History

By the late 1950s, storied Italian motorcycle manufacturer Moto Guzzi had put racing on the back burner and turned its focus towards production motorcycles. Introduced at the Milan Fair in December 1959, the Stornello was meant to entice buyers who were looking towards small cars as a means of transportation rather than their two-wheeled counterparts. It used a small, 125 cc engine that made 7 hp and was intended to be economical, affordable, and easy to maintain, with a more powerful 160 cc version introduced in 1968.

The more relaxed Turismo model was the first on the market, while the Sport arrived in 1961 with an upgraded 8.5 hp output and a top speed of 110 km/h (~68 mph). The engine used a horned Dell’Orto UB20B carburetor, a hemispherical head, inclined valves, and had a higher compression ratio of 9.8:1 instead of 8:1. The gas tank was also larger, with a capacity of 14.5 liters instead of 12.5 liters. The Stornello lineup was discontinued in 1974, but was reintroduced in 2015 as a variant of the V7.

This Motorcycle

This particular Moto Guzzi Stornello Sport, chassis # 1GM22780M, is a 1963 model finished in red with a black headlight housing and seat. Despite a majority of its history being lost to time, we assume it is an Italian-market bike that found its way to Missouri by 2006 where it remained with a long-term owner. We acquired the bike 2026 and entrusted it to CR Cars for a fresh service that included an oil change, a fuel system and ignition refresh, a new kickstarter spring, and any necessary mechanical adjustments to make it start, run and stop as it should. 

As it is, this Moto Guzzi Stornello Sport is a highly original example that, to the best of our knowledge, has never been restored. It offers a wonderful patina and has “the right look”, yet is serviced and ready to be ridden. The Stornello is a wonderful representative of the post-WWII Italian bike boom that took the U.S. by storm and shows how motorcycle manufacturers adapted to the changing market conditions at the time. While its early stories may never be uncovered, its future chapters are just waiting to be written.

The Market