1990 Moto Guzzi 1000S – $29,500

Moto Guzzi 1000S for sale

SELLER SAYS: Rego to March 2027. Starts, runs, rides, and stops beautifully. Staintune pipes sound amazing.  Low 46,934km. Recently serviced (approx 500km ago). Great reliable fun bike. Has a couple of bumps and scratches but presents well. Contact Nathan on 0417 886 390 (Fremantle, WA).

EDITOR TERLICK SAYS: So here’s a question. In the modern era, which manufacturer was first cab off the rank with a true ‘retro’ model? I’d probably have said Triumph’s reincarnation of the Bonneville was the first to really nail the retro style, which they did in late 2000. But hang on a minute – what about this bike? Ten years before the reborn Bonnie, the Moto Guzzi 1000S was created at the behest of the German importer who thought the LeMans 1000 of the time, while being a great bike, just didn’t have the charm of Guzzis from the ’70s. “Why can’t we make a LeMans that looks like, say, the way-cool mid-70s 750S3?” they asked out loud. The folks at Guzzi HQ looked at one another and said: “What the heck. Let’s shall!” And they did. The outcome was a bike that looked all the world like a 1975 S3, but was basically a late-80s LeMans 1000 wearing it’s dad’s suit. It seems strange now, but the 1000S didn’t actually sell very well at all. Fewer than 1500 were made because, prior to the retro boom, most folks thought it was a silly idea. Today, we all know it was a wonderful idea – and the 1000S is much more sought-after today than it was in 1990. I owned a LeMans 1000 for quite a few years, and it was a marvellous machine, and one of my all-time favourite sporting/highway bikes, solo or pillion. The styling was distinctive, but very late-80s. That’s not unreasonable, of course, but it did not have the sex appeal of the old S3! This bike of Nathan’s looks like an excellent example of a rare and desirable machine; a classic in its own right, harking back to a classic before its time.