To say that Mike Coates likes his Guzzis would be a gross understatement; his collection is mouth-watering and eclectic, with an emphasis on the 80/90s models. In reality, Mike’s stable starts from the very beginning – a 1921 Normale from the company’s very first year of production – up to comparatively recent examples of both road bikes and racers.
One of the real standouts is another thoroughbred from Guzzi’s fledgling days, a beautiful example of the 500cc 4-valve competition machine from 1926. Here is a motorcycle that is every inch a racer, with not a gram of unnecessary material, built for one purpose – to go as fast as possible for very long distances. Because in the 1920s, Italy was home to some of the most famous – and most punishing – events ever devised. Epic public road blasts between towns and cities that were a test of navigation and avoidance of hazards as much as outright speed and reliability. There were also a limited number of closed circuit events. In Italy this initially meant just the Monza track in the Royal Park north of
