MAGNI ’ S LEMANS
When the driving force behind MV, Count Domenico Agusta, died in 1971 the days remaining for the firm’s motorbike division were numbered. The firm became a victim of corporate reshuffling and the Stateinfused boards and banks which took over did not tolerate the lack of profit that had previously been sustained by the Count’s passions. Inside the racing works, Arturo Magni was responsible for overseeing both bikes and the celebrity team of riders who piloted Magni-prepared MV machines to more manufacture / rider world titles than any other maker in history.
MV’s racing exploits ended in 1975 and soon after the new management pared away the famous fours to concentrate on Bell helicopters. Too young to retire, the master tuner began his namesake company in 1977 with sons Carlo and Giovanni, crafting performance accessories for the MV four and introducing a new, racing-type chassis two years later.
It was easy to predict that the shortage of MV multi-cylinder motors would dictate the need for an alternate engine, making Arturo’s choice of the Honda dohc 900 Bol d’Or a logical first step. Christened the Magni Honda 1, it used a modified version of Magni’s MV frame. The following MH2 was enhanced with premium suspension, Carlo Magni’s alloy or magnesium EPM wheels, and works-style MV bodywork. With Honda phasing out their air-cooled inline in favour of the new V4, Magni started to fulfil requests from German enthusiasts asking for a redefined BMW. Fitting the opposed twin in his own frame, offered in differing levels of flash and dash, the Magni BMW drew praise from the sophisticated sports rider. However, the arrival of the K100 drew interest away from Magni’s squared-off wunderbike, despite its vastly superior style and performance.
Finding a willing partner in Moto Guzzi, Magni Motorcycles at last had a long term solution for engine supply, and Arturo’s reputation as a shaft-drive specialist made for a natural fit. Stripped of its bodywork, it’s noticeable how similar Magni’s frame is to Tonti’s original, retaining the trademark triangular point at the swinging arm pivot, top rails through the cylinder splay, detachable lower rails and even Tonti’s preferred 28-degree fork angle. The top tubes are cross-braced in three places, the front-most brace attaching the top main tube. This differs somewhat from Tonti’s pattern that butts and joins the tubes at the front via sideplates, as does the cross brace at the front just above the alternator, doubling as the frame joint.
Made primarily of 32mm argon-welded chrome moly tubes, Magni’s beefy frame is both stronger and lighter than the Mandello unit, off-setting some of the extra weight added by Arturo Magni’s parallel beam swinging arm.
Something like 200 Magni Lemans (or Le Mans if you prefer; both versions were used) models were produced from 1986 to 1989, so there’s a fairly slim chance you’ll spot one unless mingling among the elite at some five-star Alpine resort. Reporting on a test conducted at the Monza Junior circuit, racing journalist Bruno De Prato praised both the machine’s stability and its willingness to react to sensitive input; two accolades that rarely run together.
The whittled fork yokes, 40mm Forcella anti-dive fork, lightweight EPM wheels and special Brembo brakes all contributed to the Magni’s excellence, but the focus plainly fell on the brilliantly executed parallelogram swinging arm. Engineered decades before the shaftdrive Gilera, the arms and bearings eliminate drive gear pinion climb (or drop) while maintaining normal suspension action. This is aided further by a dual U-joint driveshaft that relieves binding when not in alignment. This set-up was judged to be‘a world apart’ by De Prato, putting the Magni Lemans on a very short list of the best handling motorcycles available in 1986.
According to De Prato, the Magni couldn’t fully explore the limits of its chassis with the standard 949cc engine, but the Lemans managed to trigger the Monza timing lights at 143mph. Not bad, considering TUV regulations in Germany (Magni’s biggest import destination) demanded the factory airbox, frame breather and exhausts. Finished mainly in red with black or white and grey, the vented tank/seat is a one-piece cover fitting over an aluminium fuel cell.
To meet the demand from an international cache of customers, stripped down variants in Classico and Sfida trim were released, followed by specials made to resemble classic MV models.