1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado
The Classic Experience
March/April 2009
By Richard Backus
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Rod Peterson's 1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado. Mileage at start of 10-day test was 16,183 and 16,660 at the end.
Landon Hall
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Rolling on the throttle of the big Guzzi twin, my derrière comfortably supported by the Guzzi’s ample solo saddle, I feel like a refugee from Magnum Force, the 1973 Clint Eastwood flick where a secret fraternity of vigilante motorcycle cops prowl San Francisco, picking off the city’s crime bosses one by one. Their bikes? Moto Guzzi 850s, just like the one I’m riding.
OK, so maybe I’ve watched Magnum Force one time too many, but riding the Eldorado, it’s impossible for me not to conjure up images of rogue cops on Guzzis every time I pull away from the curb, the big V-twin’s dual pipes emitting, no, more like barking an authoritative staccato rasp as the engine picks up speed and I firmly jab the long shift lever for the next gear.
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The Eldorado yesterday
It’s an imposing bike, to be sure, and it was meant to be. Based on the very first Guzzi V-twin, the 1967 V7, the Eldorado helped continue the traction Moto Guzzi had gained in the U.S. with the 703cc V7 and later 757cc Ambassador. As the story goes, Guzzi sold two of the very first V7s to the California Highway Patrol for $1. The younger cops loved the Guzzi over the current crop of Harleys, and before long big Guzzi V-twins were plying the highways and byways of California, Texas, Georgia and a host of other states, the motorcycle cops effectively supplying Moto Guzzi with free, rolling advertising. Talk about guerilla marketing.
Largely identical to the 757cc Ambassador, the new-for-1972 Eldorado received some important upgrades. A longer stroke bumped capacity to 844cc and, more importantly, bumped power to 64hp, up 4hp from the Ambassador. Bigger news was inside the transmission, which added an extra gear for five forward speeds. The only visual cues to the bike’s new status were the 850 Eldorado decals on the side panels, revised instruments and a larger, stronger rear drive unit.
The Eldorado today
Before signing on as an ad rep for Motorcycle Classics, Rod Peterson’s motorcycle experience was slim to none. But as he immersed himself in the world of classic bikes, two brands stood out for him, BMW and Moto Guzzi. He now owns one of each, including our test bike, a 1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado.
An eBay purchase, Rod’s Eldo is pretty representative of what $4,000 to $5,000 will get you. With just under 13,000 miles on the clock when purchased, it was a clean, lightly refreshed machine that had clearly led a pretty mellow life. Unfortunately for Rod, that mellow life didn’t stop his Eldo from snapping its crankshaft in two shortly after he bought it. But while that kind of freak occurrence might be disastrous on other bikes, Rod had little trouble finding a replacement crank. And the local independent shop, Extreme Cycle, had it up and running in fairly short order, a testimony to how easy these old V-twins are to work on.
Mildly altered from stock, Rod has equipped his Guzzi as any owner in 1973 would have, with a solo saddle, a tall, wide Plexiglas screen, and a set of fiberglass hard bags. The mufflers are aftermarket replacements, and while they’re shorter and a bit louder than the original Lafranconis, they have the right sound.
Riding the Guzzi evokes a curious mix of reactions. Swinging a leg over its broad saddle and settling in, the bike feels big and comfortable. The reach to the bars is easy, giving a relaxed grip and an upright position that clocks your gaze straight ahead.
Firing up the big twin is a snap; petcocks on, draw the handlebar-mounted choke handle forward, hit the starter button, and it’s running. We found it necessary to warm up our test bike a few minutes before it would pull away cleanly, but to be fair it was pretty cold during our time with the Eldo, the daytime highs rarely breaking 50F. And it always fired right up, even on our last day when outside temps had dipped down to 26F.
With the bike warm, a firm push down on the back of the Guzzi’s rocker shifter (the shift pattern is one up and four down) produces a solid “clunk” familiar to any BMW rider, and like every airhead Beemer the Guzzi uses an automotive style dry clutch. Clutch feed is linear and surprisingly light, and it only takes a slight twist of the throttle to pull away cleanly.
Torque is a V-twin’s strong suit, and the Guzzi delivers. Roll the throttle on more, and the bike picks itself up and moves forward. Nothing happens in a hurry, mind you, but it happens with authority, strong and steady like an old pickup with a V8 and a stick shift.
On the move, shifting is slow and deliberate, with long throws of the lever. Try and hustle the 5-speed box and you’ll be disappointed, but take it slow and easy and it shifts cleanly every time. Once on the move, it’s clear the Eldo was built for the open road, and the straighter that road the happier it is. Although handling in sweepers and tighter curves is steady, the bike’s stiff suspension and limited cornering clearance combine to make aggressive riding a chore. But settle back and dial it down a notch, and the Guzzi rewards with fairly effortless cruising.
Hauling the Eldorado down from speed takes a little practice. At just under 9 inches in diameter, the twin-leading-shoe front brake seems too small to convincingly halt the 518-pound Guzzi’s forward progress. Although a visual inspection showed nothing wrong, part of the poor performance we experienced was due to a slightly warped brake drum; we could feel a noticeable pulse from the front brake on hard stops. The single-leading-shoe drum at the rear was worse, proving almost pointless except during rolling stops.
If you like working on your own bike, you’ll love a Guzzi. Valve adjustments are a snap, thanks to unimpeded access to the cylinder heads. The valve covers come off in minutes, and from there it’s a simple matter of rotating through each cylinder to get the valves at their loosest point for adjustment. Carbs are similarly simple to set, although it’s highly advisable to have a synchronizing tool to ensure an even setting on each carb. Regardless of the big twin’s simplicity, it seems very sensitive to proper carb synching.
Ignition points are also incredibly easy to service, housed as they are in an automotive-style distributor situated just above and behind the right cylinder. The distributor cap comes off in seconds, and once the ignition rotor’s removed the points can be cleaned and gapped in minutes. Similarly, basic servicing on the rest of the bike is a breeze, making it an ideal machine for do-it-yourselfers.
So what’s that curious mix of reactions we alluded to earlier? For all of its good points, and they are many, what the Eldorado presents and what it delivers seem like two different things. While 64hp isn’t exactly prodigious, it should be ample for a bike like the Eldo. And yet the Eldo feels slow, unhappy to build speed with any kind of zeal. Add to that the Eldo’s mission as a highway cruiser, and it feels oddly out of its comfort zone on fast highways, where speeds of 70mph-plus seem too taxing. Stick to the back roads and sub-65mph speeds, and it’s serene.
The other odd sensation is how it handles its weight. Although heavy, at low speeds it feels surprisingly light, exhibiting incredible slow-speed maneuverability. Yet at high speeds, where you’d think its weight would help make it stable, it feels twitchy.
Of course, it’s possible we’re trying to make the Eldo live up to riding characteristics it could never have. While its engine and transmission are the equal of many of its contemporaries, there’s no denying the handling limitations of its loop frame and stiff suspension. Frankly, we can’t stop comparing it to a similar year BMW R75/5, a bike much like the Eldorado but one we find a better proposition for the open road.
Personal tastes notwithstanding, there’s no denying the Guzzi’s incredible good looks, with rich paint, just enough chrome and lots of beautiful cast aluminum. Add built-like-a-brick, rock-solid mechanicals to their classic good looks and its no surprise Guzzi owners rave about their machines, preferring to ride no other motorcycle.
Those characteristics are more than enough to make Moto Guzzi’s loop-frame Eldorado a good bet for anyone seeking a dependable, easy and cheap-to- maintain rideable classic.
Recommended Service
Oil change: Every three months or 3,000 miles
Air filter: Clean or replace every 6,000 miles
Valve adjustment: Check and adjust every 3,000 miles
Spark plugs: Check every 1,800 miles
Points and timing: Check and adjust every 1,800 miles
Maintenance for this test: 1/2 quart oil, valve adjustment, ignition points and timing
Mileage for this test: 46.5mpg average