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Moto Guzzi 500 Twin

Moto Guzzi 500 Twin 1951

When Moto Guzzi retired its famous four-valve single-cylinder motorcycle, it had to build a valid substitute. This took place in 1933, when Moto Guzzi was intensely involved in racing. Somebody thought that a good 500 could be developed from the single-cylinder Albatross 250 by adding a second cylinder to the first one and thus doubling its displacement.

This bright idea, when transformed into reality, produced one of the longest-lived racing motorcycles of the period, the Guzzi two-cylinder. Stanley Woods rode it to victory at the 1935 Tourist Trophy. That great Italian racer Omobono Tenni won his finest victories with the Guzzi two-cylinder. Bandini and Sandri drove it in the long legs of the Nord-Sud race. And Bertacchini and Lorenzetti rode the vehicle to its last wins before retirement.

Its maneuverability and reliability made the Moto Guzzi 500 competitive, without substantial changes, on all the European tracks for a span of nearly twenty years—from 1933 to 1951. It was in 1951 that the motorcycle won the Swiss Grand Prix and the final race of the Italian championship, at Senigallia. The vehicle was then withdrawn from racing into a retirement it had thoroughly earned.

Motorcycle: Moto Guzzi 500 Two-cylinder Manufacturer: Moto Guzzi, Mandello del
Lario Type: Racing Year: 1951
Engine: Guzzi two-cylinder, four stroke V, 120°. Single-shaft overhead distribution with bevel gear shaft. Displacement 493.9 cc. (68 mm. x 68 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Four-speed block
Power: 48 h.p. at 8,000 r.p.m.
Maximum speed: 130 m.p.h.
Chassis: Tubular, open, double cradle, large-diameter crossbar. Front wheel, swinging-link suspension; rear wheel, spring fork and friction shock absorber
Brakes: Front, four-shoe central drum; rear, side drum