Moto Guzzi Airone
With Phil Aynsley
Moto Guzzi is well known for its V-twins of course but go back a bit further and its horizontal singles were the company’s signature models.
While the 500 cc bikes took most of the attention their smaller capacity machines also had a following.
The 246cc Airone (Heron, a link to the successful racing 250cc Albatros model) appeared in 1939 and was basically a revised P250.
The PE chassis numbers were even carried over. It was sporadically produced during the war in very low numbers but it wasn’t until 1945 that production began to ramp up.
Some 21,000 were built before production finally ceased in 1961 with a final batch for the police force.
When first released it sported a tubular steel chassis but in the early ‘40s it reverted back to the P250’s pressed steel frame.
As you would expect with a bike with such a long production run there were gradual improvements as time went on.
The exposed valve-springs were enclosed, the barrel and head were cast in aluminium rather than cast iron, the suspension was upgraded, etc etc.
The Airone’s main drawback was its modest performance. With a weight of 135 kg and about 12 hp on tap it provided a civilized ride rather than a sporting one – a hindrance to sales in a domestic market that was fixated on 175 cc (and smaller) sports bikes.
This bike is a 1948 model.
Moto Guzzi Airone Specifications
| Moto Guzzi Airone Specifications | |
| Engine | Horizontal Single-Cylinder 4T, cast aluminium head/barrel |
| Capacity | 247 cc |
| Max Performance | 12 hp |
| Gearbox | Four-speed |
| Frame | Tubular steel frame or pressed steel |
| Suspension | Telescopic USD forks |
| Weight | 135 kg |
