MV Agusta 175
Flying Saucer
1927 witnessed the maiden flight of Count Giovanni Agusta’s Ag2 monoplane which was reportedly the first “sport” aircraft designed and built in Italy. Unfortunately he passed away later that year leaving the family to run Construzione Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta.
The arrival of WW2
saw Italy side with Germany and the factory contributing to the war effort. Nearing the war’s end, the eldest son Domenico, considered the main force behind the business, foresaw an unfavourable outcome and secretly planned to build an affordable motorcycle to keep the factory and staff going post-war. His vision was correct as Italy’s punishment forbade them from producing any aircraft. On the 12th of February 1945 he formed Mechanica Veghera Agusta
(MV Agusta) and the MV98 was born (see OBA 87).
It wasn’t long before the MV98 was updated to a 98 Sport just like his Dad did in 1927. This pattern was repeated on most subsequent MV models. Domenico was competitive and believed in racing as the ultimate sales tool. In 1948 Franco Bertoni won the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on the first 125cc MV race prototype, initiating the quest for MV’s racing supremacy. A 125S (Sport) road version followed in true MV fashion.
MV Design Foundations
This new model set MV’s design cues which carried through well into the ‘70s. The new frame introduced a two-piece pressed, fully welded hollow boomerang shaped section to each side. It began at the rear engine bracket and ended 125mm behind the damper mount where it supported the rear mudguard via a spacer, providing a bonus centre stand lift handle. A decal on top of the fuel tank celebrated their recent championship win. The label grew longer every year as their championship tally increased. A new model code included the engine’s cubic capacity as a prefix followed by abbreviations T for Turismo (Touring), L for Lusso (Luxury) and S for Sport. Engine and gearbox specifics included 2T for 2 tempo (2 stroke), 4T for 4 tempo (4 stroke), 3V for 3 Velocita (3 speed) and 4V or 5V as applicable.
When the ‘up to 125cc’ government licence and registration fee exemption was removed in 1951 manufacturers moved to larger capacities. The trend began favouring 4 stroke engines as it was realised that while dearer to make, they delivered superior ‚