TRANSLATION OF 750S ROADTEST, 'IL PILOTA MOTO' MAGAZINE, JUNE 1974

Italian magazine road test of the 750S, interesting for its comparisons between the 750S and Sport. I've tried to translate it as correctly as possible but there may be a few phrases that don't sit so well in English, and remember it was written almost 30 years ago!!. Pictures are of the pages of the magazine, pictures further down are a few details with translations of the captions.

- Click on the thumbnails for a bigger photo but please be patient as I have tried to retain quality, they may take a while to load.

Enjoy!!

Road test of the Moto Guzzi 750S

by Nico Cereghini

It's the latest version of the celebrated V7 Sport, born in June 1971, and benchmark for the quality of its v twin engine and handling characteristics. Modifications have been made only to the braking system, with two new Brembo discs up front, the paint scheme and a few details. It's an excellent motorcycle, appreciated particularly by whoever travels thousands of miles. This year, the bike will also be taking part in production bike racing.

Born in June 1971 for the 500km Monza race (where it arrived second ridden by Riva and Piazzalunga), the Guzzi V7 Sport has been repackaged in a model improved in its aesthetics and its cycle parts. It was admired at the Milan Bike show in November, under the new model name 750S. Lets look in more detail at the changes to the sports bike from Mandello. The front twin disc set-up (that replaces the much discussed TLS drum brake) has changed the general look of the bike, but has changed the bikes overall abilities and performance. The other modifications are purely aesthetic, i.e. the shortened seat with the soft hump, and the covers of the side panels/toolboxes. The paintwork is completely new: chromed and polished parts have disappeared, and everything else is painted black, with a diagonal coloured stripe on the tank and toolboxes. This stripe, which is available in red, orange or green, doesn't manage to balance the overall sombre look that the black suggests. It's a bit like seeing Little Red Riding Hood in a Dracula film - an element of goodness, but incapable of taking away the darkness of the environment. Sorry Mr De Tomaso if it seems we are making too much out of a secondary detail, but it seems to us that you could have designed a happier and more pleasing paint scheme, as has been done with the attractive colour options of the new 850T. Most Motorcyclists nowadays don't really have a skull printed on their t-shirt anymore!

Style and finish:

The look of the 750S, despite the paint scheme, is much more modern and aggressive than the old Sport, due to the lower, sleeker seat, and the two large (300mm) discs up front. The frame, that magnificent frame that matches perfect function with a refined geometry, is now partially hidden under the redesigned side panels, whereas before it was beautiful to see, as the angle of the rear shocks mirrored the angles of the frame. Regarding finish, it's worth noting that of all the bikes in the 1974 Guzzi line-up, the 750S is the only model that retains handlebars from previous years: the instrumentation remains that of the Sport. About the two clocks (rev counter on the left and speedo on the right, but without trip odometer), we can only say good things, because they're clear, readable and precise.

Marks off for the instrumentation/dash, which could have been changed for something more modern, with a more elegant design of the idiot lights for neutral, generator, lights and oil. The same goes for the basic switchgear, next to the left hand grip, which should have been redesigned with something more in line with the class of the rest of the bike. Then to finish, it should also be noted that the gear change is now on the left, abandoning tradition, but in a desire to modernise.