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2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 Family
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine Review
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine
THE NEW, SINGLE THROTTLE V7 ENGINE.
The original engine design dates back to 1977, the year of the Moto Guzzi 50s fortunate début.
Since then the engine has been continuously updated, sustaining displacements of 350 up to 750 cc, going from carburetor to electronic injection, but staying faithful to the genial layout introduced in the original design by engineer Lino Tonti. Appreciated all over the world for its proverbial reliability and functional regularity, the small block, after many years, needed a bit more liveliness at high rpms.
And so, the search for greater performance opened the door to a new design, rich with innovative solutions that project this engine among the most advanced in its category with more than 70% new parts, equal to more than 200 new or redesigned mechanical organs.
This design freshness can already be seen in the layout of the thermal group which is a summary of the design philosophy for the entire bike: innovation which respects tradition. And so it is that the square finning, legacy of production from the 1980s, passed the baton to a rounded shape which is reminiscent of the first generation of two cylinders from Mandello.
The valves cover is also a homage to the origins of the V7; made in aluminium, it faithfully covers the profile of the finning, showing off the Moto Guzzi signature in bas-relief. Another element which is immediately recognisable is the disappearance of the two intake manifolds and relative throttle bodies: in fact, the new small block is the first single throttle Moto Guzzi engine.
The manifolds were replaced by a single Y manifold made of rubber, completely ribbed and straight (diameter of 36 and 39 mm respectively from the injector groups and the throttle body) which links to a single Magneti Marelli MIU3G 38 mm diameter throttle body.
This is a modern unit which allows two lambda probes to be managed, thereby obtaining a mixture to the cylinders which is more uniform with consequent improvement in fuel economy and harmful emissions, besides contributing to the increase in performance, which was the goal of the entire design. For this purpose a new head was designed, working on the intake ducts, now larger in diameter and better linked to reduce losses and increase turbulence, as well as repositioning the spark plug hole more centrally, thanks to the use of a more modern plug with d=10mm threading and a prominent electrode.
The squish area and the compression ratio is also increased, thanks to the use of new, higher performance pistons which increased the ratio by one point, going from 9.2 to 10.2. In addition to the pouches obtained at the top of the piston, the bottom of these are completely redesigned to make the structure more sturdy without increasing the weight. The segments are also new, with more modern sizes, material and shapes, and they contribute to improving efficiency and oil consumption.
The general efficiency of the engine stems from the contribution of the new cylinder finning, greater dimensions and wheelbase which lowered average operating temperatures, and the new filter casing, redesigned to accommodate the “breathing” needs of the two cylinder from Mandello.
With this new configuration, the two cylinder from Mandello became significantly more sturdy in engine torque and above all in maximum power, growing 12% with higher inclination for spurts and a power curve which expresses its additional horses already from 3500 rpm.
The transmission has also been revamped, still five speeds, but with a new pre-selector which has made control more precise, smooth and quiet.
THE ORIGINS OF THE LEGENDARY V7.
The year was 1961 and the success of the mass produced car was radically reorganizing the motorcycle market. Moto Guzzi, empowered with enviable design capacity reacted to the unfavourable circumstances by exploring new markets, from delivery tricars to agricultural machinery and special vehicles – even cars. For the latter, the genius designer Giulio Cesare Carcano designed a two cylinder 90° V air cooled engine destined for a sport version of the Fiat 500, capable of touching 140 km/h.
They liked the new engine in Lingotto, but the annual quantity that Vittorio Valletta requested exceeded the production capacity of the Mandello del Lario plant, so the agreement never came to fruition.
Engineer Carcano, however, did not lose heart and he increased the size of the two cylinder engine to 754cc to use it on the “3X3”, a popular, variable track three wheel drive vehicle destined for the Alpine troops. At the same time a ministerial tender was launched to provide motorcycles for the Highway Police; the winner would be whoever could travel 100,000 km with the lowest maintenance cost. It was the right occasion to place engineer Carcano’s two cylinder on a bike, the Moto Guzzi V7. It was an innovative project that combined the reliability of automotive standards with a level of comfort and mechanical affordability unknown to the competition that arose the curiosity even of foreign police forces, Los Angeles being among the first. The commissioning of the new V7 began in 1964. The bike had a 703.3 cc engine which developed 40 hp and it weighed 230 kg. In 1966 mass production began, destined for the police department and foreign markets, while the next year the V7 was distributed in Italy at the competitive price of 725,000 lira, much more convenient than the German and English competition.
EVOLUTION ACCORDING TO LINO TONTI.
Giulio Cesare Carcano’s creation was perfected by an expert designer who joined Moto Guzzi in 1967: Lino Toni. Hailing from Forlì, with a great deal of experience in competitions with Mondial, Bianchi and Gilera, the engineer was called on by the general manager Romolo Stefani to expand the range of the maxi-bike from Mandello del Lario. The V7 appeared at the right time, bikes were coming domineeringly back into fashion almost as a reaction to the conformism of the car and the market is particularly open to innovations. The first thing Tonti did was to increase the engine size to 757 and the power to 45 hp to launch the V7 special in 1969, faster, more refined and elegant compared to the V7. Then he created, initially for the American market, the V7 Ambassador and the California, the latter destined to be one of the great Moto Guzzi success stories. The next milestone coincided with Lino Tonti’s masterpiece: the V7 Sport. The designer from Forlì had clear ideas and he set the three parameters of the sport bike from Mandello: 200 km/h, 200 kg, 5 gears. To reach the objective he made some changes to the engine, taking the displacement to 748.3 cc and the power to more than 52 hp, redesigning the crankshaft and camshafts, in addition to placing the alternator in the front in order to keep the vertical bulk down.
The engine was lodged in a tight, double cradle frame, painted red for the first 200 units made in CrMo and assembled directly in the experience department on via E.V. Parodi, No. 57. The bike made its début in 1971 and in June of the same year it participated in the “500 kilometres of Monza” race taking third place with Raimondo Riva. And this was the beginning of a series of flattering results obtained in endurance races such as the 24 Hour Le Mans and Liegi races which would contribute, together with very popular riders such as Vittorio Brambilla, to making it the most famous Italian sport bike of the 1970s.
FROM THE V7 TO THE 850 GENERATION.
Over a couple of seasons the technological evolution which was achieved with the V7 Sport Moto Guzzi was also transferred to the rest of the range. The new frame, the four pad front brake and the five speed transmission introduced on the V7 Sport represented, together with the increased engine size, the primary innovations of the V850 GT, a model which would mark the retirement of the lucky V7 Special in 1973. The Sport would also lose the famous alphanumeric name, replaced in 1974 by the Moto Guzzi 750S. The last model to give up the glorious alphanumeric name was the V7 850 California, which would not pass the baton to the new 850 T California until 1976.
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine – International Specifications/Technical Details
MSRP Price: NA
Engine Four-stroke V 90 twin
Displacement 744c
Maximum power 37.5 KW (51HP) at 6.200 rpm
Maximum torque 58 Nm at 5.000 rpm
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine – US Specifications/Technical Details
USA MSRP Price: $NA USD
See international specifications listed above.
2012 Moto Guzzi V7 750 Engine – Canada Specifications/Technical Details
Canadian MSRP Price: $NA CDN
See international specifications listed above.
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