Magni is one of those motorcycling names, like Egli, that hovers on the periphery of stardom. Egli is inseparable from Vincent, but Magni is associated with MV Agusta, Honda and Moto Guzzi.
Some of the earliest Magnis, though, had BMW power. The MB1 shown above uses a heavily modified airhead taken from a BMW R80, bored out to a liter. Franz Eieresser has owned this bike since new: he ordered it in 1987, and supplied the engine to MV Agusta importer Hansen/Schneider of Baden-Baden. Franz restored his Magni BMW a year ago and describes it as ‘a fun factory’. Although the top speed is only around 200 km/h, he says it’s a lot of fun getting there.
Image copyright Franz Eieresser, reproduced with permission | See also the stunning 1977 MV Agusta Magni 860.