Cover courtesy Motorbooks
Motorcycle historian Ian Falloon, author of more than 20 motorcycle books, has produced yet another must-have addition to your library, The Complete Book of Moto Guzzi: Every Model Since 1921. Although Falloon is perhaps best known for his detailed and exhaustively researched books on Ducati, the early bevel-drive round case V-twins in particular, he’s no stranger to Moto Guzzi, having owned and ridden iconic 1970s models including the first series V7 Sport and the Le Mans.
Falloon’s first Moto Guzzi book was the critically acclaimed The Moto Guzzi Story: Racing and Production Motorcycles from 1921 to the Present Day. First published in 2005, it was updated in 2008, in between which he published The Moto Guzzi Sport & Le Mans Bible, a close examination of two of Moto Guzzi’s most acclaimed V-twins of the 1970s and 1980s.
This latest work is his most comprehensive yet on the famed Italian marque from Mandello del Lario, a detailed look at every production Moto Guzzi motorcycle ever produced (with the exception of some commercial, military and police-only models), starting with the first Guzzi, 1921’s 500cc Normale, and leading up to the present-day 2017 model range.
Following a chronological format, Falloon sharpens the focus of Moto Guzzi’s model development by looking at model evolution through the lens of specific eras rather than specific decades. Chapter 3, for example, looks at what Falloon calls Guzzi’s “Golden Era,” the period from 1945-1957 that saw the development of some of the company’s most innovative racing motorcycles, including the continuing development of the Bicilindrica, the Gambalunga, the innovative 500cc inline four Quattro Cilindri, the twin cam Bialbero, and of course the unforgettable 500cc V8 GP racer.
Scores of period photos give the reader a feel for the bikes examined within the context of their time, while contemporary color images of original and restored machines highlight the quality and beauty of the many machines turned out by Moto Guzzi over a period spanning almost 100 years.
Authoritatively written and beautifully presented, with 350 photos and illustrations, The Complete Book of Moto Guzzi is a needed addition to the Moto Guzzi story and one that belongs in the library of every fan of motorcycle history. Motorbooks; 256 pages, $60. To order a copy, visit our store.