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

[oldbike54]

 The car guys use the term "restomod" , it might be applicable here .

  Dusty

[NCAmother]

I'm glad to see this thread...

So a little about me (in the spirit of OP's post). Been through motocross and street bikes in the 80s,  old Porsches (914s and 912s) and VWs (Ghias) in the 90'sand early 2000s, and took a break with little kid raising until 2008 when I got divorced, got good solid cusstody of my kids and got back into motorcycles. I'm 45. I've got older brothers who lived through the 70's motocross era and my dad used to race a Formula Vee with another guy and he owned a Taylorcraft, the other guy had an old Cessna 172. I flew an airplane before I drove a car. Messing with this stuff is in my blood. Im no where near as naturally awesome as my dad or a bunch of guys on this board but i try. My old man just sold the '69 steel tanker Penton that EVERYONE in my family learned to ride on. He had all the unobtanium parts stored away and got a good price for the bike. My oldest bro had turned it into an unrecognizable MX bike with all plastic, no lights etc many years ago.

Through all this, in every single one of these groups of owners, there are the busybody guys who get their panties in a twist if you "destroy the purity of a classic" ....one you own,maintain, pay the insurance on, ride and they the stare at and blow hot air about btw. The P car guys are the worst of the lot. I know a brilliant Porsche 356 mechanic who quit and moved on in the 90s to drag racers becasue his P car client base became unbearable for him to deal with and this was in the era of 100k speedsters just coming to pass. He was making very good money.

I understand being the steward of a truly rare and classic machine and a certain responsibility comes with that. An 850 LM in good shape, hell yeah, save that sucker.  There are a few other moderns Guzzis I feel fall into this category but I won't list them here because it's just opinion and no more important than the next guy.

The reason I'm posting this is after 8 years on my LM III, doing my own maintenence, returning it to stock in places and improving others, I just blew the engine up. Lost a rear main seal on the freeway and by the time I figured out what happened, the lump was a doorstop from top end to bottom end. Turned out the oil pressure sender was dead. Anyway.....

I'm putting a massaged 1000cc rebuild into the bike (with help from a local Guzzi Guru) and I'm putting all the stock plastic and fused lump into storage, moving the guages into a low profile plate and reconfiguring everything, fairing, lights, fenders etc etc.Not cutting the frame but a new front end with modern forks in in the long term plan. I've gotten a fair amount of hassles from a few vocal folks (not here btw) about how I'm ruining a classic bike and one went so far as to say I shouldn't own such a machine if I'm not willing to keep it stock. To them I say.....Suck it.

It's true, a bone stock LM III might be moderately valuable in at some time and a time capsule machine is somthing I appreciate as much as the next guy but right now, you can get one well under 10k so if you want to be the vanguard of the marque, go buy one and knock yourself out buddy. 10k isn't chump change but still, we aren't talking classic Ferraris here.

The P car guys have even gotten fed up with the BS. There is a sizable "outlaw" movement for old 911s and 356s now. Those cars get wrenched on and driven hard as they were intended to be in the first place. More power to them. Let some other guy trailer his ride to the show and let some stick up the ass judge with a white glove on assess for "correct" badging and woven cover spark plug wires.

Sorry for the rant and no offense if you're a collector of stock machinery. That is a beautiful thing and someone has to be the one to keep a few pristine examples around and I sincerely thank you becasue that's a big commitment. I just get so tired of the opinions from the busybodies and sideliners who who take it upon themselves to explain my motorcycle to me.

I love this thread. Thanks for starting it, NCAmother

Nice post.  I also think there is a demand for "originality" in the money market.  As soon as the cutoff wheel was fired up, my bike went from some value to none.  But I don't care.  And why cut up a Guzzi instead of a Laverda or Ducati, well the design of the motor touches my drag racing past(V8 Mopars), the tonti frame is so simple, its beautiful.  The 850T is a nice bike, but it was built for mass production. At Don Garlets shop, people would be either wowed or offended because he'd drop in a stroked supercharged Hemi into a Dodge Dart, and that was just one of the specialty mods he'd do to autos (let alone front engine dragsters), Big daddy didn't give a shit what other people thought, he won and he lost races (including a blown motor that took half his foot), but he never stopped.  At one point in his shop, he had four plymouth road runners that he added crossbars, roll cages and 4 link suspension to make them survive 1k+ horsepower hemis.  Everything was gutted, humongous wheel wells installed, stock gauges and pads and seats were thrown away, and he'd add a 10"AutoMeter tach with shift light as the only thing to look at besides the road.  This was in the '90s, and people were buying up muscle cars and vintage bikes like crazy.  I asked if he could run it down for me, we went to some outskirt in L.A. (he actually drove the car 15 miles)  and when he lit up that SOB, I was pushed so back into my seat, it took quite an effort to lift my arm and grab the roll cage.  I probably  looked like one of those astronauts in a G-Force test. When all that was done, I think we got cheeseburgers or something, and I commented that I've never been in a street car that fast.  His response was, the car belonged to the bodyshop guy and he didn't feel safe taking me out in his street/strip '64  Polara that was heavily recognized and he didn't want to pull it out in the daytime where the locals would see and call the cops on him.  That was when the "bug" bit me in the ass and made me realize you only live once, whatever hobby your into wether photography, knitting, or driving, do what you want and don't compromise.  I am a fan of concourse bikes and cars, it's a piece of history, but if someone wants to tell you that is the only way, well....f*** 'em.   Today his cars are a piece of history, and iconic in the S/S world

[NCAmother]

I love the idea of using your old leather jacket as a seat cover. That's really great touch. I just recently restored a G5 and my personal challenge was to bring back to factory as close as I could. I'm glad I did because it turned out to my liking and now that it's done, I'm glad I did. Would I do it again?... probably not. Trying to do a nuts and bolts restoration on an old bike as a first major restoration is only for the insane. Factory parts are really hard to come by, etc. etc. The pro's to doing that is that I really learned a lot of details and subtle nuances between years on the same model. Is that going to do me any good?... Probably not, just like the weird equations and other non-sense classes I took in school growing up. My next restoration will have some flex. My idea of a custom bike would be something that at least looks 70-ish percent like the original bike, as in, if someone looks at it can say, yep that's a such-and-such, but it's done up nicely. I personally glance over the customs that are difficult to identify, cause at that point a Guzzi caf� might as well be a Honda or Kawasaki cafe' (nothing wrong with this, just saying for the example).

Again, that's just how I see it. Customizing is great, and I love a tubbed out Pinto for example - as long as it still looks mostly like a pinto - Make sense?

That said, you shouldn't worry about what people say about other people's bikes. That's not cool when people do that. If anything, let that be fuel and motivation to make yours special and really kickin'

Good luck, and looking forward in seeing the progress of your project(s)

Well written post, and I dig that you restored your bike close to stock.  I have nothing against purest, I actually admire the purests. It is a privilege to see a bike in original condition, and without that, I would have nothing to reference to.   I think the fact you wanted to build a stock bike, and you did finish it, is an accomplishment in itself, awesome.  Just for you, if I can find a pic of my brothers tubbed 401i gremlin, I'll give em to you.  I have 3 or 4 friends that run the Pan America race (The US to Mexico City and back)  I think it is required to run a pre 1965 car or truck, and seeing all these cars together feels like a Mad Max audition.  And yes, I've seen a Hudson run the race.

[kevdog3019]

Everything about it is custom. SB Lario on steroids with different suspension and brakes. She moves and she handles sweet.

[SteveAZ]

Everything about it is custom. SB Lario on steroids with different suspension and brakes. She moves and she handles sweet.

Your bike is one the small blocks around these parts that opened my eyes to the fun to be had with the smaller displacement Guzzis. Spent some time a while back scoping out one of Sean Faders old race bikes as well when I was in his shop (RTL Moto).

NCAmother, great car story

[Groover]

....find a pic of my brothers tubbed 401i gremlin...

That's crazy that you you/brother have nearly the same car of the random tubbed car I used for the example (Pinto/Gremlin). What are the odds!

[charlie b]

Did someone say Gremlin?  Yep, dad bought a purple one  :)  Brother 'inherited' it and did a full rebuild on it.

Sister-in-law had a gold one.  She said she'd drive it until the doors fell off.  A year later one did!  Hinge rusted out.  And this was in southern NM!

[NCAmother]

That's crazy that you you/brother have nearly the same car of the random tubbed car I used for the example (Pinto/Gremlin). What are the odds!

I haven't even seen a Pinto or Gremlin on the street or track in 10 years.  One of my favorite custom cars was a 60's dodge van, A100?   The van was built by the factory so a /6 or 318 was right next to your knee and shifting hand.  I got to see a customized A100 with beautiful blue boat flake paint job and a freaking 426 hemi in that little cab! 

[Rick4003]

Hi there! First post from a long time lurker, but this is a really nice post that's show what i love about Moto Guzzi. The frame and motor itself is a beautiful blank canvas that can be made in to almost anything you want, IF the workmanship is good enough. A poorly build custom bike will seldom be better looking than a stock bike in my opinion. But again that is just that, opinions. 

I agree on keeping old pristine bikes in their pristine condition as someone mentioned earlier, but if donor/canvas bike is in really bad condition or comes in boxes I can't really see why you shouldn't be allowed to build them into what kind of bike you want.

Here is my current project at my first Guzzi. It is based on a 850 T5 but has been heavily modified by some previous owner. A little too much to be allowed on the road in Denmark.

Here is my first Moto Guzzi as I bought it. Due to all the frame modifications I can't get it on the road. I am currently moving all the parts to another T5 frame to get it to be roadlegal. (or almost at least.)   


This is how I imagine the paint scheme should be. Haven't decided if I'll make a glove/toolbox and new sidecovers but will build the bike so it is possible to run it both with and without the toolbox. I'll also return it to twin shock and keep the lower frame rails.


This is the bike which will donate frame and other parts to the "Café racer". The raw frames I could find was so expensive that it was cheaper to buy a complete motorcycle instead. The donor bike looks like it is in much better condition as it really is. The previous owner did not take very good care of it.

I will make a new thread with the progress on the bike at some point.

Best Guzzi wishes
Ulrik

[Groover]

What a beast! Love it! What do you have to change to make it street legal? Too bad you can't keep it that way, looks like a lot of thought and great craftsmanship has been put into it.

[Rick4003]

What a beast! Love it! What do you have to change to make it street legal? Too bad you can't keep it that way, looks like a lot of thought and great craftsmanship has been put into it.

The frame modifications like Mono shock damper and removal of lower framerails is not something the MOT guys like at all, If I was to get it MOT'ed like this it would require a TÜV approval, and that is a pricy thing to get done. Especially as I have to transport the bike to Germany, get the TÜV guys to look at it, test it and approve it.

It looks nicer than it is when you get up close and look at the details. It will be much nicer when it is done (I hope) 

The plan is to use the other T5 frame and make it look pretty much as it does here, just with twin Wilbers shocks, 45mm Marzocchi Forks, La Franconi Compozitione exhaust, Moto Gadget ChronoClassic and a moto gadget m-unit for the electrics. All parts except the M-unit are bought and ready to be mounted to the new frame. Which just came back from the painter after I left for work again 

As I am working in Indonesia and the bike is in Denmark, I can only work on it in my holidays, which is why it will take some time to get it done  My 1967 Alfa Romeo stepnose also wants some attention when I'm home. Can't do everything at the same time, but then again, Rome wasn't build in a day.

- Ulrik

[canuck750]

I think the big block 1970's Guzzi is one of the best platforms for customization. Good on you to take an otherwise plain old bike and make it something special. I admire anyone who takes on the challenge of a custom build. I have built a few customs based on Yamaha XT500 and TT500 singles and am slowly planning how to turn a very toired 850T into something that will be special to me. Your single shock Guzzi has got me thinking!

Cheers

Jim