Moto Guzzi has been building motorcycles since 1921, making it the longest established European motorcycle manufacturer in continuous production. The factory in Mandello del Lario, Italy, was the birthplace of several industry firsts—including the first wind tunnel for motorcycles, and an eight-cylinder engine.
Since 2004, Moto Guzzi has been owned by Piaggio, Europe’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer. Although production is not huge compared to the Japanese and American makers, the company is now on a stable footing and has a passionate fan base—attracted by the air-cooled 90° V-twin engines. The transverse cylinder heads projecting on either side of the bike are an easily identifiable feature.
Moto Guzzi is extremely popular with custom motorcycle builders, who tend to focus on the iconic Le Mans series of bikes built from 1976 onwards, and the V7. More recently, the ‘new’ V7 and V9 models have been a sales success, and have featured prominently in Moto Guzzi’s own ‘factory custom’ sponsored builds.
We’re launching into this week’s round-up with a radically reworked Moto Guzzi Bellagio, and finishing off with a look at the upcoming Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello. Wedged in between are a garage-built Honda CB450, a rescued Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, and a Royal Enfield 650 from XTR Pepo.
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When a major OEM releases an anniversary edition motorcycle, it’s typically an existing model with a new livery and a numbered plaque. But when a custom bike builder does it, it’s a whole other ballgame. This 1980 Moto Guzzi V50 cafe racer was built as a tribute to the storied marque’s 100th anniversary, and it’s…
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Something for everyone this week: The classic perfection of a Moto Guzzi café racer, a stealthy R18 commissioned by BMW, and a slinky CB650R from Honda’s European dealer build-off. Plus a look at BMW’s very, very radical new CE 04.
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Moto Guzzi turned 100 this year, and celebrated with a slew of special edition models. But the crew at Guzzi Motobox in Catalonia had something grander in mind. To pay tribute to the storied Italian centenarian, they set out to build their ultimate Moto Guzzi cafe racer. The idea of creating a 100th anniversary Moto…
Read more »Building custom motorcycles is a changing profession these days. The lathe in the corner is oft replaced by a CAD workstation wired…
Read more »This week we’ve got a smokin’ hot XSR155 in John Player colors from West Java, Harley’s cool and classy Electra Glide Revival,…
Read more »For most custom motorcycle builders, their creations are like their children: it’s impossible to pick a favorite. But sometimes there’s one project…
Read more »The memories of Mandello del Lario faded faster than they should have. Three years ago to the day, I visited the lifelong…
Read more »From burly adventure bikes to baggers, just about every major OEM has at least a couple of touring-focused models in their arsenal.…
Read more »We’re suckers for classic Moto Guzzi café racers. But we like it even more when someone messes up the recipe a little.…
Read more »Moto Guzzi’s V85 TT has a lot going for it: a motor with tons of character, a capable chassis, and a look…
Read more »You’ve probably heard the word ‘bitsa’ thrown around these parts if you’re a regular here. For the uninitiated, it’s a motorcycle that…
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