MV Agusta 123.5c cm3 Monoalbero type course 1953
Frame no. 150031
Engine no. 150034

For 1953 MV offered a 125cc over-the-counter racer for privateers, developed directly from Cecil Sandford's World Championship-winning works bike. Italian regulations for the domestic 'Formula Sport' stipulated that machines should have only a single camshaft and four gears, and so the monoalbero (single-camshaft) 125 racer was born. Bore and stroke were 53x56mm and the motor breathed via a 27mm Dell'Orto racing carburettor, eventually producing a maximum of 16bhp at 10,300rpm. The cycle parts were virtually an exact copy of the 1952 works bikes', featuring a tubular duplex loop frame, telescopic front fork with central hydraulic damper, and swinging-arm rear suspension. Brakes were full-width aluminium-alloy: 7" diameter at the front, 6" at the rear. Dry weight was 75kg and the top speed over 145km/h. Because Italy's long-distance road races, such as the Moto Giro d'Italia and Milan-Taranto required that machines be street legal and possess lights, a flywheel generator was fitted. The MV Agusta Monoalbero 125 racer proved an enormous success, remaining in production until 1956 and continuing to offer privateers a competitive ride in the 125cc class for many years thereafter.

Nothing is known of the history of this example. Its late owner exhibited the machine occasionally but it is not known when it was last ridden or what its mechanical condition is.