The Moto Guzzi Sport & Le Mans Bible

I rode a Moto Guzzi Ambassador for 20 years. I had always wanted a Lemans III. So I bought one. Then I bought a Lemans 1000. And then a Lemans I. I miss the Lemans III the most when I'm not on it. Anyway-So when this book came out this year I had to have it. It is a good read. I enjoyed the information about Lino Tonti the most, coupled with the Aermacchi book by Mick Walker. Together they rounded out a larger part of the Italian bike story than I anticipated. It is great that so much attention is being paid to these bikes again.The information on the Demaso bikes is interesting. Having most of the Lemans bikes to ride I'm always interested to hear people slander the Lemans 1000. This book does it's share of that. I enjoy riding the Lemans III a lot, but ironically consider the Lemans 1000 to be a better bike! So go figure. The author of the book "Guzziology" also seems to agree with me. I suppose I will look for a Lemans IV/SE after reading this book just to understand the power/handling of a Lemans 1000 with the 18" front rim.In a nutshell the Lemans I has a wild feel [while riding] and a wild look to it. It's uncomfortable, but in a very very charming way. Basically you probably don't want to ride a Lemans I on a busy freeway.The Lemans III rides like a Lemans I with more comfort and [perhaps psychological] stability. The Lemans IV has considerably more power with the bigger engine and 40 mm carbs, etc. They Lemans bikes are all easily 110-130 mph bikes with a measure of reliability that is unparalleled. There. That's what I think Falloon might have left out of the book.

This work is a well-written, fairly comprehensive overview of the classic Moto Guzzi big-block sport models. As such, it can seem a little dry & technical at times, due to its focus on only specific models within the range of Guzzi models offered over a 20 year span of time. For the reader searching for a broader coverage of Moto Guzzi's model history, author Ian Falloon's other title  The Moto Guzzi Story: Racing and Production Models From 1921 to the Present Day  tho' becoming dated by virtue of its late '90s copyright, would be a better choice.However, for aficionados of the Tonti-framed sporting Guzzi, this book is a must! Despite the sort of occasional typos that are common to any 1st printing, the overall quality of the book and the obviously extensive research behind it are evident. I strongly recommend it as an addition to Greg Field's  Moto Guzzi Big Twins  for any Moto Guzzi fan's bookshelf. The nature of the two books is complementary: Greg's book truly spends most of its time focusing on the later 80s & 90s developments by Dr. John Wittner & others leading to the Guzzi big blocks of today, while most of the focus of Ian's book is in the early development period at the end of the 60s & thru the 70s, w/ just model change details for the later 80s & end-of-line 90s models. And of course, there is duplicate material shared by both, since they must perforce cover the same history where the periods & models overlap. For any real Guzzi fan, neither alone will be enough, while both together are enough that anything else, esp. the Mick Walker books plagued by their factual faults, may prove unnecessary. [NB: Mick's books do have some great historical photographs, many of which I haven't seen anywhere else; but I have found his factual data is often not to be trusted.]

good pictures and a detailed review of each model in the range.specs at the end of the book is very helpfull .

Very informative book with archival pictures never seen before in any other publications(at least by yours truly). Relevant facts on the history of the engine explaining its origin as an engine for a nixed Fiat project , then a Police bike before Tonti applied his magic. All in all a good read for Guzzi fans

It is a well written and informative book about the subject matter

good source for anyone interested in these bikes

Great quality book which arrived in perfect condition. If you like Moto Guzzi, this book will give you information and pictures you won't likely find elsewhere.

One of my top-5 favorite Guzzi books publishedGood quality pages and great color shots

As time rolls on and I become correspondingly mature, in age if not character, I've realised that my motorcycling heart remains resolutely in the previous millennium and that the bling, vogueish deconstructionist styling and electronic trickery of modern bikes leave me a bit cold. So, to keep my trusty 850 Le Mans company, I thought I would seek out a slightly earlier V7 Sport or a 750S from the 70s, the golden age of Guzzi sportsters. To get myself better acquainted with the detail I decided to read up on these earlier models so started looking for a suitable book. Mick Walker (who sadly died recently in March 2012) has written a couple of books on the Guzzi Twins (and a load of other good books besides) but, although these are a good read, they are a bit lacking in technical and development detail for these specific models. Ian Falloon, a proud V7 Sport owner himself, has stepped into the breach with this excellent monograph on the Tonti framed sports bikes and has written what is likely to be the definitive work for some time to come.The book is laid out very logically with a useful, but not overly long first chapter consisting of historical resume of Guzzi bikes before the V7 Sport and culminating with a more detailed look at the V7 Special, the first bike to use the 90 degree V-twin designed for inline installation which was to become the hallmark of the modern Guzzi era, once De Tomaso's various Benelli inspired alternatives had faded away. Falloon confirms the error of the often repeated claims that this engine was developed from the 3x3 military light tractor, and points out that the engine used in the bikes was actually a conceptual development of a hobby engine that Carcano had built to 'hot up' his Fiat Topolino at the end of the 50s. This chapter completes with a look at the initial attempts to build a sporting version of the V7 Special.Having set the scene, the development history of the Tonti framed sports bikes continues with the following chapters:2. 200kph & 200kg: the V7 Sport (1971-73)3. De Tomaso style: 750 S & 750 S34. Style with speed: the 850 Le Mans (1975-78)5. Wind tunnel design: the Le Mans II & CX 1006. Square heads (i.e. LM III)7. End of the line: Le Mans 1000The book concludes with a chapter on racing these bikes.One particularly good feature is the provision of information boxes throughout which list the detail differences between the models and also the various iterations within each nominal model life span (e.g. the three distinct series of the V7 Sport). I think it's a testament to the effort that Falloon put into the work and also the modesty of the author that he calmly observes that in many of the model changeovers certain components from series appeared on a few bikes of the following series and vice-versa (including engines, making frame number and engine number changeovers between the series not always contingent). I can imagine that when he was researching the book, the slightly disorganised stores, shopfloor supply lines and corresponding factory records (or lack of them) from those years must have led to quite a few head scratching moments.All credit to Ian Falloon for his excellent work in researching and writing a brilliant book on the subject. The only way of improving on it would be to produce an multi-volume work with detail photographs of every internal and external component used throughout the history of these machines, but that is beyond the remit of this good value single volume and would be a correspondingly expensive specialist publication.I have deducted a star from the final score, I'm afraid, not because of any shortcomings on the creative side, but for Veloce Publishing's unaccountable decision to use a fussy and crowded font for the body text (which looks a bit like Clare Extended to me). You do get used to it, but I really don't see the point of messing up such an excellent work with a less than easily readable typeface just to be different (which I assume was the motivation). I believe that Amazon reviews should take the complete product into account. For the creative part only, I would award 5 stars.

A must read for Guzzi fans and a reasonable investment they sure do NOT go down in price.Lots of useful information especially if you can remember bits then throw them into the pot at a Rally or chatting with other like minded Italian bike nutters.My ONLY slight moan is it does not go right up to the V11 Le Mans but hey, It is a minor gripe in what, for me, was a great read and a useful archive.

Nice colour pictures and interesting information about The Moto Guzzi Sport and Le mans series. I guess I expected a little more detail but never the less this book does rate 4 stars and is much more interesting than many of the other Moto Guzzi books being sold at the moment.

Never seen such a complete, exhaustive and interesting monography like this.

Recomended book and a must for all classic Guzzi owners. Full of detailed spec and development history, includes frame and engine numbers for all models.