MV Agusta 750 Sport
MV Agusta 750 Sport | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 1970 - 71 |
Engine | Four stroke, transverse four cylinders, DOHC, 2 valve per cylinder |
Compression ratio | 9.5;1 |
Ignition | Battery and automotive type distributor coil |
Battery | 12V ISah battery |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Frame | Tubular steel, welded, double cradle |
Suspension | Front: Ceriani telescopic forks, internal coil springs, two way oil damped. Rear: Swinging arm, spring/damper units, Four pre-load settings |
Brakes | Front: 200mm Drum Rear: 200 mm Drum |
Front Tire | 3.50 -18 |
Rear Tire | 4.00 -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 |
Engine[edit | edit source]
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.
Drive[edit | edit source]
Power was moderated via the Multiple disc in oil bath..
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 3.50 -18 front tire and a 4.00 -18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 200mm Drum in the front and a 200 mm Drum in the rear. The front suspension was a Ceriani telescopic forks, internal coil springs, two way oil damped. while the rear was equipped with a Swinging arm, spring/damper units, Four pre-load settings. The 750 Sport was fitted with a 24 Liters / 6.3 US gal fuel tank. The wheelbase was 1390 mm / 54.7 in long.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
MV Agusta 750 Sport
When it was presented it was the dream of every motorcycle
enthusiast: it had 4 cylinders and slender good-looks. However, the enthusiasm
soon died down when the effective performance was disclosed and did not meet the
declared performance.
The front drum brakes were below standard and the shaft drive did not allow
great performance.
It was however, one of the most significant large capacity Italian motorcycles
of the 70s.
The only way most of us are going to be able to afford an
Agusta Sport is if one appears on the used bike sales floor. But the price is
still high, and how good is it than? KEL WEARNE set out to find out aboard a
welt-used unit.
YOU'RE riding. Fast!
Through the visor of the Racing Mate full-face the edge of the
road and the trees on the other side hlur as the Cerianis ride the ripples in
the bitumen. There's a slight sideways twist as the shaft drive torques the bike
over fractionally on full throttle in second and a faint graunch as the
right-hand pipe:* touch the tarmac.
The bike is howling, A flash pinpoints a car coming into the
tight right-hander from the opposite direction and you move your fight knee in
close to the bike, allowing it to drift away from the white line marking the
road's centre. And suddenly the world is bright as the bike whips out from under
the tree-lined shade into harsh sunlight and straight road.
The action seemed dramatic but not very fast, but a glance at
the speed and revs forces a double take. Slow? No. Heavy to handle? No. Faster
than usual? By a long margin.
Everything was happening faster than normal in that section of
road and your senses failed to register things correctly . . . the bike took
time and motion from you, created its own level and you went with it.
Safe, secure and very fast.
Riding the Agusta is meeting reality. You dream of something
until it becomes a reality and immediately it changes. It may be better than you
imagined, it may be worse, but it is always different. And so is the Agusta in
the flesh.
The MV Agusta 750 Sport is in the exclusive class of
motorcycling. Since they were brought to Australia in 1972 only 15 have been
sold. The price is beyond what the average rider can afford perhaps in the
area where being able to afford one is half the reason for buying one.
Our Agusta was in the hands of Trevor Armour, manager of
Southern Motors, in South Yarra, Melbourne. The Sport is sitting there waiting
for a buyer. The odometer shows 13,700 km which, for a machine of this nature,
is irrelevant, but because of that and it being privately owned for two years a
full road test, including figures, would not be valid.
It is in the realms of the spirit that the MV belongs; you
cannot measure its being in straight mathematical figures, calibrations and
stop-watch results. That has been one of Man's problems all along; measure this
and measure that . . . and if ever anything was found that couldn't be measured
and graduated and graphed then leave it.
This attitude was frequently demonstrated over the three weeks
we rode the bike. It came from people in the street, in many bike shops, from
friends and other riders. The massive, pure Italian red, white and blue 750 was
rubbished, praised, written off, laughed at, admired and touched. So many
different comments, but the real answer was to let some ride it. , . then there
were no more reasons for comment. It seemed a pity that so many couldn't see
beyond figures, acceleration curves, top-end speeds and straight-line
performance. They missed the MV altogether.
There is no use saying a Kawa 900 will see the MV off so
will quite a few other machines. If MV wanted a "performer" it would sell
slickster-shod dragsters. But outright performance ignores the emotional
experience of riding and it ignores the numbers game; that some things are more
fine for being fewer and being built better.
One thing particularly is noticeable about the MV. It attracts
attention. You can ride a 900 Kawa, a 900 BM, a Laverda and even a Big Mutha
Harley down the street and you may get nothing but a few loose glances. But the
MV Sport doesn't let anyone miss it. The Italian paint job, gaudy red, white and
blue tank, red vinyl seat and twin trumpet exhausts, enclosed by a thick, solid
red frame demand attention. And if they don't see it, they hear it!
The MV hurls itself out of the GP era, a mellow, powerful,
furious, bellowing sound that scorches the brain. It's sad that riding the MV
Sport makes you miss some of the sound beyond 6500 revs it belongs to those
behind you with ringing ears.
In understanding why MV builds and sells such machines one
should at least know what MV has going for it. Its manufacturing empire includes
machinery and helicopters but the late founder's personal interest demanded that
motorcycles be raced as a sport, the result of which was a string of world
championships right through the '60s and '70s.
The engine of the 750 Sport, a massive cast aluminum twin
overhead cam four-cylinder, is based directly on the GP version of the mid-'60s
500 GP four.
One of the reasons the Sport has the great underslung
dynamotor behind and below the engine is because the racing engine had no
provision for a generator or starter motor to run the road version. The setup
has a small pulley which spins the engine over and a larger one spins the
generator in automotive fashion. These two belts can become loose and during the
test period we had to tighten the generator belt to provide better charging to
the battery.
The MV engineers decided to make the road versions
super-reliable and included a shaft drive rather than the chain drive of the GP
bikes. That necessitated a heavier engine all round and although the sand-cast
aluminum engine is a work of art it is heavy. Its actual history goes back to
around 1967 when the first production version made its appearance. At that time
it was a 600 but in 1970 when MV released the Sport version it had grown in
capacity to a 750 with a bore and stroke of 64 x 56 mm.
It isn't meant to break and it won't. The crankshaft is a huge
built-up monument to craftsmanship. It turns on six main bearings using four
rollers for the interior support and two ball-bearings to hold the outer ends.
The one-piece rods use needle roller bearings.
But the astonishing manner in which the Italians have built
the engine with rollers and needles everywhere (you will not find a plain
bearing in the engine) leaves only empty guesses at the reasoning behind the
carburetor set-up.
The four 24 mm DelPOrtos are straight from the Ark! Its setup
is unbelievably primitive. The four carbs, complete with velocity stacks but no
air cleaners of any description, are fixed by a separate manifold to each
cylinder. A four-arm bellcrank is worked by a single cable. From the bellcrank a
separate cable hangs over each carb and that falls through a wide open hole in
the carburetor cap and moves the slide. In Australia the dust, grit and water
that can enter during normal riding would kill off the internals in a far
shorter time than the designers of such an engine would want or expect.
Finish on the MV is exceptional. The paint, the welds and the
chrome are all one would expect. The only blemish is the way the MV emblem has
been put onto the tank it's merely a transfer, and unnecessarily susceptible
to petrol and scratch damage. The tank itself is a massive stingray-shaped item
that matches the tenor of the bulbous MV well. I liked it; in fact I liked the
whole appearance of the bike, including the racing footpegs and the red solo
seat.
The riding position rates as the best of any larger capacity
machine. The relationship to the handlebars and controls and the seat and the
semi-rear set footpegs is superb. It offers ideal weight transfer from the arms
to the legs once up over 60 km/h. Even around town the position is safe and
offers easy and ample road sight. On long country runs the arms do not get tired
nor is the upper chest region exposed to the tiring and annoying continual blast
of air.
The special clip-on bars help. They are fully adjustable for
height along the upper fork legs and for angle for the rider's wrist. Whoever
had been riding before me must have had double-jointed wrists and the first
thing I had to do was stop at Richmond and adjust the two clip-ons and brake and
clutch lever angles.
The second thing that needs care is starting off. The gearing
is tall I repeat tall. First gear requires the clutch to be feathered
to get the heavyweight off the line. Once moving, the problem ceases to exist.
The other outstanding aspect of the MV is its balance. The bike is heavy but
you'd never know it! It just has the right feel at any time, even in trie kle-and-brake
city peak-hour traffic.
And yet for a couple of days I was not sure. The dream had
been dramatically changed. The bike was loud, heavy and expensive. It was only
after venturing round favorite pieces of roadway that the MV's essence claimed
my attention. The aura is there. The more one rides the more one learns to feel
and relate to it all.
The big 750 has no starting system for the manually dexterous
individual. The massive battery sitting under the seat powers the generator and
starter motor and in three weeks' riding it never failed to start within a few
seconds of engaging the starter and after a few coughs and splutters (there is
no choke system) it settled for a lumpy idle. After another minute or so the
engine was as responsive as ever and could be relied upon to follow the throttle
action without hesitation.
The instruments on the MV are like those of many Italian
machines and out of character with the bike itself they're neat enough but do
not sit on any one setting long enough to read properly!
But it doesn't take long to discover that city revs are around
the 5000 mark and 4500 is needed on the clock before engaging the clutch at the
lights. Failure to do so results in a very embarrassing silence as the engine
pops to a halt. But on the move the Agusta betrays nothing you just don't
believe you are moving as fast as you are. The traffic around the suburbs slips
past easily while you nonchalantly hold 4000 in fourth, assuming the needle
variation around the 80 km/h to be inaccurate enough to ignore. But one
gradually becomes aware of indications to the contrary and that winding the
throttle out in any of the upper three gears gives you licence-loss speeds. The
engine responds instantly to the throttle to sacrifice the peace of the
neighborhood by wailing up to 9000 without any hesitation whatsoever. The note
is blatant and horny. A cameo of sound to suit your mood. At 6000 revs the
crescendo funnels into the mind.
The gear lever controlling those five tall ratios is, because
of the rearset pegs, actuated by a Johnston rod which is quite without any slop.
The throw is positive and light and we got to swing on it a lot because on the
test machine the four leading-shoe Ceriani brake at the front ran out of real
power suddenly. No warning, just a sudden hardening of the lever action and a
dead feel at the front without any other slowing action. It's all part of the
racing heritage. The MV can be used to its fullest if the rider is prepared to
live with gearlever gymnastics to help slow, and to ride the limit on the
corners.
We decided to investigate the slightly disappointing
performance of the brakes and had a quick look inside. After the 13,700 km
clocked up they needed new linings and there is no doubt braking performance
could be much better than that of the test machine. We emphasise that it did the
job of reducing speed adequately. It is just that we're used to a brake at the
front that can bring your eyeballs out to the visor at a dab of the index and
middle finger.
The MV engineers obviously know how to set up a four-cam
stopper to do just that, but it is performance at the price of sensitivity and
the riders able to afford the 750 are not those who really want a hair-trigger
brake on their ego/tourers.
There are things on the MV that are really nice though, things
that do not have to belong to the upper echelons of motorcycling. Like
the handgrips, which are a clear neoprene material that is the best going and
the Magura controls and the well-padded and formed seat that allows a solo
plenty of space to move around on (and can take a pillion if you are real
friends) and the potent headlight.
The 750 proved to be a thirsty beast in nearly all conditions,
returning a low of 11.3 km/1 (32mpg) and a best of 12 km/1 (34 mpg). That is
consistent through both city traffic and country wind-outs.
The MV has very little vibration. What there is shows in the
rearview mirror at low idle and early revs in the mid-range gears. And you soon
learn to leave the low-down power in the wind the MV Sport needs revs to run
the way your dreams expect.
It will do it, and do it well. Do it with grace and ease. But
to extract the last bit you need to have a racer's heart, revving the engine to
9000 in third and fourth then holding the throttle flat in fifth with the wind
rush beating your helmet against your chin as you "chat" on the tank to keep it
winding.
And the bike is fast. Faster than most machines and capable of
sustaining that performance for long periods. And all the while feeling as firm
as ever. That's why it's an MV
The MV Sport is a total and sensual commitment to the last
great era of GP racing and that is just the way MV designed it to be. The
uniquely Italian parts of it are there not to be ignored but to become the
talking points. The strange Italian wiring with no coding {the right-hand front
indicator decided all by itself just when it would work during the three weeks,
even though the others worked perfectly all the time). And our test bike had the
sidecovers missing, lewdly displaying the gross battery.
But the MV Sport experience is something more than mere
riding. It is proof that there is little point in comparing the MV to anything
around {unless someone decides to build a TZ700 road bike). And a chance to find
out where you belong in the bloodstream of bikes. Its exclusivity is only part
of the charm.
As Gerry O'Brien, general manager of Milledge Yamaha said
after taking it for a fast spin for half an hour: "If I had the money I'd have
one. I'd buy one, not just to own one but because it's unreal."
No, it's not unreal.
But it possesses something beyond the purely tangible.
PRICE Aus in 1972 $3900 (machine tested for sale at $2800) Source TWO WHEELS, August, 1972
Make Model | MV Agusta 750 Sport |
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Year | 1970 - 71 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, transverse four cylinders, DOHC, 2 valve per cylinder |
Displacement | 742.9 cc / 45.3 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 65 x 56 mm |
Cooling System | Air cooled |
Compression | 9.5;1 |
Lubrication | Wet sump |
Induction | 4x DeU'Orto UB24B2 e UB24BS2.carburetors |
Ignition | Battery and automotive type distributor coil |
Battery | 12V ISah battery |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 68.5 hp / 50.4 kW @ 8450 rpm |
Clutch | Multiple disc in oil bath. |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Final Drive | Shaft |
Gear Ratio | 1st 11.85 / 2nd 8.44 / 3rd ,6.46 ./ 4th 5.50 ./ 5th 4.96 |
Frame | Tubular steel, welded, double cradle |
Front Suspension | Ceriani telescopic forks, internal coil springs, two way oil damped. |
Front Wheel Travel | 130 mm / 5,0 in. |
Rear Suspension | Swinging arm, spring/damper units, Four pre-load settings |
Rear Wheel Travel | 90 mm / 3.8 in |
Front Wheels | Alloy rim, 3.50 x 18 |
Rear Wheels | Alloy rims, 4.00 x 18 |
Front Brakes | 200mm Drum |
Rear Brakes | 200 mm Drum |
Front Tire | 3.50 -18 |
Rear Tire | 4.00 -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 | 245 kg / 540 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 24 Liters / 6.3 US gal |
Reviews | SuperBike magazine / Motorrad / Cycle magazine / Classic Bike / Two Wheels / Moto Legende Comparison / Motorrad |
External Links[edit | edit source]
- http://thebikemuseum.com/master_docs.php?id=142
- http://thebikemuseum.com/master_docs.php?id=4
- http://www.motorrad-bild.de/ta_marken/mv/mv750s.htm
- http://thebikemuseum.com/master_docs.php?id=144
- http://thebikemuseum.com/master_docs.php?id=39
- http://thebikemuseum.com/master_docs.php?id=141
- http://thebikemuseum.com/master_docs.php?id=139