V65: THE NEXT STEP…

The Moto Guzzi V50 effectively threw the company a lifeline. Even if the bigger V-twins were strong sellers they weren’t necessarily making a lot of cash.

The half-litre twin and its smaller brother had clearly demonstrated that there was both market and scope for variations on the transverse V-twin theme. 1984 saw the V65 break cover, neatly pitching it above the V50, yet below the Le Mans and 850T series. The V65 was created by increasing bore and stroke; in this instance adding six millimetres to the diameter and seven to the crank throws with a gentle reduction in the compression ratio. A pair of 30mm carbs ousted the 24s; both gearbox and final-drive bevel-box got updates to handle the extra 'urge'; wheelbase grew by 50mm.

The bike proved to be a relatively popular development of the small V50 and, much as expected, Moto Guzzi rolled out numerous variations of the theme. The bike appeared in naked roadster format. There was a faired, touring V65SP version and a V65TT trail iron aimed fair and square at BMW’S 80 G/S. There was also a super-sleek looking V65 Lario with later le Mans-type styling and four-valve heads which, just like the V35 before it, soon fell out of favour. High revs caused flexing in the valve train, which then dropped valves and destroyed pistons. Lessons finally learnt, the factory swiftly reverted to two-valve heads and eventually produced the V75 from the 650. From there the so-called ‘small block’ motor would go on to be the blueprint for all future V-twin developments.