Rebuttal

Decorated tastefully, the Guzzi's swirling, two-tone striping contrasted perfectly with its gleaming alloy, but it was those jutting cylinders that grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Appealing to both sides of my brain, I connected with its design and the message behind it. Made to be ridden, the Guzzi spoke to me in a new and exciting language that didn't require a translation.

Highly susceptible to influence as an impressionable high schooler, dad gave no clue to this purchase...at least none I picked up on. And believe me, I was paying attention. Because of him and older brother Nick I'd been around motorcycles my whole life, ogling his 1947 Knucklehead as a boy and Nick's 500cc Marusho years later. When the family business needed funding the bikes disappeared, but the pause was only temporary. Once the business got rolling, the business of rolling on two wheels returned, much to my delight. Wary of 'crazy Phoenix traffic' and brain dead drivers, Pop wasn't too keen on my participation ...especially after I collected two speeding tickets with just my learner's permit. It took some doing, but he came around. By the same measure, so did a Moto Guzzi of my own.

I was ready to write this weeks ago, but other stuff jumped ahead in the pecking order. JJ's auction report was a priority, then it was guest columnist Gina Williams' turn. The inspiration comes from Paul Miles' report of a first-series Le Mans 850 published in a recent issue of Real Classic Magazine. I enjoy Paul's work (his piece on Bloor's first generation Speed Triple last year was spot-on) but in my opinion, his observations regarding the Le Mans are way off. Understanding that Frank and Rowena's editorial vision of vintage bikedom focuses more on practical application and less on fussy originality, Miles' report was a grand contradiction on the mechanical prowess of the series. This served to remind me that when it comes to Moto Guzzi, popular opinion often wins out over fact. The fact is, some Guzzis are better than others. As you might expect, my take differs.

Like Honda's Four and the Kawasaki Z1, the Le Mans identifies Moto Guzzi to this generation of enthusiasts. Released in 1976 as an performance upgrade over the 750cc Sports, the Le Mans walked into some serious competition; taking on not only the Zed and Suzuki's new four-stroke, but formidable Euro-cousins like the R90S, Jota-triples and the 900 SS. Against these, the Le Mans more than held its own, besting all of them in one way or another and generating some glowing press in the process. Therein I suspect, is why the early model is regarded as 'the Le Mans to own.' By the mid-80s Gixxer 750s, V4s and the like ruled the road, leaving the air-cooled, 2v, pushrod driven Lemon' to be viewed as a sentimental throwback; frozen in time as a tribute to Italy's glory days.

Confused by Miles' claim of '140-mph blasts' but not his clear preference of the round-barrel 850, clarity arrived a few paragraphs later. In the same way that Japan's superbikes grew in power, shrunk in poundage and in the process gained real handling, so too did the Le Mans. Not by the same measure of course because they always handled well but never did get any lighter. Still, performance wise, it wasn't as far off as you might think. 1985's Le Mans 1000 (below, left) had bigger pistons and valves, more compression, more cam and an improved chassis hiding under all that New Wave plastic. Not capable of one-forty falling straight-down a cliff, I laughed out loud when I read Paul's test rig was fitted with 88mm pistons and other liter-spec Le Mans hardware to boost its output. This is what makes it The One To Have? Anyone who's ridden a stock 850 Le Mans will understand the need for more grunt, but right about now I'm checking the bottom of my shoes to see where that smell is coming from...

To those who follow Moto Guzzi, none of this is new. Initiated years ago as journalistic fact and embellished thereafter, the tale of DeTomaso's cheapening of the brand evolved into once proud Guzzi falling to fashion in an attempt to make a stale product fresh again. Not above mistakes, Guzzi probably screwed the pooch by fitting a sixteen to the 1000, but as a self-confessed traditionalist, I'd choose the “18” if given a choice. Oriental-inspiration or not, twenty-six years of real world experience says it's no big deal. Dr. John Wittner, who won his second world championship on a Le Mans 1000 actually prefers the smaller hoop. Often overlooked are the improvements applied to each new version, like Nikasil cylinders, uprated brakes, additional frame bracing, upgraded electrics, and more. Based solely on performance and no other 'classic' requirements included, many feel the best Le Mans was the last-edition CI 1000 (below, right) from 1988, which continued until the line was discontinued in 1992.

Does any of this matter? In the grand scheme the answer is; not really. But viewing the first series 850 as the pinnacle of Guzzi's Tonti-frame Le Mans production is at best a technical misnomer, or worse, a historical flaw that is not only repeated, but embraced. I enjoy fiction, but not when it interferes with fact. Just in case you think I don't like the original, think again. It matters not that every Guzzi not inscribed with '750 S3' fails in a style comparison, but speaking strictly in terms of market impact, the first series Le Mans 850 from 1976-78 was a goldmine for Moto Guzzi. As such, there is no arguing that along with the V7 Sport, the Le Mans is regarded by most as Mandello's masterstroke.

I was once told by a publisher that I didn't like any article on Moto Guzzi that I didn't write. Taking that into account, I do realize Mr. Miles is entitled to his opinion, as is everyone who takes the time to evaluate the machine. Just because my father bought one thirty-five years ago and I've been riding them ever since doesn't make my views more valid or profound. But experience counts for something. In this case, it forms the basis of this rebuttal, further supported by the friends and acquaintances kind enough to share their findings through the years. The truth is, all Moto Guzzis are great motorcycles and especially the Le Mans, which irresistibly mixes toughness, speed and Italian flair. At the center of my motorcycling soul, the Le Mans is a passionate motorcycle and therefore, a passionate subject. Nolan Woodbury