Moto Guzzi Le Mans history
1960-1963: Moto Guzzi 3 x 3
The transverse V-twin engine first made its appearance in the odd looking military tractor. The engine was conceived by Guzzi’s legendary designer Giulio Cesare Carcono, the man responsible for the famous racing Guzzi V8.
1975-1976: Moto Guzzi V750 S3
This is the direct forerunner of the Le Mans, and descended from the V7 Sport designed by Carcano’s successor Lino Tonti. In keeping with Guzzi practice, it shared many components with other bikes in the range, including the linked braking system from the 850T3.
1976-1978: Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk I
The Le Mans debuted at the Milan show in 1975 and went on sale in the UK the following year for £2000. That equates to £13,210 today taking inflation into account. Although not technically the best of the model, the Mk I is the most sought after today. The seat, moulded in one piece from foam rubber, was notorious for falling apart.
1978-1980: Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk II
The subject of this road test: better electrics and instruments were fitted. A beefier 32 amp-hour battery was a welcome upgrade and the troublesome single seat was replaced with a better made dual seat. The most obvious addition was the full fairing, similar in design to that seen on the Guzzi Spada. Performance wise, there was no improvement. The price increased to £2639 – £13,893 in today’s money!
1981-1993: Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk III-ON
The Le Mans name carried on for a further 12 years finishing in 1993. The first 1000cc variant appeared in 1984, succeeding the Le Mans III. Stroke remained the same at 78mm with the increased capacity coming from the bore size, 88mm – 5mm up on the previous bike.