There aren’t many motorcycle manufacturers that have been around for a hundred years. Especially if you ignore brand revivals, or buy-outs from foreign companies.
Last year, Moto Guzzi celebrated a century of continuous motorcycle production. It was a surprisingly low-key affair, but at least one custom workshop has decided to mark the event—Gas & Oil Bespoke Motorcycles of the Czech Republic.
The Prague workshop is over 500 miles north-east of the Moto Guzzi factory in Mandello del Lario, but this SP1000-based machine is Italian at its core. Called ‘All Blue,’ it throws the spotlight onto the 90-degree V-twin engine that the marque is famous for.
“All Blue is our idea of what a ‘100th anniversary Moto Guzzi’ should look like,” says shop founder Matěj Sysel. “We got the commission from a customer who is a huge fan of Moto Guzzi.”
Gas & Oil kicked off the proceedings by stripping down the 948cc engine. It’s an old school, air-cooled mill with just two valves per cylinder—but it delivers a decent 62 lb-ft of torque just past 5,000 rpm, and once it’s off idle, is smooth and powerful.
After refurbishing and reassembling the motor, Matěj and his crew repainted the cases and installed a pair of beautiful new Dell’Orto PHF carburetors with accelerator pumps.
The engine is now squeezed into a restored and refinished frame from a California—a machine renowned for good handling, despite its touring background.
The back of the frame has been neatly truncated to suit a classic café ‘hump,’ but Gas & Oil have retained and restored the original California forks.
The hump behind the immaculate tuck-and-roll leather seat is a classic Yamaha component, but not easily identifiable. It’s part of an SR gas tank, with a circular brake light inset at the back.
New YSS shocks keep the handling tight, and are flanked by megaphone-style mufflers from the Czech maker Sharon. They’re plugged into custom stainless steel exhaust manifolds, which run underneath Tarozzi footpegs.
The 18-inch alloy wheels have been treated to the same finish as the engine, and are shod with Bridgestone Battlax BT46 rubber—a modern production tire with a vintage-style tread pattern.
The Brembo brakes are completely refurbished, with new rotors included. “On top of that, we used a Cerakote coating for the calipers,” says Matěj. “It’s very resistant to high temperatures, and also to the chemical effects of brake fluid.”
The slightly heavy-set style of the original SP1000 has been lightened with some inspired fabrication. The tank is low and squared-off, and started life as a Yamaha RD unit; it’s now dominated by a quick-action race fuel intake on top.
The lustrous blue paint—a nod to the Italian sporting colors—extends to the custom-made bars, which have been fitted with classic toggle switches in 3D-printed housings.
Right ahead is a compact analog MST Speedster gauge from Motogadget. The German outfit also supplied the mo.blaze bar-end turn signals, which are probably the most advanced items on this otherwise ultra-classic build.
‘All Blue’ gets a big tick from us because it encapsulates everything that is great about classic Guzzis—with the striking V-twin as a centerpiece. The custom scene may be embracing sophisticated tech at a rate of knots … but builds like this prove there’s still a place for old-school cool.
Gas & Oil Bespoke Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Jiri Simecek
