Magni Sport 1200S
Magni Sport 1200S | |
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Overview[edit | edit source]
Magni Sport 1200 S
The Sport 1200S was a throwback machine that recreated the style and presence of the MV 750 Sport at a significantly more affordable price. For 15 492 you got the Magni hand crafted chrome-moly frame with right-side-up Ceriani forks and Brembo brakes and a pair of Showa shocks at the rear. The engine breathed through a set of signature black curved four-into-four megaphone exhausts. The alloy swingarm was taken from the Bandit - or, to be more accurate, the GSX 1200 Inazuma which was a retro-styled variation of the Bandit that had a dual-shock rear suspension. In fact most of the parts were straight off the Suzuki donor bike - the instruments, wheels, switchgear, master cylinders, carburettors, and airbox were all unmodified Suzuki bits. Dry weight was 430 lbs. The 1156cc powerplant was untouched and power was quoted as 100 hp and 67 lb-ft, the same as a stock Bandit/Inazuma. The whole kit was finished off with some retro flourishes like chromed mudguards and a sculpted fuel tank painted in the classic red-white-blue scheme made famous by the 750 Sport. The seat was also inspired by the Sport, resplendent in bright red with an upholstered bump stop. This was a strictly solo machine with no provisions for a passenger, just as any proper sport machine ought to be.
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The late 60s and early 70s will be remembered
for plenty of things. It was the era of Afghan coats, stacked boots, keep on
trucking badges and hair that was long at the back and short on top.
Weeding the garden meant something totally
different to what it means now, and when you travelled abroad you always knew
the weight of your luggage right down to your last ounce.
The world of biking was different, too. With the
chopper fad on a roll and the Japanese coming in relentless numbers, the death
knell was sounding clearer than ever for the British motorcycle industry.
The bikes being produced were, it needs to be
said, not of startlingly high quality. Nevertheless, a few much loved icons of
that age remain. The BSA Goldstar, the Triumph Bonneville, and the Norton
Commando.
Japan gave us the Honda CB750 and the now
fashionably cool Kawasaki Z900. And Italy, not to be outdone, produced the
gorgeous MV Agustas.
But ignoring the fashion for risque clothing and
dodgy interior design from that era, its refreshing to see a very cool street
racer inspired by MVs of the late 60s and early 70s
Forget about wearing dayglo T-shirts or open-face
lids on this thing, though. When youre riding the Magni 1200S you want to be
looking good.
So what is this retro beast?
Its a Magni. Basically, a 1200 Bandit engine in
a Magni frame with classic MV styling. But to really understand what this bike
is all about you need a quick history lesson that starts back in 1947 with
Italian Arturo Magni.
Magni started his career in the racing department
of Gilera and stayed until 1950, when he joined the newly-formed MV Augusta
racing department. He was there until MV pulled out of racing in 1977. With
riders including Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood and John Surtees, the firm won
75 world championships and over 3000 races in all.
Now out of work, Magni set up a shop to build
special versions of production bikes, starting with MV. The first street
versions used new frames, seats and tanks to turn road-going MVs into virtual
race bikes.
But the numbers of MV road bikes werent
available, so he turned to BMWs, Honda 900 Bol Dor replicas and Guzzis.
These bikes continued throughout the 80s and
90s with the Guzzi-powered Sfida 1000, 1100 and another version powered by the
Guzzi four-valve engine called the Australia in honour of its antipodean
importer.
So much for the history lesson. The latest bike
from the Magni plant in Gallarate, around 10 miles from Varese and right in the
heart of Italian motorcycle country, is the 1200S Como. Its being imported by
Middlesex Triumph dealer Jack Lilley, and is available strictly to order.
The first thing that grabs you is the way the
thing looks. It really is a 1200 Bandit under there. The switchgear, swingarm,
headlight, clocks and the engine are all straight off the donor bike.
But then there are other, more individual;
touches, such as the black-painted, 1970s-look exhaust pipes, the chrome
mudguards, the rear light and that long and low tank sprayed up in the bright
blue, white and red or the classic MV Augustas.
There are also modern Brembo four-piston calipers
and twin discs at the front, with the Suzuki master cylinder and span-adjustable
front brake lever.
The classic feel doesnt go too far, so theres
no kickstart just the usual button.
But the first time I straddled it I found myself
reaching down near the carbs for a choke lever before I suddenly remembered that
its really a modern bike with modern conveniences, such as a choke on the
handlebars.
Although the frame looks like the standard
Bandit, its actually Magnis own chrome-moly, tig-welded frame sprayed up in
red to match the bikes seat and paintscheme.
The twin shocks are Showa and, with a four-way
click adjuster that actually doesnt do very much, look suspiciously like the
ones from Hondas discontinued CB1000.
But somehow that doesnt seem to matter because
you feel like youre riding a very quick classic bike with a bit more civility.
For one thing, you literally almost lie down on
the bike with your bum pushed up against the soft seat-stop, and you can hear
the chrome front mudguard and side panels vibrating but only barely so because
the noise from the pipes takes so much of your hearing away from any other
sound.
It rasps rather than screams, and though it
wouldnt pass contemporary noise limits, its not as load as a true open-corked
70s superbike. And though the bike will rev all the way round until the needle
stops, and pull the front wheel in the air in the process it feels nicer and
more suitable to change up at about 6000rpm.
Thats where the meat of the torque is, and you
can still benefit from the aural experience from the four pipes when you
short-shift.
An ideal,
laid-on-the-tank-with-Woodstock-on-your-mind speed to cruise at is 80mph, though
it will pull up to about 140mph.
However, if you can hang on to it at that speed,
you really must have been a child of the 70s.
Go too quickly and the limits of the suspension
soon lets you know. The front dives and uses up its travel with a mild stroke of
the front brake lever/ the rear shocks are so firm that in a corner you have to
work it to stop the bike running wide and find yourself hanging off to stop the
flip-up sidestand grounding.
Its the kind of bike you want to ride for 30
miles until the seat has done wonders for your bum, pull up and then do it
again.
At £11000 it sounds like a lot of money, but to
me its a bargain and youre buying a piece of history that will touch your life
through any flared trouser fad.== External Links ==