A custom Moto Guzzi Le Mans, an endurance-inspired long distance racer

Design by Gannet Design – Built by Wrench Kings – For Vanguard Clothing

In 2016, the first joint project between Gannet Design and Vanguard started, and the ‘V8’ dustbin racer was born which made a big impact in the custom scene. In 2017 the second custom Moto Guzzi V7 followed with the participation of Wrench Kings doing the building part. This is the 3rd collaboration of a Moto Guzzi custom build based on legendary Le Mans V850 Mark III 1981.

Vanguard Clothing, a Dutch fashion brand, is a lifestyle label for modern men, and they surely have an affinity for motorcycles, specifically, Moto Guzzis. The Vanguard V-series jeans collection consists of several motorcycle-inspired models, each made with craftsmanship and attention to detail. Vanguard is known for presenting one-of-a-kind crossovers between their jeans and custom Moto Guzzi motorcycles. The brand creates a unique cross pollination between two crafts: hand-built custom motorcycles and a denim line dedicated to each bike. This time the new V850 Rider Jeans take center stage.

The Bike:

This Moto Guzzi, conceived by Gannet Design, pays homage to the legendary Moto Guzzi V850 Le Mans and the racing heritage of the brand. The custom cafe racer has numerous details referring to the jeans, and vice versa.

Ulfert (Gannet Design):

“The theme is inspired by 80’s long distance racer with a large aluminum fairing, which we left in a rough brushed finish to show the craftsmanship of metal shaping. We designed a new tank with vintage knee pads in quilted leather as well a leather belt to secure the tank in place. The color theme is brushed metal with accents of deep burgundy red of the front fairing and top section of the tank.

The custom cafe racer tail section with the signature ‘V’ and two round tail lights underlines the racer style with vintage design language.

The exhaust got integrated into the lower fairing and cooled with some shark gills which gives a reference to early days racing body work out of aluminum.

The cockpit got heavily inspired by old fighter planes, with gauges and flip switches.

Further we integrated key design elements of the jeans into the bike design.”

For instance the color and stitches of the seat, the V-shaped cut-out around the taillight, the waistband patch in chocolate, the triple highway stitching, the V-shape above the back pocket, and the quirky zipper at the side of the seat reflect details which you also can find on the jeans.

The Wrench Kings from Bilthoven, headed by Joost and Take, brought the ‘Master of Endurance’ to life and they did an amazing job in metal work with complex detailing and translation of the design. They dedicated countless hours of metal shaping and created some very special custom parts for this unique beauty. They devoted best of their skills and craftsmanship into realizing the design concept by Gannet, and did an extraordinary work in doing so without any compromise.

The fairing, petrol tank and tail are all completely bespoke and fully hand made out of aluminum, with custom made tail light lenses from 5 layers acrylic with Vanguard logo lasering in it. When you turn on the light also the top of the engine is lit!

Moto Guzzi V850 Le Mans

All paint and graphics are done by the Wrench Kings together with Van Marcus (a local shop). The leather work is all real leather with vintage feel and finish and was made by Jeroen at Silvermachine.

Vanguard V850 tank

Some modifications on the frame has been made, the rear was chopped and altered to make space for the mounting points of the seat. All old supports for electrics were removed and new bolt-on brackets made to be hidden underneath the tank. The battery got placed underneath the transmission within the lower engine fairing. The YSS dampers at the back are fully adjustable and also custom made for the low stands of the bike. YSS helped us out and made them specially for this project.

The original calipers are used since they are Brembo already and suite the old school style again, however to improve the breaking we did change all master cylinders for Brembo, front we put on the PS16 and at the rear a PS12, this really makes a difference in breaking.

The exhaust is full custom stainless steel pipes and are completely open. It will scare little children and men spontaneously grow chest-hear if you ride it. No joke its loud like a fighter plane.

V850 Capsule collection

The unique and one-of-a-kind Vanguard custom bikes always kick up dust in the international custom motorbike scene. This time no different: the announcement of the Vanguard Moto Guzzi V850 and the corresponding jeans has created high expectations.

Vanguard presents the V850 Capsule Collection. This compact collection is designed and manufactured without concessions, using only the highest quality materials. The collection presents a sheepskin leather jacket, two shirts, a T-shirt and an Italian black denim. Paying homage to the Moto Guzzi, all styles have the same color as the custom bike or parts of it, or accents and details referring directly to the machine. This all adds up to a stylish, motorcycle-inspired capsule collection that effortlessly combines style, individuality and comfort.

‘Master of Endurance’ Road Tour

After the press presentation the Vanguard/Moto Guzzi V850 ‘Master of Endurance’ will go on a promo tour. At several Vanguard dealers, customers can have a close look at the bike to check out the references to the new V850 Rider Jeans. Also the bike will be displayed at fashion fairs, and it will ride in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in September. Find more details about the Road Tour on www.vanguard-clothing.com.

Photo credit: Vanguard Clothing