanic who converted the bike into a racer eventually sold the bike to the current owner in 2005.
Find this Nuovo Falcone racer for sale in Zagreb, Croatia with an unmet opening bid of $5,500