among the first . The commissioning of the new V7 700 began in 1964 . The bike had a 703.3 cc engine which developed 40 HP and it weighed 230 kg . In 1966 mass production began , destined for the police department and foreign markets , whereas the following year the V7 700 was distributed in Italy at the competitive price of 725,000 lira , much more affordable than the German and English competitors .
Evolution according to Lino Tonti Giulio Cesare Carcano ’ s creation was perfected by an expert designer who joined Moto Guzzi in 1967 : Lino Tonti . Hailing from Forlì , with a great deal of experience in competitions with Mondial , Bianchi and Gilera , the engineer was called on by the general manager Romolo Stefani to expand the range of the maxi-bike from Mandello del Lario . The V7 appeared at the right time , bikes were coming domineeringly back into fashion almost as a reaction to the conformism of the car and the market is particularly open to innovations . The first thing Tonti did was to increase the engine size to 757 and the power to 45 HP to launch the V7 special in 1969 , faster , more refined and more elegant than the V7 700 . Then he created , initially for the American market , the V7 Ambassador and the California , the latter destined to be one of the greatest Moto Guzzi success stories . The next milestone coincided with Lino Tonti ’ s masterpiece : the V7 Sport . The designer from Forlì had clear ideas and he set the three parameters of the sport bike from Mandello : 200 km / h , 200 kg , 5 gears . To achieve the objective he made some changes to the engine , taking the displacement to 748.3 cc and the power to more than 52 HP , redesigning the crankshaft and camshafts , in addition to placing the alternator in the front in order to keep the vertical bulk down . The engine was lodged in a tight , double cradle frame in chrome molybdenum steel , painted red for the first 200 units and assembled directly in the testing department on via Parodi , No . 57 . The bike made its début in 1971 and in June of the same year it participated in the “ 500
kilometres of Monza ” race taking third place with Raimondo Riva . This was the beginning of a series of flattering results obtained in endurance races such as the 24 Hour Le Mans and Liegi races which would contribute , together with very popular riders such as Vittorio Brambilla , to making it the most famous Italian sport bike of the 1970s .
From the V7 to the 850 generation Over a couple of seasons the technological evolution which was achieved with the V7 Sport Moto Guzzi was also transferred to the rest of the range . The new frame , the four pad front brake and the five speed transmission introduced on the V7 Sport represented , together with the increased engine size , the primary innovations of the V850 GT , a model which would mark the retirement of the lucky V7 Special in 1973 . The Sport would also lose the famous alphanumeric name , replaced in 1974 by the Moto Guzzi 750S . The last model to give up the glorious alphanumeric name was the V7 850 California , which would not pass the baton to the new 850 T California until 1976 .
50 KIWI RIDER