 
Moto-Guzzi Le Mans 850 1976 - 1978. 850cc OHV air-cooled 90-degree V-twin Why you might like an 850 Le Mans... Looks: Moto Guzzi hit the style jackpot with this one.
Performance: 125 grunting mph.
Power: 71hp quoted at the wheel (some claim more).
Handling: 8 out of 10. Firm grip required.
Braking: Competent 70s Brembos. Linked.
Sound: Grand entrance and departure every time.
Size: Diminutive. Compact. Accessible to most riders.
Durability: Heavily engineered, solidly built.
Nigusil: Chromed bores cut noise, and help boost power.
Maintenance: Straightforward architecture. Easy peasy.
Weight: Around 430lbs. Pretty good for a 70s superbike.
Fuel consumption: 45mpg possible, but not likely.
Seat height: 30-inches with a short(ish) path to ground.
Shaft drive: Reliable delivery, but saps power.
Wet sump: Helps prolong bottom-end life.
Top-end maintenance: Engine configurations makes it easy. Lower frame rails. They unbolt, thereby easing maintenance. ...and why you might not like one Vibration: These Italian tractors slowly grind you down.
Gears: Can lock-up on clumsy down-shifts/revs mismatch.
Rust: Exhaust and frames love FE2O3.
Reliability: Italian electrics are like Italian politics. Got it?
Wrists/forearms: The carburettors will cause you pain.
Wheels: Oh so 1970s. But should have been wire, not cast.
High gearing: Not ideal on the urban drag strip.
Cylinder heads: Can kneecap you and/or cook your knees.
Riding position: Cafe racer 'bars and rear-sets. Beware.
Contact breakers: Points ignition. Upgrade to electronic.
Pillion: Forget it. Limited space. Let 'em take the bus.
Finish: If this was a film, it would be a "B" movie.
Fakes: Check the detail. "Homages" are commonplace.
Electrics: Notorious for niggling problems.
Gear change: Awkward. Owner's often revise the linkage.
Universal joints: These get neglected. Check when buying.
External crankcase webbing: Not everyone's cuppa.  ▲ Moto Guzzi 750S. You can draw a direct (and short) line between this 750cc V-twin and the 850cc Le Mans. Alejandro De Tomaso had purchased Moto Guzzi in 1972 and retained his own ideas about styling. The 750S was essentially a reworked V7, but the more angular tank and side panels gave the bike a profile that was very up-to-the-moment (if looking a little dated now). Features included swan-neck (adjustable) handlebars, Silentium "shark gill" mufflers, and twin Brembo calipers on cast iron discs up front. There are still a few 750Ss around, and at reasonable prices. We've even seen one or two that have been "up-cycled" into crude facsimiles of the Le Mans. But we'd leave 'em well alone. The 750S is a classic machine in its own right.  ▲ Moto Guzzi 850T. Ideal for crossing the odd continent. Or two. This motorcycle, launched in 1974, was one of the progenitors of the 850 Le Mans. The 850T designation refers to 850cc (actually 844cc) and "T" for "Tonti" as in Lino Tonti who designed the frame and shoehorned in the (upgraded) engine from a Guzzi Eldorado. With around 68hp on tap, this 860T was capable of almost 120mph (under favourable conditions). It was launched with a single front disc, and became the T3 in 1975 when braking was upgraded with a trio very credible stoppers. As a great Guzzi all-rounder, this bike could be the right choice for most riders. 
▲ Moto Guzzi Mk1 Le Mans Dell'Orto carb velocity stack. No air filters mean dust and particles in those famous Nigusil cylinder bores. Not a great idea in terms of durability. But the performance compensation is a fair trade off for most riders/owners. 
▲ Harsh driveline on your Le Mans? Check the cush drive rubbers in the rear wheel. They're hard-wearing, but they do age and will give you a rougher take-off. Check the universal joints too. Little fixes make a huge difference (note: images are not to scale). 
▲ Guzziology. If you buy a Le Mans, or pretty much any Guzzi, you'll want a copy of this book written by Guzzi guru Dave Richardson. Richardson also owns and runs Moto International (www.motointernational.com) and is considered by many as one of the cornerstones of the Guzzi world. Meanwhile, check the Moto Guzzi crank (image immediately above). It's a wonderfully designed and solid piece of Italian engineering. Very high mileages are reported for Guzzi engines, and they can be amazingly smooth if you get that special one or build 'em right. 
▲ Many people talk of Moto Guzzi engines as being simple and agricultural. Crude even. And in many ways, so they are. But they're also well-thought-out pieces of very practical engineering. You need very few special tools. They're ideal for the home mechanic. There are no great mechanical mysteries within. And there are no end of upgrades. But okay, expect some roughness which you either accept or reject. Meanwhile, you have to work hard to break one.  ▲ Moto Guzzi Mk2 Le Mans. Still handsome/sexy/devilish/enticing. But two years after the launch of the Mk1, the designers were on a slippery slope from radical to conventional. Don't misunderstand us; the Le Mans was, and is, a great bike. But as with great actors and rock stars, they're more interesting when they die young and leave a beautiful corpse rather than grow old and tired and ... well, sterile. Also available in blue and yellow. Note the rectangular headlamp and restyled fly screen-cum-half fairing. 
▲ Moto Guzzi was using wind tunnel technology way back in the 1950s. This Italian manufacturer of "agricultural motorcycles" has for decades been a leader rather than a follower and a pioneer of new thinking. That's a Le Mans 1000 about to feel the blast from the giant fans (image immediately above, left). And to the right, that's a cockpit detail of Mk2. The Mk2 arrived in 1978 and stayed in production until 1980. 
▲ In the 1960s, Luigi Stucchi began producing accessories to help personalise Moto Guzzi motorcycles. Based in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the firm manufactured everything from rear-sets and fork braces (image immediately above), to handlebars, crash bars, bodywork, saddlebags and suchlike. Today, the business is run by Luigi's son, Antonio, and the original stuff is sought after by the discerning cognoscenti. Think of Stucchi as Italian for Dunstall. Other Guzzi accessories hail from Tarozzi, Marzochhi and Lafranconi (to name but a few suppliers).  ▲ 1000cc Moto Guzzi Le Mans. The bike became both better and worse in roughly equal measure. The Le Mans lost much of its hard-boiled charm and matured (if that's the right word) into a more refined (and even sedate) tourer with a half-fairing, a more upright riding position, and a more accommodating pillion. The bodywork was increased at the rear and a belly pan appeared.  ▲ By 1984, the cubic capacity of the Le Mans has increased to 1000cc (actually 949cc). This was the Mk4. The style changes are obvious. But beneath the skin, Moto Guzzi had been reworking the bike in dozens of subtle, and not so subtle ways. However, the lean and compact sportster that was the Mk1 was gone. The Le Mans was now grazing.  ▲ The sporting Moto Guzzi 1000S arrived in 1990, a direct descendant of the original Le Mans (or, more accurately, a direct descendant of the 750S). The wire wheels give this bike a more "classic" look. But the original Le Mans cast wheels (often erroneously referred to as "mag" wheels are durable and right for the period. Either bike is a treat. 
1976 Moto Guzzi 850 Mk1 specifications
Engine: Air-cooled, four stroke, 90-degree, OHV V-twin
Capacity: 844cc
Bore x stroke: 83mm x 78mm
Compression ratio: 10.0:1
Induction: 2 x 36mm Dell'Orto carburettors
Ignition: Points
Starting: Electric
Max Power: 71hp (52 kW) @ 6700 rpm
Max torque: 58lbs/ft (79 Nm) @ 6000 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed
Final drive: Shaft
Front suspension: Telescopic fork (cartridge)
Rear suspension: 5-way adjustable coil springs
Frame: Duplex cradle, swinging arm
Front brakes: 2 x 300mm discs, Brembo calipers
Rear brake: Single 242mm disc, Brembo caliper
Front tyre: 4.10 x 18
Rear tyre: 4.25 x 18
Dry weight: 429lbs (195kg)
Fuel capacity: 5-gallons (22.5 litres)
Average mpg: 40
Top speed: 130mph
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Le Mans rivals
Le Mans & V7 Sport
Lino Tonti's frame
Le Mans engine
Gearbox and clutch
Le Mans Mk1 build numbers
Conclusion The iconic and lusty 850cc Motor Guzzi Le Mans was introduced in 1976. It made its debut at the Milan Motorcycle Show in November the previous year. The bike was launched into the UK market at exactly the right moment when the seventies superbike craze was at full tilt. At that time, most of the major manufacturers were either flirting with, or had developed large capacity bikes ranging from 750cc to 1000cc. Among the big news motorcycles of the day were the Kawasaki Z-series; the Laverda SF range; and the Ducati 860GTS. 
BMW, meanwhile, was fielding the worthy (but never too exciting) R75/7. The Suzuki GT750 "Kettle" (or "Water Buffalo" in the US) was still king of the water-cooled two-strokes and was mopping up orders from the nation's hooligans. Honda was selling a respectable number of CB750s (but looking like it was running out of ideas). Yamaha was busy campaigning the XS750. Triumph was still pushing (not always literally) its T140Vs and T160s (both great machines, but getting long in the tooth). And the Norton Commando 850 had one year left before the chop. When the 850cc Le Mans appeared, it re-established the Mandello del Lario firm as a manufacturer of seriously sporting bikes (as opposed to fairly run-of-the-mill but competent tourers and roadsters). But it wasn't cheap. You could pay around £2,000 for a Le Mans when a Triumph T140V was around £1,100. The roots of the 850cc Le Mans were grown in the fertile mechanical soil of the 1967 703cc V7 Roadster. By 1971, that bike had been developed into the 748cc, 70hp V7 Sport model. The V7 Sport in turn led to the 750S and the 750S3. Both machines were good bikes, but 750cc simply wasn't enough anymore, and the 750 V7 Sport wasn't as sexy as much of the competition and needed fresh impetus. Meanwhile, Moto Guzzi had developed the 850T, "T" for "touring". And it was the bones of this related engine that were fleshed out for the 850cc Le Mans, the first of the many variants and, generally speaking, the most desirable. 
Although essentially the same animal as the V7 Sport, the Le Mans took the 90-degree transverse 850cc V-twin concept an important stage further. The Le Mans was leaner, meaner, offered slightly more power, and with its low slung clip-on handlebars, rear-sets and cockpit fairing, it was dressed to thrill. And thrill it did. The linked Brembo brakes increased stopping confidence, and that in turn increased handling and performance confidence. 
Lino Tonti's frame Legendary Moto Guzzi engineer Lino Tonti (1920 - 2002) designed the frame for the 1967 V7. This chassis was low, short, strong and very stiff. For the 850cc Le Mans, Tonti reworked the chassis tubes and exploited a design bonus when the engine designers scrapped the between-the-cylinders belt-driven generator and replaced it with a Bosch alternator located at the forward edge of the engine on the end of the crank. That gave Tonti space to include a frame stiffening tube between the cylinders thereby helping making a very good frame into a superlative chassis. 
Le Mans engine The 850cc engine of the Le Mans features an 83mm x 78mm bore and stroke. The power is a claimed 71hp @ 7,300rpm, and that's reckoned to be at the rear wheel (some say it's higher; as much as 78hp). But the driveshaft siphons a lot of power, and there's much argument about exactly where these hp numbers are measured (i.e. at the crank, at the rear wheel, on the drawing board, or just plucked out of the ether). For our part, we're happy to accept around 70hp at the wheel and leave it at that. But in any case, raw power measurements alone are meaningless unless and until you factor that power into other aspects of the ride and build. Maximum torque, by the way, kicks in at 6,000rpm with a respectable 58lbs-ft (79Nm). For the Le Mans, bigger valves were fitted. The 32mm Dell'Orto pumper carbs of the 850T became 36mm (with velocity stacks). The iron cylinder liners of the 850T became Nigusil plated (Nickel-Guzzi-Silicon; Guzzi's version of Nikasil, which is a trade name). The Nigusil process returned better fuel consumption, lowered oil consumption, reduced wear, cut noise, improved heat dissipation, and generally offered tighter manufacturing tolerances. The crankshaft is a single forging. It runs in plain bearings supported in aluminium carriers. The con-rods sit side by side on a single journal. The camshaft is chain-driven. There are two valves per cylinder actuated by pushrods. 
Gearbox and clutch The standard five-speed gearbox is typical for Guzzi being clonky but positive. The gears are helically cut and (unusually) incorporate a shock absorber. Helical gears offer reduced noise, but the payback is frictional power losses. A close ratio competitions box was an option, and is very rare. But owners will chop and change, so you should check exactly what you're buying. Note that changing the gearbox oil can be a little tricky, and that means it doesn't always get done as often as it should. So ask pertinent questions. Just keep in mind that the gearboxes are tough and durable. Tip: fit a magnetic drain plug. The two-plate dry clutch is generally reasonably light, progressive and reliable. But as with BMW airhead boxers, the Le Mans clutch runs at engine speed (i.e. on a 1:1 ratio and not at, say, half speed). That explains some of the gearbox clonk. 
Overall, the Le Mans likes to be worked hard. Yes, it will bimble along at traffic speeds if you bully and cajole it. But the engine prefers life beyond 4,000rpm. At those revolutions, the bike hustles ahead along a private rail track returning great stability, excellent handling (partly due to its cartridge front fork; then a new idea) and competent braking, but the MG takes no prisoners. You have to whip to make it gallop the way Moto Guzzi intended, and even decades after it was launched, this machine will still give a few comparable modern bikes a bloody nose. The throttle is heavy, mind. And that's seriously heavy. But owners like to muck around with return springs and engineer private fixes, so some bikes are a lot easier to manage. Other owners simply fit Mikuni carburettors, or similar, and stick the stock Dell' Ortos in a box for the next fool. 
Le Mans Mk1
build numbers It's generally quoted that 6,817 examples were built, which, if true, makes these bikes rare. Of the Mk1s, there are two choices; the Series 1 (around 2,000 or so built) or the Series 2 (around 4,000 or so built). The Series 1 featured a rounded tail light which became rectangular on the Series 2. Other changes included black front fork sliders, a larger saddle, and a revised rear mudguard. The Le Mans family evolved through the unofficial Mk1 designation to Mk5. In 1984, the engine capacity increased to 1000cc. Many riders opine that this increase spoiled the feel of the Le Mans, and we'd agree. The 850s just feel ... better. More urgent. Raw. At the same time, the front wheel diameter was reduced from 18-inches to 16-inch. Again, this was not favoured by many. The Le Mans lineage, using the original Tonti frames, was discontinued in 1991. 
Conclusion Buy the Mk1 Series 1 if you can. It's the original package. It rides as well as any of them. It (arguably) looks the best. It's among the smallest and lightest of the range. And it will hold its value better than its stable mates. However, watch out for later Le Mans' masquerading as Mk1s. Modifying a bike in this way is no sin, of course. Nevertheless, you'll want to know what you're buying. But all of the Le Mans bikes are great fun. Tip; if you plan on a lot of touring, go for the later 1000cc models. However, if you're just out for a good time on your local back roads, you know which one you need to invest in. If you're tall, mind (and that means over five feet ten inches), the Mk1 Le Mans will feel cramped. It ain't often than being short is an advantage. But the Moto Guzzi Le Mans is great compensation for your lack of vertical inches. |