Moto Guzzi’s magnificent Le Mans is a firm favorite with European custom builders, but we don’t see many V1000s. So this G5 five-speeder from France is a real treat.
It’s the work of Manuel and Yann of Sur Les Chapeaux De Roues, and it’s the color that grabbed us first—a pale minty green, much like the signature ‘Celeste’ shade of Bianchi. It’s a perfect match for the sylphlike new bodywork, with little remaining of Moto Guzzi’s somewhat heavy-handed and plasticky original.
The 949cc G5 had plenty of grunt, with contemporary road tests putting the top speed at around 118 mph (190 kph). This one’s likely to be even perkier, because SLCDR have completely rebuilt the engine with OEM parts. They’ve also ditched the square-slide 30mm carbs for larger Dell’Orto PHM 40s.
The exhaust pipework is new too, hooked up to mufflers from MotoGP suppliers SC-Project. And there’s a high performance Dynatek Dyna III electronic system, to send a more powerful (and accurate) spark to the plugs. It’s hooked up to a complete new wiring loom, with juice supplied by an Antigravity battery. Electrical accessories include Motogadget blinkers and a Koso speedo.
So far, so good. But riding conditions are a little more demanding than they were when this V1000 left the factory in the 1970s, so Manuel and Yann have given the suspension a substantial upgrade.
They’ve installed a set of 43mm Öhlins forks, clamped onto Yamaha YZF-R6 triples, and an equally supple Öhlins shock out back. Beringer have supplied the front master cylinder, front brake caliper and disc—with the new setup attached to the original V1000 G5 front wheel via a custom adaptor plate and a new axle and spacers.
For the rear, there’s a new Nissin master cylinder plumbed up to the original rear brake caliper. The tires are Avon’s Roadrider AM26 pattern, a sticky-but-vintage pattern popular with Historic Grand Prix racers.
Manuel and Yann have crafted all the bodywork themselves in their Finistère, Brittany workshop, using steel for the fuel tank but aluminum for the fairing and seat/tail unit. (“It took a lot of work to make this, and finesse a good line,” Manuel tells us.) The leather upholstery is one of the very few pieces they outsourced to a specialist.
And the paint? “We wanted old Italian style paint, like Moto Bianchi,” says Manuel. So they mixed up the shade themselves. The famous ‘Celeste’ green has varied over the decades, from an intense minty green to a washed out Cerulean blue, but this pale turquoise variant suits the Guzzi to a tee.
It’s as tasty as a gelato al pistacchio on a hot summer’s day.
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