Back in the 1970s and early 80s, Luton dealer Coburn & Hughes was the UK agent for two Italian manufacturers, Ducati and Moto Guzzi. Two very different styles of motorcycle but both with a vee-twin engine at their heart.
Ducati was clearly aimed at the more sporting rider and with its vee-twin mounted fore-aft, it was smooth too, though the long wheelbase feels strange these days.
Moto Guzzi chose to mount its vee-twin across the frame which had the big advantage of lending itself to shaft drive, just as BMW had done with its Boxer twins. The experience was very different, with the ‘Guzzi engine slower to rev and with a pronounced vibration. It wasn’t unpleasant and nowhere near as destructive as vertical twin vibes, but it did take getting used to.
The ‘Guzzi also used to display a strong torque reaction when opening and closing the throttle, either picking the bike up when banked over or pushing it down. That depended on whether you were banking left (opening the throttle would pick the bike up), or right in which case more throttle would increase the angle of bank. And vice versa. After a while you get used to it and make it work for you.
Moto Guzzi’s big vee-twin came in various models, from the sporty Le Mans up to the Californian US-style tourer. Then in the late ’70s came the Spada with its front fairing closely resembling Italian police bikes of the 60s and 70s (watch the original Italian Job film!).
In 1979 Moto Guzzi launched an updated Spada, the NT, but Coburn & Hughes had a batch of the earlier MkII models still in stock. To shift them, in an inspired piece of marketing (which C&H were good at), they gave the final 100 bikes a special paint scheme with a pinstripe. Plus lots of goodies such as a King & Queen seat and matching panniers.
It worked. The Spada ‘Royale’, as C&H branded it, sold and promptly created one of the rarest Moto Guzzi models around, just 100 originally. Now there are far fewer left.
H&H Auction, National Motorcycle Museum
H&H Auctions had this one for sale at its 3 July 2024 sale at the National Motorcycle Museum. It’s a 1980 model with only two recorded previous owners from new.
The auction blurb says the vendor has known this Moto Guzzi since it was new in 1980. It was eventually left for 25 years and the current owner tried his hardest to buy it for 20 years without success. The original owner was sure he was was going to get it back on the road.
Eventually though, he decided to sell to the current vendor who has since restored it. The whole machine was stripped and rebuilt. The engine and gearbox were rebuilt by the legendary Nigel Billingsley, one of the best Moto Guzzi specialists in the UK.
The vendor has been interested in the Spada Royale since they first came out and has been keeping records of where machines are and how many are left. He only knows of five examples.
According to the auction details, the Spada is running very well and is ready for its new owner for the rest of the summer months. There are some hand-written notes about the machine and exactly what has been done, and it comes with a current V5C.
Estimated price is £7,500 to £8,500 which seems a remarkable deal for such a pristine motorcycle.