Gary reckons this could be the most expensive bike they've ever sold in DN

The bike was in Corbridge in July, when I used it to attend the classic vehicle show. I live in Sunderland, though - so perhaps there's another? (If there is, he's not an MV Owners' Club member :dunno:).
 
Birdie:
Yes, it's a beauty, but I've had it over seven years now and I'm just becoming jaded. I've become disenchanted too by how so famous a marque is being 'milked' by Cagiva for every last ounce of its 'illustrious' history. When bikes that have barely yet finished a race - let alone won one - wear decals on their tanks proudly proclaiming they've been champions of the world 37 times, it beggars belief. Moreover, I firmly believe that the cost-cutting and quality degradation that can be seen in the glut of new 3-cyl. models will cost the marque dearly. So cheaply-built/unreliable have they become that it would hardly surprise me to learn that they are now being built by the Chinese! As a life-long real MV enthusiast this saddens me - as it does many of the stalwarts I know. In the eyes of some the badge has at last lost its lustre; in truth, it's becoming more tarnished by the day.

Steve
 
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ibgarrow said:
Yes, there's another 750SS whose owner lives in a Corbridge.
What is it like to ride?
Click to expand...

I've heard now that there's a bike in Corbridge with no engine internals: it's just used for display :dunno:

These bikes are like no other to ride. They're big and brash, and completely 'in-your-face': they make even Termi-equipped Ducs sound tame. Oddly, despite sounding so mechanical, they're extremely smooth to ride: there's no rubber-mounting anywhere; even the footpegs are metal-to-metal.

Engine's are fantastic: they're strong, they ooze character and they pull from zero all the way to 9,000rpm with a seamless spread of power. They're very responsive (immediate) on the throttle. They're not 'fast' by modern-day standards, but mine would out-drag my old Guzzi Le-Mans. Handling's very neutral at sane speeds (the chassis geometry is spot-on) but they can wallow if pushed hard over bumps. Their Achilles heel is weight; this - and brakes that take a lot of warming up - means you follow close to other traffic at your peril!

This bike - which is probably the most often-ridden MV 'four' in Britain - has been utterly reliable. In over seven years of ownership I've not had a single breakdown. It's sold now (..I think!) and I'll miss it I'm sure. Owning it has been an experience!

You can see a bit of on-board video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUJB_XX7jhw
Fairing-mounted footage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fImkF4zafXQ

Steve
 
Hi chaps

So the MV went and I've been looking for its replacement. I got it today, and took a couple of photos before I begin stripping it down later this week. It's going to be restored to show standard. Anyone care to guess precisely what it is? It's been signed by the builder himself, so one or two on here will know ;)

No cheating on Google!!

Steve


View attachment 10074
 
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NeilD said:
i think you've had 'previous' with Guzzis, so is it one of those? Australia ?
Click to expand...

It is, Neil. Of seventy-five series one models built in 1994, it's the third. (A second series were produced in 1998; these totalled fifty). They nearly all went to Germany or Japan.

It looks to be a big old 'shire-horse' of a bike, but it's surprisingly light to sit astride and wheel around the yard. The tank is of alloy and the 'guards and under-tray are of carbon fibre. I've not yet ridden it - since I've yet to register it in the UK - but it starts on the button and idles well. I suspect its flywheel is lightened over that on the Le Mans, because it responds instantly to the throttle, and barely even rocks on its axis. Here's a couple of photos:

View attachment 10077View attachment 10078
 
very nice, I think i've only ever seen one :cool: I think they're pretty standard 4V Daytona engine... ?
 
That one's a Series 2 model (..they can be recognised from their circular fairing vents and their flatter-topped/lower capacity fuel tank. Paint is a lighter shade of red, too). It belongs to a chap called John Davis, and is probably the only one currently out-and-about attending shows in the UK. Yes, the Series 1 used a standard 1000cc Daytona engine (..although many were fitted with Guzzi's 'A' kit exhausts, K&N filters and an uprated chip). The Series 2 was already 'kitted' when it left Mr. Magni.
 
I remember watching Phil Read lap Brands on an MV as a kid and thinking cool. Then later i got to ride lots of MV's and realised what a complete hero he was just to stay on the bloody thing ......lol 570lb and 75 bhp and a chassis that made Laverdas look state of the art. I also remember Phil read falling off his road going MV in box hill car park with his wife on the back..........no one laughed .......much :)
 
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