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59-804: The genesis of the Agusta company came in the early 20th century. Count Giovanni Agusta left Sicily for northern Italy , where he built his first aircraft, the AG.1, four years after the Wright brothers had made history in the US. The First World War, which demonstrated the prospects of aviation, prompted Agusta to be decisive. In 1923, in the town of Samarate , he founded the Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta S.A. (usually shortened to Agusta ) aircraft factory. He died in 1927 at

118-548: A 1952 Isle of Man TT victory and went on to win MV Agusta's first world championship. And in September that year Leslie Graham made Count Agusta the happiest man alive by winning MV's first 500 cc Grand Prix, on the hallowed asphalt of Monza , beating Gilera's Umberto Masetti by 58 seconds. Giuseppe Commendatore Gilera was so incensed that he lodged a protest, claiming MV's engine was oversize. It wasn't. In 1952,

177-513: A 500 cc four-cylinder engine and designed a racing model with 125 cc DOHC single-cylinder engine . The MV's first 500 – a Gilera clone – made its race debut at Spa-Francorchamps in July 1950, just six months after Remor had put pen to paper in MV's Cascina Costa race shop. After a short twenty-minute run on the factory test bench, ex-Gilera rider Arcisco Artesiani managed a creditable fifth on

236-498: A "hump". The new MV Agusta 125 Sport entered the market in 1974. Now, the design was one step ahead! The straightened lines that were just coming into fashion reflected the trend set a year earlier by the prototype MV Agusta 350 Ipotesi . Even the fins and the crankcase got square-shape. Some of the motorcycles were equipped with a Grand Prix type fairing. Technical advantages included fully enclosed, fully tubular duplex frame, front disc brake and electronic ignition system. Alas, it

295-512: A beautifully sculpted fuel tank that quickly earned it the unofficial nickname "Disco Volante" ( English: flying saucer) as, viewed from the front, the tank shape was reminiscent of a flying saucer. In July 1954, MV began offering a very limited-availability racing model 175 CSS ( Super Sport ). The engine was further turned from the CS model, including higher compression ratio and a larger carburetor, to produce 15 hp at 8,800 rpm. Cycle parts were

354-559: A bore and stroke of 59.5 × 62 mm. This model had a frame of a double loop design using tubes for the front sections and pressed steel members at the rear. The engine was used as a stressed member. Suspension was telescopic forks at the front and a swinging arm at the rear. The 175 CST was equipped with separate saddles and 17" wheels, the CSTL ( Turismo Lusso ) had 19" wheels and a "long seat" (dualseat) fitted. The 175 CST weighed 103 kg and figured top speed of 100 km/h. In less than

413-559: A business there. Brothers Mario and Natale Corando and financiers Enrique Favier and Antonio Sommariva wanted to set up manufacture of MV machines under licence by a local factory, which had licenses and manufacturing permits and therefore had access to raw materials. A deal was struck with Nilo Masó of Alpha in Barcelona and MV Alpha was formed in 1948. Sales were good, but because of the limited facilities of Alpha, production could not be increased. The licence to produce MV motorcycles

472-525: A double disc at the front similar to that of the last 750 S. However, the dealers' hopes did not materialize: there were few customers ready to pay $ 6,500 for 750 Sport America (for comparison, the Honda CB750 cost $ 2,190) and only 540 units were produced. MV Agusta 350 S Ipotesi was an example of a car designer's experience in a motorcycle world. It was in production for only two years, and 1,991 units were made. But this happened most probably due to

531-463: A five-speed gearbox has become standard for 125-cc and 150-cc road motorcycles since 1966, the factory line-up was supplemented by the Scrambler version. The main MV premiere at the 1965 EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show was the flagship model 600 with an inline-four 590-cc engine. Such significant novelty put the all new two-cylinder line-up on the background. Most probably it happened also because of

590-443: A more affordable 125 Turismo, which was the result of the development of the original MV 98. It was powered by a 123.5 cc (53 × 56 mm) single-cylinder engine shoving out 4.8 hp and equipped by a girder fork. Together with the 125 Turismo, MV introduced 125 Corsa designed for national and world championships. The power increased up to 9 hp. Its steel trellis frame, fabricated from thinner tubing, helped to reduce

649-442: A new category "ciclomotore": a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with engine capacity 50 cc or less and speed 40 km/h or less. Italian motorcycle industry saw in the new law an opportunity to attract younger riders’ audience. MV Agusta from its side presented Liberty family in 1962. In fact, it was the same Checca, but even more lightweight and simplified, with a 47.7-cc 1.5-hp engine at 4,500 rpm. An interesting fact that sales of

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708-410: A passion for mechanical workings and for motorcycle racing. Much like Enzo Ferrari , the Agusta family produced and sold motorcycles almost exclusively to fund their racing efforts. So soon after the start of production of its first model MV 98, the company launched its own factory racing program. The date of the first MV Agusta race is unknown, but the first victory was delivered by Vicenzo Nincioni in

767-414: A significant innovation for that time. Two years later this model named 350 S went into production. It kept even the squared external cases of the engine, despite the fact that the basic motor internals were identical to the previous 350 twin model . Output was increased from 27 hp at 7800 rpm to 34 hp at 8500 rpm claimed. MV Agusta is famous by its experiments and expands of the range. In 1949,

826-506: A two-stage gear box—and spare parts obtained from the black market to bypass shortages, a prototype motorcycle was constructed. The prototype was exhibited to the press in late October 1945 at a dealership on Via Piatti in Milan . It was light motorcycle with a steel tube rigid frame, a girder fork , 19-inch wheels, and a gas tank marked with a large M and V. It was initially called "Vespa 98" before being renamed to "MV 98" to avoid confusion with

885-412: A year MV Agusta introduced a sportier version 175 CS with a larger carburetor (22 mm instead of 18 mm), a higher compression ratio, a larger cylinder head with bigger fins, aluminum wheel rims and plenty of glossy red paint. Its 175 cc one-cylinder engine produced 11 hp at 6700 rpm, giving a 115 km/h top speed. This model featured lower handlebars, a more sporty riding position and

944-416: Is why by the end of 1970 the total number of released three versions barely reached 1,452 units, and the model gave way to another generation, a much more successful MV Agusta 350 B with engine bored out to 349 cc. Motorcycles MV Agusta became more advanced, with modern electrical equipment and improved suspensions. At the same time MV Agusta kept the look of its motorcycles almost unchanged. Meanwhile,

1003-465: The 125cc DOHC four-stroke engine . The 1950 season and 1951 season were development years. Racing efforts only produced a fifth-place finish at the Dutch TT in 1950. The 1951 results were only slightly better. The 1952 season saw the introduction of telescopic forks, full width alloy brake hubs and a sleek fuel tank on the 125 cc race bike. Britain's Cecil Sandford piloted the new MV 125 to

1062-402: The 750 Sport America features a sporty look reminiscent of a "Luxury Café Racer". It was equipped with a 19-litre fuel tank, a small racing mudguard, a single-seater covered in black alcantara fabric and four exhausts. In terms of performance, the engine's displacement was increased to 790 cc and is now powered by four 26 mm Dell'Orto concentric-shaft carburettors (smaller than those of

1121-562: The Vespa motorscooter produced by Piaggio . The MV 98 was first produced en masse in 1946. Two versions were sold to consimers: Economica, based on the prototype presented a year earlier, and Turismo, distinguished by the presence of a three-speed gearbox and a rear suspension. The Turismo proved to be so overwhelmingly popular that before long, the Economica was discontinued. In 1946, about 50 units were produced. Count Domenico Agusta had

1180-441: The 1960s became a turning point in motorcycle design world, and other Italian companies set new design excellence standards not supported by MV Agusta with its motorcycles' look "from the 1950s". The first significant design improvement became only in 1970, however it was not well accepted by customers and the second change became in 1971. The changes included elongated gas tanks, front forks without covers, low handlebars, saddles with

1239-431: The 750 S, they have the added advantage of remaining stable on bumpy roads). The buyer could either choose four chrome-plated megaphones or else, exhausts with a matt black finish producing a more acceptable noise level. With a compression ratio of 9.5:1, the four-cylinder produced 75 hp and could take the 750 America to nearly 210 km/h at 8,500 rpm. The America was equipped with a 38 mm Ceriani front fork and

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1298-509: The Agusta factory started building helicopters under licence to American manufacturer Bell . And aviation once again became fundamental to the Count's business. Although MV Agusta continued to sell small numbers of exotic road bikes, from this moment on racing was a hobby for Count Domenico. Helicopters made him a fortune, which he spent on racing. Aviation technology also served him well on the racetrack. His Grand Prix bikes were constructed using

1357-623: The Agustas turned to an idea formulated by Count Domenico Agusta during the war. Domenico believed that the business could best be diversified and made peaceful by commencing the production of motorcycles, which would be needed by a country gutted by war. On January 19, 1945, in the town of Cascina Costa (near the Malpensa airport near Milan), a private company, Meccanica Verghera S.r.l., was registered. Using an engine that had been prepared by August 1943—a 98 cc single-cylinder two-stroke with

1416-645: The Liberty Sport version significantly exceeded the sales of the basic Liberty Turismo. After the 1957 season , the Italian motorcycle manufacturers Gilera , Moto Guzzi and Mondial jointly agreed to withdraw from Grand Prix competition due to escalating costs and diminishing sales. Count Agusta originally agreed to withdraw, but then had second thoughts. MV Agusta went on to dominate Grand Prix racing, winning 17 consecutive 500-cc world championships. Count Agusta's competitive nature drove him to hire some of

1475-674: The Ottantatrè model. Technically Checca was similar to the 125-cc Centomila, but with a scaled parts. The basic version GT was equipped with an 83-cc 4 hp engine, an upper level GTE version had a 99-cc 5.15-hp engine and the Sport version had a 99-cc 6.5-hp engine. In 1962, the family was supplemented the GTL version with a 125-cc 5.5-hp engine. The family was in production for totally 9 years, however it had no big commercial success. The 1958 Italian Road Law ( Italian: Codice della strada ) defined

1534-556: The US MV importers, got the idea that with a few modifications, the MV 750 S had great potential in the United States . In the autumn of 1974, they travelled to Italy to discuss these upgrades which were rather well received by Cascina Costa. Result-oriented, the two American businessmen called for an improved design and performance ("style and speed") and announced that they could sell hundreds of this new machine. In terms of style,

1593-482: The age of 48, leaving his life's work to his wife Giuseppina and his sons, Domenico , Vincenzo, Mario and Corrado. Aircraft orders were plentiful and business generally went well until 1945, when provisions of the peace treaty that ended World War II (reiterated in the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947 ), forbid Italy from producing aircraft. Acting quickly to save their business and their employees' jobs,

1652-437: The best riders of the time, including Carlo Ubbiali , John Surtees , Mike Hailwood , Giacomo Agostini , Phil Read , and the best engineers, in particular Arturo Magni . The three- and four-cylinder race bikes were known for their excellent road handling. The fire-engine red racing machines became a hallmark of Grand Prix racing in the 1960s and early 1970s. In the early 1960s, MV Agusta decided to return to offroad sport (at

1711-521: The change of business focuses of the company after Count Domenico Agusta 's death. Anyway the design of the MV Agusta 350 S has become decisive in the industry for the next 15 years. While almost all motorcycle designers were focused on round shapes, MV Agusta presented at 1973 Milan Motorcycle Show a prototype 350 Ipotesi that was characterised by horizontal lines and sharp angles. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro , founder of Italdesign . The bike used cast alloy wheels and triple disc brakes which were

1770-534: The classic 125, 250 and 500 cc categories. In 1947, MV Agusta went to the Milan Trade Fair with a number of new features. In addition to a "Luxury" version of the 98, the two-cylinder, two-stroke 125 cc bikes and the 250 cc single-cylinder 4T bikes appeared. Technical characteristics of the MV Agusta 250 Turismo were regular for those times. Its single-cylinder engine with compression ratio 6.0:1 produced 11 hp at 4,700 rpm allowing

1829-555: The company launched production of scooters. From 1955 till 1969, MV produced mopeds. In 1975, the company presented the Mini Moto 4 V that looked like MV racing bikes (including even four exhausts and "Grand Prix" front fairing) but it had a 50-cc engine with 1.5 hp only. Count Giovanni Agusta Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

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1888-456: The compression ratio and installing a new 20 mm horizontal carburetor. The number of gears was increased from two to three. As a result, the power increased to 5 hp at 5,400 rpm, and the maximum speed increased to 95 km/h. Soon almost all of these improvements were also applied on the production model MV 98. By that time, the capacity of 98 cc was no longer relevant in racing world, which had become more organized and moved on to

1947-487: The end of 1952, the MV Agusta 175 was released in two versions: CST and CSTL . It was their first production machine with a four-stroke engine. The unit construction single-cylinder engine was designed with an overhead camshaft for high performance. The chain-driven camshaft operated the valves via rocker arms, which were closed by hairpin valve springs. The engine was inclined forward at 10° and manufactured in alloy and

2006-488: The end of the 1950s, MV racers were successful in enduro races, including in the famous Six Days race). A new 125 Regolarita was created by order of Fiamme Oro team. The model was equipped with a 125-cc engine boosted up to 12.5 hp and a five-speed gearbox. Traditionally light MV frame was reinforced with a lower subframe, becoming closed. 19-inch wheels got offroad tyres. This motorcycle became successful, so tens such motorcycles were also sold amateur racers. Moreover,

2065-583: The engine block . Later in 1959, this engine bored up to 232 cc became a heart of a new motorcycle – Tevere ( English: Tiber ). In fact, the 11 hp Tevere was a more dynamic and less affordable version of MV Agusta 150 RS, so the model was discontinued soon. But the 232-cc engine itself, equipped with forced cooling, was produced until 1968, to complete the Trasporto Tevere cargo scooter. A new family of ultralight (only 83 kg for basic version) Checca motorcycles debuted in 1960 to replace

2124-479: The factory in Caschina Costa. Its main advantages over the serial model 98 were a telescopic fork and a plunger type rear suspension. The frame remained a simple tubular (closed type) and was shortened by 50 mm to improve the handling. The handle bar was narrowed and the rearsets were moved back to make a sportier riding position. The two-stroke engine was improved by enlarging the cylinders ports, raising

2183-418: The finish line first and subsequently falls into its component parts". Four-stroke 175-cc MV Agusta engines were distinguished by excellent dynamics at that time, but not durability. They were even given the nickname "Fragile Diamonds". In addition, the upper camshaft complicated the procedure for cleaning carbon deposits, which was required several times a season due to the quality of oil and fuel. Therefore, for

2242-409: The first victory of young Mike Hailwood , the future nine-time world champion. Mike won his first ever race on one of these machines bored out to 196 cc in a 200-cc class race at Oulton Park in 1957. Around 200 of the model were manufactured between 1954 and 1957. The 175 cc engine became famous not only in road racing. From 1955 to 1958, MV also produced off-road racing motorcycles. But, perhaps,

2301-528: The inaugural world championships that were held in Switzerland, Netherlands and Italy. The Mondial 125 cc DOHC design dominated the 1949 season . In the end of 1949, Count Domenico Agusta invited two key professionals from Gilera – Piero Remor , who designed Gilera's four-cylinder 500cc racing motorcycle, and Arturo Magni , who was the chief mechanic of the Gilera's racing team. So they repeated

2360-479: The legendary 750 Sport and 750 Sport America . Even when the company canceled motorcycle production in 1977, Arturo Magni was authorized to produce and sell motorcycles under the MV Agusta brand on its own. The most advanced model, the 1978 Grand Prix 1100, developed 119 hp, weighed only 202 kg and accelerated from 0–100 km/h in 3.9 sec. The history of the 750 S America model began when Chris Garville and Jim Cotherman of Commerce Overseas Corporation,

2419-420: The mid-1960s, when the demand for large engine capacity motorcycles grew, there was born an idea to apply it on a road bike (the first prototype MV Agusta 500 Grand Turismo R19 was built in 1951). It was rumored that preventing any competition Count Agusta ordered to build the road vehicle with no possibility of converting it into a racing one. Therefore, the MV Agusta 600 debuted at the Milan Trade Fair in 1965

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2478-425: The most unexpected option manufactured in the same years was the trike Motocarro with a load capacity of 300 kg. Unfortunately the 175 cc family had a considerable drawback. In fact, the flip side of its advantages. After all, the motorcycle was designed by the racing engineer, who spent the best part of his life following the rule brilliantly formulated by Ferdinand Porsche : "The perfect racing car crosses

2537-400: The motorcycle looked like a clone of the junior models, with no hints of its high status. All of that generated low demand. In 1959, in an attempt to recover the poor sales of the 250, the company introduced a 16-hp 300-cc version. Army and police purchased a small number of these motorcycles in respective versions, but the overall sales were far from brilliant. As a result, the success hoped for

2596-508: The motorcycle to speed up to 110 km/h. Only 100 units of the MV 250 Turismo were produced within three years. The model with a 125 cc two-stroke twin engine had a very similar design to the MV 98. The only differences were a four-speed gearbox and two cylinders instead of one. This model was well received by the press as well as by the audience of many motorcycles shows. However this model didn't go to serial production mainly because its high price. Instead of this model MV Agusta launched

2655-463: The motorcycle up to 110 km/h, allowed it to stay in the stream (the most popular car of those times – the Fiat 500 – had a lower maximum speed). The same engine, detuned to 7 hp, was also installed on the small three-wheeled scooter Centauro. This machine with a load capacity of 350 kg already had a cab. In 1957, MV produced a cheaper version of the 175-cc engine with a camshaft located in

2714-401: The new 125cc motorcycle, which was supposed to replace two-stroke models, a simplified version of the four-stroke engine was developed, with pushrods operating the valves. The model debuted in 1954 in two versions: Turismo Rapido (6.5 hp) and Rapido Sport (7.5 hp). The chassis was similar to the 175-cc models (although the first units used a fully tubular frame, it was soon replaced by

2773-410: The new two-cylinder motorcycles had a regular look, very similar to the previous motorcycles. The MV Agusta 250 B ( Bicilindrica ) had a 247 cc (53 × 56 mm) four-stroke parallel twin engine, a battery ignition system, two carburetors and a five-speed gearbox. Its 19 hp were enough to achieve 135 km/h. But the price was too high, and the characteristics were not the most impressive, which

2832-562: The road race held in La Spezia on October 6, 1946. Just a week later, he took the third place in Valenza , where the first place was also taken by the MV racer Mario Cornalea. On November 3, in Monza , MV racers Vicenzo Ninconi, Mario Cornalea and Mario Paleari occupied the entire podium for the first time in MV racing history. In the end of 1946, a special racing motorcycle was assembled at

2891-421: The same as the CS model, except it was fitted with Earles forks . In 1955, MV Agusta designed the 175 CSS-5V for the 175 cc Formula Sport Derivata race series. The "Squalo" ( English: shark), as it was generally known, had a lighter frame based on that used on the works racers, larger brakes, a magneto, Earles forks and a five-speed gearbox. The bike became the part of motorcycle racing history thanks to

2950-410: The same high-tech casting, forging and machining techniques used in the manufacture of his helicopters. At that time MV product line-up consisted of motorcycles and scooters with two-stroke engines , with a capacity from 98 to 150 cc. But people who lived in mountainous areas always preferred four-stroke engines because of their torque. So Remor was tasked to design a four-stroke road model. At

3009-467: The same mixed design as the 175 CST), but a radical improvement appeared on the Rapido Sport was a hydraulically damped telescopic fork. Now Italian engineers were ready to take the next step: to increase capacity up to 250 cc. In the fall of 1956, the company introduced the 250 Raid . Its name seemed to hint: the toys were over, it was time to go on a long journey – at least across Europe (the name

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3068-538: The untested and ungainly MV 500. His race average speed of 160.66 km/h was impressive, but the remainder of the season proved difficult and the MV failed to live up to expectations. Artesiani's third place at Monza in the Nations Grand Prix was the highlight of the 1950 season , and Artesiani finished eighth overall in the World Championship . The MV's first racing success came later with

3127-412: The weight from 75 to 55 kg. Two friction dampers had been added. And both wheels were replaced with 21-inch ones in accordance with the technical regulations of the races. The bike was good enough to help Franco Bertoni to win the 1948 Grand Prix of Nations at Monza. In the 1949 season , the 125 cc, or ultra-light weight class, gained new prestige. More motorcycle manufacturers were competing in

3186-475: Was chosen by voting among dealers of the brand). Technically, the motorcycle became the development of a 125-cc model: a single-cylinder four-stroke overhead valve (OHV) engine, a four-speed gearbox, a duplex frame closed through the crankcase of the power unit. Of course, everything was done much more solidly, so the dry weight of the motorcycle increased from 102 to 160 kg. As a result, 14 hp engine could hardly power this bike to 115 km/h. In addition,

3245-491: Was deliberately distinguished by the massive parts of the 592-cc engine, final shaft drive and weighed 221 kg. It became the world's first production motorcycle with a four-cylinder transverse engine . Four-cylinder motorcycles such as the FN Four had been in production since 1905, but they all had longitudinal engines . It was followed by models with engines with a displacement of 743, 790, 837 and 862 cm, including

3304-430: Was focused on its reliability and assured 100,000 km mileage without any problems, for which the model was nicknamed "Centomila" ( English: one hundred thousand). In 1958, responding to the new Italian Road Law ( Italian: Codice della strada ), which closed highways for motorcycles of 125 cc or less, the company released a 150-cc version of the MV Agusta 150 RS (Rapido Sport). Its 10 hp engine accelerating

3363-419: Was not realized with only 544 250-cc machines and about 500 300-cc machines being produced. Trying to completely rid the brand of the dubious fame of "fragile diamonds", the company's engineers completely redesigned the lubrication system by the 1959 season: they installed a high-performance oil pump, a centrifugal oil filter, and increased the volume of the pan. The main new MV Agusta 125 TRE advertising message

3422-576: Was the last development of one- and two-cylinder motorcycles. The heirs of Domenico Agusta did not have passion to the motorcycle business and it declined soon. The last MV motorcycle manufactured in the company's old factory was 125 Sport in 1977. Count Agusta had plans to expand the MV Agusta brand internationally. In post- Civil War Spain, the Franco regime banned the import of motorcycles and also forbade foreign nationals from settling in Spain, or starting

3481-568: Was transferred to the larger and better equipped Avello factory in the Natahoyo neighbourhood of Gijón in Asturias in 1951, creating the MV Avello brand. Production in Spain continued until 1972. Inline 4-cylinder engines have been a modern characteristic feature of MV Agusta. For the first time this type of engine designed by Pierro Remor was used in the 1950 Grand Prix season . In

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