TOP 5 MOTO GUZZI LE MANS

In the late 1970s, the Moto Guzzi Le Mans was the closest you could get to a factory café racer. Bereft of chrome and frippery, it would hit 130 mph and recorded over 70 hp at the back wheel. It was the ultimate low-tech superbike, essentially agricultural, but also possessing a strange charm.

The uncomplicated mechanicals of the Le Mans have helped it to endure, and it’s a machine that engenders remarkable affection from its owners. Today, the chunky Guzzi is an anachronism, but it’s also one of the most highly sought-after platforms for customizers: easy to work on, reliable, and easily upgraded.

So here are five of the best Le Mans customs from the world’s top builders. I’d happily put any one of them in my garage.

Kaffeesmaschine #7 Along with Officine Rossopuro and HTMoto, Axel Budde is one of Europe’s top Moto Guzzi specialists. His machines are minimal, elegant and beautifully constructed.

‘Caffettiera d’oro,’ meaning ‘golden coffee machine,’ is a Le Mans Mark III and the seventh Kaffeemaschine build. The engine is running Mark IV heads and bigger carbs, and has been bored out to 1040cc. With the help of HTMoto, Budde installed a balanced crank, a hotter cam, dual-spark heads and an electronic ignition system. There are new brake cylinders and hoses, and progressive-rate springs in the forks. The classic spoked wheels are from Morad. If there was ever an archetypal Le Mans custom, this is it. [More about this bike | Kaffeemaschine]

Le Mans IV Suzuka Battle Race There’s a very interesting idea behind this brutal-looking Le Mans Mk IV, described by builder Davide Caforio as having a ‘false history.’ It’s a tribute to the endurance racers of the 1980s—a bike that the Mandello Del Lario factory might have built if it was competing against the Cooley and Crosby Suzukis, or Wayne Gardner’s Honda.

It’s no show pony, either. Caforio has bored out the engine to 1150 cc and fitted dual-spark heads, big valves and hot cams. He’s modified and lightened the frame, and tightened up the handling with race-spec suspension and wheels. The custom fiberglass bodywork is loosely based on the Yamaha TZ750, with neat touches like a vintage Bimota filler cap on the aluminum tank. [More about this bike | Ruote Fiere]

Matt Machine’s Le Mans café racer Matt Machine is not a prolific builder, but he always gets it right. He wanted a “reliable, fast Italian cafe racer suitable for high-speed freeway runs,” and found a former race bike to modify. The engine has had a capacity bump from 850 to 950cc, and it’s also packing Carrillo rods, a hotter cam and 40mm carburetors. The bodywork is alloy, and a product of Matt’s superb fabrication skills. Everything is hand-made, and topped off with a cut-and-modified tank. A simple stripe was the only paint applied, just enough to show off the bare metal. A classic example of less is more. [More about this bike | Machine Shed]

HTMoto Black & White Hartmut Taborsky has been working on Moto Guzzis for thirty years now, tuning engines and supplying parts to the thriving European custom scene. So when he occasionally builds a complete bike, it’s pretty special. This one is a 1982 Le Mans Mk III that arrived in the HTMoto shop with only 6,000 km on the clock, but that didn’t stop Taborsky stripping down and rebuilding the engine with a tasty selection of performance parts. The engine was bored out to 92mm and fitted with 11:1 compression pistons, which help raise power output to 90 bhp. Gases exit via a custom stainless steel exhaust system, and the clutch and flywheel are uprated to make the most of the new-found grunt. The Le Mans now weighs less than 190 kg, and enjoys the occasional outing at the racetrack with Taborsky himself behind the bars. [More about this bike | HTMoto]

Revival Cycles 1978 Le Mans Mk I Alan Stulberg and crew built this bike in just two weeks, racing to get it ready for the Barber Vintage Motorcycle rally. But it’s far from a rush job. The frame has been de-tabbed and cut down, and there’s a custom aluminum tail and seat pan. Underneath is an RFID sensor and keyless ignition switch system, with a Dyna electronic ignition and a lithium iron battery providing juice for starting. Revival also fitted modified Tarozzi rearsets and relocated the rear master cylinder—cleaning up frame ‘triangle’ under the seat. The shocks are revalved vintage Marzocchis, installed upside down to make them fit with the factory rear brake caliper. Two red LEDs in the rear frame act as taillights, and there’s a trick LED headlight up front. But the highlight has got to be the lovely subdued grey color, based on a Porsche 356 paint code. [More about this bike |Revival Cycles]

Last week’s Top 5 covered the Ducati SportClassic.

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Springbok Sportwagen: Fighting 911-fatigue

Hannover-based dealership Springbok Sportwagen has several classic Porsche 911s in stock, as any self-respecting classic car specialist usually would. But owner Frank Jacob also has a taste for other exceptional machines – of the type that are a little more unusual than the ever-present Porsche…

"You’ll find a Porsche 911 on almost every corner"

Jacob began importing cars from California while studying for a law degree in Hamburg. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer in Capetown before founding his unusually named company – but at this point, it specialised in music production. It was a few years before the company switched its attention to symphonic instruments of a different variety: for the past 25 years, the focus has been on racing machines and the sports cars that they have inspired. All are housed in a modern two-storey showroom in Hannover-Isernhagen, in close proximity to the A7 autobahn.

Sought-after doesn’t always mean special...

“At one point, around 50% of our inventory was made up of various 911s,” remembers Frank Jacob. “But times have changed, and we’ve responded to the demands of the market: people want something a bit more unusual. It’s clear that the 911 is a great classic but, especially in Germany, you’ll find one on almost every corner. That applies to the historic rally and racing events too – often, with 911s or other popular cars, you won’t be granted entry as the field already has a full quota of that model.”

Le Mans-bound Lola

Jacob is himself active on the racing scene and, in co-operation with racing outfit RWS Motorsport, privately enters events such as the Oldtimer Grand Prix and Le Mans Classic. This year, his 1970 Lola T210 sports-prototype will line up on the grid at Le Mans. Other notable racing machines currently in his possession include a rare Ferrari 348 Michelotto Competizione and a Reynard Formula 3 car used by Michael Schumacher early in his career, as well as a collection of legendary competition cars from Zuffenhausen – albeit in 1:24 scale.

An attractive alternative

Those looking for something special to use on public roads are also well catered for. Springbok’s 911 substitutes include a single-owner Ferrari 308 GTB and a Maserati BiTurbo Spider, neither of which have covered more than 12,000km. If it has to be from Stuttgart, there’s a pair of 928 GTSs to choose between – Jacob claimed they represent the perfect antidote to what he calls “911-fatigue”, as he handed over the keys so we could inspect them in more detail.

Photos: Jan Richter

Springbok Sportwagen’s full list of cars for sale can be found in the Classic Driver Market.

Outfitting Project Super Dirty for Ultimate Adventure

byAgustin Jimenez | Associate Online Editor www.fourwheeler.com

How do you build the ultimate off road rig? Well, that depends on the rig of choice and what terrain you’ll be headed through and how fast you want to go through it all. This question does get a little more confusing when you don’t know exactly where you’ll be wheeling and what terrain you’ll encounter. Normally this isn’t what the average shade tree mechanic encounters but if you’re going to be a part of our Annual Ultimate Adventure, you’re going to want to expect the unexpected. As our fearless sandal-wielding leader puts it, “Think of the other side of the world!” With a hint like that, it’s anyone’s guess so you better be sure to build the ultimate off road rig that can withstand any harsh terrain for hours on end. Oh yeah, it also better allow you to be self-sufficient otherwise you’ll be in for a rude trail awakening.

On this episode of Dirt Every Day, Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road Tech Editor, Fred Williams, walks us through some of the build of this year’s Ultimate Adventure project truck. This year’s truck is a brand spanking new 2013 Ford F250 Super Duty pickup. Project Super Dirty rolled off the assembly line as a 4x4 diesel model with long box and… that’s pretty much it. Who needs a high zoot truck when you’re building the ultimate wheeling rig, right?
The sparks started flying pretty quickly to hack off part of the frame in order to shorten it up for the short bed conversion which would significantly improve Project Super Dirty’s off road prowess. To give our Ultimate Adventure rig some much needed ground clearance, a set of Axle Tech Portal boxes were added at each corner. This also resulted in a much lower gear ratio which significantly improves our crawling ability in the rocks. The rear suspension was hacked off in favor of a coil sprung linked suspension design. The build also called for some much needed larger tires so a call was placed to Nitto Tire for a set of their 40x13.5R17 Trail Grappler M/T tires. Remember, this rig was going to be subjected to harsh environments so a set of 17-inch GT Cepek Beadlock wheels were entrusted to keep the beads on our Nitto’s seated when dropping the air pressure in the tires.
Check out the video of Fred and the guys at Shaffer’s Offroad hammering away on Project Super Dirty to get it ready for Ultimate Adventure 2013!

HARLEY 48 SPORTSTER BY RSD

It takes a pretty special Harley to stop me in my tracks, but this Sportster 48 from Roland Sands Design hits all the right notes. It’s a street tracker with a strong vintage vibe—plus enough performance upgrades to make it an entertaining ride without compromising usability.

The bike is a parts showcase from one of the USA’s biggest motorcycle-related businesses, the Motorsport Aftermarket Group. MAG owns Roland Sands Design, Vance & Hines and Progressive Suspension, and also the Motorcycle USA website, which commissioned this build. But unlike most such endeavors, the result is far greater than the sum of its parts.

The 2010-spec XL1200X v-twin now breathes through an RSD Slant Carbon Fiber intake kit, with gases exiting via a sinuous exhaust system from Vance & Hines. A V&H Fuelpakcontrol unit is plugged into the ECU to ensure optimum fuelling and maximum power.

Fork springs and 970-series shocks from Progressive Suspension improve the handling, and Sands has tweaked the ergonomics with his own brand of swept-back bars and mid-controls.

Some of the components on the MotoUSA machine are prototypes due to hit production later in the year. That includes the vintage-style teardrop tank and the tracker-ish tail unit, which have been beautifully painted by Airtrix in a classy black, gold and silver.

There’s a sprinkling of RSD ‘Machine Ops’ parts throughout, including the 19” wheels—which have an old-school textured finish but are actually machined from billet aluminum. The tires are Mitas H-18s, designed for the flat track.

Head over to the Motorcycle USA website for the lowdown on the build—and visual proof that this is one Sportster that likes to pull a wheelie. We’ve also got an exclusive high-res gallery showing the bike in detail on our Google+ page.

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