There are some classics that are far too gorgeous to customize. And then there’s, um, the Moto Guzzi V75.
It might have been hot property in the late 80s—but like perms and shoulder pads, it hasn’t aged well. Thankfully this particular V75’s passed through Venier Customs, and come out the other end far more desirable.
It’s the second build in Venier Customs’ ‘Corsaiola’ series. We featured the first edition a few years ago, and on the surface the two bikes look almost identical. But the differences—according to shop boss Stefano Venier—are where it counts.
“We’ve had four years more experience with fabrication and building,” he says. “The build quality is now much higher.”
‘Corsaiola’ translates roughly as ‘speedy’—a hint at what the series is all about. “The Corsaiola series is my pure cafe racer series,” explains Stefano, “based on vintage motorcycles I have in the collection. It’s not a scrambler, bobber or drag bike—just a pure café.”
Stefano’s Italian, and operates both in his homeland and Brooklyn, New York. This particular build was “one hundred percent made in Italy,” he tells us.
The donor’s a 1989 model V75—powered by a four-valve, 750cc engine. It had 10,000km on the clock when it came in, but everything’s been rebuilt—from the engine, right through to the suspension, brakes and electrical system.
Between that and the new Mistral exhaust system, the Moto Guzzi is now good for 60HP—a figure that puts the modern V7 to shame. It’s also now rolling on Ikon rear shocks, and has Bitubo internals in the lowered forks. The brakes have a tad more bite, thanks to stainless steel lines and modern controls.
The V75’s bizarre plastics and gawky tank have given way to hand-made aluminum bodywork. The seat’s custom too, and the rear of the frame’s been tweaked to perfect the new profile. Clip-ons and Tarozzi rear sets have been installed to fine tune the riding position.
The one thing that has remained, though, is the V75’s stock 16” front and 18” rear wheel configuration. We’ve always questioned how that pairing would behave on the road, but Stefano reckons that the suspension tweaks and revised ergonomics have made it a far more rideable machine.
He’s also made sure that Corsaiola 02 is perfectly street legal, with all the requisite lighting and a small speedo in the tidied-up cockpit. The LED taillight’s recessed into the seat—a neat detail that all Venier builds now feature.
When it came time to paint, Venier’s client wanted the exact same livery as Corsaiola 01, with the addition of a few extra blacked-out bits. So the finish is monochrome and classy, with a semi-gloss luster throughout.
Venier Customs will only be making a total of seven Corsaiolas. If you have a taste for fine Italian fare, you’d better get your order in quick.
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