Is this real or photo crop they do put up a fill write up a good read On the dyno, the prototype MG 3000ie produces an adequate 278.5 hp at the rear wheel and maximum torque occurs as expected at 6,000 rpm. However, the torque that this beast puts out is so massive that it actually broke the instrumentation on the dyno! So at this point, the figures are known only to the Moto Guzzi engineers, who currently have the prototype. Top speed in 5th gear is a respectable 197.5 mph, where it actually feels like it’s only just loping along. There are also a few functional issues to sort out. For instance, the Centauro’s stock 3.5-gallon tank is obviously a bit small for cruising, so I’ve suggested that Moto Guzzi increase the capacity in the final version. Also, fuel consumption will have to be improved above the current 13 MPG; I discovered it's a little better if I use premium. Idling is fairly smooth, although from a dead stop, you have to ease the throttle to avoid the severe engine rotation, and the resulting rocking motion feels like the Love Boat during Hurricane Katrina. This problem should be solved by time the bike gets into production, as the Guzzi engineers have designed a new I-Beam CARC shaft drive system to handle the massive output. The Marelli fuel injection system also needed some tinkering; I tried stock and performance chips but finally settled on a series of fuel maps of my own design. And as long as I was doing it myself, I integrated it with my GPS! So the bike now selects the correct map for any load, terrain and altitude. Unfortunately, Moto Guzzi said they probably will not be able to get this feature passed through the tough Euro 3 emission specs. The suspension is stock White Performance, however I had to crank up the damping and spring pre-load to the maximum positions to settle her down especially on hard acceleration and braking. While the brakes were over-built and perfect for the stock Centauro, for the MG 3000ie, I had to add a third rotor in front and a second rotor on the rear wheel for better performance. So far the gel-cell battery is holding up when turning over those six big cylinders, but you obviously wouldn't want to bump start it! Tires are currently a weak spot, as you can imagine. By this time the project was costing me some serious money, so I was looking for a sponsor. I managed to get Cheng Shin interested, and they said they'd work up a compound that should yield at least 1,000 miles before replacement. That's a lot better than the 200-mile life of the Pirelli Dragons, which can’t seem to take the weight and torque. Wind protection was a bit of a problem at speed but I didn’t want to alter the voluptuous and sensuous lines of the Goose. Above 130 mph it feels like my head is being pulled off my shoulders and the chin strap on every cruiser helmet I’ve tried feels like it’s choking me like a tourniquet, so I actually rigged up an adjustable keeper that runs from the chin strap to the handlebar to hold my head down at speed. I'm real pleased with the performance and handling of the MG-3000ie. It turned out to be a rather ambitious project for sure -- I’d rank it an 8 on the difficulty scale. That Moto Guzzi picked it up for production is unbelievable and humbling, but this particular Custovation project turned out to be everything I expected. I couldn’t have done it without the inspirational genius of Edward Turner. full story http://www.motoguzziforum.no/viewtopic.php?t=459&sid=c13dce1bbe33293af3f3eb79ae d43f30[/URL]
nah....just a crock and photoshop. Does make a Centauro look slightly better, 'cause they are one uggggggggggly Guzzi normally.
na the Centauro is cool... not likely to own one but cool all the same, in a Guzzi ugley way
