Moto Guzzi V7 850s
Moto Guzzi in the 1970s came in all shapes and sizes. This month we look at an 850GT and an 850T...
NO TINSEL TRUCK – THE MOTO GUZZI ELDORADO
The Moto Guzzi Eldorado feels and looks like it was sculpted rather than assembled, as though created by some mechanical Michelangelo working in aluminium and steel.
The Eldorado is a big motorcycle. While an 850 today is almost considered a middleweight, back when the Eldorado was launched it was one of the biggest motorcycles you could buy.
Designed to take Harley-Davidson head on, the Eldorado manages to combine its hugeness with some rorty performance. The lack of shiny geegaws and add-on bits led David Whittingham, who owns this 1974 Eldorado, to say: “It’s not a tinsel truck. It’s a tractor. In the US it was called the Eldorado, but in Europe it was the 850GT.”
The bike was brought from America into the UK by an importer in Verwood, Hampshire, where David found it in reasonable condition.
“It needed tidying up,” he said, “so I stripped it, put a new clutch in, and replaced the crankshaft oil seals.
“I tend to take my bikes to bits at first, anyway. It looked as though it had been jet-washed, as although it was clean on the outside, the hidden parts inside were covered in black muck.”
David’s Eldorado has a five-speed police specification gearbox fitted. David said: “The first loop frame models had a four-speed box, but the US police specified a five-speed box. They wanted a bike that was more reliable than their HarleyDavidsons.”
The starter ring gear was worn out and needed changing, which David spotted as soon as he pulled the starter motor off. The ring gear from an 850T was fitted instead, Eldorado bits being hard to find.
“I think the silencers were brand new Lafranconi items, and it had higher police spec handlebars. It came without pillion pegs, so I had to find some of those.
“I cleaned everything and hand-painted the frame; you can’t really tell and it’s very hard wearing. The bike came with a Guzzi screen, which is not an original Eldorado item.
“It’s a little bit agricultural and getting the gear change right is a bit of an art.
You need to put downward pressure on the heel part of the gearshift lever just before pulling in the clutch to change up smoothly.”
Riding it is bit demanding. There is also a mighty four leading shoe front drum brake which can be a challenge, especially to set up. The brakes are good in the dry, but in the rain the front wheel will lock up easily.
“There’s a lot of weight to haul around, and the riding position is very sit-up-andbeg, which makes it quite comfortable,” David explained. “The running boards are fantastic on a long run, as you can move your feet around and not get stiff joints.
“Putting it on the centre stand is a bit of an art, too. What you have to do is push the centre stand down, put your right foot on it with all your weight, grab hold of the ‘bars and the rear grab rail, and lift upwards rather than pull it backwards. If you do that, it will go on easily. This bike came without grab rails, so I found some and fitted them just to make it easier get it on the stand.”
Bits that were not changed include the indicators and the original sealed beam headlight, which David has kept partly because the glass is thicker than the UK replacement and partly because the beam pattern is perfectly good. “I don’t ride at night much anyway,” he added.
The shock absorbers are the originals, which David describes with cheerful understatement as “a bit hard sometimes”. The handling is “quite nice – I’ve never grounded the footboards, even though I’ve had it over quite a
“It’s a little bit agricultural and getting the gear change right is a bit of an art. You need to put downward pressure on the heel part of the gearshift lever just before pulling in the clutch to change up smoothly.”
way.” This is despite the Eldorado’s engine sitting very low in the frame, with a twoinch gap between the top of the engine and the petrol tank.
The dynamo mounting strap, which holds the unit on at the front, had been repaired, but David was concerned about its rigidity, so he built an extra mounting at the rear, mounted on the frame using a Mini valve spring so it was held in place but could still move about.
The missing, rather crude aluminium cover was replaced by one David made out of a plastic bucket. New sleeves were fabricated to improve the gearshift and brake mounts: “They were flopping around all over the place.”
It comes with a delicious alloy casting to hold the speedometer and the idiot lights, though Moto Guzzi decided not to mark these to let the rider know what they meant when they flashed.
The best thing about the Eldorado, for David, is the sound: “With those Lafranconi exhausts, when you go into tunnel or on a narrow road between houses, it sounds phenomenal.
“I love the fact that it’s so unusual. It’s built like a tank. Almost everything on it seems oversized.”
Once Guzzis are in your blood, having more than one is common. David also has a 1980 Spada and a MkIII Le mans. While he doesn’t have a favourite, he said: “All I can say is the Eldorado is the one I won’t get rid of.”
A T FROM THE MID-WEST
Paul Young’s 850T is another US import. Unlike the Eldorado, this is a sharp-suited sports tourer rather than a big old cruiser.
“I got it from DK in Stoke on Trent, and it originally came from Minnesota,” he said. “It was tatty and tired but there was no rust on it anywhere. It didn’t take me too long to get it running and roadworthy – the biggest problem was getting the lights to work properly, thanks to loose connections in the wiring.
“The carbs had been drained, so that was good. I stripped everything off, gave it all a clean and did the tappets, then rebuilt the master cylinder and fitted a new caliper for a T4. The only real difference was that the new one has a bigger bleed nipple. The old one had two 6mm nipples on there and both had broken off.”
These early T models did not have the linked brakes fitted to later bikes, just a single Brembo disc at the front and 2ls drum at the back: “It will lock the back wheel at 30mph.”
Paul gave the paint a refresh – a job that took three goes and longer than expected. He also changed the shocks and the fork oil and fitted some aftermarket air filters to “let more air in”.
He said: “It handles like a dream. It’s amazing for a bike that’s 45 years old –a basic sort of bike, but they got it just right. The balance is so good. This thing goes round corners like it’s on a rail.”
The 850T’s build quality is as impressive as that on the Eldorado. It still has the unblemished stainless steel mudguards and the Borrani alloy rims that came as standard. Like the Eldorado, it has the US spec side stand. American Guzzis used a modified design of side stand vastly superior to that used on European models. On the insistence of the US police force, the stand is mounted in a bracket welded to the front left downtube. When the stand is extended, it slides into a locking mechanism on the mounting, stopping it from flipping up unexpectedly – a common problem with Euro Guzzis.
There are stainless steel exhaust pipes, turned a lovely shade of bronze to complement those alloy rims: “I used to prefer cast wheels, as spokes were hard to clean. Now I must have spoked wheels.”
The 850T is the latest in a string of Moto Guzzi vees. “I bought an 850T in 1980 from a bloke who had wrecked it,” said Paul. “I took that one apart and changed the clutch. The plates come off a Hillman Imp and the points are off a Fiat.
“What’s good about it? The sound is fantastic and the performance is fabulous. It’s a thrill to ride. It’ll easily do a ton on permitted roads, but its sheer effortless acceleration is what gives me a kick. I
“I fitted a new caliper for a T4. The only real difference was that the new one has a bigger bleed nipple. The old one had two 6mm nipples on there and both had broken off.”
also have an 850T3 that has the linked braking system, but it’s not as quick. It feels better quality than later Guzzis I’ve ridden, probably because it was built before the mid-1970s recession hit. The engine is so smooth. I used to ride sports bikes until I got neck ache. Now I just enjoy the thrill of riding the Guzzi – there’s something rather special about it. You can just get on it and ride it anywhere. I’m over the moon with it.”
THE ROAD TO ELDORADO
The origins of the V-twin engine used in the Eldorado, the earlier Ambassador, the 850 T, the T3, the Le Mans and so many other big Guzzi vees are shrouded in mystery and misinformation. One legend is that it first appeared in 1960 as the powerplant for a tricycle half-track for the Italian
Army. There are also suggestions that the V7 engine was based on a 500cc 90-degree V-twin motor designed for Fiat.
Neither of these are entirely accurate. While this engine was also a 90-degree V-twin, the designers of the V7/ Ambassador engine, Guilio Carcano and Umberto Todero, told writer Greg Field in his book, Moto Guzzi Big Twins, that the V7 engine, apart from being a 90-degree V-twin, had nothing in common with the half-track motor or the Fiat unit. It’s like suggesting an early 1960s pre-unit Triumph Bonneville is the same as a 2015 Bonneville because they’re both twins.
Carcano did not design the half-track engine but helped develop it. Todero did design the Fiat engine. Both pointed out that the V7 engine differs from the earlier creations in head design and structure, the distribution of sparks, engine displacement, lubrication, fuel systems, and engine crankcases. Carcano points out that the half-track engine had a forced cooling system and completely different cylinders, heads, and engine casings. This, however, doesn’t stop some Guzzi owners referring to their twins as ‘tractors’, with tongues firmly in cheeks.
THE ENGINE THAT SAVED MOTO GUZZI
The original Carcano-Todoro V-twin for the V7 was designed in the early 1960s as an air-cooled, longitudinal crankshaft, transverse cylinder, pushrod 700cc V-twin producing 45bhp. It was built in 1965 to win a competition sponsored by the Italian government for a new police and military bike. This was very important for Moto Guzzi, as a decent government contract would, it was believed, ensure financial stability. One proviso was that the engine had to be good for at least 100,000 kilometres without needing major repairs. The sturdy shaft-driven V-twin won, but Moto Guzzi still went into financial receivership in 1967, being essentially nationalised while production continued. That same year, the engine was used in the in the first 700cc V7.
The American police force, including the influential LAPD, were finally getting fed up with their unreliable and slow HarleyDavidsons and were casting around for an alternative. They liked the V7 but felt it wasn’t quite powerful enough, so it was punched out to 754cc. After another sales pitch, it was adopted by several police forces, which did its reputation in the US no harm at all. The use of Moto Guzzis in the movie Magnum Force didn’t hurt either, even if the bike David Soul rides into the ocean and to his death mysteriously changes from a Guzzi to a Triumph 500 mid-jump!
The big engine was carried low in the tubular, double-cradle frame, with fattish (for the period) 18 x 4.00 tyres. The camshaft was between the vee, making the pushrods as short as possible. Twoand-a-half litres of oil went into the wet sump, with an excellent lubrication system sending it wherever necessary. At the front of the engine a belt was used to drive a 300watt Marelli generator that sat between the cylinders. As part of the drive to longevity and practicality, a few Fiat parts were used. The starter motor came from a Fiat 1100. The battery had to be powerful to turn over the Ambassador’s mighty vee, so they used one from Fiat’s 850T van, and dropped the kick-start. This was an unusual move, as even the Japanese and BMW hadn’t been confident enough to ditch the kick-start just yet. A clutch with two friction and two plain plates carried the power from the longitudinal crankshaft to the four-speed gearbox, and then via shaft to the rear wheel.
Moto Guzzi took pre-delivery model preparation more seriously that some other manufacturers we could mention. Once built, the Guzzi would be bench run for five hours and then taken for a 40-mile test ride. The tank would be drained, battery removed and handlebars unbolted, the bike crated up and shipped as it was. All the importer had to do was jemmy open the packing crate, fit a new battery, slosh some fuel in, bolt on the ‘bars – and the bike was good to go. The new owner could then slide a leg across the saddle, turn on the fuel and ignition, give it a little choke and push the starter button. Then, with everything in the engine department rocking away, they would pull in the clutch, engage first gear, gently release the lever and go... the horizon beckoning.
For 1969 the engine was bored out to 757cc, and for the American market the V7 became the Ambassador. New cylinder heads were used, with a higher compression ratio, which helped up the horsepower to 60bhp.
In June of 1969, a much-modified Ambassador manged to reach 145mph on the Monza racetrack. The Ambassador was a big hit in the US, but American buyers had an insatiable desire for cubes, and more power. The 850 Eldorado supplanted the Ambassador. Meanwhile, in Italy,
Lino Tonti, who had joined Moto Guzzi in 1967, had come up with the sportier and more compact Tonti Frame, replacing the mighty full loop of models from the earlier V7 to the Eldorado. Along with his V7 Sport, Tonti’s efforts resulted in a feast of motorcycling gems from the Le Mans to the California and the automatic V1000 convert, and the square block range from
the V50 onwards.