The MV Agusta 350 Ipotesi was the last attempt by the Italian firm to fight the Japanese middleweights with a new design. Shown as a concept at the 1973 Milan show and built from 1975 to 1977, it was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, based on the 350 B Sport Elettronica and produced as 1,991 Sport and 350 Turismo machines.
MV Agusta 350 Ipotesi at a glance
| Production | 1975–1977 |
|---|---|
| Design | Giorgetto Giugiaro, Italdesign Giugiaro |
| Based on | MV Agusta 350 B Sport Elettronica |
| Engine | 350 cc four-stroke OHV parallel twin |
| Power | 34 hp at 8,500 rpm |
| Brakes | Scarab discs, two at the front and one at the rear |
| Forks | Ceriani telescopic |
| Wheels | cast alloy |
| Units built | 1,991 Sport and 350 Turismo |
| Claim | first Italian production motorcycle with three disc brakes and alloy wheels |
This page is based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the 350 Ipotesi.
History of the MV Agusta 350 Ipotesi
Count Domenico Agusta died in 1971 and the firm’s finances declined quickly under pressure from cheap, high-quality Japanese motorcycles and constant labour problems. Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign Giugiaro, who had designed the Suzuki RE5, was commissioned to create a more modern middleweight, and the prototype with its horizontal lines and sharp contours appeared at the 1973 Milan EICMA show.
Design and engineering
The production 350 Ipotesi of 1975 was developed from the 350 B models but given new casings to match the styling, and angular cylinder heads that continued the straight lines of the bodywork. The 350 cc four-stroke OHV parallel twin went from 27 hp at 7,800 rpm to 34 hp at 8,500 rpm. The frame was made of steel tubing only, where earlier models mixed tube and sheet steel; tank, seat and side panels were new, the seat carried the rear mudguard, and the side panels were slotted to mimic the cooling fins of the engine. Scarab disc brakes were fitted, two at the front and one at the rear, with Ceriani forks and cast alloy wheels, which MV described as a first for an Italian production motorcycle. A full fairing was available as an option.
The GT and the 500s
A touring version, the 350 Ipotesi GT or Turismo, used a more conventional rear seat with a separate mudguard and higher handlebars, chrome mudguards and exhaust instead of painted ones, a gold and blue tank, wire wheels and a drum rear brake, though it kept the twin front discs. The German importer Hansen & Schneider, which had the rights to build MV Agusta motorcycles in the mid-1970s, made two 500 cc derivatives: the 500 S of 1976–77 with a 75 mm bore for 472 cc and 53 hp at 8,900 rpm, optionally reduced to 43 hp, and the 500 SS of 1977, a racing version with double overhead camshafts and 66 hp at 11,100 rpm of which five were built.
Design and features
- Giugiaro styling: sharp horizontal lines, angular cylinder heads and slotted side panels that imitate cooling fins.
- More power: the 350 cc parallel twin was raised from 27 to 34 hp.
- Brakes and wheels: three Scarab discs and cast alloy wheels, a first for an Italian production bike according to MV.
- Light frame: steel tubing only, replacing the tube-and-sheet construction of earlier models.
MV Agusta 350 Ipotesi versions
- 350 Ipotesi Sport: the main model, 1,991 built, with twin front discs and a single rear disc.
- 350 Ipotesi GT (Turismo): touring version with higher bars, chrome trim, wire wheels, a drum rear brake and a gold and blue tank.
- 500 S and 500 SS: Hansen & Schneider derivatives of 472 cc with 53 hp, and a five-off racing version with 66 hp.
The Ipotesi was the last of MV’s middleweights after the MV Agusta 175 series, and it shared the showroom with the four-cylinder MV Agusta 750 Sport America. More in the MV Agusta collection.
Video: 1979 MV Agusta 350S Ipotesi by Parkmanager
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- MV Agusta 350 Ipotesi, English Wikipedia: design, engine, GT and 500 versions
