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. Offered as a package with 1993 Moto Guzzi California for $22,000. 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.
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