Editing Moto Guzzi V10 Centauro GT

{{Infobox Motorcycle
|name             = [[Moto Guzzi]] V10 Centauro
|image            = [[File:Moto-Guzzi-V-10-Centauro-Sport-GT.jpg|frameless|Moto Guzzi V10 Centauro]]
|aka              = V10 Centauro Sport, V 10 Centauro Sport, V10 Centauro GT, V 10 Centauro GT, V 10 Centauro
|manufacturer     = Moto Guzzi
|parent_company   =
|production       = 1997 - 00
|model_year       =
|predecessor      =
|successor        =
|class            =
|engine           = Four stroke, 90° V twin, longitudinally mounted, OHV, 4 [[valve]] per cylinder
|bore_stroke      =
|compression      = 10.5:1
|top_speed        = 212.2 km/h
|power            =
|torque           =
|fuel_system      =
|ignition         = Digital
|spark_plug       =
|battery          =
|transmission     = 5 Speed
|frame            =
|suspension       =Front: White Power inverted forks <br>
Rear: Chrome Moly braced swingarm with adjustable White Power monoshock
|brakes           =Front: 2x 320mm discs 4 [[piston]] [[calipers]] <br>Rear: Single 282mm disc 2 piston caliper
|front_tire       = {{tire|120/70 ZR17}} 
|rear_tire   	  = {{tire|160/60 ZR17}} 
|rake_trail       =
|wheelbase        = 1,475 mm / 58.1 in
|length           =
|width            =
|height           =
|seat_height      = 770 mm / 30.3 in
|dry_weight       = 224 kg / 493.8 lbs
|wet_weight       =
|fuel_capacity    = 18 Litres / 4.7 US gal
|oil_capacity     =
|fuel_consumption =
|turning_radius   =
|related          =
|competition      =
}}

It could reach a top speed of 212.2 km/h.  

==Engine==
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four stroke, 90° V twin, longitudinally mounted, OHV, 4 valve per cylinder. The engine featured a 10.5:1 [[compression ratio]].  

==Chassis==
It came with a 120/70 ZR17 front [[tire]] and a 160/60 ZR17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 320mm discs 4 piston calipers in the front and a Single 282mm disc 2 piston [[caliper]] in the rear. The front suspension was a  White Power inverted forks while the rear was equipped with a Chrome Moly braced swingarm with adjustable White Power monoshock. The V10 Centauro GT was fitted with a 18 Litres / 4.7 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 224 kg / 493.8 lbs. The wheelbase was 1,475 mm / 58.1 in long.  
== Photos ==
[[File:Moto-Guzzi-V-10-Centauro-Sport-GT.jpg|600px|Moto Guzzi V10 Centauro]]
[[File:Moto-Guzzi-V-10-Centauro-GT.jpg|600px|Moto Guzzi V10 Centauro]]
[[File:Moto-Guzzi-V10-Centauro-GT.jpg|600px|Moto Guzzi V10 Centauro]]

== Overview ==

Moto Guzzi V 10 Centauro GT
















A naked V-twin with a
distinctly aggressive personality was Roland Brown's verdict in 1996 after
taking the V10 Centauro for a a mightily entertaining ride around the Manx TT
circuit.
At first the V10 Centauro
had me fooled. The rounded roadster styling and high handlebars suggested a bike
built for city streets rather than high speeds. After picking up the bike in the
Isle of Man (where Guzzi had come to celebrate the firm's 75th anniversary), the
lazy beat of its big V-twin engine encouraged me to spend the first few miles
sitting bolt upright in the broad seat, short-shifting through the gearbox and
cruising in relaxed fashion through the picturesque Manx country roads.


But the Centauro didn't
take long to show that it could hold its own on the Island at TT time. When the
road opened out, I wound back the throttle at about 50mph in third gear and the
Guzzi leapt forward with a force that tried to rip those raised bars from my
hands. The tacho needle swept towards the 8000rpm redline, I flicked into fourth
and then top as the acceleration just kept on coming. Seconds later I backed-off
from well over a ton, having discovered the hard edge beneath the Centauro's
soft curves.
That straight-line
performance should not have come as such a surprise, given the Centauro's
background. This bike may be a naked roadster, but its heart is the eight-valve,
high-cam V-twin motor from Guzzi's fully-faired Daytona flagship and its
chassis, too, is almost identical to that of the Italian firm's latest
sportsters. Like the Ducati Monster and Bimota Mantra, this is a naked V-twin
with a distinctly aggressive personality.
The Centauro, whose name
comes from the centaur, a half-man, half-horse of Greek mythology, certainly has
the looks to compete with that pair. Guzzi followed the lead set by Aprilia
(with the Mot 6.5) and Bimota (the Mantra) in commissioning a designer from
outside the factory, in this case Italian Luciano Marabese, who previously
penned scooters including Piaggio's Sfera. The result is a bike that's less
radical than the Mantra but is still very eye-catching, thanks largely to
bodywork that sweeps back from the fuel tank to the bulbous tailpiece with its
neatly integrated rear light.
This prototype Centauro's
bodywork was made from glass-fibre rather than the plastic that will be used for
production models. The fuel tank's shape necessitated a new airbox, but it is of
similar size to that of the Daytona. And the motor itself is essentially the
aircooled, 992cc, high-cam unit of the Daytona RS, detuned slightly with a
softer camshaft but still producing a Monster-munching claimed 90bhp at 8200rpm.
Like the RS, the Centauro benefits from an oil cooler placed rather vulnerably
just behind the front wheel.
The V10's
rectangular-section chrome-molybdenum steel spine frame is identical to that of
the RS and 1100 Sport Injection, and the same is true of the cycle parts. Forks
are 40mm upside-down units from WP of Holland, complete with adjustment for
compression damping at the top of the right leg and rebound at the top of the
left. WP also provides the rear shock, which is basically the same as the
sportster models' unit but, like the forks, has been retuned slightly to suit
the Centauro.
One thing that has been
changed is the position of the footrests, which are set slightly forward and
lower thanks to small brackets bolted to the frame. There's a distinct feel of
Harley-Davidson as you settle into the low, broad seat and reach up to the
chromed, large-diameter bars (which narrow at their tips to allow conventional
switchgear and hand-grips). But this rumbling, aircooled V-twin motor's
torque-reaction roll from side to side when you fire up is definitely a
trademark of Mandello rather than Milwaukee.
The riding position, low
seat height and generous steering lock combined to make the V10 manoeuvrable at
low speed. In the outskirts of Douglas (where it turned plenty of heads) the
Guzzi showed the makings of a good town bike. Its slightly heavy clutch was
offset by the clunk-free drive-shaft assembly introduced on the Daytona RS. The
Centauro has slightly lower gear ratios, too, and this bike's prototype box
shifted more cleanly and reliably than that of any previous Guzzi I've ridden.
At speed the prototype also made a slight high-pitched whine, which the factory
says won't occur with production boxes but hopefully the slicker shifting will
remain.
The Centauro's
Weber-Marelli fuel-injection system, a remapped version of the Daytona set-up,
gave a crisp low-rev response. There were no Daytona RS-style flat-spots, and
the big V-twin pulled cleanly even when its throttle was cracked open at 35mph
and only 2000rpm in top gear. But although the V10 chugged forward obediently,
its low-rev power pulses quickly smoothing out in typical Guzzi style, the bike
didn't stretch my arms through the lower midrange in quite the way I'd hoped
from an unfaired big-bore twin.
The reason for that
became clear when the white-faced Veglia tacho's needle reached 4500rpm: this
motor is still very much a rev-happy sportster powerplant. Suddenly, the big
V-twin hit its sweet spot and the Centauro came alive. The Daytona-style surge
of acceleration, made even more vivid by the wind tearing at the pilot's chest,
transformed the Guzzi from a docile old nag into a charging stallion.
An indicated 120mph
arrived rapidly and with considerably more to come, though you'd need a strong
neck and arms to hold ton-plus speeds for long. Given this bike's similar power
output to the Daytona, it should be capable of a genuine 135mph top speed
despite its poor aerodynamics. More importantly the Centauro cruised smoothly at
a fairly bearable 80 to 90mph, and felt as though it would do so for ever.
Stability at speed was
excellent, due partly to a Bitubo steering damper set below the headstock. On a
couple of occasions the Centauro shook its head briefly under hard acceleration
on a bumpy back-road, but the bike never felt likely to get out of shape even
with the damper on its lightest setting. The rest of the time it felt as solid
as a shire-horse, showing no sign of the wobbles that many unfaired bikes are
prone to.
That was also due to a
chassis that combined Guzzi's less-than-radical steering geometry with
sport-bike rigidity and suspension control. Steering was neutral although at
444lb dry the V10 is no lightweight, and quick direction changes required a firm
tug on the bars. The well-damped WP forks and shock gave the naked Guzzi a
handling poise that meant it could show up more than a few race-replicas on the
TT course.


The only real drawback
was that the V10's ride was a bit too firm for comfort. The Centauro's upright
riding position concentrates the pilot's weight through the seat, and the fairly
stiff shock couldn't prevent the bigger Manx bumps of which there were plenty
from being transmitted to my back with enough force to please an eager
osteopath. A slightly softer shock with more travel would be an improvement,
provided it didn't spoil the handling.
Advantages of retaining
the sportsters' cycle parts included the fact that the Centauro could be braked
hard and late with the combination of Brembo's 320mm semi-floating discs and
four-pot calipers, plumbed with braided lines (and identical to the Sport
Injection set-up). The 17-inch Marchesini three-spoke wheels held wide and
grippy Pirelli Dragon GT tyres; ample ground clearance meant that only the toes
of my boots ever touched down in the bends.
Guzzi's new management
team is still working to finalise the Centauro's specification, and a few
details will change before the bike goes into production in September. This
prototype's annoying forward-set, spring-loaded sidestand will be replaced by a
relocated, conventional item with an engine cut-out; and the seat will be moved
forward slightly to make the bars easier to reach for the short-armed. There is
also likely to be further fine-tuning of the suspension.
The result will be a
stylish, distinctive roadster with the speed and handling of a sport bike;
further proof that Moto Guzzi is in good hands and heading for an exciting
future. The V10 Centauro's fuel-injection and high spec mean that it won't be
cheap, costing roughly as much as the 1100 Sport Injection. Plenty of rivals
offer more comfort for less money, and maybe a slightly softer motor would suit
the roadster better. But as it is the Centauro matches the physique of a
body-builder with the performance of a racehorse and that unlikely combination
makes for a mighty entertaining ride.

{|  class="wikitable"
|- 
!Make Model
|Moto Guzzi V 10 Centauro GT
|- 
!Year
|1997 - 00
|- 
!Engine Type
|Four stroke, 90° V twin, longitudinally mounted, OHV, 4 valve per cylinder
|- 
!Displacement
|992 c / 60.5 cu-in
|- 
!Bore X Stroke
|90 x 78 mm
|- 
!Cooling System
|Air cooled
|- 
!Compression
|10.5:1
|- 
!Induction
|Electronic Fuel Injection
|- 
!Ignition
|Digital
|- 
!Starting
|Electric
|- 
!Max Power
|95 hp / 69.3 kW @ 8200 rpm
|- 
!Max Torque
|98 Nm / 78 lb-ft @ 5800 rpm
|- 
!Transmission
|5 Speed
|- 
!Final Drive
|Shaft
|- 
!Front Suspension
|White Power inverted forks
|- 
!Front Wheel Travel
|130 mm / 5.1 in
|- 
!Rear Suspension
|Chrome Moly braced swingarm with adjustable White Power monoshock
|- 
!Rear Wheel Travel
|120 mm / 4.7 in
|- 
!Front Brakes
|2x 320mm discs 4 piston calipers
|- 
!Rear Brakes
|Single 282mm disc 2 piston caliper
|- 
!Front Tire
|120/70 ZR17
|- 
!Rear Tire
|160/60 ZR17
|- 
!Wheelbase
|1,475 mm / 58.1 in
|- 
!Seat Height
|770 mm / 30.3 in
|- 
!Dry Weight
|224 kg / 493.8 lbs
|- 
!Fuel Capacity
|18 Litres / 4.7 US gal
|- 
!Consumption Average
|18.1 km/lit
|- 
!Standing ¼ Mile
|12.2 sec
|- 
!Top Speed
|212.2 km/h

|}

[[Category:Moto Guzzi motorcycles]]