MV Agusta 500 Four

MV Agusta 500 Four-cylinder 1974

As early as 1971 the MV Agusta 350 three-cylinder seemed to be losing ground, so the three-cylinder was replaced by a new four-cylinder model the following year. The MV three-cylinder model with 500-cc. displacement held out better against the competition presented by Benelli and Suzuki, but during the winter of 1972 a more threatening rival emerged: Yamaha announced that it was entering the 500-class championship with its new four-cylinder, two-stroke motorcycle, which had been derived from the powerful Daytona 700 model.

MV Agusta did not underrate the threat posed by the Japanese manufacturer. In order to retaliate, the Italian company began testing a new 500-cc. four-cylinder engine that was built on the model of the four-cylinder 350, which had surprisingly maintained its supremacy in its crass.

At the 1973 French Grand Prix, which was the opening race of the world championship, Yamaha showed its stuff. Jarno Saarinen won the race with the Yamaha four-cylinder, while Phil Read, racing an MV 430-cc. four-cylinder for the first time, came in second. Giacomo Agostini had refused to try out the new vehicle.
The next championship race was in Australia, and once again Agostini insisted on riding the old three-cylinder model. He left the testing of the four-cylinder to Read, who led the race for a few laps but then had to withdraw, as did his teammate Agostini.

In any case, the competition of Saar-inen's Yamaha was too much for them.
The third race of the world championship was at Hockenheim. Agostini rode in the saddle of the 430 four-cylinder, which had proved to be faster and more reliable than the old three-cylinder model. Read raced the new MV 500 four-cylinder—now with full V2-liter displacement—in its debut, and he won the Hockenheim race hands down.

Then came Monza, with the tragedy of Jarno Saarinen and Yamaha's subsequent withdrawal from racing. MV Agusta went back to the old 500 three-cylinder model for the duration of 1973, and Phil Read won the world title.
In 1974 Read became the captain of the MV Agusta team, which welcomed Gianfranco Bonera as a new member to take the place of Giacomo Agostini, who had switched to Yamaha. The MV racers went back to the four-cylinder model at the beginning of the season, and with its help they were able to keep the world title.

Yamaha won in 1975 with Agostini. The Yamaha victory stirred up much controversy among members of the MV Agusta racing department. They were concerned about the competitiveness of the 500 and the racers' form. The MV technicians studied and tried out various modifications to improve the stability and performance of their four-cylinder, but their efforts
Italy

MV Agusta 500 Four-cylinder - 1976
made no significant difference.
The main problem of the MV 500 was not insufficient power, but a certain difficulty and heaviness in its steering mechanism. This was due chiefly to the fact that the powerful four-stroke vehicle had strong engine braking and rough acceleration in low gears. This made smooth driving on curves impossible, a problem that the better two-stroke engines did not have. The MV Agusta technicians accepted the racers' criticism of the motorcycle's performance only in part, and by the end of the 1975 season relations between Read, Bonera, and MV Agusta had reached the breaking point.

In 1976 Giacomo Agostini formed his own team, fearing that Yamaha would withdraw entirely from racing, and he took over the MV 350 and 500 four-cylinders. He believed that the 500 was still competitive and set out -to prove it.
Unfortunately Agostini was mistaken. The chassis and engine were overhauled and the 500 did win some international success, but it could not keep pace with Barry Sheene's Suzuki RG 500.

Motorcycle: MV Agusta 500 Four-cylinder Manufacturer: MV Agusta, Cascina Costa,
Gallarate Type: Racing Year: 1976
Engine: MV four-cylinder, four-stroke, with two-shaft overhead geared distribution and four valves per cylinder. Displacement 500 cc. (57 mm. x 49 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Six-speed block Power: 98 h.p. at 14,000 r.p.m. Maximum speed: Over 185 m.p.h. Chassis: Openwork above, tubular, with
front braces. Front and rear, telescopic
suspension Brakes: Front, double hydraulic disk;
rear, single hydraulic disk

MV Agusta 500 Four-cylinder 1976

As early as 1971 the MV Agusta 350 three-cylinder seemed to be losing ground, so the three-cylinder was replaced by a new four-cylinder model the following year. The MV three-cylinder model with 500-cc. displacement held out better against the competition presented by Benelli and Suzuki, but during the winter of 1972 a more threatening rival emerged: Yamaha announced that it was entering the 500-class championship with its new four-cylinder, two-stroke motorcycle, which had been derived from the powerful Daytona 700 model.

MV Agusta did not underrate the threat posed by the Japanese manufacturer. In order to retaliate, the Italian company began testing a new 500-cc. four-cylinder engine that was built on the model of the four-cylinder 350, which had surprisingly maintained its supremacy in its crass.

At the 1973 French Grand Prix, which was the opening race of the world championship, Yamaha showed its stuff. Jarno Saarinen won the race with the Yamaha four-cylinder, while Phil Read, racing an MV 430-cc. four-cylinder for the first time, came in second. Giacomo Agostini had refused to try out the new vehicle.
The next championship race was in Australia, and once again Agostini insisted on riding the old three-cylinder model. He left the testing of the four-cylinder to Read, who led the race for a few laps but then had to withdraw, as did his teammate Agostini.

In any case, the competition of Saar-inen's Yamaha was too much for them.
The third race of the world championship was at Hockenheim. Agostini rode in the saddle of the 430 four-cylinder, which had proved to be faster and more reliable than the old three-cylinder model. Read raced the new MV 500 four-cylinder—now with full V2-liter displacement—in its debut, and he won the Hockenheim race hands down.

Then came Monza, with the tragedy of Jarno Saarinen and Yamaha's subsequent withdrawal from racing. MV Agusta went back to the old 500 three-cylinder model for the duration of 1973, and Phil Read won the world title.
In 1974 Read became the captain of the MV Agusta team, which welcomed Gianfranco Bonera as a new member to take the place of Giacomo Agostini, who had switched to Yamaha. The MV racers went back to the four-cylinder model at the beginning of the season, and with its help they were able to keep the world title.

Yamaha won in 1975 with Agostini. The Yamaha victory stirred up much controversy among members of the MV Agusta racing department. They were concerned about the competitiveness of the 500 and the racers' form. The MV technicians studied and tried out various modifications to improve the stability and performance of their four-cylinder, but their efforts
Italy

MV Agusta 500 Four-cylinder - 1976
made no significant difference.
The main problem of the MV 500 was not insufficient power, but a certain difficulty and heaviness in its steering mechanism. This was due chiefly to the fact that the powerful four-stroke vehicle had strong engine braking and rough acceleration in low gears. This made smooth driving on curves impossible, a problem that the better two-stroke engines did not have. The MV Agusta technicians accepted the racers' criticism of the motorcycle's performance only in part, and by the end of the 1975 season relations between Read, Bonera, and MV Agusta had reached the breaking point.

In 1976 Giacomo Agostini formed his own team, fearing that Yamaha would withdraw entirely from racing, and he took over the MV 350 and 500 four-cylinders. He believed that the 500 was still competitive and set out -to prove it.
Unfortunately Agostini was mistaken. The chassis and engine were overhauled and the 500 did win some international success, but it could not keep pace with Barry Sheene's Suzuki RG 500.

Motorcycle: MV Agusta 500 Four-cylinder Manufacturer: MV Agusta, Cascina Costa,
Gallarate Type: Racing Year: 1976
Engine: MV four-cylinder, four-stroke, with two-shaft overhead geared distribution and four valves per cylinder. Displacement 500 cc. (57 mm. x 49 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Six-speed block Power: 98 h.p. at 14,000 r.p.m. Maximum speed: Over 185 m.p.h. Chassis: Openwork above, tubular, with
front braces. Front and rear, telescopic
suspension Brakes: Front, double hydraulic disk;
rear, single hydraulic disk

MV Agusta 500 Story

MV Agusta first went into 500-class racing in 1950. The 500 model that the company introduced was a four-cylinder, transverse motorcycle designed by Remor, the same man who had earlier designed the Gilera four-cylinder racer.
The MV Agusta 500 prototype had two-shaft overhead distribution and final shaft transmission with universal joints. Its power was about 50 h.p., with a maximum speed of about 125 m.p.h.

This motorcycle underwent rapid development. Like all advanced models, the MV 500 four-cylinder went through an evolution that showed what had to be retained from classic
MV Agusta 500 Four-cylinder, 1957 model models and what had to be made better. The transmission shaft was eliminated, leaving the traditional chain. The fine chassis was tested with a variety of new suspension systems before the classic front telescopic fork was revived with a swinging rear fork and shock absorber.

The British champion Leslie Graham rode this motorcycle to win the 1952 Italian Grand Prix and the Spanish Grand Prix. Graham was a true champion, and with the considerable power of the MV 500, he should have dominated his class. But fate was cruel to Graham. He lost the 1952 title and had a fatal accident at the 1953 Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man. MV Agusta lost its best racer, but the high-spirited Carlo Bandirola rode the four-cylinder motorcycle to a host of wins.
In 1954 the MV 500 was the main challenger to the Gilera.

The MV Agusta team included Carlo Bandirola, Nello Pagani, Dickie Dale, and Bill Lomas, with a 500 four-cylinder that could generate 65 h.p. at 11,000 r.p.m.
Despite this impressive horsepower, which could propel the motorcycle at top speeds over 140 m.p.h., the MV Agusta 500 failed to win the 1954 championship. The main problems that led to this defeat were some stiffness in the chassis and the lack of riders on a par with the Gilera stars. In 1955 Umberto Masetti switched from Gilera to MV Agusta. He was joined by Ray Amm, who had formerly driven for the Norton team. Amm's career with MV Agusta came to a tragic end during the Shell Conchiglia d'Oro (Golden Shell) at Imola. Masetti never managed to outrace the Gilera motorcycles. John Surtees, who had made a name for himself racing for Norton and NSU, came out from England. For Continental Circus racers Italy was Mecca, and MV Agusta, on the lookout for outstanding drivers, offered a safe port.

Surtees joined the MV team in 1956 and set out after the Gilera competition with a 67-h.p. motorcycle. At the end of the season Surtees and the MV Agusta four-cylinder were again world champions in the 500 class.
In 1957 the old four-cylinder engine was completely overhauled. The cylinder dimensions were changed, and its power was increased to 70 h.p. at 11,000 r.p.m. But this was not enough to meet the competition. Gilera had also upgraded its engine. Surtees won only the Dutch Grand Prix. At the end of the season Gilera withdrew from racing, leaving the field wide open for MV Agusta. From 1958 to 1960 John Surtees was the reigning champion. Next Gary Hocking won and then Mike Hailwood won four consecutive world championships, before passing on the MV scepter to Giacomo Agostini. The superiority of the old MV 500 four-cylinder became legendary.

Motorcycle: MV Agusta 500 Four-cylinder Manufacturer: MV Agusta, Cascina Costa,
Gallarate Type: Racing Year: 1950
Engine: MV four-cylinder, four-stroke, with two-shaft overhead geared distribution. Displacement 494.6 cc. (54 mm. x 54 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Four-speed block, double control (rising and descending), final shaft transmission
Power: 50 h.p. at 9,000 r.p.m.
Maximum speed: Over 125 m.p.h.
Chassis: Double cradle, continuous, tubular and stamped plate. Front suspension, parallelogram; rear, double torsion bar with friction shock absorbers
Brakes: Front and rear, central drum