As Seen On TV: 1977 Moto Guzzi T3 Cafe Racer
Every time a Tonti-framed Guzzi comes up for sale, particularly the T-models, I feel the need to launch into my spiel about how they’re such a great platform for customized café bikes and roadsters because of their sleek silhouette and low stance. Well, with this 1977 Moto Guzzi T3, it looks like someone’s already done the work for you, and the results speak for themselves.
For the uninitiated, Lino Tonti’s new frame was designed in 1971 to house their v-twin in the V7 Sport. It was designed to provide rigidity, a low center of gravity, and ease of service, with lower frame rails that detached so the engine can be easily removed. It was so effective that Guzzi was able to use it for the next forty years in various iterations of the Sport, Le Mans, and T-series bikes, and this allows for pretty good parts interchangeability between models.
With pretty good aftermarket support, a solid range of performance upgrades, and classic good looks, these Moto Guzzi models provide an excellent platform for building everything from a really great resto-mod backroad blaster to a vintage track bike.
From the original eBay listing: 1977 Moto Guzzi 850 T3 Custom Café Racer for Sale
This is the custom Grey Dog Moto built Moto Guzzi 850 T3 featured on Cafe Racer S4 Ep1. The episode and bike can be viewed on YouTube.The Guzzi GP racer Ben Bostrom test rode at the Alameda Naval Air Station at 114 mph and commented was one of the best bikes he had ridden for the Cafe Racer show.
Not a huge fan of the tail section and I’d prefer a different gauge: you should be able to ride a big Italian twin without one eye on the tach, but I prefer a big rev-counter just for aesthetic reasons, something by MotoGadget if I wanted modern multi-functionality or a big, white Veglia for classic style. But that tank and paint look perfect and this should be tons of fun to ride, combining Guzzi’s famous long-legs with modern-ish performance and very modern brakes, courtesy of the R1 front end and brakes.
And if you want to get a good idea of how much care really went into its creation, you can just watch the show! Seriously, even if I had the money to buy and any interest in those overstyled chrome abominations from Orange County Choppers, I’d never buy one after seeing how they build them…
$18,000 is pretty steep for a T3, but if you think of it as a one-of-a-kind motorcycle you could ride every day, it starts to make more sense. The seller describes it as a bike to ride, not for one show and we wouldn’t want a Guzzi any other way.
-tad
That price is completely off base for a custom bike designed for a 6’3″ guy. If you are going to ride daily, may want to invest in turn signals.
Looks cool as most Guzzi café racers do, however. you would be nuts to buy a T3 for anywhere close to that price. Go find a nice original V7 sport for about $15K, and you would be light years ahead.
Great looking build!
Pretty close to what I want to do, plus (as already said) directionals.
$18K?
Yikes!!