by: Mick Walker
Hardcover: 192 pages
Dimensions (in inches): 0.75 x 10.75 x 7.75
Publisher: Crowood Press (February 1999)
ASIN: 1861261802
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Mick Walker has turned out a lot of books in his time, but he has a special love for Moto Guzzis,
having been one of the leading Moto Guzzi motorcycle dealers and the official Moto Guzzi parts distributor in the U.K. This background knowledge has given him a unique insight into the marque.
This book is loaded with details about the history of the Moto Guzzi company and the development of their motorcycles and the famous V-2 engine. It’s got lots of photographs of very interesting models and concepts, along with full specifications of many bikes.
The book also covers some interesting military and police models and Moto Guzzi racers. It’s complete right up to the late ’90’s, up to, but not really including, the development of the V11 Sport (the book was written in 1998). I would have liked to see more detail on the various iterations of the Daytona/1100 Sport models. Apparently, Mick ran out of steam by the end of the book, because the coverage in this section isn’t quite up to the standards of the rest of the book.
But I have no complaints about this book overall, because there’s so much information about the history and evolution of Moto Guzzi. Even though Moto Guzzi has always been a rather small company, they’ve had a huge impact on motorcycle design.And there are some very interesting tidbits. For example, can you name the Moto Guzzi that was in production longer than any other?
This top-selling model was in production for 52 years. If you guessed the 3-wheeled Motocarri series, you’re right! But there’s much more in this book: everything from the 3-cylinder touring bike built from 1932 to 1933, to the Galleto scooter-motorcycle cross and the weird tracked vehicle built for the Italian military, it’s all here.
And don’t forget the famous V-8 and also the development of the beautiful and classic Lino Tonti inspired V7 Sport series! This book is very interesting and is recommended for Guzzi fans and anyone else who enjoys motorcycle history!
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