1964 MV Agusta 125 GT Lusso

Anyone with the slightest interest in motorcycle racing history has heard of the fire engines of Gallarate — the screaming red MV Agusta racers that propelled Graham, Surtees, Hailwood, Ubbiali, Agostini, Read, and Masetti to victory on the Grand Prix circuits of the world. Though not as many people know about the small get-to-work bikes that paid for the awe-inspiring racing effort.

Like most Italian manufacturers of the post-war period, MV Agusta built small lightweights that were both beautiful and fast for their displacement. This 125cc single was built in 1964, towards the end of the golden years for Italian singles. Owner Jimmie Lowery said, “It’s eye-catching, and it has good bones.”

Post-war Italy needed two wheels

Motorcycles were a side project for the Agusta family at first. Giovanni Agusta, born into a noble Italian family in 1879, was an aviation pioneer. After World War I, he started a company to build and repair aircraft on the Gallarate plain north of Milan, near what is now Milan’s international Malpensa airport. Giovanni died young in 1927, leaving the company to his wife and his oldest son, Count Domenico. With the outbreak of war in 1939, the Agusta company took on military work, but began to think about diversifying. Domenico designed a motorcycle in 1943. This was prescient, since the Allies banned Italy from manufacturing aircraft after the end of hostilities, and motorcycles kept the company in business. The motorcycle arm of the company was at first named Meccanica Verghera, after the small town where the factory was located, but quickly became known as MV Agusta.

The years after World War II were a good time to be building motorcycles in Italy. The railroad tracks had been bombed, public transportation was in disarray, and no one had any money. There was a desperate need for inexpensive transportation, and small motorcycles filled the bill.

Count Domenico and the staff at the Verghera facility developed a racing bug. After the first bike, all of 98cc, was successful in local competition, the company built a 125cc racer. At first, MV Agusta was unsuccessful in international competition, but after the company signed Les Graham as principal rider, the trophies started coming in. MV Agusta was the team to beat in Grand Prix racing through the mid-1970s.

Grand Prix racing efforts are, of course, extremely expensive, and the money to fund the team originally came from profits earned by selling street two-wheelers. The first street bikes were two-strokes, a common configuration for inexpensive get-to-work motorcycles in Europe in the 1940s and early ’50s. A 125cc two-stroke with a three-speed gearbox followed in 1948. The 125 was upgraded in 1949 and now sported four gears forward. A scooter appeared the same year, soon available in a budget version for the cost-conscious signorina, and so did the Pullman, with 15-inch wheels for the person who wanted a scooter but had to ride over bad roads.

In 1952, the parent Agusta company was able to license a helicopter design from Bell and began to develop a reputation for manufacturing excellent helicopters. The helicopter factory slowly became more profitable than the motorcycle factory.

During the 1950s, the Italian working person became increasingly affluent and able to afford more stylish, faster motorcycles. Then as now, many urbanites who could afford an automobile were hampered by the lack of parking. As a result, the market for motorcycles and scooters remained strong through the end of the Fifties. A slightly bigger brother of the 125 showed up in 1952, with telescopic forks and swingarm rear suspension. In 1954, a 175cc four-stroke with a single overhead cam, aluminum head and barrel, and wet sump oiling system was unveiled. MV produced a racing version of this bike, and in 1954 and 1955, introduced new avant-garde tank designs. The tank on the 175 Supersport of 1954 was nicknamed “Disco Volante” (Flying Saucer) due to its shape. In 1957, a larger version of the 175 appeared: the 250cc Raid.

In 1959, the ancestor of Jimmie Lowery’s Gran Turismo Lusso hit showrooms. Known as the Centomila, for its promised 100,000-kilometer reliability, the engine internals were extensively revised from earlier lightweights. An internal centrifugal oil filter was paired with a larger sump; the engine had more crankcase studs to better mount the cylinder; bore and stroke were 53mm x 56mm; the head was aluminum and the barrel cast iron; and ignition came via flywheel magneto. This little gem, with a two-tone tank and swingarm suspension, weighed 231.5 pounds and was good for 59mph (probably downhill with a skinny 17-year-old aboard).

In 1964, MV introduced an updated version of the Centomila — the GTL, for Gran Turismo Lusso, an extravagant name for a 9.5 horsepower motorcycle that weighed 95 kilograms, not quite 210 pounds. It was, however, beautifully styled. Bore and stroke was the same as the Centomila, but it had a 10.5:1 compression ratio, and the factory claimed a top speed of 65mph. The double downtube frame was the same used on the 150 MV.

The 1964 version had four speeds forward. The 1965 GTL had five speeds, bigger brakes, and a new muffler. By this time, many Italians were buying small cars — a much easier way to transport Papa, Mamma, and the five bambini — if there was a place to put the car. Parking was and is a problem, which is one reason why you still see long rows of scooters parked in downtown areas of Italian cities. Car sales put a dent into motorcycle manufacturers’ profits, and many Italian manufacturers went to the wall in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Helicopters take the spotlight

The Agusta family began to see the helicopter factory as more important but deferred to Count Domenico. After his death in 1971, they briefly continued the motorcycle division before deciding the profitable helicopter business should no longer support the unprofitable motorcycle factory, leading to its closure in 1977.

The MV Agusta name retained its cachet, and the brand was acquired by Cagiva, which resumed motorcycle production under the MV Agusta name in Varese, Northern Italy, in 1992. The Varese MVs are mostly large-displacement sportbikes, with some excursions into sport touring and adventure bikes. The 30 years since the Cagiva acquisition have been marked by corporate drama. Cagiva sold the trademarks to Harley-Davidson in 2008, which sold the brand back to the Castiglioni family for one euro the following year. Various entities invested in the brand over the next decade, then backed out. Despite ownership turmoil and creditor issues, MV Agustas have continued to be built in Varese. The Russian Sardarov family acquired a majority interest at the end of 2016 or beginning of 2017. Pierer Mobility (makers of KTM) then came in as a partner to the Sardarovs, but pulled out in January 2025 due to its own financial issues. As a result, the Sardarovs now have full control.

Meanwhile, the popularity of Italian art and design from the 1950s and early ’60s spread from film, fashion, and furniture to cars and motorcycles. The small postwar motorcycles — built to look good while getting their owners to work and back — became collectibles. Since most were never exported, American enthusiasts traveled to Italy and brought many home.

One of these collectors was Guy Webster, a rock ‘n’ roll and celebrity photographer whose work appeared on countless album covers and movie posters. His success gave him the means to collect vintage Italian motorcycles. He rode some, raced a few, and restored many to a high standard.

It all came crashing down in 2015, when Webster suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and unable to continue photography or the active life he’d known. He began selling off his collection. This MV was mid-restoration when it hit the auction block and was scooped up by Jimmie Lowery.

Crash course in motorcycle obsession

Jimmie Lowery started liking motorcycles at an early age. “I realized that I could have a motor on a bicycle! Problem was, I lived in an apartment with my parents, and there was no place to put a motorcycle. My cousin’s friend had a mini-bike and let me ride it… once. I was so excited and lusted after motorcycles after that, even though I crashed the mini-bike into a large dirt berm the first time I rode it, and that was my last time on that bike.”

Lowery finally bought a used 1980 R65 BMW. “It was a great bike to start on. I still have it.” Some time after he started riding, Lowery started collecting vintage machines. The collection began consuming more and more time and money. One day, Lowery’s accountant sat him down and said, “We need to figure out a way to turn your hobby into a business.” Lowery always liked movies, which gave him an idea.

“I started thinking about where movies get bikes. Modern bikes are easy, the studio just goes to the manufacturer or importer, but a period movie needs period bikes.” Lowery set up a website to advertise his rental agency. Along with movies, he provides bikes for window displays, party decorations, and advertising campaigns. The motorcycles for rent in Vintage Motorcycle Prop Rentals  are bikes in his collection that are in good running order and evocative of their era. This 1964 MV Agusta is perfect for a film set in Italy in the early 1960s. It is also rare. While there may be more in Europe, there are less than five of these bikes in the U.S. Lowery intends to rent this bike, but he also has other plans for it.

One of the most fun events for small vintage motorcycles in the U.S. is the MotoGiro di California. This event, a multi-day excursion on rural roads, celebrates the Motogiro d’Italia, one of the oldest races held on public roads. Held in Italy from 1914 to 1957, with a break for the war years, the race became legendary. The Giro as a race ended after Italy banned racing on public roads, but the event has been revived as a historical reenactment (at legal speeds) for motorcycles under 175cc built in 1957 and before. The MotoGiro di California’s rulebook loosens the requirements slightly: A motorcycle is eligible if it has a clear “like-design” lineage to period Motogiro machines and is visually evocative of the Motogiro era. Lowery wanted to take part in this event and started looking for an appropriate motorcycle.

This MV was erroneously listed as a 1957 in the auction advertisement. Lowery found out that it was really a 1964 after the sale, when he contacted the MV museum. Bonhams offered to take the bike back, but Lowery decided to keep it. The engine and frame numbers matched, and it seemed to be all there and correct except for the seat. “Part of the fun is chasing parts. I thought it couldn’t be that hard to find a seat.” A correct seat has proved elusive. Despite trying for some time, Lowery has yet to find the right seat for his bike. “I have a couple of leads and am still hopeful.” If a Motorcycle Classics reader has the correct seat for a 1964 MV Agusta GTL and is willing to part with it, please contact this magazine at
Editor@MotorcycleClassics.com and the staff will make the introductions.

“It was running when I got it home. I didn’t do much with it for a while, then I decided to start working on it. I changed fluids, checked the points, and worked on the electrics. I think someone rewired the GTL to eliminate the battery.”

The brakes work, but need to be relined and arced to the drums to be safe on a multi-day ride. Lowery is looking into getting the brake work done. He recently rebuilt the Dell’Orto carburetor, which improved the performance.

“This bike shifts on the right, with a heel and toe shifter. The different shift setups are part of the fun. I have different bikes with different shift patterns. I give myself one minute to recite the bike’s shift pattern. It’s like a mantra. I have no problems after the first mile or so.”

While Lowery was getting the MV reliable enough to apply to enter the MotoGiro di California under the “like-design” category, he decided to have it judged by the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. He was awarded a Junior First, with 97.75 points, a good result for first time judging. Points were lost for cracked rubber, paint chips, missing battery straps, and, of course, the seat. “This year I am going back to Dixon — hopefully to get a Senior rating.” All issues will be addressed — including the seat, he hopes — prior to the event.

“I am still glad I bought the MV. Where I live there are some windy roads in the hills, and this bike is perfect for them. It’s so light, like a bicycle. My plan is to get the bike on some rides and get it running right, with the ultimate goal the MotoGiro. I just want to do it for the experience.” MC