7089 Garage’s “Rideable Show Bike”…
Introduced in the early 80s, the Moto Guzzi V65 was the company’s 650cc sporting machine, a muscular roadster with plenty of the classic Guzzi charisma, character, and gusto. The signature air-cooled 90° transverse V-twin was fed by a pair of 30mm Dell’Orto carbs, making quite the thunder at full song:
“Back in the day, 650cc motorcycles were considered the top of the chain in terms of pretty much everything – size, power, speed and character. Riding the Guzzi, it wasn’t difficult to see why. Its chunky 643cc twin put out 53 bhp at 7050 rpm and 5.5 kgm at 6000 rpm, so it was designed to be ridden hard and ridden fast.” —Motoring World
Recently, we heard from our friend Xavi Dynamische — a Barcelona-based photographer with one of the best eyes in the business. Recently, he attended this year’s BAUM Fest — an annual tattoo, art, and urban movement fest in Barcelona.
There, Xavi photographed this striking Moto Guzzi V65 café racer built by 7089 Tailor Made Machines — aka 7089 Garage.
Builder Antonio has been building bikes full-time since 2018, and the name of his shop is a tribute to the eras that inspire him most:
“The name came from the two decades that I consider most influential in my work, the 70s and the 80s.”
For this ’81 V65, the customer requested a “rideable show bike,” but gave him complete creative freedom. Antonio reveres many of the Japanese builders for their metal-shaping prowess and work discipline — influences you may recognize here if you know the work of Shinya Kimura, for instance — and he prefers to let his builds take shape concurrent with their creation:
“As with all my builds, this project was not sketched nor 3D designed, just took shape while being built.”
The most striking aspect of this build is surely the raw and polished bodywork, most of which was shaped from 1mm thick aluminum using traditional metal-shaping tools. This includes the side covers, seat cowl, front fairing, alternator cover, gas tank, dash cover, caliper covers, front fender, and more.
The build also boasts some very neat brasswork:
“Details such as the footpegs, rear shocks bolts in brass, brass petcock, and parts like that were machined with the workshop lathe.”
Besides the bodywork and details, the bike itself is running a set of modern USD forks, upgraded brakes and suspension, modern lighting and electronics, and more.
Below, we talk to Antonio for the full details on this V65 cafe racer, which he’s nicknamed “Utopia” after a song from the German band Digitalism — an inspiration during the build! Special thanks to Xavi Dynamische for these photographs taken at BAUM Fest 2022.
Moto Guzzi V65 Café Racer: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
I have been building bikes as a full-time job since 2018, but this started when I bought a 1990 Honda Shadow in 2012 and transformed it into a rigid with suicide clutch bobber (which I still ride almost everyday). 7089 Garage (or 7089 Tailor Made Machines) is my living dream. The name came from the two decades that I consider most influential in my work, the 70s and the 80s.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
It was originally a 1981 Moto Guzzi V65 Custom.
• Why was this bike built?
It was a commission with almost 100% freedom of design.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The customer wanted a “rideable show bike” focused on a cafe racer style. I am very influenced by Japanese builders and work discipline, so I always tend to develop the concept in this way, considering some of the ideas and concepts of the customer.
As with all my builds, this project was not sketched nor 3D designed, just took shape while being built.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
Every piece that’s in raw or polished aluminimum has been made by me at the workshop, trying to use simple and traditional tools. Side panels, seat cowl, front fairing, alternator cover, gas tank, black powdercoated trims, dash cover, caliper covers, front fender, etc. — were made out of 1mm thick aluminium. This has been the metalshaping work.
Details such as the footpegs, rear shocks bolts in brass, brass petcock, and parts like that were machined with the workshop lathe.
There are also some details in brass, showing off the name of the build, the Moto Guzzi brand, and the workshop name.
Not to mention all the work that has to be done to every bike (electrics, frame, etc.).
• Does the bike have a nickname?
All my projects take the name of a song or a musical theme that influenced me during the process or inspired important parts of it. In this case it’s UTOPIA, thanks to the German duo Digitalism.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride?
Not yet in full detail! I have only ridden it around the block to check that everything works fine, but it felt kind of comfortable and easy to corner with it.
More Photos
Follow the Builder / Photographer / Show
Builder: @7089garage
Photographer: @xavi_dynamische
Show: @baumfest
When I first looked at this Guzzi, I hated it. But I scrolled through the pictures and I couldn’t believe how much opinion changed. I absolutely love it! It is so raw and organic. So different from all the other bikes. Its “clothes” are unironed, like those of a hard working artisan. Like well worn clothes, the fairing takes the shape of the underlying bits. Those headlights confuse me. I need to think about those…
Really nice to read your comment! Thanks for taking time to write it. Glad you ended loving this build