What is it?
A 500 single. It's a soft fourstroke banger, built along the lines of the earlier Falcone model. The cylinder is horizontal, and the engine has a very large and heavy external flywheel (covered by an alloy casing).
What'll it do?
Top speed around 80mph. 0-60 in around 9 seconds.
Not fast then?
That's not the point. It's a soft cruiser with a beguiling exhaust note and a lot of character. Imagine a big old British single that doesn't leak oil or break down, has brakes and lights that work, and 1930's styling.
When were they built?
From 1969 through to 1974
Are they rare?
Not on the continent, but unusual in the UK. They were never officially imported into the UK, but Moto Guzzi made and sold them by the bucket load for their domestic and European police and army customers.
Are they valuable?
No. They are not dirt cheap either, but you can get a good one from £1600 to £2600.
Is it a 'Classic'?
No, and certainly not to the Italians. The classic status is reserved for the earlier Falcone and related models. This makes the Nuovo Falcone non-precious and cheap to run.
So what's the big attraction?
It's the last in the long line of Guzzi singles, from the period when Guzzi built stuff to last. They have had a serious quality problem for a long time, but the Nuovo Falcone is almost the last of the big rugged Guzzis.
Ride one of these and you are experiencing classic motorcycling on the cheap. The Nuovo Falcone is massively strong, long-legged and long-lasting. Mine has 89,000km on the clock, and still has good compression and easy starting. The bike is ugly, but in the same way that a bulldozer or crane is ugly: they are built to work hard, to be simple to maintain, and to not break.
Don't big singles break your leg?
THE DRILL: Engine cold - apply full choke, close throttle. Engine hot - no choke, throttle open a crack. (demonstrating the handlebar-mounted choke and friction-adjustable twistgrip). Bring the engine up to compression using the kickstarter. You will know you have found it when you can stand on the kickstarter and nothing happens. Pull the decompressor lever and ease the engine over compression. Ignition on. Kick (well, apply long push). The engine will fire and run. No kicking-back, no broken legs.
Why has it got two silencers?
Italian styling. Notice how they managed to use twice the amount of metal, costing at least twice as much to replace, while still making it sound like it's running on an open pipe.
Is that a magneto?
No, the big black cylindrical object on top of the engine is a car dynamo, driven by a rubber V belt. It uses conventional battery, coil and points ignition.
Is it hard to get parts?
No, fairly easy. See the page on bits.
Why is the gear-change on the right?
It's Italian.
Why does it look like that?
It was built for the Italian police and army. Besides, Moto Guzzi always did go their own way. See the pictures page.
Mick Walker says they are rubbish
Mick Walker gives the Nuovo Falcone a hard time in his book on Moto Guzzis. He says that the inlet valve stems rust through poor lubrication, that the exhaust valve seats drop out, and that the oil filter gauze disintegrates. The inlet valve stem is not well -lubricated, and if the engine is allowed to wear to the point that the oil pressure suffers, then the valve gear does suffer. Otherwise, no problems. There is also a common modification that improves the oil supply to the inlet valve stem.
Likewise, the original military set-up uses a fairly weak fuel mixture (and probably pool petrol). If the engine runs weak (and hot), then the exhuast valve seat will drop out. The engine seems to run well on modern petrol. A good precaution would be to have the bike converted to lead-free. Tell the people doing the work that the valve seats are known to drop out, to remind them to make sure they are well fitted.
One area of definite weakness is the old style oil filter gauzes. The old ones (that I have never seen) made of cast metal are fragile and dangerous. The new ones that use plastic are robust and reliable.
I understand that there is a modification you can make to the oil feed to improve the pressure and supply. It means replacing the bush in the outer casing that takes the end of the crankshaft, with a proper oil seal. This maintains the oil pressure to the bottom end despite wear in other parts.
What is it like to ride?
Low first gear, so you can trickle through traffic feet-up. The heavy flywheel and soft compression also mean you can ride at tickover revs.
Notchy gearbox - it's often quicker to pull away in second than risk the neutral between first and second. Double-declutching helps.
Immediate pick-up when you crack the throttle at low speed. See a gap and it's yours. Immediate respect from other road users when you open the throttle. The bike is loud, in a friendly booming kind of way. The sound of the exhaust as you pull away from the lights seems to panic car drivers into lifting off.
Superb cruiser. A and B roads are ideal. The frame and tyres outperform the engine, so there are no suprises in the corners. The brakes work , too.
Pointless on the motorway. You will be overtaken by every car. You'll end-up slipstreaming lorries with your attention on other things. If you want to do long distances fast, buy something else.
Immensely pleasing exhaust note. It has a lovely booming throb that has you changing gear just to hear it echo off shop fronts.
Involving - making progress on one of these is very satisfying. It's not a sporty bike, so maintaining a high average speed takes some effort.
Did I mention the exhaust note?
That's a big flywheel
It is indeed. It weighs 20lb. That's without the weight of the rest of the crankshaft. You can roll a fag during gearchanges, waiting for the engine to slow down.
Why does it have two clutch levers?
The lower one is the decompressor. Nothing cissy about this bike.