MV Agusta 750 S 1970 - 1975

The MV Agusta 750S stood out as one of the most advanced and exclusive motorcycles of the early 1970s. Built by the legendary Italian manufacturer between 1970 and 1975, this bike brought racing technology to the street in a way few others could match.

If you're curious about what made this machine special, you're looking at a motorcycle that combined world-class engineering with stunning Italian design. The 750 S featured a four-cylinder engine, shaft drive, and build quality that set it apart from nearly everything else on the road during its five-year production run.

MV Agusta built these bikes in very limited numbers, which makes them rare and valuable today. Only a few hundred were ever made, and each one was practically hand-assembled.

For example, the image above and those below are of an MV Agusta 750 S for sale in England for £70,000 (that’s about $97,600).

The MV Agusta 750 Sport emerged from a company known for dominating Grand Prix racing circuits. This Italian motorcycle represented a shift from pure racing machines to road-going bikes that regular riders could actually buy.

MV Agusta built its reputation on the racetrack before you ever saw a street bike with their name on it. The company won 37 World Championship titles between 1952 and 1974.

Their racing bikes dominated 500cc Grand Prix competitions with legendary riders like Giacomo Agostini. The racing success gave MV Agusta serious technical knowledge about building fast motorcycles.

Everything they learned from racing went into their road bikes. When you look at the 750 S, you're seeing technology that came straight from the track.

The company earned a reputation for precision engineering and attention to detail that made other manufacturers nervous.

MV Agusta released the 750 S in 1970 as their first real attempt at a production sports bike. The bike used a 743cc inline-four engine that made about 69 horsepower.

You got shaft drive instead of a chain, which was unusual for sport bikes back then. The first models from 1970-1971 are sometimes called "pre-production" bikes.

Only around 150 of these early versions got made. In 1972, MV Agusta started regular production with some improvements to the design.

The bike stayed in production until 1975. During those years, they made small changes but kept the basic design the same.

Production numbers stayed very low compared to Japanese bikes of the era.

Count Giovanni Agusta ran MV Agusta during the 750 S production years. He took over the motorcycle division after his father, Count Domenico Agusta, died in 1971.

The Agusta family originally made their money in aviation before moving into motorcycles. Giovanni wanted MV Agusta to be the Ferrari of motorcycles.

He insisted on hand-built quality and didn't care much about making bikes cheaply or quickly. That's why production numbers stayed low and prices stayed high.

The count personally approved design decisions for the 750 S. His vision shaped what you got when you bought one of these bikes.

He wanted every MV Agusta to feel special and exclusive.

Making road bikes was totally different from building race bikes for MV Agusta. Race bikes didn't need to be comfortable or reliable for daily use.

The 750 S had to work as an actual motorcycle you could ride on regular roads. The transition wasn't smooth.

Early 750 S models had reliability issues that racing bikes never worried about. Things like electrical problems and oil leaks became apparent when regular riders used them every day.

MV Agusta built fewer than 500 units of the 750 S during its production run. Compare that to Honda or Yamaha making thousands of bikes, and you can see MV Agusta never really figured out mass production.

They stayed a small manufacturer making exclusive, expensive motorcycles for riders who wanted something rare.

The MV Agusta 750 S combined race-proven technology with street-ready features that set it apart from other motorcycles of its era. Its design reflected the company's Grand Prix racing heritage while introducing engineering solutions that were advanced for production bikes in the early 1970s.

The 750 S used a tubular steel frame that borrowed heavily from MV Agusta's racing programs. You got a double-cradle design that provided solid support for the inline-four engine while keeping the overall weight manageable.

The frame featured a single down tube that ran beneath the engine. This design gave the bike better rigidity during hard acceleration and cornering.

MV Agusta engineers welded the frame with precision to maintain consistent quality across production runs. The bike came with Ceriani telescopic fork units up front, which were considered top-tier suspension components at the time.

These Ceriani forks offered 5.9 inches of travel and adjustable damping. The rear suspension used twin shock absorbers with adjustable preload settings that let you tune the ride to your preferences.

Your 750 S featured distinctive red and silver paint that became synonymous with the MV Agusta brand. The fuel tank had a sculpted shape with chrome side panels that caught light from every angle.

The four chrome exhaust pipes running along the right side of the bike created a visual signature that you could spot from blocks away. Each pipe connected to its own cylinder and swept upward to exit near the rear wheel.

Chrome showed up everywhere—headlight bucket, fenders, engine covers. The seat was a two-piece unit with a stepped design.

The instruments included a large speedometer and tachometer mounted in chrome bezels above the headlight.

The full fairing on your 750 S was one of its most striking features. This bodywork wrapped around the front of the bike and extended down to protect your legs from wind and weather.

The fairing included a tall windscreen that offered real wind protection at highway speeds. MV Agusta molded the fairing from fiberglass.

They attached it to the frame at multiple points to minimize vibration and movement. The design included cutouts for the headlight and turn signals.

The fairing wasn't just for looks. It reduced aerodynamic drag and helped the bike achieve higher top speeds with less effort from the engine.

The engine featured aluminum alloy cylinders with cast-iron liners. This construction method reduced weight compared to all-iron cylinders while maintaining durability.

The aluminum helped dissipate heat more effectively during extended riding. The crankshaft block was a particularly advanced piece of engineering.

MV Agusta used a gear-driven system to connect the crankshaft to the camshafts. This setup was more complex than chain-driven designs but offered better precision and reliability at high RPMs.

You got enclosed valve springs that ran in an oil bath. This design kept the valvetrain lubricated and reduced wear on critical components.

The engine also included a dry sump lubrication system with a separate oil tank mounted beneath the seat.

The MV Agusta 750 S packed a sophisticated four-cylinder engine with dual overhead cams and a unique shaft drive system. You got serious power from this Italian machine, with carburetion handled by four Dell'Orto units working together.

The heart of your 750 S was a 743cc inline-four engine with double overhead camshafts. This DOHC design gave you better valve control and higher RPM capability than simpler pushrod engines.

The engine block used aluminum alloy cylinders to keep weight down. These cylinders bolted to a sturdy crankshaft block that formed the engine's foundation.

Each cylinder measured 65mm in bore with a 56mm stroke. This square-ish design let the engine rev freely while still making good torque.

The crankshaft ran in five main bearings for smooth operation and long life.

Your 750 S came with four Dell'Orto VHB 29mm carburetors, one for each cylinder. This setup gave each cylinder its own precise fuel mixture.

The Dell'Orto VHB carburetors used slide-type throttles for quick response when you twisted the grip. Getting all four carbs synchronized took patience, but it was necessary for smooth running.

Key carburetor specs:

Unlike most sportbikes of its era, your 750 S used shaft drive instead of a chain. The five-speed gearbox connected to the rear wheel through an enclosed driveshaft.

This shaft drive system meant less maintenance for you. No more chain adjustments or lubrication every few hundred miles.

The trade-off was extra weight compared to chain drive. But you gained cleanliness and reliability that touring riders appreciated.

The 750 S produced around 69 horsepower at 7,900 RPM. That put you in the top tier of production bikes in the early 1970s.

Top speed reached about 125 mph in good conditions. Zero to 60 mph times came in around 4.5 seconds, which was quick for the period.

The engine's power came on smoothly across the rev range. You could ride it gently around town or wind it out on open roads.

The 750 S featured advanced components for its era, including Italian suspension parts, a distinctive exhaust layout, and drum brakes that handled the bike's performance capabilities.

Your 750 S came equipped with a Ceriani telescopic fork up front. This was a significant upgrade from older designs and gave you better handling on twisty roads.

The Ceriani fork used 35mm stanchions and offered decent travel for the period. You could adjust the damping to match your riding style, though the settings were more limited than modern forks.

At the rear, you got a traditional swingarm setup with dual shock absorbers. The shocks had five-position preload adjustment so you could fine-tune the ride based on whether you were riding solo or carrying a passenger.

The rear suspension gave you about 3 inches of travel.

The four-into-four exhaust system was one of the most recognizable features of your 750 S. Each cylinder had its own exhaust pipe that ran all the way back to its own muffler on the right side of the bike.

This setup wasn't just for looks. The individual pipes reduced back pressure and helped the engine breathe better at high RPMs.

You got more power in the upper rev range compared to a traditional four-into-one system. The four chrome pipes and megaphone-style mufflers gave the bike a racing appearance.

They also produced a distinct sound that set the 750 S apart from other motorcycles on the road.

Your 750 S relied on drum brakes at both ends. The front drum measured 230mm in diameter and had a twin leading shoe design that provided solid stopping power for the bike's weight and speed.

The rear drum was 200mm and used a single leading shoe setup. While not as powerful as the front, it gave you adequate braking for normal riding conditions.

You operated both brakes through cable actuation rather than hydraulics. This kept things simple for maintenance, though you needed to adjust the cables regularly as they stretched over time.

MV Agusta created a special version of the 750 S specifically for American riders, with the Commerce Overseas Corporation handling distribution and making key changes to meet U.S. regulations and preferences.

The 750S America landed as MV Agusta's shot at cracking the American motorcycle market. You could spot this model by a handful of features that made it stand out from the standard European 750 S.

The bike came with higher handlebars, so you got a much more upright riding position. That was a big shift from the low clip-ons on the regular model.

MV Agusta also gave the America a different seat and changed up the exhaust routing. These tweaks weren't just for looks—they wanted to make the bike more attractive to American riders who wanted something between a tourer and a sport machine.

Your 750S America rolled out with several updates to meet U.S. Department of Transportation rules. The most obvious? Side reflectors and DOT-approved lighting.

They also gave it different turn signals and a reworked instrument cluster. These weren't optional; U.S. law required them on any bike sold stateside.

The exhaust system got redesigned to meet emission standards, though that did take a small bite out of performance compared to the European bikes. You also ended up with a different fuel tank capacity and carburetor jetting to match American gasoline.

Commerce Overseas Corporation acted as the official U.S. importer for MV Agusta at the time. They handled distribution, dealer setup, and warranty support for the 750S America.

The company made extra tweaks beyond what the factory did. They adjusted suspension settings based on American roads and rider feedback.

Commerce Overseas Corporation set up a pretty limited dealer network across the country. If you didn't live near a big city, getting parts and service could be a hassle. The distribution lasted through 1975, when MV Agusta pulled back from the U.S. market due to poor sales and high costs.

The 750 S packed details that really set it apart from other bikes of its time. From specialized wheels to slick instrumentation, these touches reflected MV Agusta's racing roots and focus on quality.

Your 750 S rolled on lightweight Borrani alloy wheels—the same Italian-made rims MV Agusta used on its Grand Prix race bikes. These wheels had polished aluminum construction, which cut unsprung weight compared to steel ones.

The braking system used twin front discs and a single rear disc. The front brakes measured 280mm, which was pretty generous for the early '70s. Brembo supplied the calipers, so you got solid stopping power for a bike that could top 120 mph.

Light wheels and quality brakes made handling and control much better. This setup was ahead of its time, especially since a lot of rivals still relied on drum brakes or just one disc up front.

The 750 S used a Bosch automotive-style distributor instead of the usual magneto ignition. This setup gave more consistent spark timing across all four cylinders. You'd find the distributor at the back of the engine, driven by the camshaft.

The Bosch system came with a 12-volt electrical setup and a regular battery. Starting got easier, and the lighting improved compared to magneto systems. The points and condenser did need regular maintenance, usually every 3,000 miles or so.

The instrument cluster featured two big Veglia gauges—a speedometer reading up to 160 mph and a tach with an 8,500 rpm redline. Smaller warning lights for oil pressure, high beam, and neutral sat between them.

The controls had clip-on handlebars for a more aggressive riding position. The full fairing shielded you from wind at higher speeds and held the headlight and turn signals. Chrome switches on each bar handled the lights, indicators, horn, and engine cutoff.

MV Agusta sold the 750 S mostly in red with white and blue striping. That color combo matched their race bikes and turned into a brand icon. Some models came in silver or blue, but red was by far the most common.

The fuel tank wore hand-painted pinstripes and a gold leaf MV Agusta logo. Chrome covers protected the four exhaust headers, and the engine cases had polished aluminum finishes. Each bike had a small production number plate on the steering head, showing your specific unit number.

The MV Agusta 750 S had a short production run, and that makes it super desirable now. These bikes fetch high prices in the collector market because of their racing DNA and rarity.

MV Agusta built the 750 S from 1970 to 1975. They made around 400 units total during those six years, though the exact number depends on who you ask.

Production stayed low because MV Agusta focused on quality, not quantity. Each bike got hand-assembled at the Gallarate, Italy factory. That approach meant great craftsmanship, but it also drove up prices a lot.

The 1975 models marked the last year for the original 750 S. By then, MV Agusta was running into financial troubles that would shake up the whole company.

Your MV Agusta 750 S ranks among the most valuable Italian motorcycles from the 1970s. Well-kept examples often sell for $80,000 to $150,000 at auction.

Several things push those prices up:

Bikes with racing history or celebrity owners fetch even more. Condition really matters—a totally original example is worth a lot more than a restored one.

The 1975 MV Agusta 750 S really marked the end of an era for the company. Financial problems and shifting market conditions pushed MV Agusta to stop making this model.

MV Agusta went on to develop the 750 America and 750 Monza as successors. They kept the engine design but gave the bikes fresh styling and new components.

Still, neither bike quite captured the legendary status of the original 750 S. The company ended up declaring bankruptcy in 1977.