SELLER SAYS: 1981 Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans for sale. Straight from Milan, extremely original and in good condition. Ready to register and ride. Great patina. Selling due to health reasons. Contact Robert on 0416 151 384 (Heathridge, Perth WA)
EDITOR TERLICK SAYS: There are not many bikes born more “right” than Moto Guzzi’s much-loved LeMans. The blend of performance, styling and good ol’ Italian pizzaz was a hit right from the start, with that thumping great 850 twin cylinder engine taking centre stage. The LeMans was actually created as a race bike. Before it had a name, it was built by boring out and powering up the 750 engine from the V7 and 750S and hitting the track. Its first race was at (go on, have a guess!) yes, LeMans, a highly prestigious 24-hour race in France, in 1971. The bike didn’t win, but it led the pack for 10 hours before a rocker failed. The engine kept going and the bike finished a very respectable third place. That was good enough for the chiefs back at MG HQ, and the LeMans project began. As it turned out, the bike evolved more as a sports-tourer than an out-and-out sports bike. By its second iteration, like this lovely example of Richard’s, the fairing had started to grow from the teeny-weeny bikini cafe-racer style of the first model. But the heart of the beast — that great motor and its distinctive style — remained intact right through the 1970s and ’80s, and prices for early examples continue to grow strongly.
