Moto Guzzi V7750 Sport Verde Legnano
Moto Guzzi V7750 Sport Verde Legnano | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 1971 - |
Engine | Four stroke, 90° V twin, longitudinally mounted, OHV, 2 valve per cylinder |
Compression ratio | 9.8:1 |
Ignition | Battery with double contact breaker with automatic advance |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Suspension | Front: Telehydraulic forks Rear: Swinging arm with hydraulic dampers preload adjustable |
Brakes | Front: 2x 220mm drum Rear: 220mm drum |
Front Tire | 90/90-18 |
Rear Tire | 110/90-18 |
Wheelbase | 1500 mm / 58 in |
Seat Height | 760 mm / 30 in |
Weight | 206 kg / 454 lbS (dry), 227 kg / 500 lbs (wet) |
Fuel Capacity | 17 Liters / 4.4 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four stroke, 90° V twin, longitudinally mounted, OHV, 2 valve per cylinder. The engine featured a 9.8:1 compression ratio.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 90/90-18 front tire and a 110/90-18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 220mm drum in the front and a 220mm drum in the rear. The front suspension was a Telehydraulic forks while the rear was equipped with a Swinging arm with hydraulic dampers preload adjustable. The V7750 Sport Verde Legnano was fitted with a 17 Liters / 4.4 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 206 kg / 454 lbS. The wheelbase was 1500 mm / 58 in long.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
Moto Guzzi V7 750 Sport Verde Legnano
This is getting hectic. Ahead of me is the bright red shape of an Alfa
Romeo saloon car being driven rapidly down a winding country road. Behind it, I
am gunning the Guzzi's V-twin engine for all it's worth, then squeezing :he
brake lever hard and hurling the bike through the bends in an attempt to keep
up. And on every straight I'm lifting my left hand Dff the bars to prevent my
loose-fitting goggles from slipping off altogether.
My increasingly desperate attempts to keep up with the Alfa are not designed
just to prove that two-wheeled Italian vehicles are faster than four-wheeled
ones, even when ridden one-handed and watery-eyed. Quite simply, the driver is
myphotographer, he knows where he's going and I don'tso I'm very keen not to
lose him. Besides, sometimes it's nice to have an incentive to ride hard,
especially when you are riding a bike like this immaculately restored Guzzi V7
Sport, without doubt one of the best early-Seventies machines that I could have
chosen for the chase. The Sport fully deserved its name, as this breakthrough
model for Guzzi was the first truly sporting machine to be built using the
Mandello del Lario firm's transverse V-twin engine.
The V7 Sport was introduced in 1971, after Guzzi engineer Lino Tonti had
produced a new frame to house a new 90-degree transverse V-twin motor developed
from that of the less racy V7 Special. Guzzi's trademark engine had originally
been designed in the late Fifties to power the 3x3, a tractor-like device
produced for the Italian ministry of defense. Guzzi, looking for a replacement
for its ageing Falcone flat-single, had then upgraded the shaft-drive V-twin to
power police bikes and the 703cc V7 tourer of 1967.
For V7 Sport use, the touring motor was made more powerful and compact. Bore
and stroke dimensions of 82.5 x 70 mm gave capacity of 748cc, reduced from the
757cc of earlier models (including the V7 Special), allowing entry in 750cc
races. Valve gear and conrods were lightened, and twin coils and points fitted
along with bigger, 30 mm Dell'Orto carbs. The result was a peak output of 52 BHP
at 6400 RPM, well up on the touring engine's 40 BHP.
There were plenty of changes in the bottom end, too, although the new motor
retained old-style features such as the simple gauze strainer, instead of a
proper oil filter. A new, heavily ribbed crankcase and five-speed gearbox were
added, and a more compact Bosch alternator situated on the front of the crank
replaced the previous motor's large car-type dynamo between the cylinders.
Tonti's frame was lower than its predecessors due to its top rails (which
were strengthened by a diagonal spine) running between the cylinders, where the
dynamo had previously been. Its front forks contained sealed damper units.
Wheels were 18-inchers, the front holding a big 220 mm (8.7 in) double-sided
twin-leading-shoe front drum brake.
Guzzi certainly knew how to build an eye-catching motorbike in those days. As
well as the lime-green paintwork, the first 150 examples of the V7 had bright
red frames. Numerous neat details included the "swan-neck" clip-on handlebars
that could be slid up the forks to give an upright riding position. Under the
seat was a small inspection light that automatically illuminated
when the seat was lifted.
This immaculate Sport dates from 1973, being one of the of fewer than 4000
that were produced before production ended toward the end of that year. It
certainly felt exotic, stn even, as I climbed aboard and fired up the
enginewhich ca done either with the starter button or, in car style, by turninc
ignition ke»,'to feel that trademark lurch to the right of the gitudinal
crankshaft.
This bike's bars were set in the normal, lowest position so the riding
position was stretched forward and sporty. As I pulled away I was conscious of
the way the engine's low-rev shaking smoothed as the revs rose, noise increasing
with a blend of hollow sucking from the Dell'Ortos and muffled bark from the
stylish but rather too efficient (at least for my liking) Silentium pipes.
Guzzi V-twins have a reputation for low-rewing torque, but the V7's 750cc
motor really came alive only at about 4500 RPM, and pulled strongly from there
to the red-line at 7250 RPM. At lower revs it ran perfectly well, but it didn't
generate much in the way of forward motion when I wound open the Tomaselli
twistgrip.
Provided the motor was kept spinning, though, life was much more interesting.
The Guzzi showed a healthy turn of acceleration, even from speeds of 70 mph (113
km/h) and above, and cruised at 90 mph (145 km/h) plus with an effortless feel.
If I slid back on the seat and tucked my knees in as the designer intended, the
Sport loped along at an indicated 100 mph (160 km/h), with plenty of speed in
hand to its 125 mph (200 km/h) top speed.
Stability was always a Guzzi strength, and the V7 stayed solid both in a
straight line and in fast curves, thanks in no small part to the rigidity of its
frame, which used the big V-twin engine as a stressed member. Suspension was
good, too, although the front forks were rather soft and underdamped, and their
sealed hydraulic damper units meant that this could not easily be cured by using
thicker oil in the normal fashion.
Despite weighing 225 kg (495 lb) the Sport could be flicked around quite
easily, and its handling did not suffer too much from the shaft-drive rear end.
This bike's Bridgestone tires gave reassuringly modern levels of grip, too.
Apart from an occasional squeal at low speed, there was not much wrong with the
big double twin-leading-shoe drum brake, which gave plenty of bite even at high
speed. My only chassis-related concern was that the gearlever grounded, with
potentially disastrous consequences, when well cranked over to the right.
That didn't prevent the lime-green machine from being a pretty quick bike, as
the driver of that much younger Alfa discovered. The V7 Sport was too expensive
to sell in big numbers but it established Guzzi as a manufacturer of high-class
sporting super-bikes. No wonder the Mandello firm honored it by releasing the
similarly styled V11 Sport in 1999. The V7 Sport is where the legend of big,
fast Moto Guzzi V-twins began.
From Motorcyclist, dec. 1972
"When riding the V7 Sport you can feel the immediate and complete security of
a machine which follows the pilot in each movement even when pushing it at high
speed on curvy roads.
All this enthusiasm for a motorcycle derives from a fundamental fact which
you can feel while riding it. It has exceptionally good handling and stability
because it is so compact and has such a low layout.
Although the V7 Sport has sporting features it can be used for touring and
long trips without tiring the rider. This is due not only to the aforementioned
characteristics but to some less noticeable features such as an engine that does
not wobble, plus sturdy suspension. The V7 Sport is really a motorcycle which
means something in today's motorcycle world, and even if the price is a little
high it will surely be accepted by two-wheeled enthusiasts everywhere."
Make Model | Moto Guzzi V7 750 Sport Verde Legnano |
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Year | 1971 - |
Engine Type | Four stroke, 90° V twin, longitudinally mounted, OHV, 2 valve per cylinder |
Displacement | 748.4 cc / 45.6 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 83 x 70 mm |
Cooling System | Air cooled |
Compression | 9.8:1 |
Induction | 2x 30mm Dell'Orto VHB 30CD carburetors |
Ignition | Battery with double contact breaker with automatic advance |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 70 hp / 32 kW @ 6300 rpm |
Max Torque | NA |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Final Drive | Shaft |
Front Suspension | Telehydraulic forks |
Rear Suspension | Swinging arm with hydraulic dampers preload adjustable |
Front Brakes | 2x 220mm drum |
Rear Brakes | 220mm drum |
Front Tire | 90/90-18 |
Rear Tire | 110/90-18 |
Dimensions | Length 2200 mm / 85 in Width 710 mm / 28 in |
Wheelbase | 1500 mm / 58 in |
Seat Height | 760 mm / 30 in |
Dry Weight | 206 kg / 454 lbS |
Wet Weight | 227 kg / 500 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 17 Liters / 4.4 US gal |