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Moto Guzzi 500 Single-cylinder Gran Premio
1966
Moto Guzzi withdrew from motorcycle racing in 1357. Unlike
Mondial and Gilera, the other two signatories to the "abstention pact," Moto
Guzzi never raced officially after that.
Many people believe that the last racing motorcycle built by the Guzzi company
was the much-discussed 500 8 V model. Actually the last Guzzi racing motorcycle
was a 500 two-shaft single-cylinder that had been built especially to back up
the eight-cylinder in case that vehicle failed to overcome problems on mixed
tracks.
The Moto Guzzi 500 8 V proved to be up to the competition and capable of
handling tight curves. So the new single-cylinder was retired.
In 1966 Giuseppe Mandolini, who rode Moto Guzzi motorcycles
privately, persuaded the Guzzi company to let him borrow the 500 single-cylinder
for the Italian championship season. The vehicle had never been raced before.
With a 1966 regulation carburetor, the veteran motorcycle proved to be
outstanding. It came in third at Riccione. The Guzzi single-cylinder lagged
behind the advanced colossuses put in the field by Gilera and MV, but it came in
ahead of the Aermacchis and the Nortons.
Motorcycle: Moto Guzzi 500 Single-cylinder Gran Premio
Manufacturer: Moto Guzzi, Mandello del Lario
Type: Racing
Year: 1966 (built in 1957)
Engine: Guzzi single-cylinder, horizontal, four-stroke, with two-shaft overhead
distribution and bevel gear shaft. Displacement 498.7 cc. (84 mm. x 90 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Five-speed block
Power: 47 h.p. at 7,000 r.p.m.
Maximum speed: Over 140 m.p.h.
Chassis: Openwork, tubular, engine suspended. Front and rear, telescopic
suspension
Brakes: Front, central drum, four shoes; rear, central drum
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