I know I sometimes think that journalists - the riding journalists that is and there are a damn sight fewer of those than there should be - don't always understand exactly the national bike scene as they ought. We ride around on all sorts of lovely machines that most fellows would hack off an arm for, and then criticise the thing because it twitches a bit over 100 mph after three hours down some sun-baked Autostrada. It's all too easy to smugly re-adjust to the new situation which, were it not for paid expenses, the borrowed and well-serviced machine would be entirely beyond our means. What I mean is that you take some keen biker - me for instance - and plant him in paradise and tell him to work. He (me) doesn't think. 'Hey! This is great, and I'm a lucky guy but it's all a bit unreal so let's keep things in perspective." He (me) thinks, after a snap readjustment. "Hey, this 750 won't pull 110 for long without blueing its pipes and the front brake fades if you grab it more than three times in a row so it ain't all it's bulled up to be so I'm never going to buy one." All the while conveniently forgetting that the thing is monstrously unsuited to his real-life needs.
Life in Daytona was crazy. There was me. chunkin' around on a throbbing great Harley , borrowing MV fours and race-tuned 1,000 cc Honda Fours and Laverda threes, driving 7-litre Pontiacs and mixing with people like Cal Rayborn and going for a swim before breakfast in the heated outdoor pool ten feet from my hotel room, yet at the same time supposed to keep a level head and work! I was high, up there somewhere, on a different level to mere mortals, not out of my depth, but walking where others swam. Then I met Tom Lester and he lent me, as well as his MV and Laverda, his Moto-Guzzi New Falcon. It settled me down on my feet gently and firmly as only such a wholly practical bike can.
You don't know what a Falcon is? Like the Aermacchi (now Harley Davidson and available) and Benelli singles, 'Guzzi roadsters never caught on over here, although with all the caterwauling that went on as our singles' industry died I'm blessed if I know why. The Falcon is a tidied up version of the traditional old 'Guzzi mainstreamer now fast becoming a Continental classic among collectors. It used to be red, a flat single with an outside flywheel, leading link front forks and damped at the back end with Hartford style friction pads. Lovely bike; ugly, oh so bull terrier ugly, but so proudly, satisfyingly so. The rest were wrong, it was right, and it knew it; you could see so. in every contrary line. The Italian police used it. and the army, and farmers and small traders with their stalls towed behind them on the way to market used them. The big old single was the workhorse of Italy In time, though, even the army wanted something more conventionally appealing. 'Guzzi cleaned up the angular single, tucked the flywheel inside a casting, added teles and pivoted fork suspension and produced the New Falcon. Amidst the metalflake furore of Daytona, the Falcon came as a blessed symbol of reality and I appreciated its simple grace all the more. As I rode it, I thought. "Why all the razzmatazz about size and multis when something like this does the job a whole lot better for 90 per cent of the time?" And it does you know, at half the cost yet with far greater riding ease. Like the 350 Harley the Falcon has much more for it than just about any other machine type you care to consider. Low centre of gravity, light weight, simplicity of design and servicing requirements, and Italian roadholding and braking. Only a few years ago, I would have rated our own machines as the finest handlers in the world, but now, with the Italian industry taking over as the leader of Europe. I would also put them as the makers of the machines most likely to offer a high-grade performance quality. Just think of them, Benelli, Ducati, Laverda, 'Guzzi, and all with superb handling characteristics.
I spent only a morning with the Falcon, but in that time realised that it was a machine that in all respects would remain beyond the ability of its rider to better. It felt so small after the ponderous Electra Glide, the surging Laverda and the big Honda (I leave the MV out of it, but more of that later), that I required no breaking-in period. From the time I was riding, everything went well. Even for a "mere" 500 single, it sits low on the ground - it can afford to with such an engine - so turning and bend swinging with fast direction changes following one on top of another could be carried out at speeds that are fast becoming unfamiliar to riders of high, wide and heavy modern machinery. But at the same time, because of the clean lines and available space, foot-rests sat placed higher, narrower and slightly more rearward than is usual on current machinery. Nothing racy, but right, very right. A rev counter was fitted, although it proved entirely unnecessary due to the engine's relaxed power output, but it did make testing simpler. Whatever the makers might state about optimum power output, it's a wide spread below that, but because it was a single the engine was none too happy below 1,800 rpm in top gear. As this corresponded to only 32mph though, it could scarcely be grounds for complaint. Through the gears, maximum speeds were obtained only at the expense of some vibration at high revs, which while not bad, contrasted acidly with the Falcon's otherwise smooth power flow. Nothing like a big Suzuki, or even a Honda Four - dammit, but those rustling monsters have got a lot to answer for when you think about it, eh? Forced us to completely revise our standards. Three years ago. the Falcon would have been worth raving over, but now it's simply a uniquely rational motorcycle. As with all big singles, what movement there was came less from resonance than the rhythm of big bits moving around. No, not vibration, merely a feeling of working metal.
Gear speeds resulted in maximums of: 1st (13.23:1 at 5,500 rpm) 31 mph; 2 (7.42 at 5.500) 51; 3. (5.51 at 5.500) 75; 4 (top. 4.12 at 5,000) 88 mph. The thing was choked, or at least it felt like it, although the carb was by no means undersize, at least by our standards, for the Italians do like big intakes. With all due respect to them, I am confident that our own singles of comparable type were better equipped for the job of slogging, yet still offering a fair top end than theirs Like Ducati Sebring, another delightful single, the Falcon's performance feels definitely "withheld" somehow. It just has not the elastic guts of say an old Matchbox or Red Hunter. Same top end mind, nothing in it, but without the sleepy strength at rock bottom that was one of the most lovable traits of our singles. It was too cammy, too compressiony and not flywheely enough. I stalled it treating it as I thought it should be. The makers have obviously gone to a lot of trouble to ensure efficient gas emission though at least at top end. Twin silencers keep the exhaust free without entailing the necessity of a single expensive silencer. Compression was not too high, cheap fuel took the machine along nicely and the engine did not bark so camming must have actually been pretty mild, so I put the problem down to a light flywheel. I could see the rim spinning around under its cast alloy cover on the drive side but not enough to gauge its size. I suspect, although have no way of knowing, that 'Guzzi lost some of its weight during the old single's face lift in an attempt to liven it up And this they have certainly achieved, although not so much from the engine as from the cycle parts. After riding around on 750s, the 500 felt like a 250 especially as it was so low. Road-holding was just about perfect: long bends or lane chopping thy all came up roses. And that was all I can say about roadholding. There it was - good - and what else is there? Town traffic trickling was moped-like and 80 mph cornering like 65 on most other machines. Any mediocre rider could give a man on a far higher powered machine a run for his efforts as long as the roads were bad - or good depending on your point of view. Suspension was firm like most good Italian machinery, but not uncomfortably so. Softish springs but firm damping was just the way it should be.
Braking of course as Guzzi tradition was enough for an engine of twice the power. The twin leading shoes in an eight inch drum did everything (well alomost) a man could want. No fierce grabbing and no unwanted servo-action; just pressure and action in well-balanced quantities.I don't know about waterproofing because it was around 90 deg F when I rode this. The electrics are in the same boat too, although the horn did work, but only in the manner of horns that hate to be worked, a sort of ill-tempered yap, like a squeezed Pickaknees. Unfortunately, so much of this impression has to be guessed at because so tittle info about the machine is available; although undoubtedly Don Barrat or Rivetts could get you one should you want it and believe me, despite my criticisms of its bottom end performance which in fact amounts to little more than nominal observations, it would make an extremely practical and thoroughly satisfying machine to own, let alone ride. Much more so than 75 per cent of the available machinery right now. I mean, its top end behaviour is beyond reproof, more than equal to our own old singles. About the same as a T100 or a 441 Gold Star (can't bring myself to call that thing a "Goldie") y'know: good, great in fact. It was a single after all, so I didn't change gear without the clutch more lhan once, and that carefully, 'cause it realty ain't the way to keep new friends, especially if they have MV fours they say you can ride if you come back on the Falcon with an open heart. But all in all, the complete transmission performance was like the rest of the bike - beyond criticism. It did exactly what it was supposed to and no bad habits. What I did like was the electric starter. On a socking great single? You've just got to believe it Exhaust valve lifter used or not, the half horse motor knocked the engine over compression as though it was not there. Better for the battery if the valve lifter was squeezed for the first compression stroke only, and then dropped once all was spinning freely obviously, but not essential. Oh yes, almost forgot, bless someone's cotton socks, but the gear change was a proper one. None of your rotten, rotten, rotten Japanese/American rubbish of left side up for up (like cars my foot) but good old grand prix proven right side down for up. I love 'Guzzi just for that. I've got used to the present norm and have almost accepted it, but the Falcon let me know just how abominable it really is. Do Triumph realise what a filthy tradition they started when they started assembling gear boxes upside down and frightened Honda into doing the same thing?
There is not much more to say. Fuel consumption must be pretty good for it always is on lightweight big singles, only I don't actually know. Finish was typically Italian. Great alloy castings, but only fair on paint and chrome. For a guy who wanted more than riding thrills the Falcon has it, although I suspect that import duty, or whatever it is now we are all snarled up in VAT would not make the bike the bargain that it is in its own country. A great pity, because it's a machine that, at the right price, and I don't mean a ridiculously cheap one, could catch on within the group of riders who enjoy their motorcycles as machines.
The lack of a specification list is due to the lack of available specification, but this is what it basically comprises:
Type, all alloy flat single. Capacity, 499 cc. Bore and stroke, 88 x 82 mm. Valve operation, pushrod. Crankshaft, built up with all roller bearings and outrigger flywheel. (Note: actually a one-piece casting, with a plain big end and ball main bearings) Carburettor, 29mm Dell'Orto breathing through paper filter. Power output (DIN) 26.4 bhp at 4,800 rpm. Electrics. 12v alternator, coil ignition, electric starter. Transmission, gears. 13.23:1 7.42. 5.51. 4.12. All chain, wet clutch. Frame, all welded full loop. Tanks, fuel. approx 3 gallons, oil. 4.5 pints in wet sump. Wheels, front. 3.25 x 18in steel rim and 8in 2ls brake. Rear, 3.50, 8in sls brake.