MOTO GUZZI LE MANS 850 REVIEW - We put the Turbo Tractor through it's paces at Pembrey 

Back in the late 70's production races were fought out using Guzzi Le Mans, Ducati 900 ss, and Laverda Jotas. The sound alone has not been beaten since.

Timeless motorcycle, more beautiful than most of the machines available today. It's a keeper, as well as your fast lass, appreciate both.

I am a 78 yo Dutch male.I owned a V7 750 and a 850 GT. I often made holiday in the North of Italy and met Sgr Luciano Gazzola who was a test driver for Moto Guzzi and did Le Mans racing , together with Luciano Piazzalunga. I even met ingegnere Giulio Carcano. He had left Guzzi and designed sailing yachts. He circled around in Mandello on a trotter moped. He and his wife were cat lovers and they had about 15 cats. When I met Carcano for the second time he remembered only my dog, a beautiful Irish Setter.😢

The best bike I've ridden! Been riding 50 years. Ticks all the boxes!!

the first bike I rode in a "practice day" before track days was a Mk1 Guzzi LeMans, my road bike at the time. It was quick enough to make me realise I could race. Traded it to a local dealer for a CB900F and started racing...... now I have a Le Mans 1 (and several other Guzzi's) great things

❤ Love my Guzzis, but a favour the Tonti Tourers and Loop Frame Tourers. It is both impressive and a testament to Guzzi that it took a track day flogging and remained tractor like in it’s reliability. Bravo.

This is beautiful cinematography, fantastic execution, what a tribute to the Guzzi !!!

Great filming as ever and great to see the old girl (the Guzzi that is 😆) performing so well 👍 ….. your young lady looks good as well of course!

Riding a slow bike fast is so much more fun than riding a fast bike slowly! Let´s see how many japanese supersport bikes will still be running at that age. I am considering bringing my Griso 1100 to a trackday, knowing that it will be the heaviest bike out there.

I drooled over these when they came out. Read every test, and have loved them ever since.

Thanks for the memories. I took my guzzi on a track day in the late 90's and was probably the best day I've had on a bike ever (been riding 50 years). I rode it to the track and lucky I had new tyres and my girlfriend brought extra fuel cause I used it all, with just enough to get home afterwards. It really surprised a few people how fast it was (I had a race specced engine)

Really enjoyed the vlog. Gorgeous Guzzi.

The guzzis always sounded like a built small block muscle car. No silly games, all business.

Simply gorgeous! Thanks for the video.

They're brilliant riding machines, i'd happily ride my 8v 1200 all day every day if work and other things didn't get in the way.

I only rode a Le Mans once. It belonged to a good friend in the early eighties. A hell of a bike in it's day. My friend used it on a daily basis and racked up a fairly considerable mileage in the few years he owned it. I bet he wishes he hadn't sold it now.

I bought a LeMans 1000 in 1987. Quirky and full of character.

I almost wept as you came around the OUTside of something......wonderful and sounded beautiful.......

Hermoso video mis felicitaciones a los dos por compartir esa misma pasión por las motos y mas aun en una Clásica Moto Guzzi . Un saludo a la distancia !!

This is soo great to watch. Thank you so much.

l owned a brand new LeMans, in my opinion the most iconic...certainly looks... Moto Guzzi ever..When these bikes were on sale you had a choice of Ducati 900SS, the Lemans and the Laverda Jota. It handle in true Italian style,. like it was on a railway line on long sweeping bends. It was just such a beautiful motorcycle. I'm very glad l can say l owned one in 78

Most interesting video for me so far! You are definitely improving your videos I see a lot of potential in you owen❤ :)

Very impressive that it still holds it's own in today's competition. There's huge satisfaction to be had in running rings round faster bikes with slower pilots. I rode a friend's Le Mans back in the day. It was my dream bike at the time. I recently bought a V100 Mandello (in red, obviously) which for me is like a futuristic version of the Le Mans.

Le Mans and Le Mans II are in my view the most beautiful bikes ever made. I had a Laverda 750SF myself and loved it, but would have traded it immediately for a 850 Le Mans 😀

Beautiful I owned one of these forty years ago in Australia for a year or so loved it

Enjoyed the ride along, have a blessed week my friends, my current bike is a 1974 XLH

Fantastic! A bike I always wanted back in the day. Unfortunately, as we were a couple and doing a lot of touring, we opted for a MkllA Commando and, later, a BMW R100, which was more comfortable but like a shed on two wheels. I managed to acquire a Guzzi Mille recently which allowed me to experience that wonderful engine and handling. Great.

Some memories there...my first 'proper' job was at Three Cross Motorcycles in 1978-9. Built loads of those up from the crate. Good bike then, and a good bike now!

Wow. So quick in the twisty bits. Absolute payback. Real thoroughbred.

I’ve had my hot-rodded Guzzi LeMans IV for over 36 years. Fantastic bike.

She is a very fine dame your LeMans! Beautiful in every way. Class, timeless design and a sound to savour. Wow.

Nice video guys. Good luck with your channel.

Great video, fab couple !

Slick enjoyable watch. Well done on punting the Le Man on track so impressively. As an ex-owner (yes, mistake of my life) of the later day incarnation 1000S I can concur. Tonti's flat out handle, despite the telegraphic nature of gear changes. As a racer back then first thing I did to my 1000S was ditch the linked brakes for the reasons you state. Big twins and rear pedals do not work well together. Love the mess you made of those pegs. The side stand was always the road grinder for me.

great video - enjoyed it at lot - thanks for going to the trouble of making it.

🤩 the last clip/scene was inspiring. 👍👍

Lovely to see in action . Owned my mk2 for (Blimey) 35 years ! . Keeping up with some modern stuff ,impresive . Iv always likened it to riding henry the 5th,s war horse .

Lovely bike. Been looking at one of these. Great looking bike.

My favourite historic Guzzi! I’d love to see it racing its contemporaries.

Fantastic intro to the video

Really good video, lovely bike.

My 2007 Griso 1100 sees several track dazys a year. It’s an absolute hoot and does very good on shorter twisty courses. It has a soul not found on Japanese bikes. Always lusted after a LeMans. Beautiful machine. Thank you for sharing your day.

Cracking video, thank you. I have my fingers crossed that Moto Guzzi will reinvigorated the Le Mans marque with the new 1000cc engine.

That's a nice video. Go Lemans!👍

I used to have a LM3, still miss that bike. You guys are brave… parking that thing on the side stand

super Video... I own a Guzzi since 1981

I owned a 76 Le Mans in the blue color, a cheap kind of silver. It was replaced by the later Mk2, a tad more sophisticated but with the same heart. The Mr I models now attract big bucks as the “collector” merchants keep up their practice of forcing the oldsters up every year. The word “classic” destroyed a fine hobby and put the most mundane of old motorcycles out of the reach of many. This one went on down the road: your wife, ( not THE wife), rode it very well.

Fantastic! 👍

Lovely to see her being used for what she was built

Nice, I have a Guzzi Le Mans Mk4 (Coke colours) close ratio box. It's a beast! And the sound, oh the sound, gives me goosebumps.

Excellent !!!

I had a Mk2 LM, it went very well on sweeping A roads. I used to use the link brakes mostly, the gear change was pretty slow, everything had to be done in advance and then come out of corners on a rising throttle. Great memories and I wish I still had it. My 1100 Stone has to satisfy my MG urges nowadays.

Great to see the old beast on the truck. I have a 76 T3 Cali and was staggered by its handling. The geometry is pretty much that of the Le Mans, stable yet flickable. I love the linked brakes by the way if not the massively heavy throttle. Look forward to the next video.

My compliments both for the bike and the wife

I had a le mans 2 and loved it, my girl with her long legs didn,t 😁 and because we liked to ride duo and she was not going to get her own licence i had to trade the lovely italian for a comfortable german. But seeing you two have so much fun brings back some great memories 👍

Beatifull bike Indeed !!

Nice video Owen- she sounds awesome. A friend’s healthy LM2 made 58bhp at the wheel on the dyno, so as usual Guzzi’s power claim was wildly optimistic. All the best, Guy (ex-Gutsibits)

I loved my 1000S 👌🏻😎 the Le Mans Mk1 was my poster bike as a teenager 🙌🏻😎

Just Beautiful.

I own a 76' first series 850 Le Mans and you are correct, they handle spectacularly even for today's standards. Very torquay as well and a splendid motorcycle over all. As they say, they don't make em like they used to😁

Thanks for another great video, I had to check my garage though...phew my "Gina" is still there!! very similar to yours and always draws attention when out and about. On the plus side also, I can get around 250miles to a tankful...that's what a real classic sports tourer can do...all day long! Brilliant

Good job by both of you on the Guzzi, it held its own out there and probably surprised a few with its cornering abilities👍

Wonderful light Blue Eyes! 😍 Moto Guzzi 👍

Nicely done, you two. 'Rear of the Year' at 3.16m. I have a 1980 Le Mans (lafranconi Organ on youtube). Good to see yours getting some gas

I have raced an 850T based machine here in the states for 22 years now. Much of what Charlie and Owen describe is correct. And at 64 years of age with two artificial hips, and numerous torn rotator cuffs, the old girl takes all of my effort for an eight lap sprint on short circuits! Lol! One tip kids, take those silly "screens" off those open bell mouths! You gain five HP instantly! Really!

My '86 Le Mans arrives on Friday, so I'm digesting everything Guzzi and this video, along with your other track day video on your 850, are the best I've seen. Very cool, nice work both of you!

Beautiful

I had a mkl and mklll back in the 80s. Great bikes but they were along way behind the GSXR 750 srad of the 90s. But still bikes full of character and fun to ride. ( many of the mkll were converted to mkl looks.) 😊

Gorgeous motorcycle. I’ve never lived near enough to a Guzzi shop to want to buy one but I’ve always admired them. Anyway, it’s like the automotive motto for po folks; It’s always more fun to drive a slow bike fast than drive fast bike slowly.

Beautiful bike

I've never seen one at that lean angle before, I will have to try it on mine.

Brilliant

I owned for 7 year's and lived basically because I never had a car a 1983 850 Mach 3 le Mann , absolutely thrashed this bike put over 130,000 kms on it only doing basic maintenance. I've owned 36 bike's and the Guzzi was my favourite.

I bought a brand new mark 2 in 1981, still my fav bike of all time. Wish I had never sold it, but you don't know at the time. I noticed your bike is a mark 2 but has a mark 1 fairing, I always much preferred the mark 1 look but never got around to swapping the fairings.

About shifting gear, do read that famous book of Bernt Spiegel. Many bikers have never learnt how to switch gears, they developed dangerous bad habbits themselves. Thing is your foot. But a bit of pressure to the pedal before you switch. That helps a lot. And, only remove that foot pressure after the clutch was released, or, in case you do not use the clutch, only remove the foot pressure when you feel the gearswitch is ready. That means, never do a short kick to the pedal. That may work with most gearboxes, but one day you'll end up switching to neutral, and result is no traction and leaving the tarmac or worse. Just because nobody has taught you how to shift gear the way the pro's do it. That is, the German pro's who NEVER have a gearshift going wrong. All you need to do is practise that, until it is second nature. And practise such details every time you ride. Gearswitch to neutral? Than you are doing it wrong. Keep pushing your foot longer, push until you are in the next gear, never let go earlier or you'll regret it.

Great video and your wife is to be commended Charlie bossed the 850 LeMan

Guzzi won the 'Bol d'Argent' in 1980 on the Paul Ricard circuit ahead of Kawasaki. The 'Bol d'Argent' was a 6 hours race preceding the 'Bol d'Or' organized over 24 hours.

I have to admit that a girl on a moto guzzi is top but the girl on Le mans on a racetrack it georgeous and a holly gral to the classic moto racing sport. Congrets and big salute to the guzzi enthusiast on the island....

A stunner being ridden by a stunner, you're a very lucky man

Can't imagine many Guzzi fan's taking their LeMans to a trackday. But nice to see it going round the corners so well. Certainly had a lot more character than those sole less newer sports bikes.

that is so beautiful good on you both

I love Moto Gazzi's They handle and sound great .

I booked my V7 special edition with the arrow exhausts looking forward to it :) maybe drive it to Italy if comfortable. Like a 10 hours drive for me so I do not know :) what u as a couple do looks very fun and inspiring to do.

I had the 500 (V50), what a great handling bike. Nothing wrong with the bike that a can of WD40 couldn't fix ;-) The 850 was the stuff of dreams.

Miss my 1100 sport really much by seeing this.

I fancied a Guzzi 750 S3 that a local bike shop had - it was tiny but was the abs. business looks wise. I think the mark 1 L Man was the best.

I loved my old Guzzi Sport 1100 carb! It was so rewarding to ride hard! Total pig of a bike to ride around town with its 40mm Dellortos , but it’s one of my two favourites in my 36 years of motorcycling.

You are the winner of the race with the old "cement mixer" :-) #Guzzisoundisthebest#

Guzzi rules!

Grüße 🖖 von einem Guzzi Fahrer. Danke für diesen schönen Beitrag.

wonderful 😁

Grazie from Italia

She might be fifty years old but she sounds amazing and definitely deserves her place on the track

Wow! Goosebumps and tingles. Fucking marvellous!

Wow!👍👍

Take my hat off to that woman of yours. Sad to see these kind of women are rarer than a Mark 1. Where do we find them? 😊 I've been riding motorcycles for 44 years, 24 years on Guzzis and neverregret. Maybe try Metzeler tires next track day. Wishing you two all the best 🍀 From a random 🇩🇪 guy living in the Pacific

Italians are amazing, they are an amazing engineering nation from air to ground to sea. No nation like them. They cover the complete engineering world, incredible. Tbh, understandable, the invented the first N/A engine with Matteuci and Barsanti in 1851.

Sounded really good too !

Great bike, great vid. She doesn’t look anywhere near 44!

I put a Tarozzi fork brace on my '79 1000SP just to keep the fork seals from blowing out (no snap ring or groove in the forks - weird), and was very surprised at how much more stable it was - highly recommended.