Custom Moto Guzzi's Rant Please show 'em if you got 'em

[NCAmother]

A little backstory on me, I enjoy vintage racing, wether it's watching the 24hours at LeMans on VHS or building my '69 Plymouth 440GTX for the silver state challenge.  The next plan was a 64 ford galaxy for the PanAmerican race.   Racers are brothers in these events. But then the motorcycle bug got into my ear,  only 4 years ago I had the chance to buy a basket case '74 Eldo Police.  I bought it at a steal, but it was missing so many hard to find parts that would negate the cost of the bike, plus the construction and weight was too much for me.  I ended up picking two '75 850T's, but I wanted to keep it low budget so most work except machining were done by me.  The 850 grew to a 950, heads/manifold were ported by Manfred Hecht when he was at Race Co, Comp Cams  built a custom cam, converted to MonoShocked etc etc.  I've chopped the lower rails and will re do the electronics so it is still legal on the road.  I get a lot of shit from purest Guzzi people because in their eyes my bike isn't pure anymore.  Regardless, the bikes came in cardboard boxes and tin cans.  To a point, I can understand and appreciate the purism, but it is offensive to read when someone wants to "build a cafe racer".  With proper engineering and quality workmanship, these bikes can be transformed into that persons style, a representation of the builder.  It pains me when people are mocked for cutting a Cal Vintage or 850T.  If I had a LeMans I/II, Id sell it to a purist to offset the cost of building a custom 850T.  I'm fairly new to the Guzzi community, but I've never met so much hostility within a group that wants to think out of the box.  But, Guzzi people, especially on this board seem more intelligent than other boards like MoPar or AMC.  We are all born alone, and we all will die alone, so please let these outsider guzzi ists build a safe project that conveys who they are.  God forbid, if I end up dying or lose the ability to ride, at least my last ride will have been on a bike I've built.                                              This is not an 'outing', but a call to guzzi ists to share their wealth of knowledge to the 'outsiders'  And for the purists and well versed,  it's also good to make call when someone has a stupid idea (like me wanting to break in my motor on an engine stand) So, this is also a call to customizers, please show us what you got so others might be inspired.   

 Kind Regards,  Mother

[rocker59]

850T wasn't meant to be pure.

It's the ultimate Guzzi platform for personalization!

[twhitaker]

850T wasn't meant to be pure.

  :1:

True that. I remember seeing a rally pic that was on the cover of an old newsletter. The bikes were lining either side of the road. EVERY one of them had a Windjammer on it and they all looked like Ts.

[Aaron D.]

Never heard of people in our community thinking 850Ts were too pure to mess with. Maybe just jealous that you have it and not they.

[mach1mustang351]

I think everyone is different in that respect. I dont condone modifying, chopping and cutting the prime original examples but if someone rescued a neglected bike and customizes it and gets it on the road, good on you. I think we NEED all these bikes, customs, original, restored etc. I want to see them on the road, not wasting away. Yours looks good to me so far. Keep up the good work. And truth be told, I would love to build one in such a fashion some day. It would look good sitting next to my very lightly restored 1000SP.

[Orange Guzzi]

I bought my 2003 Aluminium with a purpose in mind.  To make it my own.  I did not hesitated to cut a tab of here or weld something on there.  It is my bike and could care less about its condition when it is sold.  Which I  have no intention of selling.  It will be the last of the 5 bike in my man cave to go.  It is my hobby and my toy.  It is not the perfect bike and it is not a do everything perfect bike.  It is not completely to the point that I want either.

I do have three old bikes that are mostly all original, a 1979 Kawasaki KZ1000 LTD and a 1993 Kawasaki ZR1100 and a Yamaha FJ1200.

[Guzzistajohn]

"Customize" an old Guzzi to make one fit your needs? NEVER!!

[NCAmother]

  :1:

True that. I remember seeing a rally pic that was on the cover of an old newsletter. The bikes were lining either side of the road. EVERY one of them had a Windjammer on it and they all looked like Ts.

thanks fellas
I see a lot gag and puke emoticons for any chopped Guzzi.  The race folk are pretty cool though and have good tips

[Kiwi_Roy]

When I restored my Eldorado I decided to make it look stock but it's anything but, I figure I rescued it from the scrap heap I can do anything I like. The only reason to keep it looking stock is to take advantage of collector plate insurance.
I don't like chopping bits off though, but that's just me.

While I admire a well restored bike I also admire a well thought out custom, the monoshock looks good, keep the cards and letters coming.

[NCAmother]

This is a breath of fresh air.  I've seen bobbers and many cafe racers on this site that have been given the stink eye.  One builder that actually has gotten good feedback is Lurker

[nick949]

By inclination, I'd be a bit of a purist, if I didn't end up beating my bikes up on unpaved roads in the middle of nowhere and modifying them to carry extra gas and whatever camping gear I can strap on.

I think it boils down to quality.  Some people take a bike like a perfectly good 850T, hack it to bits and call it a cafe racer or bobber or whatever. Others take a similar bike (or, as in your case) a box of bits, re-engineer it with respect and honour to the original design and come up with something wonderful. 

We've seen both.  I hope yours is the latter.  Good luck and happy wrenching.

BTW - love that first photograph!

Nick

[rodekyll]

[Dharma Bum]

Horses for courses, or in RK's instance, a "horse of a different color"!

[Idontwantapickle]

I have a friend with an MG Midget. He bought 2 of them, both totaled, for a couple hundred bucks about 30 years ago. He welded them together to make one good one. Over the next 10 years and 200,000 miles the Midget evolved a bit. Engine and 5 speed from a datsun, steering and disk brakes from a Chevette, lovely paint, etc.
So one year he goes to British Car Days in Greensboro NC and opens the bonnet and takes off a wheel so people could see the mods. Well, as you can imagine, the stuck up sticky beaks in the crowd railed on him about how he had RUINED the Midget! He just smiles at them and says "It was 2 totaled cars that cost 300 bucks. What exactly did I ruin?"
I think a fan of any kind of vehicle would be saddened to see a fine example cut up to make something else. But a beat down basket case? It's a blank canvas! I would most likely build something close to original 'cause I dig that. But If you wanna build your bike to suit your needs? Go for it!

Hunter

P.S The Midget now has over 500k on it!

[Triple Jim]

You had me going for a minute, Hunter.  I was trying to think of a Moto Guzzi model called a "Midget".   

[rodekyll]

Mine started life with me as a crash totaled 04 EV -- no straight tin, broken wiring, and head pipes squashed flat.  I had a net $450 into it when bastardization started.  Anything I did from the starting point was an improvement.

[NCAmother]

Mine started life with me as a crash totaled 04 EV -- no straight tin, broken wiring, and head pipes squashed flat.  I had a net $450 into it when bastardization started.  Anything I did from the starting point was an improvement.

nice

[Gliderjohn]

This T-3s life with me started as a stripped (of police stuff) police model. Engine is no longer stock, nor the suspension and obviously not the paint job. But I like it.



GliderJohn

[Guzzistajohn]

This T-3s life with me started as a stripped (of police stuff) police model. Engine is no longer stock, nor the suspension and obviously not the paint job. But I like it.



GliderJohn

That's a purty one!

[pat80flh]

It's always been my opinion that once a man buys a motorcycle, it's his to do with as he pleases. No matter how godawful, stupid, ugly, or misguided.

 

[NCAmother]

It's always been my opinion that once a man buys a motorcycle, it's his to do with as he pleases. No matter how godawful, stupid, ugly, or misguided.

God bless you.

[lucky phil]

There are two key criterior here, 1...are the modifications soundly engineered and 2....do they enhance the original bike.
Style and good taste?....well thats a whole other topic.
Ciao
 

[Idontwantapickle]

It's always been my opinion that once a man buys a motorcycle, it's his to do with as he pleases. No matter how godawful, stupid, ugly, or misguided.

And there you have it. Pardon the slight drift but the same is true of gifts. You give someone something and they might sell it, break it, use it for a dog toy or put it aside and forget about it. It's theirs to do with what they will.

Hunter

[Matteo]

00 Jackal, Dawson City Yukon courtesy of Rodekyll

BTW-The Goldwing across the street had a knobby front tire and a car tire on the rear.

[lucky phil]

It's always been my opinion that once a man buys a motorcycle, it's his to do with as he pleases. No matter how godawful, stupid, ugly, or misguided.

Thats true but I think the issue that arises and causes the vitriole is that by doing the above you drag the rest of the motorcycle/brand community down in the eyes of the non motorcyclists. I wish that didnt really matter but unfortunately in the modern world it does.
I wouldnt mind a Harley to cruize around on but my wife that happily gets on the back of the Guzzi is dead against Harleys because of all the cutoff staggered shorty dual no muffling Harley riders that think its cool to blast full throttle up nice Cafe strips where we are enjoying a quiet Sunday brunch.
For her its an image that sticks. I'm working slowly on that but imagine joe public without a motorcyclist in their life to provide some balance.
So when you see a nice old MK1 Le mans turned into an ape hanger equipped raked out chopper with Guzzi on the side I can understand why the purists get upset. Its questionable taste and poor engineering by association in the eyes of many
Ciao   

[pat80flh]

Changing handlebars isn't exactly what I call customizing, but here is a shot of my first Guzzi, on the road as of yesterday

[Triple Jim]

Well, now I finally know where the front fender that's on my Mille came from.      I think it's safe to say that if you wanted to, you could reverse your fork sliders and have the calipers to the rear, and still have the fender fit.

[rodekyll]

It's what you do WITH them, not TO them that counts.   

[NCAmother]

It's what you do WITH them, not TO them that counts.   

well said

[oldbike54]

 Mom , in the first pic it looks like you need a bro hug , so here you go


                                                    A BIG BRO HUG FROM OKLAHOMA

 Don't let the nattering nabobs of negativity bother you 

  Dusty