Something special

[piecemealadventurer]

Sometimes you come across something special
In a shed in a little village in Switzerland I was introduced to a wonderful guy and his MAGNI.
Not just a MAGNI but no 1. The prototype in beautiful condition. One owner, been raced and loved


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[Guzzistajohn]

  If we had a like button I'd use it now!

[Old Jock]

Nice

Australia No1 then

Super intrigued by it 4V early engine judging by the color of the casings BUT twin shock rear??

Is it a Sfida type frame (similar to a Tonti) or a beam (like Guzzi's Daytona frame)?

Love to see or hear more about it.

Magni produced all sorts of low volume models before settling on a final design, like the 1000 4v engines stuffed into Sfidas, before coming up with his own version of the beam frame

[piecemealadventurer]

From what I could understand (my Swiss German is very mimimal). It's the same fuel injected engine as in the Daytona.
Parallelogram swing arm and I've attached a pic of the rear end

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[Old Jock]

Engine is definitely Daytona Series 1.

I wonder if Magni put on the rear shocks before coming up with the Monoshock design for the beam frame, previously he had been producing twin shock rear ends.

All his bikes with the exception of some Hondas are parallelogramo twin swinging arm design, to eliminate shaft jacking. He came up with it when working for MV (as the MV road bikes were shafties) but settled on a chain conversion for the MVs. However he patented a lot of the design and then used it later on BMWs (not many) and then Guzzis, with great success

Below a picture of the later monoshock design

[JJ]

One word sums it all up..."Fabulous!!"

[piecemealadventurer]

You get a better view of the frame in this shot

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[twowings]

Stupendous! Thanks for sharing...

[Old Jock]

Thank You piecemealadventurer

From your last picture I think it's a Sfida type frame & not a beam (IMHO a better design) the 2 triangular tubes running down from the top frame tubes to the swinging arm mounts and the top piece of a frame rail running under the tank give the game away.

Essentially a Sfida 1000 4v with Australia clothes, it's an absolute beauty and I am grateful to you for posting up here, I had no idea such a beast existed

John

[piecemealadventurer]

Thank You piecemealadventurer

From your last picture I think it's a Sfida type frame & not a beam (IMHO a better design) the 2 triangular tubes running down from the top frame tubes to the swinging arm mounts and the top piece of a frame rail running under the tank give the game away.

Essentially a Sfida 1000 4v with Australia clothes, it's an absolute beauty and I am grateful to you for posting up here, I had no idea such a beast existed

John

Pleasure Jock, wanted to share on a forum where such a beautiful machine would be appreciated.

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[alanp]

That truly is something special.  Thanks for sharing! 

[Turin]

Wow!!! I thought I knew about everything Daytona Hi-cam related. No clue this existed... too cool! 

[oldbike54]

One word sums it all up..."Fabulous!!"

 Absolutely 

 Oh ...wait ... am I gonna have to explain that 

[weevee]

Essentially a Sfida 1000 4v with Australia clothes, it's an absolute beauty and I am grateful to you for posting up here, I had no idea such a beast existed

John

Here's another Sfida-based bike John:

You've probably seen the twin-shock racers that were said to be the Australia testbeds.  I believe these were the bikes (..or very much like the bikes) campaigned down-under by Ted Stolarski, but I may be mistaken:



This one is, I believe, the very same bike that the OP has found in a shed in Switzerland.  It's interesting to see its VIN is stamped, No.1:  

My own bike's VIN is No.3 - by which time true production must have commenced.  Its frame/swing-arm & mono-shock are the recognised 'Australia' items.  I wonder where No.2 is?  Could it be the one parked in Mr. Magni's office?

Steve 

[Old Jock]

Thanks Steve

That first pic looks like a beam frame & the fairing is very MGS-01/Ducati 916 Esque, liking the Ohlins too, no clue about the rear shock. No bottom rails like No 1 & is that in Japan? Wondering about the tank graphics

I suppose it's a bit misleading to talk about Magni's version of the Tonti as a "Sfida" frame because he used the same model name on some beam frame bikes too, like my 1100 in the earlier picture

Your last picture is much more like how I would have imagined Magni painting it, standard Oz color scheme on the fairing and characteristic Red frame (like the Sfida 1000).

Still beautiful as it stands to-day though, I'd far rather see these machines morph a little (but obviously still be loved) and used than sitting as it left Magni's workshop in some rich man's shed in an air tight bag.

VIN on mine is 127 so we are more or less book marking the run, fascinating that yours is No 3, no wonder you got the great man's signature on it

I never knew about the others great info

[weevee]

Here's Ted Stolarski himself with one of the green/yellow racers from which the Australia model took its name.  It's interesting to see it's numbered '33' (..the same as the bike shown in the post above).  There's a connection there somewhere!



As to the signatures on my bike's tank..  I'm not sure how and when they got there.  They look to be painted on - they're not magic-marker or decals - and they're beneath the clear-coat.  What's more, each side looks identical so they weren't added spontaneously.  The 'Australia' text on its fairing-sides is painted on too, and lacquered over.  I doubt it left the factory like this: I suspect it's been refurbished at some point in its life.  (..but where/why would an aftermarket spray-shop or signwriter acquire - and forge! - Arturo's signature?)  Mysterious!



Steve

   

 

[Old Jock]

Thanks Steve

Well all my graphics on the 1100 were painted in although they are just the standard Magni Logos, still skillful stuff. The painter who did mine would be able I'm sure to do something like Arturo's signature.

I believe he creates them first on the computer then somehow magically (well as far as I'm concerned) transforms that into paint

Looking at the seat of the Stolarski racer, it bears more than a passing resemblance to a Sfida 1000 seat



Your Australia is absolutely gorgeous, nicer than mine and I wish I had Arturo's sig too

[weevee]

There's an Oz presently listed on eBay you might like to take a look at, John.  Here's its search number: 332767011353
It looks to be a real beauty.  (..in fact if this bike was in the UK, I might struggle to resist bidding!)

Steve   

[Old Jock]

Good grief Steve is one not enough for you?

You have the coolest toys as I've always lusted after your other run about too and yours is a gem

Blueboarhound alerted me to that bike but there are some odd things about it, which I freely admit are probably nothing but I wonder about the add a little

The VIN is odd as far as I know all Magni's bikes start their VIN with MAGNI
4 year recommission and no mention of an oil pump or gears in site (the one must do)
It is a series II bike and I'm guessing full fat stage 3 engine (Magni will have sneeked the full fat one into the US the same way as he sneeked trapezoid headlamped Sfidas (Sporti) into UK because he's classed as low volume I guess)
I was surprised at the Blue Speedo, but that may because the US are stricter than the UK when it comes to instrumentation, my Oz white speedo is Km/h only but I seem to remember my Daytona was Km/h with tiny mph as well, perhaps they had to slap in the fugly blue jobbo to get it into the US.

It's in beautiful condition and a real cracker, but I'd be surprised if reserve is less than 25k USD and probably more like 30k or north of that

Some other numpty picked it as is bike of the week for sale and then gave me the lowdown it was an education 

Magni's own downtube frame has oil tankage in the backbone and massive Paioli forks Err scuse me but I hope nobody tries to fill the frame with oil, although to be fair it would end up in the sump 

The single overhead cam V-twin hasn't been opened but should be far from needing anything I'll let him away with the single bit but here's me been laboring, all this time, under the sad misapprehension that the bike is a Hi-Cam and not overhead (in fact did I waste money putting in cam followers when I din't need to??)

http://raresportbikesforsale.com/featured-listing-1998-magni-australia/

I'll soldier on with what I have for now, but if a Giaponne 52 came onto my radar I'd be sorely tempted indeed

John

[weevee]

I've never seen two VINs alike, John.  I think Magni just stamped what he wanted on there, without care for continuity.  My own bike (..if I remember right) is MD1 (..I take the MD to represent Magni/Daytona?)

One is enough, for sure - but that wouldn't reduce my urge to check this one out if it was anywhere near me!  The frame here is very different to mine, though.  Mine is all round tubes, without that box-type spine.  It will be interesting to see what it goes for, no doubt.  (..although I'll miss the auction's end 'cause I'm off to the Classic TT early tomorrow morning). 

That 'rare sportsbikes for sale' site very often fails to describe a bike accurately (..and it's clear they know nothing much about Magnis).  Nice photos though, so I won't complain!

Steve 

[kidsmoke]

this is where these threads are so enlightening for those of us (me) who is later to the Guzzi performance story. Seeing these machines and reading about Magni's development 'arc' is very cool. I've had this photo cycling across my desktop for some time, just because it's such an awesome photo of a MACHINE. I always envisioned the header configuration as unique. This thread makes me realize there was a practical consideration. Allowed for streamlined fairings on a racing machine, while making oil changes a real PITA. Not so impractical on a track bike.

Thanks for this thread.

[Old Jock]

The frame here is very different to mine, though.  Mine is all round tubes, without that box-type spine.

Steve 

Got any pictures I'm intirgued is your frame not like the Sfida 1100 pic I posted earlier in the thread?

Is your central beam round tubed? If it is it will probably be worth even more as it will be rarer.............. ........love to know more

John

[Unkept]

I love the Magni bikes, thanks for sharing this!

[weevee]

Got any pictures I'm intirgued is your frame not like the Sfida 1100 pic I posted earlier in the thread?

Is your central beam round tubed? If it is it will probably be worth even more as it will be rarer.............. ........love to know more

John

Here's a photo, John.  So far as I'm aware, all of the early-model Australias share this frame.  However, every VIN number I've seen posted elsewhere has differed substantially in format (..regardless of whether it's on an early Australia's frame or on an Australia '98):

picture upload sites

[Litre1000]

Stunning machines....!


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[Old Jock]

Here's a photo, John.  So far as I'm aware, all of the early-model Australias share this frame.  However, every VIN number I've seen posted elsewhere has differed substantially in format (..regardless of whether it's on an early Australia's frame or on an Australia '98):

picture upload sites

Wow thanks for that Steve, it's entirely different to mine, it would appear that the series 2 bikes then are much more in line with Guzzi's Daytona frame where as yours is somewhere in between the conventional twin shock used on the earlier Sfida 1000, Arturos, Classicos etc: with the back of the bike modified to a monoshock design. This is a fascinating thread for me, learning a lot about the evolution of these machines

I know another series I owner I'll shoot him a mail and ask him about his frame

I don't have a picture of the Oz with the tank off, but mine is essentially the same beam frame design as you can see on the Sfida 1100 picture that I posted earlier

Here are a couple of the Sfida 1000 Frame





The Sifda 1100 beam frame, my Oz is the same as this design too

[Old Jock]

So just received word from my friend and it would appear you're correct Steve, his frame is the same variation as yours

I never know that the Series I and II bikes were so different

Every day a school day

John

[Kiwi_Roy]

This thread is downright pornographic.


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[Huzo]

This thread is downright pornographic.


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Yep..
Breaks every law of common decency.
Especially the one about strategically covered nudity..

[weevee]

I found this old video on my computer's hard drive, John.  You can see more clearly here how not only the frames differ, but many of the ancillary parts such as the rear-sets, seat support/rear damper (reservoir) mounting-point, top yoke shape/ignition switch mount etc.  Exhaust hanger brackets vary as well on some machines. How does the underseat set-up compare?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkXt3N-0RWA 

The 'domed-vs-flat-topped' fuel tanks are an aesthetic difference twixt early & late models, as is the rear seat shape & its alignment with the tank's lower edge, the fairing vents etc.  I believe the series '98 models often used different 'pivot-pins' in the parallelogrammo linkage too.  There are other changes, I'm sure - I just can't remember them all!

As an aside..  I've just returned from the Classic TT, and despite seeing countless examples of just about every rare 'classic' machine ever built, not a single Australia could be found.  Maybe it's true that they're all in Japan!

Steve