Who would’ve thought that following the Frankenstein mentality could result in something so beautiful? Introducing the Kaffeemaschine KM22 – a custom cafe racer made up of a hotchpotch of Moto Guzzi bits. While that sounds like a recipe for disaster, more so when one is tinkering with something as iconic as a Guzzi, the end result is far from it. In fact, it could very well be one of the most perfect iterations of a Moto Guzzi.
For starters, Axel Budde, owner of Hamburg-based Kaffeemaschine, took a “cleaned and modified” 850T bike from the 70s and then set out to build a motorcycle “in a more modern style, but still with a 70s/80s race bike appeal.”
Axel, who is used to commissions, states that the KM22 is a “free” project – he’s keeping this one for himself – and such builds are unlikely to go on sale in the foreseeable future. “I wanted the bike to fulfill two roles,” comments Axel. “To be a brilliant performer on the street, and a ‘vintage race bike’ for the track. It even has a retractable number plate bracket, which can be mounted underneath the seat.”
Far more than just a cosmetic nip and tuck, the Kaffeemaschine KM22 features pretty radical modifications under the skin. First on the list includes bodywork fashioned out of carbon fibre – don’t let the old-school aesthetics fool you there. Up front is a Le Mans 1 style fairing albeit with a smaller headlight, followed by a new seat and tail section – the latter plays home to an LED taillight.
Moving on, the engine, transmission and rear drive are derived from a Le Mans Mk IV with the engine capacity expanded to 1,100 cc. The heads have also been gas-flowed and the compression ratio has been raised with the help of twin spark tech. Other add-ons include Carillo rods, a race cam, lighter valves, 40mm Dell’Ortos carburetors and a lightened and balanced clutch-flywheel setup.
In terms of electronics, the entire wiring system has been designed to blend in with very minimal loom. Also, a lithium-ion battery, electric ignition, Kellermann indicators and a Motogadget instrument cluster with a customized dial complete the list of equipment.