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Moto Guzzi 350

Moto Guzzi arrived only gradually at the 350. For some time the company had been producing 250- and 500-cc. motorcycles, and it had often tried to modify the Va-liter and the V2-liter to obtain something in between. Tests in the 350 class were all made in the first years after World War II, at the time of the Gambalunghino's finest successes. Indeed, it was that model that gave the Guzzi people the idea of building a larger version. The larger motorcycle was almost a carbon copy of the Gambalunghino, and the Guzzi racing department hoped that it could beat the Norton and Velocette, which had dominated the 350 class for some time.

The 350 single-shaft made its racing debut at Hockenheim in 1953. The German circuit was not the ideal one for the agile Italian 350; it was better suited to the more powerful British motorcycles. But the Guzzi vehicle was more aerodynamic than the competition thanks to its new fairing, an experimental bird-beak design. The Guzzi 350 won on its first outing. Sportswriters called it a surprise win, but those who were in the know did not.
At the end of 1953 the 350 won its first world championship. That was the same year that the glorious Gambalunghino had lost the 250 title to the NSU Rennmax.

Motorcycle: Moto Guzzi 350 Single-shaft Manufacturer: Moto Guzzi, Mandello del
Lario Type: Racing Year: 1953
Engine: Guzzi single-cylinder, horizontal, four-stroke, with overhead single-shaft distribution and bevel gear shaft. Displacement 344.5 cc. (75 mm. x 78 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Five-speed block
Power: 35 h.p. at 7,800 r.p.m.
Maximum speed: About 130 m.p.h.
Chassis: Double cradle, open, tubular, with stamped-plate parts. Front, swinging-link suspension; roar, fork with telescopic shock absorber
Brakes: Front and rear, central drum