From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 86 – first published in 2020.
Story: Nick Varta • Photos: OBA archives
From the beginning in 1921, when the 498cc Normale went into production, Moto Guzzi’s signature design for their single-cylinder motor cycles was with the cylinder and head lying flat, usually with an exterior flywheel. The exceptions were the 64cc two-stroke Motoleggera of 1946 and the subsequent derivative of the Cardellino in 64, 73 and finally 83cc which continued until 1965, all of which featured an engine with the cylinder and head inclined at 45 degrees to the horizontal.
Then in 1956, the famous Italian firm broke tradition with the Lodola, meaning ‘Lark’ in English, continuing the Guzzi tradition of naming models after birds. Significantly, the Lodola was designed by Carlo Guzzi himself – his last task before retiring at the age of 68 to a less stressful life. The engine itself, an all-alloy affair with dry sump lubrication, was inclined at 45 degrees and of full unit construction to the four-speed gearbox. Rather than using expensive bevel gears, a chain-driven single overhead camshaft controlled the valves, which featured a self-adjusting tensioner for the timing chain. Bore and stroke were over-square at 62mm x 57.8mm. An external flywheel was still used, but now hidden under an alloy cover, with the wet multi-plate clutch driven by helical gears. With a 22mm Dell’Orto carburettor supplying the mixture, and a compression ratio of 7.5:1, the engine produced 9hp at 6,000 rpm. The first production Lodola was named the Sport, followed soon by the Normale.
The new 174cc single was a complete departure in many ways, with a tubular steel frame, conventional swinging arm rear suspension with twin shock absorbers and much more modern styling than on previous models. Up front sat a set of oil-damped telescopic forks, with an 18 inch front wheel and 17 inch rear, both laced to alloy rims. Electrical power came from a dynamo driven by an adjustable belt on the left side of the crankshaft.
The 175cc category was a popular class in the big open road races of the day such as the Milano-Taranto and the Giro d’Italia, and Enrico Parodi, brother of co-founder Giorgio Parodi, saw benefits in creating an all-new Guzzi model to rival Ducati and Mondial, which dominated the results. Unfortunately, the Lodola’s performance (with a top speed of around 110 km/h) meant it was never a serious threat. Even a boost in compression to 9.0:1 produced only 11hp, so in 1959 a heavily revised Lodola appeared. Gone was the 175cc overhead camshaft engine, replaced with a 235cc push-rod unit, although a sohc 235cc version (the sporty 5-speed Regolaritá, primarily aimed at regularity trials competition) was produced in limited numbers until 1966. Moto Guzzi had invested heavily in the plant necessary to produce the new model, and it was important to exploit every marketing opportunity.
The revised engine dispensed with the alloy cylinder in favour of a cast iron version, with the bore and stoke revised to 68mm x 64mm, but with a 7.5:1 compression ratio and a generally lower state of tune than the 175 it replaced, the power output was still 11hp. Larger brakes – 8 inch front and 7 inch rear – in full width hubs, a different fuel tank design and other minor touches distringuished the new model. Marketed as the Grand Tourismo, the 235 continued in production until 1965. Apart from its role as a commuter and light-sport motorcycle, the 235 Lodola was also developed by the factory for the prestigious International Six Days Trial, and scored significant successes from 1959 to 1963.
The path pioneered by the Lodola culminated in the Stornello (“Starling”), designed by Giulio Caracano, which had a more upright engine with pushrod operated overhead valves and wet sump lubrication. Originally 123cc, the Stornello grew to 160cc before production of the model ended in 1974, after which all the small capacity single cylinder Moto Guzzis were two strokes derived from Benelli designs.
An owner’s appraisal
The featured motorcycle is owned by Mark Turnbull, from Orange NSW. As can be seen from the photographs, the pretty little Italian machine was a sad sight as acquired, and required much dedication and attention to detail to bring it back to its full beauty.
Mark explains the path to restoration. “I acquired the Lodola in mid 2017 from the Euchareena area in Central West NSW. It was one of a small batch imported into Australia by Moto Guzzi dealer Tom Byrne Motorcycles in early 1957 and sold through their well known shop in Sydney’s Wentworth Avenue. Tom apparently ordered enough machines for Moto Guzzi to supply a MPH speedometer which I believe was the only instance of this happening, even UK imports featured a KPH speedometer. This particular instrument was a real challenge to rebuild as a new face was impossible to find – necessitating having a new one printed from a scan of the original with the missing details added, which worked out well.
The bike had last been registered in 1975 and had sat mostly unused since. It required a full restoration which was not an easy process as the majority of parts could only be obtained from Italy or Germany with the occasional more common items sourced in the UK and even USA. English language manuals were never available apart from the owner’s manual which I only managed to finally obtain just after completion of the restoration! Fortunately the Italian parts and workshop manuals contained excellent photographs and drawings so with the help of Google Translate I was able to figure out the complicated OHC valve timing along with other typical Moto Guzzi engineering complexities.
I would not have been able to complete the restoration without the help of two people in particular. Teo Lamers in Victoria managed to find both engine covers, cast alloy footrests and a fuel tank all in excellent condition in Italy, after I had tried unsuccessfully to find them. Also Marco Valenti from Valenti Moto Restauri in Italy who supplied many original and excellent reproduction parts. The bike was completed in early 2019 after the final painting and assembly. The painting was done by Shane Turnbull from Turnbull & Townsend Smash Repairs in Orange. The plating was done by Electroplating Plating Technology in Queanbeyan, and the polishing by myself and Kevin Daniel in Orange – many hours work!
The Lodola performs like most Italian lightweights of the period with brisk performance on the flats but struggles on hills requiring plenty of gear changes. With coil ignition it generally starts first kick even after sitting for a month or more. Handling is excellent and the un-damped forks work well along with the extremely rare Sturcher rear shocks which I rebuilt using modern rod seals. These sound German but are actually made in Italy and were also fitted to the famous Guzzi V8 racer. Brakes are narrow width and look puny but after machining the steel drums and relining with suitable material they perform extremely well. The seat is a little narrow but is quite comfortable but best suited to shorter runs. Overall it is a great bike to ride in like company”.
Specifications: 1957 Moto Guzzi Lodola
Engine: SOHC single cylinder, chain-driven camshaft.
Bore x stroke: 62mm x 57.8mm
Capacity: 174cc
Compression ratio: 7.5:1
Power: 9hp at 6,000 rpm
Ignition: Marelli coil
Carburettor: Dell’Orto UB 22 BS 2A
Lubrication: Dry sump
Transmission: 4-speed gearbox, wet clutch, helical gear primary, chain final drive.
Wheelbase: 1314mm
Frame: Duplex cradle tubular and sheet metal fabrication.
Suspension: Front: Telescopic forks, oil-damped.
Rear: Swinging arm with 2 x teledraulic sping/dampers
Wheels/tyres: Front: 2.50 x 18 Rear: 3.00 x 17
Fuel capacity: 12 litres
Weight: 109kg
