1949 Moto Guzzi Motoleggera 65

[Lancepar]

My Guzzino.

 Imported from Italy in Jan 2026  in original condition and mostly all working . 

Two stroke single cylinder Guzzi. 

Three speed hand change RH and lever throttle. Manual clutch and  Kick start.

Doing a bit of fettling to keep it happy and used to the British weather.

Same age as me, now has V5c and is used to exhibit at Steam and Vintage shows in the UK.

Runs and have ridden it but having a recent right hand operation I can only push it about at the moment.

Recent show Stoke Prior Rally 19/09/26 

Only found one other UK owner so far and he recently sold it.  

[Andrew Nahum]







Congratulations. Guzzinos are a blast and very cleverly thought through. I have a nice rideable one and another tatty but runnning one that I keep with a friend in the country. (Hertfordshire).  Your deeper rear swinging arm does show it is 1949. I hope your hand recovers and you get to ride it. Steering and brakes are good for the size of bike it is. I am particularly amused by the 'kangaroo' rear suspension - rear springing but no damping!

Are you in the NACC (National Autocycle Club)?  They produce a charming magazine called Buzzing and mainly cater for cyclemotors. They also organise back lane runs, sometimes with the light bikes section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club and Guzzinos are a charming back roads bike. Smell the wild flowers!. I did a couple of their runs in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire and found them a real delight. They didn't seem to mind that I didn't have to pedal mine to start it!

One thing I found recently was that modern synthetic two-stroke oil is probably too thin for the engine clearances they were made to - or have now.  I was losing power in top gear on slopes and in gentle headwinds until a friend suggested loss of crankcase compression. I use now use the full capacity of the original oil measuring cup under the filler cap, per litre gas,  and not that '50 to one' ratio that ‘experts’, advise because 'modern oil is so good'. I'm using half Stihl synthetic chainsaw oil in those handy snap cap 100 ml containers and half Castrol R to add 'body'. And yes - modern Castrol R is soluble in modern petrol - I made a mix and put it in a glass jar for two weeks to test.  No separation. Surprisingly the bike barely smokes on this 1949 mix.  If I didn't have any Castrol R I'd add 50 % old style 40 SAE motor oil to the Stihl oil dose. Nevertheless, I never go out on a two-stroke without a clean spark plug and spanner in my kit.

You will have noticed that it has a rotary intake valve on the LH crankshaft - a very advanced feature for a 1943-1945 design. (Like my boyhood model aircraft engines). Not piston-ported like the mass of old two-strokes.

Can you imagine that 12,600+ Guzzinos went to a rally in June 1949 from all over Europe. It was their holiday in those difficult times. They opened the schools and sports halls etc to house them all. Said to be the biggest single model rally of all time.

Happy buzzing!

Andrew

Sent from my iPhone

On Mon, Sep 21, 2026 at 11:36 AM Lancepar <mr.lance...@gmail.com> wrote:

My Guzzino.

 Imported from Italy in Jan 2026  in original condition and mostly all working . 

Two stroke single cylinder Guzzi. 

Three speed hand change RH and lever throttle. Manual clutch and  Kick start.

Doing a bit of fettling to keep it happy and used to the British weather.

Same age as me, now has V5c and is used to exhibit at Steam and Vintage shows in the UK.

Runs and have ridden it but having a recent right hand operation I can only push it about at the moment.

Recent show Stoke Prior Rally 19/09/26 

<A Guzzino XSS847 & title.jpg>

Only found one other UK owner so far and he recently sold it.  

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[RICHARD YAMANE]

Cool stuff right there! Not one wheelie popping idiorta in sight! 

Rick Yamane
Importer of Vape/Powerdynamo ignition systems and Polisher of bikes at Motion Pro

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/guzzi-singles/F1FEF6B6-F47B-40B6-AECF-362437BBFDED%40gmail.com.

[Andrew Stephen King]

Gosh Andrew perhaps I should get the Cardellino that’s propping up my desk going as I too live in Oxfordshire. 

 

On 23 Sep 2026, at 17:31, Andrew Nahum <andrew...@gmail.com> wrote:







<image2.jpeg>



Congratulations. Guzzinos are a blast and very cleverly thought through. I have a nice rideable one and another tatty but runnning one that I keep with a friend in the country. (Hertfordshire).  Your deeper rear swinging arm does show it is 1949. I hope your hand recovers and you get to ride it. Steering and brakes are good for the size of bike it is. I am particularly amused by the 'kangaroo' rear suspension - rear springing but no damping!

Are you in the NACC (National Autocycle Club)?  They produce a charming magazine called Buzzing and mainly cater for cyclemotors. They also organise back lane runs, sometimes with the light bikes section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club and Guzzinos are a charming back roads bike. Smell the wild flowers!. I did a couple of their runs in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire and found them a real delight. They didn't seem to mind that I didn't have to pedal mine to start it!

One thing I found recently was that modern synthetic two-stroke oil is probably too thin for the engine clearances they were made to - or have now.  I was losing power in top gear on slopes and in gentle headwinds until a friend suggested loss of crankcase compression. I use now use the full capacity of the original oil measuring cup under the filler cap, per litre gas,  and not that '50 to one' ratio that ‘experts’, advise because 'modern oil is so good'. I'm using half Stihl synthetic chainsaw oil in those handy snap cap 100 ml containers and half Castrol R to add 'body'. And yes - modern Castrol R is soluble in modern petrol - I made a mix and put it in a glass jar for two weeks to test.  No separation. Surprisingly the bike barely smokes on this 1949 mix.  If I didn't have any Castrol R I'd add 50 % old style 40 SAE motor oil to the Stihl oil dose. Nevertheless, I never go out on a two-stroke without a clean spark plug and spanner in my kit.

You will have noticed that it has a rotary intake valve on the LH crankshaft - a very advanced feature for a 1943-1945 design. (Like my boyhood model aircraft engines). Not piston-ported like the mass of old two-strokes.

Can you imagine that 12,600+ Guzzinos went to a rally in June 1949 from all over Europe. It was their holiday in those difficult times. They opened the schools and sports halls etc to house them all. Said to be the biggest single model rally of all time.

Happy buzzing!

Andrew

<image0.jpeg>

Sent from my iPhone

On Mon, Sep 21, 2026 at 11:36 AM Lancepar <mr.lance...@gmail.com> wrote:

My Guzzino.

 Imported from Italy in Jan 2026  in original condition and mostly all working . 

Two stroke single cylinder Guzzi. 

Three speed hand change RH and lever throttle. Manual clutch and  Kick start.

Doing a bit of fettling to keep it happy and used to the British weather.

Same age as me, now has V5c and is used to exhibit at Steam and Vintage shows in the UK.

Runs and have ridden it but having a recent right hand operation I can only push it about at the moment.

Recent show Stoke Prior Rally 19/09/26 

<A Guzzino XSS847 & title.jpg>

<D Fairview.jpeg>

Only found one other UK owner so far and he recently sold it.  

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[Patrick Hayes]

On 9/23/26 12:10, Andrew Stephen King wrote:
> I should get the Cardellino that’s propping up my desk going as I too
> live in Oxfordshire.

OMG! I see a rally in the future. :-)



--
Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA
Falcone-NT and SuperAlce
www.motohayes.com

[Andrew Nahum]

Yes you will have more fun than you expected.  !!!

Yours looks nice.  

The ‘Buzzing’ crowd are true enthusiasts because they put energy into making the most unlikely machines work.   Value and status are irrelevant to them.  Search 

national autocycle and cyclemotor club

See you in the lanes maybe!

Andrew 

Sent from my iPhone

On 23 Sep 2026, at 20:11, Andrew Stephen King <andrew.i...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/guzzi-singles/915B1DB9-748E-4E93-8082-06F9A2BB3552%40gmail.com.

[Phil Packham]

Great stuff, Andrew, now there’s another bike I would like to acquire, the info re oil mix is going to my 2-stroke owning friends now!

Cheers

Phil

On 24 Sep 2026, at 2:30 am, Andrew Nahum <andrew...@gmail.com> wrote:



<image2.jpeg>



Congratulations. Guzzinos are a blast and very cleverly thought through. I have a nice rideable one and another tatty but runnning one that I keep with a friend in the country. (Hertfordshire).  Your deeper rear swinging arm does show it is 1949. I hope your hand recovers and you get to ride it. Steering and brakes are good for the size of bike it is. I am particularly amused by the 'kangaroo' rear suspension - rear springing but no damping!

Are you in the NACC (National Autocycle Club)?  They produce a charming magazine called Buzzing and mainly cater for cyclemotors. They also organise back lane runs, sometimes with the light bikes section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club and Guzzinos are a charming back roads bike. Smell the wild flowers!. I did a couple of their runs in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire and found them a real delight. They didn't seem to mind that I didn't have to pedal mine to start it!

One thing I found recently was that modern synthetic two-stroke oil is probably too thin for the engine clearances they were made to - or have now.  I was losing power in top gear on slopes and in gentle headwinds until a friend suggested loss of crankcase compression. I use now use the full capacity of the original oil measuring cup under the filler cap, per litre gas,  and not that '50 to one' ratio that ‘experts’, advise because 'modern oil is so good'. I'm using half Stihl synthetic chainsaw oil in those handy snap cap 100 ml containers and half Castrol R to add 'body'. And yes - modern Castrol R is soluble in modern petrol - I made a mix and put it in a glass jar for two weeks to test.  No separation. Surprisingly the bike barely smokes on this 1949 mix.  If I didn't have any Castrol R I'd add 50 % old style 40 SAE motor oil to the Stihl oil dose. Nevertheless, I never go out on a two-stroke without a clean spark plug and spanner in my kit.

You will have noticed that it has a rotary intake valve on the LH crankshaft - a very advanced feature for a 1943-1945 design. (Like my boyhood model aircraft engines). Not piston-ported like the mass of old two-strokes.

Can you imagine that 12,600+ Guzzinos went to a rally in June 1949 from all over Europe. It was their holiday in those difficult times. They opened the schools and sports halls etc to house them all. Said to be the biggest single model rally of all time.

Happy buzzing!

Andrew

<image0.jpeg>

Sent from my iPhone

On Mon, Sep 21, 2026 at 11:36 AM Lancepar <mr.lance...@gmail.com> wrote:

My Guzzino.

 Imported from Italy in Jan 2026  in original condition and mostly all working . 

Two stroke single cylinder Guzzi. 

Three speed hand change RH and lever throttle. Manual clutch and  Kick start.

Doing a bit of fettling to keep it happy and used to the British weather.

Same age as me, now has V5c and is used to exhibit at Steam and Vintage shows in the UK.

Runs and have ridden it but having a recent right hand operation I can only push it about at the moment.

Recent show Stoke Prior Rally 19/09/26 

<A Guzzino XSS847 & title.jpg>

<D Fairview.jpeg>

Only found one other UK owner so far and he recently sold it.  

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[Phil Packham]

Wow, what a beautiful little machine - the ’superbike’ version of the Motoleggera 65/Guzzino would be the 73cc or 83cc versions eh?

On 24 Sep 2026, at 5:10 am, Andrew Stephen King <andrew.i...@gmail.com> wrote:

Gosh Andrew perhaps I should get the Cardellino that’s propping up my desk going as I too live in Oxfordshire. 

[Andrew Nahum]

Hi Phil,

I hope it helps (the oil idea!!). I recall in the old days we used to dread an ‘oil thread’ on the Ducati bevelhead list because it caused so much furious  argument!  Where are you located?  We must find you a Guzzino.  !!!

It was on a twisty country road one day following an autocycle at 25 mph that I had the revelation that it was as much fun there as going at semi-legal speeds +?  on my Ducati 750s. 

I’ve not gone completely tiddler yet! I love my BMW R50  from 1956 and Guzzi Airone 250s.   But I am very old! Choose the right roads for the bike you are on is my mantra.  

A

Sent from my iPhone

On 24 Sep 2026, at 00:31, 'Phil Packham' via Guzzi Singles <guzzi-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Great stuff, Andrew, now there’s another bike I would like to acquire, the info re oil mix is going to my 2-stroke owning friends now!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/guzzi-singles/A591E1CB-E6B9-4006-AF4A-6FDEF4819D00%40bigpond.com.

[Phil Packham]

Thanks Andrew, Im in Sydney Aust. Near some very nice roads. 

My Airone 250 is immaculate but unridden, the V7 suits me better and I love riding that [ or one of the other 6 bikes..]

Very old ? Must be 80+ if Keith Richards is anything to go by??? Im 71, makes me look like a Spring Chicken!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/guzzi-singles/BE924E45-869A-4572-83CD-7AABF668F6C3%40gmail.com.

[RICHARD YAMANE]

Here is one I did some restoration work on after it was in a flood. Cool little bikes, I'd forgotten they had a crankcase induction. Never had the cases split but I did have to clean up the ignition.
Modern oils aren't necessarily "thinner" but they are designed for and do call for leaner mixtures. Thank you very much EPA and CARB. Most modern chainsaw oils mix at 100:1 AFAIK. I run Optimol a synthetic base, which has been around since the 1960's in all my own bikes. It is designed to run at 100:1. I used to run Oilzall then Maxima castors at 50:1. Love the smell!
The older bikes pretty much called for 20:1 or even 16:1.
As technology progressed clearances for moving parts has been reduced. Anyone with a car or truck built in the last decade probably has seen oil recommendations in a multi grade going down to 5w or even 0w. Clearances have gotten tight enough that the larger oil molecules in heavier grade oils cannot sufficiently reach the parts they need to lubricate. 

Rick Yamane
Importer of Vape/Powerdynamo ignition systems and Polisher of bikes at Motion Pro

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/guzzi-singles/BE924E45-869A-4572-83CD-7AABF668F6C3%40gmail.com.

[Alan Comfort]

There will be lots of blue smoke and dead mosquitoes here on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia on Sunday. Our little"Moto Giro" attracts lots of tiddlers, but so far no Moto Leggeros or such like. I'll be riding my Honda NS50F, a relatively modern part of the Moto Largo fleet. 

I must say that I will be sorely tempted if a Guzzi two stroke ever becomes available in this part of the world. I missed my chance when I attended the auction at Harper's Moto Guzzi a few years ago. There were several that crossed the block that day.

Remember, "if it's not smokin' it's broken".

Alan in Roberts Creek

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[Don-Spada]

Nice to meet you on Sunday Lance.  

We bumped into each other at the Levis Cup road trial in Worcestershire,  An event organised by the North Birmingham section of the VMCC which involves a couple of rides about 80 miles in total where you are supposed to follow a route sheet and maintain a chosen average speed.  There were some very bumpy roads and extremely steep hill sections.  It was a great day and the Airone coped with it very well, far better than the Stornello I used a couple of years ago.  

Don 

Leicestershire UK.     

[Lancepar]

Hi Don,

Nice to chat Sunday, sorry if I held you up.

Loved you Airone,  bostin as we say in the Black country.

How did the run go?  I expect you looked forward to the lunch at Ludlow Brewery.

We had to be off the Camp site by noon so didn't see you all back.  I had planned to take the Guzzino and ride it to the starting place just to show it, but my hand op' prevented that.  Getting it on and off the MoHo is difficult even as it only weighs 48kg.

Might see you at some Steam and Vintage Shows next year.

All the best,

Lance in Quarry Bonk.

[Don West]

Hi Lance  

The event was great.  Here's a video of some of the riders going past.  I'm the third bike along so you don't need to watch all 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peAhLh0FtqI   

Don 

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[Lance Parsons]

Don,

I enjoyed the Vid'  with your Guzzi on, thanks,  and the other also made it up the Hill as well, Brill..

Thanks

Lance

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