Photo: Mecum Auctions
A motorcycle manufacturer unlike any other, Moto Guzzi is widely regarded as one of the most trailblazing companies in the industry. A subsidiary of Piaggio since 2004, the Mandello del Lario-based outfit is responsible for timeless designs such as the GTS 500 we’ll talk about today.
Though the figure isn’t accurate, most records suggest that 2,652 units of the motorcycle were made. The red bike in the photo gallery was purchased by the current owner “over 20 years ago from a private collection in Chicago, Illinois” according to the listing of Mecum Auctions.
Restored quite some time ago, the single-cylinder blast from the past comes with a “bacon slicer” external flywheel and an L98.1 sidecar painted in the bike’s exact color. When it was new, the engine was advertised with 13.2 horsepower on deck and a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).
For a motorcycle from the 1930s, this Guzzi also happens to impress in terms of hardware. Not only does it feature swing arm suspension with adjustable damping, but the period-correct girder forks are adjustable too. What comes as shocking compared to modern bikes, however, is the sidecar’s seat. To the point, it’s as uncomfortable as stepping on a LEGO brick.
A great runner with a lovely patina, the Moto Guzzi GTS 500 excluding the matching sidecar goes for approximately 20,000 euros ($22,400) and higher according to the most recent auction results. Produced from 1934 to 1940, this line of bikes comes with a four-speed transmission and a chain drive instead of a belt or a shaft because Italian roads weren’t exactly smooth back then.
The durability of the “flat single” derived from Carlo Guzzi’s first bike in 1919 was also proven on the track. Raced at home as well as in Italian colonies such as Libya and Eritrea, the workhorse of an engine eventually went on to dominate the 250-cc class in Grand Prix racing.
Replaced by the V-twin “Bicilidrica” engine - which averaged 84.68 mph (136.28 kph) at the 1935 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy - the single-cylinder’s rarity makes the GTS 500 a bona fide collector's bike.
Restored quite some time ago, the single-cylinder blast from the past comes with a “bacon slicer” external flywheel and an L98.1 sidecar painted in the bike’s exact color. When it was new, the engine was advertised with 13.2 horsepower on deck and a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).
For a motorcycle from the 1930s, this Guzzi also happens to impress in terms of hardware. Not only does it feature swing arm suspension with adjustable damping, but the period-correct girder forks are adjustable too. What comes as shocking compared to modern bikes, however, is the sidecar’s seat. To the point, it’s as uncomfortable as stepping on a LEGO brick.
A great runner with a lovely patina, the Moto Guzzi GTS 500 excluding the matching sidecar goes for approximately 20,000 euros ($22,400) and higher according to the most recent auction results. Produced from 1934 to 1940, this line of bikes comes with a four-speed transmission and a chain drive instead of a belt or a shaft because Italian roads weren’t exactly smooth back then.
The durability of the “flat single” derived from Carlo Guzzi’s first bike in 1919 was also proven on the track. Raced at home as well as in Italian colonies such as Libya and Eritrea, the workhorse of an engine eventually went on to dominate the 250-cc class in Grand Prix racing.
Replaced by the V-twin “Bicilidrica” engine - which averaged 84.68 mph (136.28 kph) at the 1935 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy - the single-cylinder’s rarity makes the GTS 500 a bona fide collector's bike.
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