Between its cruiser ergonomics, big gas tank, and 251-kilo [553.3-pound] dry weight, the early-2000s Moto Guzzi California is hardly café racer materials. However that did not cease Japanese Spirit Storage from taking a crack at it.
Primarily based in Poland, simply outdoors Warsaw, the workshop is famend for constructing unconventional customized bikes that always journey the road between rustic and refined. Making use of their signature method to the gawky California, they produced an enigmatic café racer with artwork deco underpinnings.
Japanese Spirit kicked issues off with a 2002-model Moto Guzzi California 1100, which was promptly stripped right down to its bones. Fabricating a brand new subframe is normal process on most customized builds, however the California’s cruiser-biased geometry referred to as for a extra extreme answer.
Store boss Sylwester Mateusiak not solely redesigned the rear half of the bike but additionally transformed the engine mounts, successfully tweaking the bike’s rake and bettering the angle of the driveshaft. With new YSS shocks propping up the tail, the California’s stance is worlds other than what it was. A refined kick within the subframe finishes issues off stylishly, with a small perforated part hiding an LED taillight.
The entire California’s OEM bodywork was binned within the course of, leaving a clean canvas for Sylwester and co. Leaning into the bike’s inherent size, they fabricated a brand new gas tank, tail cowl, headlight, fenders, and decrease fairing.
Every half enhances the subsequent fantastically, with myriad particulars hiding in plain sight. The fairing sits elegantly in opposition to the motor, sporting a pair of ducts that direct air from the mesh grill to the cylinder heads. Handmade fender stays and brass headlight brackets add a fragile contact to the in any other case brutish café racer.
These ornamental parts are repeated elsewhere, in all the pieces from the customized foot controls to the swingarm-mounted license plate bracket. Japanese Spirit left the bodywork uncooked to indicate off their craftsmanship, adorning it with hand-pressed tank badges and pin-striped flutes.
The California’s 1,064cc air-cooled V-twin did not go untreated both. Sylwester rebuilt it with recent sundries, making intensive adjustments to the crankshaft and piston meeting, consumption and exhaust ports, and oil cooling system.
He additionally put in a contemporary gas pump and adjustable stress regulator, tuning the engine for a steadiness of efficiency and reliability. The bike was rewired too, and fitted with a Lithium-ion battery to shave extra weight. Ending touches embrace bespoke air filters and exhausts, and a coat of heat-, oil-, and petrol-resistant paint.
“The heavy cruiser’s engine was a full of life toy,” says Sylwester. “I did not count on that this motor would have such potential. Throttle response, torque curve, and stable energy mix completely with the racing bike character I aimed for.”
“Performance at all times issues on my bikes. Even when the massive work on the engine or dealing with is not seen, the brand new proprietor not solely will get a wonderful toy, however an thrilling, protected journey—this Moto Guzzi performs nicely over 200 km/h [124 mph].”
The cockpit is normal café racer fare: low-slung clip-ons with customized switches and controls, and a Daytona speedo. Different highlights embrace a smorgasbord of weight-saving adjustments, a singular powder-coat hue on the body and wheels, and brown leather-based on the seat. Japanese Spirit pulled no punches with this one-of-a-kind California, and it reveals.
“I am unable to rely the man-hours on this bike, however there have been many,” Sylwester tells us. “Issues usually fail the primary, and even fifth attempt, so I restart after I’m sad with the consequence. Ideas change mid-process; generally I do not know the right way to make it each stunning and purposeful.”
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