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Moto Guzzi is 105, and its story is packed with bold engineering, legendary races, iconic bikes, and a distinctive eagle that’s still flying high. Take a ride through a century of Italian motorcycle history, from the first Normale to today’s V100 Mandello.
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Comment below: what did you like most from the video?
#MotoGuzzi #Motorcycles #History
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@dentrolastoria
Il brano Red Machine: https://youtu.be/gEdAfI_VWmg
0:34 - Moto Guzzi’s 105th Anniversary
2:31 - Founding and Early Models
6:07 - Factory Growth, Racing, and War
9:08 - Postwar Mobility and Racing Innovation
12:32 - Financial Crisis and the V-Twin
15:46 - De Tomaso, Daytona, and Market Challenges
20:37 - New Ownership and Factory Revival
23:50 - Modern Models and the Road Ahead
Subscribe to the channel for more stories like this.
Comment below: what did you like most from the video?
#MotoGuzzi #Motorcycles #History
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@dentrolastoria
Il brano Red Machine: https://youtu.be/gEdAfI_VWmg
0:34 - Moto Guzzi’s 105th Anniversary
2:31 - Founding and Early Models
6:07 - Factory Growth, Racing, and War
9:08 - Postwar Mobility and Racing Innovation
12:32 - Financial Crisis and the V-Twin
15:46 - De Tomaso, Daytona, and Market Challenges
20:37 - New Ownership and Factory Revival
23:50 - Modern Models and the Road Ahead
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MotorTranscript
00:21This video is brought to you by the
00:34Today we're talking about a birthday.
00:37No, you won't hear me sing happy birthday to you, even though some of you might want
00:42me to, I know, because you're a bit cheeky sometimes, and you even write it to me in
00:48the comments or via email.
00:50Today we're celebrating a special birthday, because we're celebrating someone who turned
00:54105 years old.
00:56It doesn't happen every day to reach 105 years of age, and what's more, in fairly
01:03good health.
01:04It's a birthday that concerns a small piece of Italy, a productive Italy, an Italy that
01:11builds.
01:11We're talking about an industrial brand, but there are brands, and then there are brands.
01:17Some simply build objects, while others help shape a nation in its history, its evolution,
01:23and sometimes even its customs.
01:24Well, today we are talking precisely about this second category, an example of this second
01:30category.
01:31We're talking about Moto Guzzi, which undoubtedly belongs to this very restricted category of
01:36industrial brands that are not just exceptional, but have also helped shape our country.
01:43Founded in the aftermath of the Great War in Mandelo del Lario, where it still has its headquarters
01:50today, Moto Guzzi has become over time synonymous with Italian mechanical ingenuity, sporting
01:56audacity, and a visceral bond with the local area.
02:00From 1921 until today, motorcycles featuring Mandelo's eagle have weathered economic crises,
02:08world wars, shifts in cultural habits, yet they've always kept intact an identity unique
02:15in the world, symbolized precisely by that eagle, with wings spread wide, which for over
02:20a century has been there, on the tanks of some of the most beautiful motorcycles in the world.
02:25Today, we're telling the story of Moto Guzzi.
02:28So, put on your back protector, gloves.
02:31Lake Como, there, for over a century, stands Moto Guzzi.
02:35But Moto Guzzi wasn't born there.
02:37It was born further east.
02:38It was born right in Venice.
02:40It was during the Great War.
02:42And during the Great War, three men, or rather barely more than boys, meet within an aviation
02:47unit, the 260th Seaplane Squadron of the Italian Royal Navy.
02:53Their names are Carlo Guzzi, Giovanni Ravelli, and Giorgio Perotti.
02:58What do these three have in common?
03:01They are all passionate about motor vehicles.
03:03And it's Carlo Guzzi himself who proposes a project to the other two, to build a motorcycle
03:09with an innovative design.
03:10Of course, not at that time, because there is a war.
03:13All three of them are engaged in the conflict.
03:16There are no resources.
03:18There isn't even time.
03:19Later, it's a dream for tomorrow.
03:21For when peace returns, all three of them are in complete agreement.
03:25And it is an extremely diverse trio, because there is someone who has the necessary technical
03:30skills.
03:31Besides, Carlo Guzzi had quite a bit of experience with engines.
03:34And he had an engineer brother, capable of designing and calculating whatever was needed.
03:40Giorgio Perotti brings with him the support of his father, Emmanuel, a wealthy shipowner
03:45from Genoa.
03:46A man who could secure the funding needed to launch that adventure.
03:51Giorgio Ravelli already had plenty of motorcycle experience under his belt as a racer, and he's
03:57a flying ace.
03:58He can bring his expertise to the table as a test rider.
04:01Ravelli, however, dies in a fatal plane crash.
04:05And it's precisely in his honor that Carlo Guzzi and Giorgio Perotti decide to put on the
04:10fuel tanks of their future motorcycles that very symbol, the eagle, with outstretched wings.
04:15The symbol of naval aviation.
04:17It's a tribute to a friend who passed away too soon.
04:20When the joint stock company Moto Guzzi was founded on March 15, 1921, with capital provided
04:27by Emmanuel Vittorio Perotti.
04:29At the office of notary Cassanello in Genoa, the ideas were already very clear.
04:34They decided on the production site in Mandelo Delario.
04:37Why?
04:38Because Mandelo Delario back then was a quiet area.
04:42It was an area far from trade union struggles.
04:45The Bienio Rosso, the period of factory occupations.
04:49It was the ideal place to start building.
04:52The first prototype, branded GP for Guzzi Perotti, didn't go into production simply because
04:58it was too expensive.
04:59But when the Normale arrived, the first model, a 500cc, four-stroke, single-cylinder, well,
05:08success followed.
05:09The Normale, among other things, introduced the general public to one of Moto Guzzi's
05:13hallmark features for many years.
05:15The horizontal layout of the cylinder, a single-cylinder, isn't very powerful.
05:19Besides, at that time, there weren't many powerful motorcycles.
05:23It only had eight horsepower.
05:25But people liked the Normale.
05:27They liked it because it had a reliable, gear-driven primary transmission.
05:30They liked it because it had a center stand as standard.
05:33It was sturdy.
05:34It was elegant.
05:35It was built to last.
05:37It reached 85 kilometers per hour.
05:39It's a reliable motorcycle.
05:42It's in Italy that, after the Great War, is slowly addressing the issue of mass motorization.
05:49The Normale paves a way, opens a road.
05:52The road for motorcycles on roads that are often still unpaved.
05:57But the motorcycle becomes more than just a sporting machine.
05:59It becomes practical, everyday transportation.
06:02In its early years, Moto Guzzi was taking a gamble on whether it could break through.
06:06But when the 1930s arrive, the eagle of Mandelo is no longer a gamble.
06:12It is an established industrial company.
06:14The factory grows, expands, attracts skilled workers, specialized workers who arrive on
06:21the shores of Lake Como and find a true factory town.
06:25Carlo Guzzi continues to work tirelessly and without feeling the weight of fatigue.
06:31He churns out patents at a steady pace.
06:34Among other things, the company also understands the importance of marketing tied to great feats,
06:40endurance feats.
06:41Today, they are called endurance races.
06:44In 1928, Carlo's brother, Giuseppe Nacco Guzzi, made a historic journey from Mandelo
06:51del Lario all the way to the North Cape in Norway.
06:54In the saddle, he was riding a Moto Guzzi Gran Turismo, which featured a revolutionary sprung
06:59frame with rear suspension.
07:01If today, reaching North Cape is still the ultimate goal for many motorcyclists, it's kind
07:06of like a pilgrimage to Mecca.
07:07Back then, a journey from Italy all the way to the northernmost edge of Europe was an adventure.
07:14It was like the Wild West.
07:16Getting all the way there was a legendary feat that was completed in less than a month, 28
07:21days.
07:22And it was an achievement that proved to the world that those Italian bikes, red and sporting
07:26the eagle, could handle any terrain and any weather.
07:29This technology was incorporated directly into production models.
07:32The GT-17 was born, precisely nicknamed Norge, a symbol of that feat of reaching the North
07:39Cape.
07:40Or the Sport 15, launched in 1931, which represents one of the greatest commercial successes of the
07:48pre-war era.
07:49Beautiful, sharp, the fuel tank, the saddle, the characteristic red and black highlights.
07:55And then there are the victories, because there is a man named Omobono Omobono Teni.
08:00He was born in Lombardy, but moved to Veneto following his family.
08:05He works as a mechanic, but he's also a racer.
08:07Omobono Teni leads Moto Guzzi to triumph in the lightweight category at the Isle of Man,
08:13at the Tourist Trophy, the toughest and most grueling race in the motorcycling world.
08:18It's an absolute feat.
08:20Never in the realm of English motorcycles, of English riders, had a foreigner with a
08:25foreign bike dared so much.
08:27Teni becomes a legend.
08:29His return to Italy is celebrated almost like a deity.
08:33Moto Guzzi becomes an extremely well-known brand abroad as well, and in ever-increasing
08:38demand.
08:38There is, however, a setback.
08:41That setback is called World War II.
08:43And it's clear that in wartime, Moto Guzzi, too, was forced to contribute to the effort,
08:49the industrial effort, converting a large part of its production to military needs.
08:55Models like the Ause and the Tri-Ause were born, which were destined for the Royal Army.
09:00Heavy, reliable motorcycles, necessary for reconnaissance, or for towing, for example, light
09:06artillery pieces.
09:07Once the war was over, Italy was a country in ruins, wounded, but with an incredible desire
09:13to start over.
09:14The absolute priority for the people is no longer big touring motorcycles, but means
09:19of transportation.
09:20As long as they're cheap, accessible, and capable of moving quickly and at reasonable costs,
09:28workers, artisans, and families.
09:31At this point in time, in this exact period, Moto Guzzi moves in two directions, on one
09:37hand toward mass motorization, and on the other toward technological excellence, also
09:42represented by the Grand Prix races, alongside large displacement models.
09:47The Mandela-based manufacturer designs lightweight, low-cost vehicles with extremely low fuel consumption.
09:52But they didn't stop there.
09:53In 1950, the first wind tunnel was opened.
09:58It was used for the aerodynamic study of motorcycles.
10:02It is a monumental work designed by engineer Giulio Cesare Carcano, a man whose name we will hear
10:08again in the history of Moto Guzzi.
10:10And this effort was necessary for racing competitions, where Moto Guzzi excelled.
10:15Just think, the Mandela manufacturer to date boasts 3,332 official victories in various competitions.
10:25An enormous amount.
10:26The technological effort on the track reached all the way to the mythical V8 A500cc Grand
10:34Prix bike with a water-cooled eight-cylinder V engine.
10:38No one has ever attempted anything like that since.
10:41But in 1957, at the peak of its Grand Prix efforts, Moto Guzzi called it quits.
10:48They signed what came to be known as the Racing Withdrawal Pact, or Withdrawal Agreement.
10:54Moto Guzzi, along with Jalera and Mondial, the brands that had captured the motorcycle racing
10:59world's attention, officially pulled out of racing.
11:02The V8 ended up in a museum, where it's still admired to this day.
11:06At the same time, Moto Guzzi first produced the Guzino 65.
11:11Known as the Moto Leggera 65.
11:14The perfect answer to post-war Italy's hunger for mobility, with its two-stroke engine,
11:19large wheels, and extreme mechanical simplicity.
11:22And then, the Galetto.
11:24It was 1950, the year the wind tunnel opened.
11:29It was an extraordinary insight by engineer Carlo Guzzi.
11:32It represented the first true hybrid between a scooter and a motorcycle.
11:36It offered protection from the wind.
11:38It was easy to use.
11:39It maintained good road holding, even on rough surfaces.
11:43It was stable.
11:44It was safe.
11:45It was the preferred ride, even for Catholic priests, who used it to go visit their parishioners
11:51or sometimes to go get groceries.
11:53The Galetto was the symbol of the rebirth of Moto Guzzi, but also of Italy before the economic
11:59boom.
11:59At the same time, as we were saying, there was the racing department, those 14 world titles
12:04between riders and manufacturers, the 11 wins at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the V8 coming
12:11right back to the V8, let me give you a few figures, 78 horsepower at 12,000 RPM, an insane
12:19top speed for the era, 285 kilometers per hour, a masterpiece of micro mechanics, a motorcycle
12:26that even today, just by looking at it, with its full green dustbin fairing, sparks strong
12:32emotions. Moto Guzzi is all of this, but it's a story that also faces hardships. In fact, the 60s
12:40open with high hopes that are immediately crushed. The economic boom leads Italians to prefer the
12:46automobile, the first city cars, which now cost little, at least they cost just a bit more than a
12:52motorcycle, but offer the chance to carry more people, to carry luggage, groceries, so they're more
12:57practical. The car becomes the primary means of transportation for families. The motorcycle is a
13:04leisure item, a vehicle for enthusiasts. Moto Guzzi suffers from this blow, a blow that translates
13:09into a massive drop in sales and into a deep financial crisis. The Guzzi and Parodi families
13:15step out of the picture. The company falls under the control of the banks, which found the company
13:20S-E-I-M-M, Società Essertizio Industrii Moto Mechanicae. From now on, we must get down to brass
13:27tax, to cost cutting, to the need to make a profit, and to get back afloat. But right at this
13:33moment,
13:34in the darkest moment of all, Engineer Carcano pulls a rabbit out of his hat. That idea that will
13:39not only save the company, but will become a defining feature of the company. Something that makes it
13:45identifiable, at a glance, all over the world, on every road the company travels. It's a new engine.
13:51It's a 90-degree transverse V-twin engine. It was initially designed for a compact utility car.
13:59Then, it was also adapted for a three-wheeled military vehicle, the so-called mechanical mule.
14:05That engine, placed longitudinally in the frame, later refined by Tanti, with the cylinder heads
14:11protruding from the sides, just below the tank, becomes the emblem of Moto Guzzi. A visual emblem,
14:17but also an acoustic one, with its distinctive sound and character. Iconic models were born.
14:23The first is the V-7. It was introduced in 1967, with an original displacement of 703 cc. It redefined
14:33the concept of the Italian-style maxi motorcycle. Robust. Powerful. Equipped with a shaft-drive transmission.
14:41So it was clean. Essentially maintenance-free compared to a chain. It was also put forward in
14:47bids to supply police forces. And one of these contracts was sensational. Because the Los Angeles
14:53Highway Patrol Department, the legendary LAPD, the one from CHIPS that we'd see on television years later,
15:01chose Moto Guzzi over Harley Davidson. It was a slap in the face for the Americans. And from that idea,
15:08the California was born. A Moto Guzzi that would endure for decades. In various guises, but always
15:15with that iconic shape of the frame, the tank, the handlebars, and the American dream. And then came
15:22a Guzzi we've already told you about. You can find the video on the channel. The Le Mans, the sporty
15:28Guzzi.
15:28There's no need to say much about it. If you want to know more, watch the other video. I'll just
15:33tell you
15:34that it's a Guzzi born from the development of the Red Frame V7 Sport and then the 750 S3 with
15:43the
15:43first triple-disc-linked braking system. However, they were also years of change because Siam was
15:50taken over by an ambitious Argentine-Italian entrepreneur named Alejandro de Tommaso. He
15:56arrived in Italy 20 years earlier, fleeing his native Argentina after being accused of conspiring
16:02against President Juan Domingo Perón. De Tommaso was rich. Rich by birth and because he married a
16:09wealthy heiress. He was an extremely practical man. Blunt, aggressive in his ways, who had studied
16:16the Italian mechanical industry as much as Italian politics. He made many friends among politicians,
16:23and thanks to these friendships, he was able to carry out a ruthless campaign of acquiring
16:28Moto Guzzi, Benelli, Motobi, but also several car factories, creating a true empire and securing
16:36favorable policies such as import restrictions on foreign motorcycles under 400 cubic centimeters.
16:44Thanks to this policy, de Tommaso targets younger, less experienced customers, those who have to start
16:50from the bottom with smaller engine sizes. But de Tommaso also has other ideas about modularity,
16:56and these are ideas people don't like. For example, he goes as far as badging models clearly created
17:03for Benelli with the Mandello Eagle, or having the competing brands models produced in the factories,
17:09Benelli's in Pissarro, Guzzi's in Mandello del Lerio, or at least the engine components. Nobody likes
17:16this. They really don't. The fans hate it, and the workers hate it even more. But de Tommaso,
17:22at least during his first decade as president, was backed by the results, because the California and
17:28the Le Mans drove sales, along with other models, but those were the main ones in the lineup that
17:33people loved. They really loved them. The 80s kicked off with the Le Mans 3850, one of the most
17:41successful Guzis. The evolution of the California continued, and other increasingly specialized models
17:48were born. The Guzisti, as the enthusiasts are called, had a solid core following, and not just
17:55in Italy. In Germany, for instance, Guzzi clubs formed with die-hard fans who even developed
18:01aftermarket catalogs of dedicated accessories or even custom rebuilds. Even in Japan, the home of
18:07the four sisters of motorcycling, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, even there there are clubs of Moto Guzzi
18:14fanatics. Guzzi is loved, loved very much. But there are problems. The problems are of various
18:21kinds. First of all, de Tommaso, in his standardization policy to cut costs, chose component
18:27suppliers that weren't always modern or of high quality. Many Guzzi models suffer from problems,
18:34issues due to spare parts, issues due to components, turn signals and mirrors that break,
18:40sometimes defective rev counters and electrical systems that fail. And the enthusiasts put up
18:46with it, because after all, passion is always passion, but sales take a hit. And when de Tommaso
18:51starts making mistakes, bad choices, like when he imposes a 16-inch front wheel on the new Le Mans
18:58with a 1000cc engine messing up the chassis balance, that's when sales really collapse. And Guzzi once again
19:05stares into the abyss, the abyss of deep financial losses. De Tommaso keeps making mistake after
19:12mistake. He seems to have lost his magic touch. At a certain point, he even steps aside after
19:17suffering a stroke. The company changes hands again, passing to a new management team that relies on
19:23different ideas. They see, for example, that in America, a tuner called Dr. John, because he's a dentist
19:29who also loves racing, took a transverse V engine from Guzzi, modified it, created a four-valve head,
19:36no longer like the one attempted in Mandelo Delario that caused so many breakdowns, but an eight-valve
19:42with a single overhead camshaft. He created a revolutionary new chassis and won, but not just
19:50anywhere, in a very special place. He won at Daytona, the home of American speed. From Dr. John's victory,
19:58the Guzzi Daytona was born. A sport bike, but always done the Guzzi way. So with the engine,
20:05yes, four valves, single overhead camshaft, but air-cooled and still quite heavy. And when it hit
20:12the market, it was beautiful, but the competition had already rolled out higher performing, more modern,
20:18lighter bikes that sold better and also had the momentum of success behind them. In racing,
20:23those races where Moto Guzzi didn't officially compete, merely providing parts to Dr. John and
20:30his team, who also came to Italy, there was no direct official commitment, no intention of getting
20:34involved in racing. In the late 90s, Moto Guzzi's management had second thoughts. Second thoughts
20:41with a codename, VA10. It was a new engine, a transverse V-twin, 1,000 cc's displacement,
20:49but with liquid cooling and the bank angle narrowed to 75 degrees. It was meant to be a new engine
20:57designed not only to power the Guzzi's of the future, but even a superbike, a track bike,
21:02an epical shift, a return to racing after many, many years. The first engine tests went almost
21:08too well. The engine was so powerful, it broke the test bench. But then something changed. The
21:13management changed yet again, no longer confident in that setup, and ultimately the company changed
21:18hands. In 2000, Aprilia stepped in. Ivano Beggio arrived, the entrepreneur from Noale who bought
21:25Guzzi and also bought La Verda. Another story we've already told you about. And he created a new
21:31motorcycle hub, which was short-lived though, just four years, because Aprilia, Ivano Beggio as well,
21:36ran into a crisis, a deep economic crisis. And to save it, it took the intervention of the
21:41Colonino family, of Piaggio, who bought everything. They bought Aprilia, they bought Guzzi,
21:46they bought La Verda. La Verda ended up tucked away in a drawer and died. Aprilia and Guzzi survived.
21:52Guzzi with massive investments to keep the Mandelo factory up with the times, to launch new models,
21:58some being adaptations of models from the past. Just think of the California 1400, by then a full-fledged
22:05touring maxi bike. Or think of the V85 TT. But let's also look in between, at the Breva, at the
22:13Griso,
22:14beautiful and powerful. Or, for fast touring, the Sport 1200, bikes that warm the heart, even if
22:20they're seen as grown-up bikes. An entry-level bike is missing. The V7 name is even brought back,
22:27with a classic, retro look. You could say that this too harkens back to the past. A beautiful,
22:33glorious, and in some ways longed-for past. There are also custom builders, like Gedzi and Brian,
22:38for example, who are launching a racing Guzzi. The MGS-01 is a bike that isn't street legal.
22:45And as much as the enthusiasts ask for it to be adapted, asking for a road-going production version
22:51to be planned, they will never get their wish. But that MGS-01 breaks the taboo. It starts winning
22:58officially again, bringing Guzzi to an exact 3,332 real victories on circuits all around the world.
23:06It's another step forward, and we arrive at the present day, reaching the 105th anniversary just
23:13celebrated with the great party in Mandelo del Lario. The GMG Guzzi World Days, which bring together
23:19thousands of enthusiasts coming from all over the world, riding their Moto Guzzi's. The factory at
23:2557 Via Perotti in Mandelo del Lario underwent a major restructuring and redevelopment project
23:33designed by a world-renowned Starkitect. The project transformed Moto Guzzi's industrial site
23:39into a multifunctional center open to the public, featuring a completely renovated museum,
23:44community spaces, cutting-edge production lines, and a low environmental impact.
23:49And then, and then there are the new models, models that reflect the current soul of Guzzi. Not sport,
23:57but touring. Comfortable touring, fast touring, and that new engine, the so-called compact block.
24:03A revolutionary engine, rotated heads, rotated cylinders, liquid cooling, the driveshaft moved from
24:10right to left, smaller, more high-performing. Today, this engine powers the most advanced Guzzi's,
24:15the V100 Mandelo and the Stelvio. By the way, the V100 Mandelo was the first truly innovative Guzzi
24:24in recent years because it features active adaptive aerodynamics. The ability to change the angle of part
24:32of the aerodynamic assembly based on speed and road conditions. Guzzi is making headlines again,
24:37this time for technological innovation, proving it knows how to look to the future without turning
24:43its back on its past. It's a great message. The eagle of Mandelo keeps spreading its wings everywhere,
24:50on roads all over the world, ready to fly toward another century. Another century made of stories,
24:56journeys, people, and that unmistakable drive to prove itself in a maze. Maybe something's missing.
25:03It's still missing a truly sporty model, but apparently that's not in the ownership's plans.
25:09There's currently talk of something that's making the purists turn up their noses a bit. Among Guzzi
25:15enthusiasts, a new single cylinder, not horizontal, but vertical, with an engine taken from Aprilia to
25:22power an entry-level bike aimed at young people. Only time will tell if these new policies will
25:28overcome the skepticism of the Guzzi purists and establish themselves as a new chapter in a very
25:34long story. A story of great passions, of that sound, of that eagle, of that red color. I'll stop here,
25:41and you know what I'll tell you? That now I'm also going for a ride to honor Moto Guzzi in
25:46the best way
25:47possible. And it's 105 years of history. So I'll see you in the next episodes of Dentro La Storia.
25:54And as Nico Cerrogini used to say, I always urge you, if you ride a motorcycle, keep your helmet
26:00fastened tight. I'll also add wearing proper gear, preferably a back protector to protect your back,
26:06lights, on, even during the day, and ride carefully, always.
26:10And I'll be right back.
26:24I'll be right back.
26:36I'll be right back.