Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

The trim V·50 mimics the LeMans with its red enamel and flat black trim. Left front rear discs are integral. Frame splits. engine drops out. Narrowness is a V·50 virtue. Rear disc has protective flange. Impression: Moto Guzzi V-so L.eMans, T3 proud parents 01 baby Guzzi it. Seat and bars are quite low and the bike is suprisingly narrow for a V-twin. £" The center of gravity has been kep t well down and th e machine has a light feel as you swing it from side to side . Claimed dry weight is a mere 335 pounds, but wet it tips the scales at closer to 380 . Still light for a 500 . .t o A stem to stern review of the V·50 with the little duffer for a short reveals some interesting and unusual country. Guzzi dea lers are enthusiasts, features . You immediately not ice the romp and some pictures. and love their motorcycling. You can dual disk brakes up front . There is also h f hi h' h pilot your Guzzi cross-continent and a disk in the rear , which is semiEnoug 0 t IS gus mg. T e feel confident that if you break down, enclosed by a wide flange . The rear parental bloodlines show _ very clearly help is not too far off. and left front disks both work off the in the V·50. The low, trim profile, the " With this in mind, you have to brake pedal in a ratio that transmits , sleek red paint job with the flat black realize that as with Harleys , there is a about 60 percent of the pressure to the trim, and the cast wheels bespeak the Guzzi mentality and a Guzzi lifestyle. rear.. There is an integral anti-lock 850 LeMans. The touches of deep A bit more cosmopolitan perhaps, device " There is also a common master chrome, the upright sitting position , even more continental, suave and socylinder for all three brakes, hidden the more generous passenger seating phisticated; yet with that same earthy neatly under the tank . . and the shape of the tank suggest the 'sensuality onl y a little more cleverly The double cradle frame is the same 850·T3 FB. No doubts about paren' masked. Considering also that Moto basic unit found on the larger T3 and tage here. Guzzi has had a penchant for is made just as sturdily to reduce flex . Moto Guzzi is one of the more producing large displacement tou ring The tubes split just under the exhaust durable European marques , and has machinery, it isn't surprising that the y outlets and are fastened together by been producing a limited number of are known as the Italian Harley. bolts . As a result , after unhooking quality machines for well over fifty Now we have a machine that really things like pipes, carbs, shaft and shift years. They are more common in this doesn't fit the mold. Still the same cable, you can remove about eight country than you might think. Many shaft drive and ninety degree V-twin bolts and drop the engine unit right police departments use Guzzis, and c~mfiguration, but on.ly 500cc out of t? e fr,,:me. Once it's out, the there are a surprising number of small dlsplacem~nt. Its smallness ISapparent cases spilt horizontally, plus the front ~~~I~~s~!eS; ,sc~ ttere~ around t.9is..... __ .f:~~ th.~ ~~~5 Y<:!~ ~~s!.t'!row. ~ leg oy_~rr , • • il~~ .~ack ends come off. The rest .of, ' By P e t er M8g00" . C Stop t h e contest I W e h ave a WInner lor utest Baby around. It's a brand new Moto Guzzi . V-50, and the best looking little 500cc twin you've ever seen. We managed sneak off the bike seems as straightforward in des ign , and should be no great problem to work on . You won 't have any starting problem with the V-50. The electrical system is virt ually identical with that on the larger T3. T he battery, sta rter and alternator are all th e same as on the bigger bike . There is a Bosch COl ignition as well. T here are lots of nice littl e tou ches that im pressed us, like the front and rear drain plugs on the oil sump. Then there is the apparent quality of the paint and chrome. The pipes look to be deeply chromed and have a seam only on the bottom. The seat is hinged at the back and folds back and sray s there. Underneath you find a superb kit of very rugged tools and a handy little storage compartment that contains a very literate manual which describes even detailed maintenance procedures. The headlight, taillight and direc tionals are all sufficiently large and nicely styled . Each ' directional light also has a good-sized reflector on the side. T here is a parking-light setting on the ignition switch . which , b y the way, is styled like a little knob. Pull on the knob and you find a key attached. This might foil a th ief for 3 or 4 secon ds . Even though the knob - folds sideways , it still makes a lump in your pocket. We suggest yanking off the knob and drilling a little hole in the key for your keychain. Instrumentation is bright .a nd legible. There are also idiot lights for high and low beam. oil pressure, etc. , but th ey are small and should be shielded better from the sun so they can be seen'. The bike is equipped with a rugged centerstand, which will lift it easily, providing you don't pla ce your foo t on the littl e ear that's just there to help you locate the th ing . It is a rugged looking stand. but the spring won't retu rn it all the way, so ' you have to remember to use your foot or else it will drag. The sidestand won't sta y down at all unless you hold it with your foot while you let the bike down onto it. It is located too far forward and is awkward to use. Another questionable piece of mechanical apparatus is the shift linkage. This is a Rube Goldberg sort of affair designed to transmit pressure from your toe to somewhere up in back of the transmission hous ing where it hooks on . If you stretched it all out it would measure about eighteen inches, and 'the energy lost to mechanical ac tion probably is a factor in the need for a very positive shift. If you're not firm , you grind gears and find false neutrals . Once you get used to it , the problem goes away . . There are several miscellaneous items worth noting. Footpegs are of the folding variety and are comfortable . Front and rear fenders are steel and appear well supported. There is a steering lock on the frame behind the headlight. The horn is located out in the open in front of the engine and is plenty loud. Rear shocks have adjustable preload. Only electric starting is supplied , but a kickstarter is available as an option. Each 24mm Dell'Orto carb is fed by its own petcock with a reserve setting. You shouldn't have to use reserve too often if the 60mpg mileage proves out, which it seemed to in our test . We had the opportunity to take the V·50 int o the North Georgia mountains for a day. We also had three other Guzzis in the group; a LeMans and two T3's. We found that the little twin starts easily , provided that you choke it if it's not at least lukewarm . Starting off, you immediately notice the need for firm " p«)sitive shifts. , Oil, alsq notice

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