The MV Agusta 50 Liberty was a light motorcycle built in the

MV Agusta MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in ...

factory in Cascina Costa di Samarate,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

from 1962 to 1969.

Background

After the ''Nuovo codice della strada'' (

traffic code Traffic codes are laws that generally include provisions relating to the establishment of authority and enforcement procedures, statement of the Traffic#Rules of the road, rules of the road, and other safety provisions. Administrative regulations ...

) came into force, motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of less than 50 cc and a maximum speed of 40

km/h The kilometre per hour ( SI symbol: km/h; non-standard abbreviations: kph, km/hr) is a unit of speed, expressing the number of kilometres travelled in one hour. History Although the metre was formally defined in 1799, the term "kilometres per ho ...

were the only motor vehicles that could be used by people without a driving license. Some Italian motorcycle manufacturers, seeing their production fall due to the availability of low-cost utility cars, decided to enter the light motorcycle sector, creating economical models equipped with refined and robust

four-stroke engine A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

Overview

As a motorcycle aimed at youngsters not old enough to hold a licence, the MV technicians focused giving the machine "real" motorcycle looks. The chassis and bodywork were of a generous size for its engine size. The "Liberty" was offered in two versions, the "Turismo" and the "Sport Speciale", priced at 112,000 and 114,000 Lire respectively. This was quite inexpensive, in relation to the technical refinement of the engine and chassis. For the domestic versions of the "Liberty", to the "Code", the maximum speed was 40 km/h, however, overseas version were capable of 60 km/h. Initially

fuel consumption A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

of 1 litre of

petrol Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...

per 100 km was claimed, late a more credible consumption of 1.5 liters per 100 km was claimed. A second series was introduced in 1966, 18" wheels replaced the original 16" items and the "Sport" received a 4-speed gearbox. A more upmarket "America" model was introduced. The "Liberty" was not a great commercial success; 5,292 were produced, of which 2,000 were the "America" model and 3,292 "Sport".

Technical details

The Liberty's engine was an

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...

pushrod A valvetrain or valve train is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) ...

single-cylinder A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery ( ...

four-stroke with a

bore Bore or Bores often refer to: *Boredom * Drill Relating to holes * Boring (manufacturing), a machining process that enlarges a hole ** Bore (engine), the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or a steam locomotive ** Bore (wind instruments), ...

and

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

of 39 x 42 mm giving a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of 47,7 cc.

Compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values. A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...

was 7.5:1 and the ignition was provided by a

magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

. Power output was 1.5 bhp @ 4,500 rpm. A wet

multi-plate clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

was driven by gears from the

crankshaft A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating shaft containing one or more crankpins, that are driven by the pistons via the connecting ...

. There was initially a three-speed

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...

, but sports models got 4 speeds from 1966. Gears were controlled by a handlebar

twistgrip A twistgrip is a handle that can be twisted to operate a control. It is commonly found as a motorcycle's right handlebar grip to control the throttle, but is sometimes found elsewhere, such as on a bicycle as a gearshift, and in helicopters. His ...

. The rear wheel was driven by a

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

. The MV Agusta had a double cradle frame and

telescopic fork A telescopic fork is a form of motorcycle front suspension whose use is so common that it is virtually universal. The telescopic fork uses fork tubes and sliders which contain the springs and dampers. The main advantages of the telescopic fork ...

s were used. At the rear there was a

swinging arm A swingarm, or "swinging arm" (UK), originally known as a swing fork or pivoted fork, is a single or double sided mechanical device which attaches the rear wheel of a motorcycle to its body, allowing it to pivot vertically. The main component of ...

with hydraulic

shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...

References

External links

Gallery of images of the MV Agusta Liberty

{{MV Agusta

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

Motorcycles introduced in 1962 Standard motorcycles Single-cylinder motorcycles