MV Agusta 750 Sport America
It could reach a top speed of 210 km/h.
MV Agusta 750 Sport America | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 1975 - 77 |
Engine | Four stroke, transverse four cylinders, DOHC, 2 valve per cylinder |
Compression ratio | 9.5;1 |
Top Speed | 210 km/h |
Ignition | Distributor |
Battery | 12V ISah battery |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Frame | Tubular steel, welded, double cradle |
Suspension | Front: 35mm Ceriani telescopic forks Rear: Dual Marzocchi shocks preload adjustable |
Brakes | Front: 2x 275mm discs Rear: 200mm Drum |
Front Tire | 90/90 -18 |
Rear Tire | 100/90 -18 |
Wheelbase | 1390 mm / 54.7 in |
Seat Height | 775 mm / 30,5 in |
Weight | |
Fuel Capacity | 24 Liters / 6.3 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
EngineEdit
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four stroke, transverse four cylinders, DOHC, 2 valve per cylinder. The engine featured a 9.5;1 compression ratio.
DriveEdit
Power was moderated via the Multiple disc in oil bath..
ChassisEdit
It came with a 90/90 -18 front tire and a 100/90 -18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 275mm discs in the front and a 200mm Drum in the rear. The front suspension was a 35mm Ceriani telescopic forks while the rear was equipped with a Dual Marzocchi shocks preload adjustable. The 750 Sport America was fitted with a 24 Liters / 6.3 US gal fuel tank. The wheelbase was 1390 mm / 54.7 in long.
PhotosEdit
OverviewEdit
MV Agusta 750 Sport America
Nothing about the new MV Agusta 7S0S America is understated
Strong, visceral and bold, the bike overWheelms everything around it. This
red-and-silver roadster becomes the indisputable center of attraction everywhere
it deigns to appear. And the 750S America is overWheelming in other ways: it
makes a conservative 75 horsepower, rushes through the standing quarter-mile in
13.06 seconds, passes the dragstrip timing lights at 105.14 mph. pulls like a
truck from 2000 rpm, tips the decibel meter to 94 db(A). pierces its
surroundings with an electrifying roar at 9000 rpm, runs tar beyond 130 mph In
Mth gear, weighs a chunky 562 pounds wetand costs a princely S6000. This
cast-aluminum bank vault possesses a haughty aristocratic presence. Not
vainglorious the MV Agusta is just purely haughty.
Aristocratic or not. you askdouble-checking your wallet
pocketis the 750S America, or any motorcycle, worth S6000? The answer to that
obvious question pivots on two considerations: first, the relative size of the
pricelag as measured against an individual's resources: and second, one's
expectations of what S6000 should buy in a motorcycle.
Machines such as the MV Agusta usually receive predictable
reviews by the motorcycle press. Usually, hyper-expensive machines cause
roadtesters to soar off into some loose jive-rapture about
money/ego/motorcycles' and the density of the paint. Or the opposite occurs.
Testers screw on their hard noses, and push around comparisons like so many shmy
pennies. Both approaches, flighty passion and penny-grinding comparisons, share
at least one starting point: someone would buy a $6000 motorcycle on a $6000
motorcycle budget. But that assumption doesn't truck much with reality. People
who buy $6000 motorcycles operate on grandiose motorcycle budgets, and they
don't need passion as a justificatio dollar comparisons which quickly reach a
point of diminishing relevancy in the real world of mega-buck motorcycle
budgets.
So how should you approach a S6000 motorcycle? Simple. It
starts with some hard facts of life. Motorcycles are toys for grown-ups.
Six-thousand dollar motorcycles are toys for wealthy grown-ups. Because almost
every motorcycle in the United States is a toy, no motorcycle is worth grievous,
oppressive sacrifices to own. If you had to mortgage your grandmother's
silverware, or anything else, to buy an MV. it isn't worth it. Most road-testers
(and readers) couldn't write a check for an MV without flinching, but the Rich
of Motor Culture are different. They can. So first and foremost. MV Agustas are
for those who can afford thempainlesslyand who agree with MV's interpretation
of what a $6000 motorcycle should be.
No matter how expensive, any motorcycle makes a series of
trade-offs, such as speed for noise, or weight (or convenience. No ultimate
be-all/end-all machine exists tor $6000 or any other price.
If you want a silent motorcycle that weighs under 500 pounds,
winks back at you with eight warning lights and has built-in stereo, then
regardless of your resources, buying a 750S America would be a dreadful waste of
moneyand a perfectly splendid MV Agusta.
The 750S America is powerful, quick-stopping, stylish,
comfortable, fuss-free, and loud. It's also quite heavy though it feels agile at
legal speeds. The motorcycle handles well at normal paces, but it lacks
outstanding handling at more energetic rates.
The things which the MV single-seater does best are the most
easily perceived: appearance, acceleration, sound and speed. Everything has the
look and feel of expensive quality, including the sand-cast done engine, the
hand-hammered aluminum cold-air box. the suede saddle, hand and toot controls,
and heavily chromed nuts and bolts. The MV engine, a magnificent piece of
hardware, dominates the entire motorcycle The four-cylinder engine appears
massive and brutal; but close-up, the individual components have an miricate,
almost delicate character.
Belying its considerable weight, the 750S America makes a
tight, compact package. The steel tank and seat have the same spare lines of MV
s current Grand Prix bikes. Its styling gives the machine a tight, economical
grace: nothing looks contrived or affected. The new roadster escaped the trendy
angular styling of Giorgetto Giugiaro and his rectilinear pencil.
The sensual MV broadcasts the best sound trip in motorcycling.
Through the dragstnp traps, things sound as if there's a Grand Prix war in full
progress. When the MV double-knocker peaks at 9000 rpm, you understand what the
British press means by thai quaint transat-lantlcism. "full chat."
The 750S America represents the king of machine which MV
Agusta and Commerce Overseas Corporation believe an affluent American clientele
will buy for S6000. To anyone who knows anything about motorcycle Grand Prix
racing, MV Agusta is a self-explanatory concept. Commerce Overseas Corporation
In New York, long associated with MV Agusta in the helicopter business, is the
sole United States importer for MV motorcycles. Chris Garville from COC and Jim
Cotherman. an MV retailer in the United States with credentials as a
racer-tuner-developer, went to the MV factory in the fall of 1974 The American
duo proposed a series of changes to update the existing 750 MV Agusta. The
factory took their proposals under advisement and began work on a revamped
roadster. Garville and Cotherman. working in concert with factory personnel, saw
the new motorcycle, embodying their suggestions, literally take shape Contrary
to the stereotyped Italian scenario, where tomorrow is always next year, the
America project went forward rapidly. Inside fifty days, (he MV factory had a
prototype rolling. The America project received important encouragement and
support from Fredmano Spairani, an MV director. (Italophiles may remember
Spairani as the corporate head of Oucati, when the Vee-twlns were launched and
the 750 Desmos won the inaugural Imola 200.)
Power was a key consideration The MV four-cylinder responded
well to prodding because it contained all the basic ingredients for great
performance. Fundamentally, the engine is the old 500 Grand Prix unit which MV
raced successfully irom the 1950s to the mid-1960s. When it first appeared in
production form, the engine displaced 600ccs; later MV bumped it to 743cc. and
now. in the America model, the capacity has gone to /88cc
Us growth has been carefully monitored and controlled. MV does
not work on the American hot-rod principle, "hog it out and hope for the best."
MV precisely calculated the loads on all powur-traln components to guarantee
reliability. And it paid off. At the dragstrip the MVS horsepower, weight, and
tall first gear savagely abused the clutch, which withstood the brutality
without slipping or protesting or even serving notice.
Some of the power increase has come from enlarging the pistons
two millimeters (bore and stroke are now 67mm x 56mm); another increment was
added by raising the compression ratio (from 10:1 to 10.2:1), but the greatest
power gain lies in the cylinderhead
The cylinderhead has been recalibrated to deal with the
increased displacement. The factory resisted the simple expedient of adding
squish bands in the combustion chambers in order to cover the larger pistons. MV
reflowed intake tracts. Installed larger intake and exhaust valves, and
completely resphered the combustion chambers
Gone are the 24mm UBF Oell 'Orto carburetors which fed the
first 750 Sports In their stead are a quartet of 26mm VHP Dell 'Ortos which,
unlike the old set-up. have completely enclosed lops. The old derrick
slide-litters are gone; the new MV has a single-cable race-type actuation
mechanism
While the 788 engine uses more car-buretion than early 750s.
the big engine actually has a milder camshaft, in terms of lilt and duration.
The immensely tractable engine has power from 2000 rpm to 9000 rpm.
Machinery fascinates nearly all motorcyclists; some find
whirring gears and shalts positively addictive. Hardware junkies blow themselves
away on MV engines. It Is a masterpiece of precision castings, gears, needle
bearings, ball bearings, shafts, and all other things in the hard goods
department. Were it mass-produced, the engine would still be murderously
expensive to build.
A matched set of three straight-cut gears runs up
between the interior cylinders; Ihis gear train, driven off the crankshaft, in
turn drives the gears which turn the camshafts
Item: The pressed-together crankshaft turns on ball bearings
(at each end) and lour enormous split-cage roller bearings at interior points.
Unlike any other production engine in motorcycling, the crankshaft is held
inside a separate cylinder-block casting, and this sub-assembly bolls into the
main engine casting. This method of construction, a carry-over from MV racing
engine design, gives the crankshaft incredibly strong support, minimizes thermal
distortions, and eliminates the need tor mote complex and intricate
casting/machining operations in a limited production engine Item Because the
Bosch dynastan generator lies behind the engine sump, the mam engine cases are
narrower than the cases ot a CB-400 Honda.
An itemized catalogue ot the MV engine's lovely, arcane,
sophisticated hardware might stretch on for twenty pages But the listing would
be a cruel joke if this elaborate machinery only excelled at being elaborate. Or
made no power. Or was fragile as brittle china.
The MV engine is rugged. It has that same run-on/run-on
quality found in R90S BMWs and Honda 750s There's every reason to believe that
MV engines are set-it-and-forget-it propositions. Alter initial break-in (600
miles), the valve clearances can be set (010 and .012), and experience has shown
that the valves will not normally require further ad|ust-ment for about 10,000
miles The Bosch distnoutor-type ignition is very automotive as is the Bosch
starter /generator, and the drive-shaft eliminates any fussing with a chain
Basic service intervals come round every 3600 miles The engine Itnl
temperamental Our test bike would eventually wet-foul plugs because the
carburetors had slides which produced extraordinarily rich mixtures Re-sliding
for local conditions would have leaned out the mixture to normal.
Italian machines traditionally have been sported with
ratty-tatty detailing Not so with the MV 750S America Italophiles will scarcely
believe it. but Apnha has finally built real handlebar switches with casl
aluminum bodies and plastic buttons The switches lollow the same pattern as
Yamaha controls The 750 America shifts on the left side, and brakes on the right
The switch has been done neatly inside the engine cases, so no Johnson-rod maze
spoils the exlenor And at last MV Agustas have real air-filtration A beautiful
hand-hammered aluminum cold-air-box houses a very simple dry synthetic fitter
The running gear changes have likewise been extensive between
the old 750S and the America model. When Cycle last encountered the MV
750 Sport, the bike had a four-shoe front brake. That anchor has been replaced
by double discs with Scarab calipers and master cylinder Our test MV has the
best Scarab disc brake system which we've tried; lor feel and accuracy it's
almost in the same league as Lockheed components. The America model has a
massive Cenani fork which replaces less formidable models on earlier MVs The
heavy-duty Ceriani has 38mm lubes and wider, stronger triple clamps than
previous equipment The frame, which retains the same 55-mch wheeibase and basic
geometry, has a :onget stronger steering neck.
MV made no changes m the driveshatt unit nor in the gear
ratios-primary, transmission, and final The swing arm has been taken straight
off old models, as have the Sebac rear dampers.
Our test America, which was literally the
first production bike built, varied from later bikes in three
ways First, the instrument panel, a la Oucati. has been scrapped in favor ol the
alloy instrument holders fitted to previous 750 Sport models. This substitution
brings the ignition switch back between the instruments. Furthermore, gas taps
will be activated by the ignition switch, as per Moto Guzzi. and the centerstand
toe-down bar. which ground slightly, will be raised a bit.
Space relationships have been thoughtfully worked out on the
MV 750S America Since the MVs suede saddle is firm, the roadster's comfort grows
out of the relative positioning of pegs, bars and seat Not only >s the saddle
just 29 inches off the ground, it's relatively low to the clip-ons-which have
built-in risers Moreover, the tank isn't excessively long The foot pegs have
been positioned low enough so that the rider's knees aren't tucked into his
armpits The loot controls intersect nicely with hands and feet; no awkWard
groping is necessary The controls operate with a velvet softness, and the engine
contributes to the luxurious placidity. The engine vibrated less than a CB-750
but perhaps a bit more than a CB-550
Of course, the America can't match the BMW R90S lor sheer
luxurious comfort The MV is more restful than other genuine clip-on roadsters,
namely the John Player Norton, the Ducati Sport and Super Sport, or the Laverda
SFC. Although the saddle has far less padding than a Moto Guzzi Sport, a
275-mile jaunt revealed no great difference in riding fatigue between the MV and
Guzzi.
The Bosch starter-generator spins the engine silently With no preliminaries, the Italian four-cylinder whoofs into action, creating a mushroom cloud ot sound gear-meshing noise from the cylinder head chest balanced by the angry snarls from the lour mufflers. Nicking the throttle skyrockets the tach-needle and curls your ears The engine has no flywheel inertia, so instant throttle response is the engine's middle name With the standard exhaust system the rider can't escape the noise. Most enthusiasts wouldn't want to snuff out those intoxicating sounds. However. MV does manufacture a special exhaust system for the America, and the new plumbing, together with a fairing, will back off the volume to 84 db (A). Cycle staffers sampled the decibels-down mufflers for a half-hour, and then reverted to the more standard-music mufflers Without question, the 750S America joins that small (and dwindling) coterie of high performance street motorcycles The dnvesha't prevented any dynamometer testing; nevertheless, the dragslrip testing confirmed its strength Bearing in mind its quarter-mile handicaps (weight. 60-mph first gear. 140 mph fifth gear), the MV snapped through in 13.06 with a terminal velocity of 105.14. That's really impressive since the MV gives away lots ot lime m the first 150 feet. Lighter motorcycles with larger engines geared more appropriately for Ihe dragslrip (Laverda 1000 and Kawasaki Z-iB) will slop the clocks quicker and deliver slightly higher trap speeds (Laverda 1000. 1295 @ 106.13; Kawasaki Z-IB. 12 37 @ 107 36) But no matter what you own. don't bother trying to outrun the 750 S America on Ihe top end. At 85 mph (where it just has cleared second gear), the MVs close-ratio gearbox and compact size works to its advantage The 750S America would slip away from Cycle Magazine's favorite Z1 -8 (dyno-lesled at 83 horsepower) from 80 mph upwards. Though no suitable place exists to lest for meaningless top speed figures, our test bike was easily strong enough to climb well into the 130s On board the MV certainly sounds brutish, bul no harshness feeds into the controls. The clutch lever has a soft draw and a wide, predictable engagement arc The gearbox shifts with the accuracy and leel of a bolt-action rifle When the throw of the left-side shifter pedal was tightened up. it duplicated the touch and feel of right-side shifting MVs. which do the best gear-changes of all street roadsters. The twistgnp has a soft return spring, burning off a long-time Italian wan You needn't be Superman to make the front tire moan The powerful dual discs system has no spongmess in it. Braking force goes up in a nice linear way. without demanding excessive muscle By comparison, the rear drum brake doesn't exist. It feels almost powerless, and there's not much feedback It's the single control distinguished by vagueness and fuzziness.
The heavy-duty from discs are absolutely imperative,
considering Ihe MVs 562-pound wet weight and the speeds at which the engine will
propel this mass The MV outweighs the only other bikes of similar size and power
The Laverda 1000 pushes Ihe scales to 520 pounds, down 40 on the MV. Kawasaki's
Z-IB comes m at 540 pounds, undercutting the MV by 20 pounds. Other dnveshaft
motorcycles, the BMW R90S and Moto Guzzi Sport, are substantially lighter than
the MV70 pounds. The America's compactness can fool you; it looks much lighter
than il is. Pulling the bike on its center-stand (without knowing the Irick) al
once suggests how heavy the MV is. Surprisingly, all the weight isn't in the
engine The complete unit, including starter-generator and carburetors, weighs
jusi over 200 pounds. The MV carries a greal deal of unsprung weight, especially
at Ihe rear, thanks to the dnveshaft system.
The choice of tires, lire combinations (m terms of fronl-to-back
match) and rim widths makes an astonishing difference in cornering power (and
the feel of that power) on any motorcycle. A so-called perfect combination for a
given machine may only evolve after an extended period of trial and error. For
some machines. >t never happens With a bike as heavy and powerful as Ihe MV, the
choice and balance is critical. Our lest bike came equipped wiih a Metzeler 3.50
x 18 Rille rib on the front rim (2.16 inches beadhead width) and a 4.00 x 18
Metzeler C7 racing-block pattern on the rear rim (25 inches). With the front
inflated to 28 psi and the rear 32 psi (cold readings), the MV would weave and
snake treacherously in fast corners At those pressures, the handling produced
bone-chilling fright in the rider Leaving the front tire alone and lowering the
cold pressure in the rear lire to 26 psi produced a stable condition without
causing tire overheating. Hot pressure in the rear tire checked out at 30 psi
Moderately hard cornering was then perfect on smooth bends,
but a bump in a fast corner used up the rear suspension movement (even with full
spring preload on the shocks) and a slow oscillation would result. The MV drifts
through corners more than most motorcycles, especially lighter bikes. Aslow,
controlled drift without oscillation means that a bike is able to use all the
available tire adhesion without causing the frame to flex resonantly With the
MV. there's an awful lot of weight on the front wheel and much more development
time needs to be spent on tire and wheel selection, as well as shock absorbers,
for racing-speed conditions.
The MV doesn't handle as well as a Laverda 1000. Compared to a
competently prepared Kawasaki 2-1. the MV is taut and stable when the tires are
inflated properly The Z-1 mushes around and cushes against its cornering limit
The MV approaches its boundary more directly and without a lot of preliminary
wiggles and loose-jomiedness. And at the limit the MV will corner at higher
speeds without oscillation than tne Z-1.
Alternate SAW shock absorbers with stronger damping and
heavier springs helped to control the MV's wobble-reaction m bumps through fast
corners But this stiffened the boulevard ride into harshness. Anyone who wants
to push his MV 750S lo its limit should be prepared to experiment with tires,
rims and shock absorbersand he should be an accomplished, experienced rider
because the MV, unlike the Laverda 1000 (but like the Z-1). is neither easy nor
comfortable to nde really hard
Handling in terms Ol Steering-response feel is slow and heavy
The MV can move you at such a bhnrjing pace that tne lack of flickery is
reassuring. Decided and purposeful pressure must be applied to the appropriate
handlebar, foolrest and tank side in order to change the MV's attitude al great
speed The mosl advantageous rider position from which to guide the MV's path is
a crouch m a constant upright stance without body lean relative to the bike it
is difficult to change one's body pressures accurately on a machine while
hanging off to the pavement side.
Six-thousand dollar motorcycles don't qualify as disposable,
throw-away items So natural restraint and John Law. if nothing else, will keep
MV riders away from hot-lick riding At ordinary speeds, the MV does handle welt
enough, and produces no disconcerting quirks across bumps in smooth roads. The
short wheel-base and small amounl of trail minimize the sense of weight.
Compared to a Moto Guzzi Sport, the America responds more quickly to inputs al
moderate speeds, though it's 70 pounds heavier than the Guzzi Furthermore,
there's a tremendous horsepower differential.
Again and again the MV impresses a rider with its style,
smoothness, comfort and-most of all-ils sheer power, which is accompanied by the
ever-present MV music The 750S America is a grand bou-levardier suitable lo
street parading, mountain-road stroking, and autostrada smoking Name any venue;
the red-and-silver MV will be the star attracttorr
Exclusivdy comes at no extra cost At the very best. MV can
build 200 America models in 1975. all of which will land in the United States.
With this limited production motorcycle MV has finally made a commilment lo the
American market. It's almost ironic. At the same time MV ai last arrives, other
high-performance European models are disappearing from the American scene. Moto
Guzzi's American efforts have been totally concentrated on the 850 T Farewell.
750 Guzzi Sport At least for 1975. and perhaps longer. Ducati Sporls and Super
Sports Desmos cannot be imported into the United States. Both bikes are vicllms
of right-hand shift legislation. And the factory, which can sell the entire
production m Europe, sees no compelling reason to make a U.S. version Also the
newest Laverda we've seen still has right-hand shift, until that can be changed,
you won't see Laverda 1000s here either. The BMW R90S. measured by Laverda-Ducali-MV
standards, is a high-volume motorcycle, and fortunately the German twin won't
disappear But a distressing fact remains: those who like European
interpretations of high-performance motorcycles may find their choices severely
limited, or ihe options increasingly expensive
Given those realities, every MV America 750 which lands in the
United States will be snatched up. An eager welcome may encourage MV to build
even more sporting motorcycles in the future. MV Agusta has financial, technical
and manufacturing resources to offer a continuing line of high-performance
limited-production motorcycles. Exciting as the 750S America is today, we can
hardly wait till tomorrow $
Source CYCLE 1974
Make Model | MV Agusta 750 Sport America |
---|---|
Year | 1975 - 77 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, transverse four cylinders, DOHC, 2 valve per cylinder |
Displacement | 787.7 cc / 48.0 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 67 x 56 mm |
Cooling System | Air cooled |
Compression | 9.5;1 |
Lubrication | Wet sump |
Induction | 4x DeU'Orto UB24B2 e UB24BS2.carburetors |
Ignition | Distributor |
Battery | 12V ISah battery |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 75 hp / 56 kW @ 8500 rpm |
Clutch | Multiple disc in oil bath. |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Final Drive | Shaft |
Gear Ratio | 1st 11.68 / 2nd 8.45 / 3rd 6.47 4th 5.44 / 5th 4.98 |
Frame | Tubular steel, welded, double cradle |
Front Suspension | 35mm Ceriani telescopic forks |
Rear Suspension | Dual Marzocchi shocks preload adjustable |
Front Brakes | 2x 275mm discs |
Rear Brakes | 200mm Drum |
Front Tire | 90/90 -18 |
Rear Tire | 100/90 -18 |
Dimensions | Length: 2210 mm / 87.0 in Width: 720 mm / 28.3 in |
Wheelbase | 1390 mm / 54.7 in |
Seat Height | 775 mm / 30,5 in |
Weight | 235 kg / 518 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 24 Liters / 6.3 US gal |
Consumption Average | 12 km/lit |
Standing ¼ Mile | 13.9 sec |
Top Speed | 210 km/h |
VideosEdit
External LinksEdit
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- http://thebikemuseum.com/master_docs.php?id=159
- http://www.motorrad-bild.de/ta_marken/mv/mv750s.htm
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