Moto Guzzi 250 1949

1949 GUZZI 250. Guzzis won the 250 c.c. Lightweight T.T. three times in succession in the immediate post-war period with race speeds of 73, 75 and almost 78 m.p.h. in 1947, '48 and '49. The rider of the winning machine in 1947 and 1949 was Manliff Barrington; in 1948 it was Maurice Cann, who was to lose the 1950 race to Dario Ambrosini (Benelli) in a sensational finish by only 02 sec.
In design the successful 1949 machine differed in only one important respect from its predecessors. It had new bottom-leading-link front forks with a very large-diameter brake on the front wheel. Rear suspension was surprisingly similar to that of the "500" on which Stanley Woods won the 1935 T.T.

As had long been Guzzi practice, the engine was built in unit with its gearbox and had its cylinder horizontal. A large-diameter external flywheel was employed and the induction tract was swept in almost horse-shoe pattern so that the carburetter could be mounted in a "normal" attitude. On later Guzzi 2503 the induction tract was to be completely restyled so that it ran roughly parallel to the twin front down-tubes.
In the race, which was from a massed start of the twenty-nine competitors, Barrington had a seven-lap duel with Tommy Wood, on another of the "works" Guzzis.

Four machines were entered by the factory and they were all "in formation" for the first two laps. On the third lap Lorenzetti's model stopped with valve trouble; lap 4 saw Wood in the lead by over half a minute, for Barrington had had to make a pit stop to change valve springs, but he had already become the first man to break a pre-war lap record. Dickie Dale, on the fourth "works" Guzzi, took the lead on lap 5, held it on lap 6, but had a valve drop in on lap 7. Barrington, two seconds astern of Wood at the end of lap 6, scratched round on the last lap to win by twelve seconds.

SPECIFICATION
Engine: horizontal single-cylinder 250 c.c. o.h.c; drive
to camshaft by shaft and bevel gears. Ignition: magneto.
Transmission: gear drive to five-speed gearbox in unit with engine.
Frame: cradle type with duplex down-tubes; pivoting-
fork rear suspension. Forks: leading link.

Moto Guzzi 250 Gambalunghino 1952

The maximum power that a single-shaft 250 model could obtain before the introduction of special fuel mixtures and supercharging was about 20 h.p. This was enough to enable the small Guzzi to dominate its class, and it maintained its position when supercharging came into use. After World War II, however, the new racing regulations prohibited both supercharging and high-combustion fuels. Thus Moto Guzzi had to develop a revised 250 racer.

Until 1948 Moto Guzzi had raced its Albatross 250 model, which generated about 23 h.p. But with the world speed championship in the offing, the company introduced its Gambalunghino model ("Little Long Leg"). This motorcycle was a smaller version of the single-cylinder 500, the Gambalunga ("Long Leg").

The Gambalunghino was not very different from the 1926 single-shaft 250, but the chassis was improved, the vehicle was more streamlined, and the fuel system was better. The original version generated 25 h.p., while the final, 1952 version generated 27 h.p. Bruno Ruffo rode the Gambalunghino to win the 1949 and 1951 world championships and Enrico Lorenzetti rode it to the 1952 championship.

Motorcycle: Moto Guzzi 250 Gambalunghino
Manufacturer: Moto Guzzi, Mandello del
Lario Type: Racing Year: 1952
Engine: Guzzi single-cylinder, horizontal, four-stroke, single-shaft overhead distribution, with bevel gear shaft. Displacement 246.9 cc. (68 mm. x 68 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Five-speed block
Power: 27 h.p. at 8,500 r.p.m.
Maximum speed: Over 110 m.p.h.
Chassis: Tubular, open, double cradle. Front wheel, swinging-link suspension; rear, fork and telescopic shock absorber
Brakes: Front and rear, central drum