Texas-based Revival Cycles are on a roll at the moment, with a brace of custom Moto Guzzis heading to The One Moto Show in Austin. Both bikes have been heavily modified; as Revival’s Alan Stulberg says, they “began as very different machines and sort of met in the middle.”
The first machine is a 1975 850T (left), chosen because it was the only Guzzi fitted with a twin-leading shoe rear drum brake. To match it, Revival fitted the front drum from a racing Yamaha TZ … and forks from a 2007 Suzuki GSX-R. “This illogical combination would be ludicrous to most,” agrees Stulberg, “but utterly simple in its intention—to combine the best of the day this bike was made with some of the finest technology of modern times.”
Revival also gusseted the frame, removed the lower frame rail, gusseted the rear swingarm and added an Öhlins rear shock. They also cut open the rear drum to match the front drum’s ventilation.
The integrated tank, seat and tail unit is handmade, and leads the styling cues. Other fabricated parts include the alloy headlight cowl, the triple trees, foot controls, and the intake manifolds and exhaust. Everything apart from the powdercoating was done in-house.
The second machine is a 2010-model Moto Guzzi V7 Classic (above) that was dropped off at Revival to be given the ‘cafe’ treatment. “Most V7 builds that we’ve seen are simple modded bikes,” says Stulberg, “so we decided to go the ‘complete build’ route. We pushed it more towards the vintage 850T: it’s become a simpler, more elegant and slimmed down design than the production ride.”
The handling gets a boost from Yamaha R6 forks—shaved and smoothed—and custom 18” shouldered alloy wheels. The one-off tank, seat and tail unit includes a hidden filler, an integrated fuel pump and a Motogadget Tiny speedo. The electrics have been tidied up, with a Motogadget M-unit and M-lock replacing several relays and fuses. Custom alloy clip-ons are mated to classy Posh grips and the seat is leather. A Power Commander boosts engine output, tuned to match the custom exhaust system.
The V7 uses V50 valve covers to make it appear more vintage, with the fuel injection throttle bodies giving a clue to the modern internals. The electrics and complicated electronics are cleverly hidden beneath the tank, yet easy to access—the tank and tail can be removed with just a few bolts and plugs. “It’s likely easier to service now than it would have been when it left Mandello,” says Stulberg.
Parked next to the 850T, the lineage and customizing approach is obviously similar, yet the bikes are streets apart under the surface. I’d be hard pressed to choose which one to put in my garage.
Head over to the Revival Cycles website for more information on their projects, and keep up to date with the company’s news via their Facebook page.