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| MV Agusta |
This MV Agusta motorcycle is likely a 1972 model. When this model was introduced in 1966 it was the first production motorcycle with a four cylinder transverse engine. The Honda CB750 with the same transverse engine layout was introduced in 1969.
The MV Agusta displaced 750 cc and used DOHC (Dual Over Head Camshafts). It also used a shaft to drive the rear wheels instead of a chain. This is kind of nuts since you need to use two sets of right angle gears to transfer power to the rear wheel. I don't know of anyone else who has done this. I've heard of MV Augusta motorcycles before, but only in the context of racing. This is not surprising since the MV Agusta cost $6,500 and the Honda only cost a shade over $2,000.
Wikipedia has a long article about the history of this Italian company and the variety of motorcycles and other machines that they built.
6 comments:
Shaft drive on motorcycles is quite common.
Yes, shaft drive is common, but in most bikes with shaft drive the crankshaft of the engine runs for and aft. This is the only one I know of that has shaft drive and a transverse engine.
Drool!
Shaft drive is common on motorcycles with transverse crankshafts.
My motorcycling days were decades in the past, but I remember the V-4 Honda Sabres and Magnas back in the Eighties were shaft-driven, as were Honda V-twin Ascot standards and Shadow cruisers. Almost the various Yamaha XS's, Maxims, and Secas had transverse fours and shaft drives. Et cetera.
My Honda Shadow 750 (2003 vintage?) had a shaft drive nut a V-twin engine.
Bah, humbug, fiddlesticks. Now that you mention it, I do recall some of those bikes having shaft drive. Had to dig out the archives and dust them off.
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