Here is the testimony of Shane and his father Paul at the end of their Moto Guzzi V7 Racer custom project, conducted from Arizona, thanks to parts designed and manufactured by the hands of our craftsmen team in France.
« Seven hours of driving with a vintage Vespa scooter on a trailer may have finally paid off when my dad and I arrived at the Vespa dealership in Ventura, CA. While my dad was discussing the work that needed to be done to his beloved scooter, I decided to walk around and admire all the different vehicles at the shop. I was just about finished with my walk when a chrome tank caught the corner of my eye. Curious, I walked to the back of the shop where my eyes laid upon a 2013 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer. The red frame and the chrome tank instantly made me believe in love at first sight. My dad managed to catch up with me, and when we looked at one another, it was clear we had the same thought in mind. “Nobody puts a Guzzi in a corner.”
We were content with the V7’s stock looks at first, but after researching vintage café racers, we knew something had to be done. It started small, with bar end mirrors, deleted rear mudguard, and Mistral pipes. However, something was still missing… Where was the aggression? Where was the simplicity? We decided to further extract our vision with custom café racer builds online. After much research, I stumbled upon BAAK Motocyclettes in France. This was the exact image I had in mind for what I wanted. After showing my dad and with a resounding yes, we added all the parts to our cart and a shipment was on its way.
We have a well-trained friend who helped us disassemble the V7 and build it back up with the new French parts. It was very clear to us all that simplicity was key, a subject on which one BAAK team reassured us all along our talks. With that in mind, we started to build up our project. Off with the Mistrals, replaced with shortened exhaust pipes to expose the rear tire and let the engine sing properly. Deleted license plate bracket and lights, replaced with a sideways license and imbedded brake light with the leather seat. Integrated headlight and speedo added to the simplicity. Öhlins forks added the stability and beauty. Shortened front mudguard and side bag added the bike’s uniqueness. As more came off, less was put back on until the Guzzi was complete.
The envisioned vintage racer was finally upon us. Bold and hand crafted, I knew this was more than just a bike, but a figure of art. »
Discover the movie filmed by Shane, tracing the history of this project.
