PRE-WAR ITALIAN SINGLES
These two pre-war Italian singles prove restoration isn’t always right
Wonderfully patinated Guzzi 500S and Gilera 500VL on the road
Sometimes, original bikes are just too nice as they are to restore. And I think David Boarer’s lovely 1938 Gilera 500VL is a case in point. It simply oozes period charm. Surely it would be a shame to disturb the patina of more than 80 years. And, while his 1936 Moto Guzzi 500S has obviously had some of its paintwork restored at some stage in its 84-year lifetime, it hasn’t been overdone. It still looks like an old motorcycle. Where do you find pre-war gems like these two?
By accident, seems to be the answer. “I bought them back in 2007,” smiles David. “I’d sold a BSA 350cc Gold Star and had a bit of spare cash in my pocket. I got a tip-off from a customer (David ran his own metal profiling business for many years) that they were coming up for sale. They belonged to an Italian gentleman in Wellingborough and, after he died, his widow wanted to sell them. I only really wanted to buy one of the Guzzi 500s, but she insisted I took all the bikes. I bought this pair, a 1936 Moto Guzzi 500V Bitubo and a little Moto Guzzi Leggera, for £7500.” I’d say David got a bargain.
Moto Guzzi singles seem to fly under the radar in the UK. The twins are what we all know, but the singles have a charm of their own – and are the bikes that put Moto Guzzi on the map in the first place. The first Moto Guzzi 500 single – indeed the first ever production Moto Guzzi motorcycle – was the 1921 Normale. With its horizontal engine and exposed flywheel, it was to set the template for all subsequent Guzzi singles, and spawned a multitude of models in the inter-war period. The rigid S model, which also appeared in GTS form (with ‘spring box’ rear suspension), was introduced in 1934 alongside the sportier, ohv V and GTV variants. David’s S might be the base model in the line-up, but it’s still a finelooking, well-engineered machine. The engines for the 1934 V and GTV 500 singles represented a complete redesign. The V and GTV were the sporting options in the range, with overhead valves and a four-speed gearbox. But, mindful of the continuing need for a basic workhorse, Guzzi also produced S and GTS models, both featuring the tried-and-tested exhaust-over-inlet valve arrangement that could trace its origins back to 1928. It was to prove a wise move. Almost twice as many (4004 units) of the rugged and dependable S model were produced than the rigid, overhead-valve V.
The S engine features that exhaust-over-inlet top end,
‘GUZZI SINGLES SEEM TO FLY UNDER THE RADAR IN THE UK’
with a coil spring for the inlet valve and a hairpin spring for the exhaust valve, which is opened via a long, exposed pushrod. The classic Moto Guzzi outside flywheel allows the crankcase castings to be kept narrow and rigid, with the main bearings close together, while a modest, 4.6:1 compression ratio and 13.2bhp provides undramatic (but adequate) performance.
It’s a recipe for long life and almost legendary reliability, which explains why David has hardly had to touch the bike since buying it. “I’ve just serviced it really,” he confirms. “It runs beautifully. I got it and the Bitubo registered and I’ve ridden this on a few VMCC runs – including the Banbury – and taken it to a few local shows. It hasn’t missed a beat. I love the soft power and the way you can get the tickover down to next to nothing once you’ve got everything set up right. It’s so relaxing to ride.”
With restricted time and the daylight fading fast, my riding time on the two bikes is, sadly, going to be limited. And the fact that the Gilera has never been registered in the UK means that I’m going to have to rely on the kindness of the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden, where we’ve
‘THE 500S HAS OBVIOUSLY HAD SOME PAINT RESTORED IN ITS 84-YEAR LIFETIME, BUT IT HASN’T BEEN OVERDONE’
met up to admire David’s machines, to allow me access to the private roads on the estate and airfield.
As you’d expect, starting the lean and low 500S is simplicity itself. I can stand with one foot planted squarely on the ground while I kick the Guzzi into life. And, with a supersoft compression ratio of just 4.6:1, there’s no ankle-spraining kickback to worry about. With the engine thudding away, I pause to marvel at the somnolent tickover before lifting a foot to slot the gearbox into first using the typically Italian rocker-type gear lever. Opening the throttle, there’s a slight lag as the inertia of the heavy flywheel prevents an instant snap of revs – but, feeding in the clutch, the Guzzi feels impossible to stall and I’m on the move without fuss.
There’s no sense of urgency about the performance of the 500S. It gathers speed, rather than accelerates, and wringing the throttle doesn’t make anything happen appreciably faster. The secret is to relax and let the bike get up to speed in its own time. The gearbox and clutch both work well – though I do have to lift my foot off the footrest to change gear – and once I’m in top gear, that heavy flywheel keeps the Guzzi ploughing forward effortlessly.
Corners really don’t trouble the delightfully light and low machine, either. The low centre of gravity afforded by the almost horizontal cylinder makes the bike feel supremely stable as I swing through a series of greasy bends. It would be difficult to fall off this bike.
Despite the inclement weather, the Guzzi offers a wonderfully different riding experience. David’s right; it is so relaxing to ride. While the 500S is no sportster, it’s quite happy cruising at 50-55mph – perfectly acceptable for a pre-war bike. And, at those speeds, the performance is never going to overwhelm the girder forks, bobbing away over the ripples and bumps of the Old Warden estate roads. Only the occasional cavernous pothole reminds me that I’m on a rigid. I could certainly get used to this.
David’s 1938 Gilera 500VL makes a great counterpoint to the Moto Guzzi. Gilera’s V-series bikes were produced from 1931-41 and, while the sporting Saturno overheadvalve sportster and the stunning Rondine-based four-cylinder racers may be the glamour boys of the inter-war Gilera line-up, it was the side-valve models that paid the bills.
And the side-valve VL wasn’t without sporting credentials, anyway. Numerous successes in ISDT and reliability trials were testament to the soundness of the basic design. Produced in both rigid form and with Gilera’s novel swingarm suspension, featuring horizontally-mounted spring units, the V-series was hugely popular.
David’s bike might be the base model of the V-range, but it’s a gorgeous, unrestored example of the sort of bike that would have been chuffing efficiently round Italy just before the war, and won the Best Unrestored Machine award at the Carole Nash Winter Classic Show earlier this year. I’m not surprised. Conventional the side-valve 500 might have been, but as this 82-year-old survivor demonstrates, it certainly has staying power.
And that’s what big side-valve singles are all about. The VL fires up easily and takes off with the soft yet lusty pull I’d expect. It feels a lot like the Guzzi, with a relaxed, slowrevving charm of its own. I’d say the performance is roughly on a par with the Guzzi, too. If you enjoy one of these bikes, you’ll almost certainly fall for the other as well.
It looks like the bike has been converted to foot gearchange at some time. Either that or it has a petrol tank from a handchange model fitted. The mountings for a hand-change lever remain on the right-hand side of the tank. But the foot-change works well, the brakes are adequate for the understated performance of the bike and, while the rigid frame and girder forks provide a predictable ride, I’m not quite sure I’d have fancied tackling the 1931 ISDT on the Gilera. Having said that, it’s just such a pleasure to potter about on, perhaps six days on it would be just fine.
David is a lucky man. Most folk would be happy with a bike like this in the shed, but it’s just one of a collection he’s amassed over a lifetime of motorcycling. We’ll be returning in a future issue for a closer look at the other bikes that stir his soul, but for now I need to have another ride on his Gilera before it gets too dark...
‘FOUR-CYLINDER RACERS MAY BE THE GLAMOUR BOYS OF INTER-WAR GILERAS, BUT IT WAS THE SIDE-VALVE MODELS THAT PAID THE BILLS’