Quick Ride

Quick Ride

MAGNI-GUZZI SFIDA 1100ie Old world meets future tech

WHEN ARTURO MAGNI retired from MV Agusta's legendary race shop, his only purpose in life was to perpetuate MV’s image of technical supremacy.

He did this by creating a series of “specials” powered by an array of engines. Magni swore by a traditional, double-cradle steel-tube frame, 28-degree steering-head angle, twin shocks, 18-inch wheels and bias-ply tires. After all, the championship-winning MVs used this formula, so nothing else would work.

Years later, when Arturo’s sons, Carlo and Giovanni, got involved in the family business, they wanted to switch into a higher gear. The problem, though, was finding a suitable powerplant. Albeit not ideal for a sportbike, Moto Guzzi’s venerable 90-degree V-Twin was reliable, made good power and was available at a decent price. The resulting Magni-Guzzi Le Mans 1000 debuted in 1987. While the Le Mans’ frame and layout were in line with Arturo’s doctrine, Giovanni had masterminded a new parallelogram-type rear suspension. Teamed to the driveshaft with two U-joints coaxial to the twin swingarm pivots, the design eliminated the throttle-induced yo-yoing common with shafties.

The company might have soldiered on unchanged for years had it not been for the introduction of Guzzi’s eight-valve Daytona V-Twin. Because the new engine had a complex air-filter design that wouldn’t work with the old twin-shock rear end, Magni adopted a cantilevered single-shock setup reminiscent of the production Daytona. That led to a new frame. The oldstyle tubing was replaced with a simple, solid rectangular-section backbone that supports the rear of the engine and locates the twin swingarms. Double downtubes run from the steering head to the front of the engine.

Magni still uses that combination with its current Sfida 1 lOOie. Max output is 90 horsepower at 7800 rpm with 71 footpounds of torque at 6000 rpm. The fuel-injected, 1064cc VTwin is quite willing, with loads of torque and a remarkable eagerness to spin past 8000 rpm. Quarter-mile acceleration is in the mid-1 Is, and top speed is in excess of 143 mph.

Chassis-wise, the wheelbase spans 57.1 inches, and there’s 24 degrees of rake and 3.7 inches of trail. As a result, the 437-pound Sfida is a light-steering, solid-handling machine. Moreover, the superbly damped Forcelle Italia fork and shock allow full use of sticky Pirelli radiais, even at severe lean angles over bumpy pavement. Brakes are excellent Brembos: 320mm fronts with four-piston calipers, and a single 230mm rear with a two-piston caliper.

Visually, the Sfida is fascinating, with classic and elegant lines. Equally appealing is the riding position, clip-ons and all. On one of the prototypes I rode, the footpegs were mounted too high and too far forward for 6footers, but the other bike was perfectly suited for a rider of practically any size.

In sum, the $15,780 Sfida llOOie melds tradition with hightech to make a superb backroad blaster-not a minor point for Arturo Magni and sons.

-Bruno de Prato