This new frame was both stiffer and lighter than the frame used on the Ambassador, and as a result it offered much better handling. He set to work on a new frame, it would be retroactively dubbed the “Tonti Frame”, it would form a duplex cradle around the engine rather than under it, using the engine itself as a stressed member. Tonti saw the potential for a performance motorcycle powered by the Moto Guzzi V-twin, an idea that may have sounded strange at the time as the engine was so closely associated with the 560+ lb highway cruising Ambassador. Tonti brought a wealth of experience to the role, he had previously worked at Benelli, Aermacchi, FB Mondial, and Bianchi. In 1970 Lino Tonti took over as head of design and engineering at Moto Guzzi from Giulio Cesare Carcano. It proved popular with American buyers, and it wasn’t long before they began to wonder what other motorcycles they could build with the engine that would sell well. These requests resulted in the Moto Guzzi Ambassador, targeted directly at the V-twins from Milwaukee. Once the American Motor Guzzi dealers got wind of the project they strongly encouraged the company to develop a production version for the American market to challenge Harley-Davidson.Ībove Image: The V7 Sport has a famously beautiful fuel tank, with knee indents just like its Isle of Man TT racing forebears. This engine was intended for use in a new, large motorcycle designed for police use. This new air-cooled engine sent power back to the rear wheel via a low-maintenance shaft drive.

In the early 1960s Moto Guzzi engineers were hard at work on a new engine design – a V-twin that was to be mounted longitudinally in the frame with the heads out in the clean airflow. The company enjoyed remarkable success with a slew of best selling models and no shortage of on track successes – winning the Targa Florio in 1921 and going on to win 14 World Grand Prix Championships and 11 Isle Of Man TTs before the company withdrew from motorsport at the end of 1957. Moto Guzzi was founded in Mandello del Lario, Italy in 1921.

The V7 Sport would prove to be one of the most important motorcycles in the history of the storied Italian motorcycle marque – so much so that in 2007 they introduced an all new version of the V7 which remains in production to this day. This is an original Moto Guzzi V7 Sport from the first year or the model’s production – 1971.

Moto guzzi v7 engine