Tricolore!

1979 Moto Guzzi SP1000

Here we report how Alex describes the work performed on this iconic bike. "All the old bodywork except the tank was to be junked to make way for some new lightweight alloy mudguards , a custom seat in black leather with 'Tricolore' stitching and different shaped side panels . With the motor and transmission removed as a whole , all the ports and orifices were carefully sealed before being media blasted as both were going to be painted in a heat proof satin black a little later. Before being painted , the motor was stripped for inspection and refreshed with a new timing chain kit, piston rings , valve guides and heads refurbed , new clutch assembly and a new lightweight , more powerful starter motor. Fueling is now taken care of by a pair of new round slide Dellorto carbs adorned with polished spun alloy 'bellmouth's' which replace the old flat slides. A bit more aural delight was required so a set of stainless 'Le Mans' style exhausts from OS Pipes were fitted and sound great and not too loud to be annoying. The electronics were upgraded with Silent Hektic programmable electronic ignition which negates the need for the old distributor , and a new combined regulator/ rectifier takes care of the current flow to the battery. A Motogadget M-Unit and M-Button now control all the bikes functions with a new much smaller wiring loom custom made to suit. A super bright Koso LED headlamp now lights up the road with an LED Motone tail light at the rear and a set of trick Audi style sequential indicators by Highsider shows other road users which way you're going. Meanwhile , the powdercoater's were doing their thing with the frame, swinging arm and lots of other parts and the paint shop were spinning their magic with the tank , side panels and wheels. Ferrari red was chosen for the main colour with a 'Triclore' design and old style gold 'Guzzi ' logo's. The wheels were finished in satin black with polished rim edges and a subtle Italian flag airbrushed on each one . At the sharp end , it was decided a brake upgrade was required so 4 pot Brembo calipers were sourced, refurbished and machined to fit the forks and match up with the gorgeous new Spiegler floating discs along with new stainless braided hoses .With plenty of feel , it's now a much more powerful set up than stock. A new CNC machined billet alloy top yoke was made to incorporate the new Acewell speedo , 'fat bar' clamps and stainless centre nut with integral start button. Nekken 'flat track' fat bars were chosen for their wide , comfortable stance and were adorned with Accossato's finest radial pump front brake master cylinder and matching clutch lever assembly with Motone supplying the black push button switchgear. The stock Tommaselli throttle was retained and fitted with soft touch Pro Grips with a German made Highsider low slung mirror to keep a wary eye out behind."

Side Rock Cycles - Bournemouth (England), UK