Bike Exif speed read

WE OPEN THIS weekend’s proceedings with an elegant Moto Guzzi 1000 SP café racer from Italy’s North East Custom. Tamarit delivers a tastefully modded Triumph Scrambler, while a CBX-powered Honda RC166 replica crosses Mecum’s auction block. We conclude with a radically remodeled Kawasaki ZRX1200R, inspired by the AMA Superbike racers of the 80s.

Moto Guzzi 1000 SP by North East Custom In stock trim, the Moto Guzzi 1000 SP is a quirky 1980s Italian tourer. But, as custom builders have shown time and time again, it has much potential.

This gleaming Moto Guzzi 1000 SP café racer from North East Custom offers further proof. Based in Northern Italy, and run by brothers Brothers Diego and Riki Coppiello, North East Custom’s tastes are more eclectic than most. They’re happy to build brawny roadsters, rally-inspired adventure bikes, and, in the case of this Guzzi, café racers with oodles of vintage appeal.

Starting with a 1980-model 1000 SP, North East traded the bike’s bodywork for a handmade aluminum fuel tank and tail unit. A leather saddle sits between them, and the subframe has been cut and looped to abbreviate the rear end. The whole arrangement is as elegant as it is clean.

Moving to the running gear, Diego and Riki replaced the Moto Guzzi’s 80s alloy wheels with laced rims on CNC-machined hubs. The Brembo brake calipers come from a Ducati 749 and are fitted on CNC-machined adapters. North East upgraded the OEM forks with Bitubo springs and installed new Bitubo rear shocks.

The 1000 SP’s V-twin motor is fed by carbs from a Moto Guzzi 850T, and exhales via gorgeous Lafranconi exhausts. The cockpit features a custom top yoke with an integrated Motogadget speedo, new clip-ons, Biltwell Inc. grips, classic switchgear, and bar-end mirrors. The ignition has been relocated to the right-hand side of the bike, just below the seat.

Other additions include new rear-set foot controls and a burly CNC-machined transmission brace. A flush-mounted gas cap with a custom ‘key’ finishes things in style.

With gloss black paint playing off against the Moto Guzzi 1000 SP’s myriad polished bits, this is just about as good as vintage Guzzi café racers get. [North East Custom | Images by Filippo Molena]

Vai a Bike Exif