Scoop! Moto Guzzi's Muscle Bike

SCOOP! MOTO GUZZI'S MUSCLE BIKE

Moto Guzzi, long known for its sports Twins and conservative cruisers, is about to launch something completely different. Called the V10 Centauro, the muscular-looking roadster was snapped recently outside the company's Mandello headquarters before being crated up for transport to the upcoming Milan Show. It's powered by a fuel-injected, eight-valve, 992cc V-Twin derived from the Daytona 1000 but retuned for increased torque. Talk is of 90 horsepower at the crank, enough to push the Cen tauro to 128 mph, sources say. Framing the motor is a steel-tube shaft-drive chassis led by a fully ad justable upside-down WP fork. Pirelli radial tires are fitted, as are Brembo brakes, the fronts four-pis ton affairs gripping 12.4-inch float ing discs. Wheelbase is 59.0 inches; claimed dry weight is 451 pounds. Other interesting features: A large oil-cooler mounts just in front of the crankcase; the fuel tank holds 5 gal lons and has aluminum sides. And, yes, Centauros are coming to the U.S., scheduled for sale in the spring of 1996. No price had been set as of presstime. -Claudio Braglia