Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

RED DEVIL!

My interests in the MV Agusta marque began before even I had a licence; probably early 1971.

We were on a family trip to South Wales and we’d just climbed the original and somewhat tortuous Heads of the Valley road. My dad spotted a bike hustling towards us and swiftly wound down the window, saying: “Listen to this son, it’s going to be special.” And it was. Some very well-heeled enthusiast was working an early 750S MV Agusta really hard and giving it the beans. In a world still largely inhabited by British iron and small Hondas, any four-cylinder motorcycle was unusual and MVs even more so. The wail of those four pipes and the singularly unique cosmetics made a very serious impression on this callow youth; from that point onwards a ride on a four pot offering from Gallarate has always been on the bucket list. And amazingly, dreams apparently do come true....

Sitting here is an MV Agusta 750 Monza, in traditional ‘fire engine’ red. It’s arguably one of the most charismatic paint schemes for the original MVs and works just as well over both the flat side-panels and tail piece as it does on that iconic curvaceous fuel tank. Some might think that carrying the vermillion theme over on to the guards and chassis would amount to an aesthetic overkill and yet it works. That sand-cast engine/transmission unit takes the edge off what might otherwise be a

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