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2014 Shannons Melbourne Winter Classic Auction
Lot
11

1979 Moto Guzzi G5 1000cc Cafe Racer Motorcycle

PASSED IN

Passed In

Specifications

Engine Twin-cylinder, 1000cc
Gearbox 5-speed manual
Colour Monza Red

Description

This lot is no longer available

With interest in large capacity bikes rekindled in the 1960s, Moto Guzzi introduced a big V-twin towards the end of 1965 following an order from the Italian police force and the series continued in production for decades to come. The V-twins did particularly well in America and were marketed there under names like California, Ambassador and Eldorado. Between 1975 and 1983 Moto Guzzi's largest motorcycles consisted of a range of V-twin 1000cc bikes, with a bore and stroke of 88mm by 78mm. Under the direction of Alessandro De Tomaso, who wanted to shift from sports to more touring oriented bikes, the original V1000 I-Convert was quite technologically advanced, with the engine mated to a hydraulic torque converter (supplied by Sachs) and a two-speed semi-automatic gearbox, with a dry clutch. Initially intended for police duty, the big Guzzi was joined by two derivatives, the 1000 G5 and 1000 SP in 1978, the latter with different three-piece fairing, footrests, panniers and mudguards. Both the G5 and SP ditched the semi-automatic transmission in favour of a conventional five-speed gearbox (which resulted in a significant weight saving) but the engine was otherwise unchanged, producing a healthy 64 horsepower at 6200 rpm. The fuel system consisted of twin 30mm Dell'Orto VHB items and the compression was 9.2:1 and the G5 had a suitably impressive top speed of around 190 km/h. The braking system was certainly up to the job of stopping these big, powerful bikes, consisting of twin front discs with dual-action Brembo calipers and a 242mm rear disc fitted with an anti-locking device. Often overlooked in the telling of Moto Guzzi's history, the 1000 G5 proved a worthy flagship for the Italian marque, particularly in America.