MOTO GUZZI
It’s Turin, Italy, in October 1977. The days start getting shorter and the first snow falls in the Alps, and the area is quite cold. Piedmont was the birthplace of trials in Italy and although there are other high-growth regions such as Lombardy, Tuscany and Veneto several of the top Italian riders Tosco, Teobaldi, Baldini and Bartorilla live around Turin. During those white autumn evenings Bartorilla Giuseppe decides to start making his four-stroke dream become a reality.
Honda came to the rescue of the trials world with the four-stroke Honda, Sammy Miller and his team of riders including Rob Shepherd, Nick Jefferies and Marland Whaley in the mid-seventies. The ‘clockwork’ music of the valves in the small, compact motors began to fascinate four-stroke enthusiasts. However, Honda did not aim to bring its extremely expensive prototypes into production and were happy to just taste the champagne and celebrate their success.
Dream to Reality
Bartorilla had just finished the Italian Championship trial in a very good fifth place, having had the privilege to use one of the new pre-production Montesa Cota 348 models. Previously he had benefited from the support of the Italian Bultaco importer and had his own ideas of what a trials motorcycle should be. He was convinced that the attributes of the four-stroke motor was the way forward. He appreciated how smooth and flexible a four-stroke application was in the world of trials, having ridden two-strokes for so long. To go from dream to reality and pursue the fourstroke idea he knocked on the door of his good friend Carlo Colombari, who had a superb reputation of working the magic with Moto Guzzi engines. He had worked since 1963 as an official Guzzi dealer — Gamba e Dolza — in Turin.
During the cold winter of 1977 the friendship evolved into a project with a deadline of having a new Moto Guzzi ready for the start of the 1978 championship season. The basis of the project was the four-stroke Moto Guzzi ‘Stornello’ model, which had an engine that had already shown its robust attributes. They raised the original engine capacity from 160cc to 220cc using the Moto Guzzi ‘Galletto’ pistons. The cylinders are easily recognised as they have cooling fins with wide gaps between them to increase cooling. Other changes to the motor included the addition of an extra weight to the crankshaft and modifications to the centrifugal oil filter.
Moto Guzzi Trials
The final cylinder size would be 218cc — 65mm x 66mm — with a compression ratio of 8.9:1. The original cylinder head was from the Sport model but they also tested the one from the Turismo model. The Sports model valves were fitted, 30.5 and 25.5 for the admission to the exhaust, which reduces the overall weight of the assembly.
They also modified the combustion chambers and cooling fins to adapt the cylinder. The carburettor is a 22mm Ø Dell’Orto VHB and they worked to upgrade the air filter for competition use. Several exhaust sizes were tested but they always returned to 32mm Ø. The original exhaust is very short and direct, and it fitted perfectly to the cylinder and the crankcase. They placed a silencer just below the filter box, with a double outlet at the height of the left shock absorber. The frame construction is the work of Giuseppe Bartorilla, who found that the framework from the Stornello Guzzi model would adapt the best for trials.
At first he had thought to place the motor in a frame from the Montesa Cota 348 but it would have been too heavy. He changed the bend at the top of the frame to allow space for the filter box and exhaust. The swinging arm pivot was positioned centrally, between the motor and gearbox sprocket, but after some tests it was moved a little further down.
For the rest of the motorcycle the components were selected from the best around at the time: Marzocchi or Betor front forks, according to the preference of the rider, and Akront Grimeca hubs and rims.
How Good?
The machine tested is number 8 out of the batch of 12 that was produced. When it was offered to me in March 2012 I had not been that interested in purchasing it. The bike belonged to one of the Colombari brothers and after some changes of ownership it remained forgotten in the garage of a doctor in Turin who was a Moto Guzzi enthusiast. I went to see my friend Bartorilla, who is an excellent technician and in my opinion the best one yet. He confirmed to me the authenticity of the machine and that it was 100% original, and the purchase was made.
After a few weeks the motorcycle arrived in Spain and on my first outing with it I won, which gave me a pleasant surprise. I honestly thought that the motorcycle would be pretty heavy, bulky and difficult to ride but I was 100% wrong. The Guzzi has a perfect riding position — we see the touch of Bartorilla; the balance and weight distribution is so good and one that many trials fans would appreciate. The motor is very flexible, a real tractor without the punch of a two-stroke but with more than ample power on offer. The overall weight is amazing at 84kg and offers a real contrast to the appearance of the machine. This model has the Betor front fork fitted with off-set Bitubo rear shock absorbers. The exhaust is one of the first tested with the shortest length and attached directly to the cylinder. It performs better with a longer exhaust that gives a little more low-down response, but in my opinion they are not so beautiful aesthetically. The fuel tank is handmade in fibreglass and this one fitted has more capacity than the others. The fenders are also the original transparent ones fitted. The motor runs very well and will idle very well with a nice ‘clockwork’ noise.
If we want the Guzzi to work properly it needs to warm up for a short period. I got used to leaving it on tick-over for a few minutes before we start to rev the motor. Bartorilla remembers that he tried a silencer of larger dimensions, but it was more difficult to ride.
So Smooth
Once on board you soon realise that the first of the five gears on offer is the best choice for trials, and how smooth the engine response is. The second gear is a little long and this why you soon get used to doing everything in first. Turning the throttle lets the power out, and on high openings it certainly has the roar of a lion. The traction is incredible and it adapts well to all types of terrain. The Betor front fork is impeccable and you soon realise that the centred position of the handlebar gives a very modern riding position. Other riders who try it are surprised and they are sure that the Guzzi has nothing to envy the Bultaco Sherpa and Montesa Cota which provided the benchmark at the time.
You may ask what its weak points are. I do not think it has many, but do not expect miracles. The Guzzi motorcycle is a very balanced machine, aimed at rider comfort. It has to be ridden ‘Old School’ style to get the best from it. Forget the clutch, as the motor is so flexible, and just ride it — which rewards the rider with the best results. As we have stated before first gear is the best as second is just too tall; you must use the power of the motor to its full potential to expect it to perform in this gear.
The respected ex-Bultaco works rider and World round winner from Spain, Manuel Soler, attended the test ride with us. He summarised the Moto Guzzi by explaining that everything was in the correct place and the performance was well above what was expected from this special motorcycle. “It’s light, well balanced and turns on a sixpence, and above all is a pleasure to ride”, he explained.
Who is Carlo Colombari?
Colombari Carlo was born in Veneto in 1943 but he lived in Piedmont, in the minicipality of the Alta Val di Susa Salbertrand. He was a well-recognised enthusiastic motocross rider and mechanic from the 1960s who worked at the famous Moto Guzzi dealer in Turin — Gamba e Dolza — where he learned all the secrets of Stornello engines. He finished his career when he became a family man but continued to ride in local trials.
His preferences were the Time and Observation competitions, which had been organised by the Moto Club Torino since 1962.
His mechanical skills allowed him to modify machines to suit these competitions which require more power from the motor. First he built two machines for Bartorilla, two for Gigi Pegoraro, and others for his brothers. The production rate was a motorcycle every three months, and it was clear that it could never become a mass producer.
Colombari continued to work with ‘his’ Guzzi until his death in 2011 after a long illness.
Who is Giuseppe Bartorilla?
Giuseppe ‘Pippo’ Bartorilla was born in Turin in 1947 and is one of the pioneers of Italian trials. He competed in the first regional championship in 1971 and finished second, only one point behind Gianfranco Mulatero. He continued to compete in trials until he was interrupted by military service in 1974. His riding did not go unnoticed, and he was rewarded with the loan of a Bultaco from the Italian importer when he came back from his military service.
In 1976 he took the Bultaco Sherpa to a win at the first round of the Italian Championship and finished the season in fourth place behind the ‘three musketeers’ of Italian trials Giovani Tosco, Fulvio Adamoli and Ettore Baldini.
In 1977 he changed his Bultaco for one of the very first pre-production Montesa Cota 348 models. As we have already explained, he created the Moto Guzzi with Colombari and rode it in the 1978 and 1979 Italian Championship. He also rode it in several rounds of the World Trials Championship and the 1979 Scottish Six Days Trial with his good friend and team-mate Gigi Pegoraro. The Moto Guzzi was also used to pioneer Sidecar trials in Italy, with Maurizio Cumino as a passenger.
In 1979 he also accepted the responsibility from the Italian Federation to develop motorcycle trials in Italy. He has always kept interested in trials and in the 1990s he began to share his passion as both a rider and an organiser.
Today he is retired but still finds time to ‘play’ with his good friend Carlo Ramella, where the topic of conversation revolves around cylinder heads, cylinders, wheels and renovation of classic trials motorcycles. A big thank you to Rafael Esteve — owner of the beautiful area we had for testing the machine and founding member of the Moto Club Cingles of Bertí — for the hospitality and organisation of the meeting.