1975 MV Agusta 750S America
Offered at: $100,000
Early 1971 MV Agusta 750 Sport, what paved the way for the existence of the 750 Sport - America
The story behind the MV 750S America…
The MV 750 Sport was the most expensive Italian sporting motorcycle of the early 1970s. It was a true masterpiece in red, white, and blue. The ‘America’ edition of the 750S took things further, introducing more power and a striking design for a street-legal GP bike. Today, it stands as one of the pinnacles of MV motorcycling design and history.
The story behind the introduction of this new edition is as follows: A 750S America prototype was readied less than two months after Chris Garville and MV retailer, racer, and tuner Jim Cotherman traveled to Varese, Italy, in 1974. There, he successfully lobbied MV management to evolve the existing 750S into a limited-edition luxury sport bike tailored for the American market with more power, angular styling that borrowed from MV’s contemporary race bikes, and features that met US-market requirements such as a left-side shifter, turn signals, and air filters.
1975 MV Agusta 750S America for sale by Moto Borgotaro on Bring a Trailer October 2023
The Bike…
Frame # 009
This impeccably restored 1975 MV Agusta 750S America is one of 200 produced during the model’s first year of production and numerically was the 1st to be delivered outside of the MV Agusta family, with frame numbers 001-008 reportedly going to company VIPs in Europe, marque racing legend Giacomo Agostini among them. This example, frame #009, was delivered new to MV Agusta’s sole US importer, Commerce Overseas Corporation of Elmsford, New York, where it served as a test loaner for motorcycle magazines including Cycle, Big Bike, Motor Cycle World, and was later employed in a display capacity at various exhibitions and trade shows. The bike remained in the care of the Commerce Overseas Corporation and company owner Chris Garville until 1984, when ownership was transferred to his brother in California. The bike changed hands again in 1990 and later underwent a two-year refurbishment by famed restorer and MV Agusta dealer, Perry Bushong, that was completed in November 2016. The bike was acquired by the seller in March 2022, at which time maintenance work included lubricating the clutch and brake cables, bleeding the brake lines, and changing the oil. This 750S America is now offered with owner’s and workshop manuals, parts lists, special tools, shipping and ownership records, marketing brochures, copies of publications in which the bike appeared, refurbishment records, removed and spare parts, and a clean California title in the seller’s name.
Details…
3 ownerships from new, expert-level restoration undertaken by famed restorer Perry Bushong
Used by the sole MV Agusta US importer as a test loaner for motorcycle magazines in addition to being showcased at various exhibitions and trade shows
Acquired by the seller in March 2022
Recent maintenance work included lubricating the clutch and brake cables, bleeding the brake lines, and changing the oil
789cc DOHC inline-four
Five-speed transmission
Black suede seat
Clip-on handlebars
Rear-set foot controls
Borrani alloy rims
Scarab front disc brakes
Ceriani fork
Adjustable Sebac shocks
Aluminum cylinder head and cylinders
(4) Dell’Orto VHB carburetors
Four-into-four Kay’s Engineering exhaust system
Included in the sale…
Additions: special tools, owner’s and workshop manuals, parts lists, shipping and ownership records, marketing brochures, copies of publications in which the bike appeared, refurbishment records, and a yellow-on-blue California ‘750 MV’ license plate
Spares: chrome exhaust system, stock black mufflers, headpipe nuts, a pair of shocks, a fuel tank strap and buffer, a rear taillight and license plate holder, rearsets, a side stand, a stock air box, an engine breather tube, a front fender and brake disc, brake and clutch levers, brake and clutch cables, ignition wires, oil filters, and various gaskets
This example is finished in red over a silver powder-coated frame and features a 5.2-gallon fuel tank, vented contiguous side covers, and a ducktail rear cowl as well as a black suede solo seat with a rear bumper pad. Equipment includes a chrome flip-top fuel filler, rear-set foot controls, a lift-assist handle, and both center and side stands. The horn and the turn indicators have been disconnected.
Chrome Tommaselli clip-on handlebars secured beneath the top triple clamp carry Tommaselli Matador lever perches, Tommaselli Daytona grips, a Scarab master brake cylinder, Aprilia switchgear, and a bar-end mirror. The dash pod houses a branded 150-mph Smiths speedometer, a matching tachometer with an 8,500-rpm redline, and a vertical row of indicator lamps. The five-digit odometer shows 5,200 miles, approximately 25 of which were ridden by the seller.
Power is sent to the rear wheel via a multi-disc wet clutch, a five-speed transmission, and an enclosed driveshaft.
In addition to silver side stripes and brand badging, the fuel tank is adorned with the 37–star graphic emblematic of the marque’s 37 world championships as well as the clear-coated signature of the late F1 and Grand Prix racer John Surtees, who rode MV Agustas to World Championships in 1956, 1958, 1959, and 1960. A photo showing Surtees signing the tank at the 1994 BMW Battle Of The Legends event in Daytona, Florida, can be viewed in the gallery.
Borrani 18″ alloy rims were polished, re-laced, and mounted with Pirelli Sport Demon tires during the refurbishment. Suspension consists of a polished 38mm Ceriani fork as well as a pair of preload-adjustable Sebac shocks mounted to the swingarm. Stopping is handled via dual Scarab calipers over 280mm solid discs up front as well as a 200mm single leading-shoe drum at the rear. The brake lines were bled in March 2022.
The sandcast 789cc DOHC inline-four was rated at 75 horsepower when new and features four individually removable aluminum alloy cylinders attached to a “crankshaft block,” so called for a self-contained crankshaft subassembly that bolts directly into a rack cast in the crankcase. Additional equipment includes an aluminum alloy cylinder head, gear-driven camshafts, a Bosch electric starter/generator, a Bosch automotive-style distributor, and a Kay Engineering four-into-four exhaust system. Work performed during the refurbishment included ceramic-coating the headpipes, powder-coating the mufflers, and fitting the quad 26mm Dell’Orto VHB carburetors with aluminum velocity stacks.
Additional Photographs
Additional photos:
Starting video:
Walk-around video: