Moto Guzzi's short-lived 4-valve Daytona was track-bred.
This has to be one of the more peculiar stories in the annals of motorcycle racing. Moto Guzzi’s sexy if fragile Daytona 1000 would never have happened if it weren’t for an American dentist, namely Dr John Wittner.
Dr John (as he became known world wide) went motorcycle racing and, for reasons known only to himself, chose what may have been the least suitable brand on the planet to do it with: Moto Guzzi.
Sure Guzzi had raced before and even produced sports models, but the reality is the transverse V-twin shaft drive platform was far better suited to GT and touring bikes.
As it turned out Dr John was pretty quick as a rider but his bike development skills were stronger. Eventually he saw the sense of bringing in some riding talent.
In 1987 that took the shape of Doug Brauneck, an A-grader with a good local reputation, who rewarded the team with an AMA Battle of Twins championship in 1987. Yep, on a Guzzi.
The good doctor’s work had caught the factory’s attention some years back and, by 1987, it was providing technical support. However full credit for the extraordinary development of a one-off set of four-valve heads for the historic twin goes to Wittner.
Perhaps the biggest shock was the initial 1992 price – an eye-watering $23,000. This was at a time when the just-released Honda Fireblade of the same year was priced at $12,700.
The Daytona’s price did eventually wind back closer to $20k, but it was never mistaken for a cheap motorcycle and, as a result, few were sold.
Urge was a claimed 102hp, making it easily the most powerful Guzzi to date. Despite that it wasn’t terribly peaky, though it didn’t have quite the rich vein of mid-range offered by the later 1100 Sport.
This qualifies as Italian exotica and the chances of you going anywhere and finding another one parked next to yours are slim in the extreme. Looked after, they also happen to be a fun ride.
More at AllMoto.com.
MARKET NEWS
Mixed fortunes met the sellers at a recent Shannons auction, with some hero bikes pulling very good prices. However this and other sales around the globe suggest British bikes have largely gone off the boil.
For example, a 1972 X-75 Triumph Vetter Hurricane in exceptional unrestored condition, and with very good provenance, went for $40,500.
That’s solid money in anyone’s language, but we have in the past seen equivalent machines go for 50 per cent more in a peak market.
By way of contrast, there was good news for the seller of a Vincent Rapide. Running a 1948 engine in a 1951 frame and requiring recommissioning, it went for an impressive $71,000, far more than it would have fetched in the UK.
More at AllMoto.com.
From Unique Cars #483, Sept 2023
Photography: GA