The custom bike builders from Death Machines of London are all about outstanding design and unique features. This 1981 Moto Guzzi LeMans MK2 is no exception – welcome to the “Airtail”.
Starting with the original bike
The Moto Guzzi Le Mans is a sports motorcycle first manufactured in 1976 by the Italian company Moto Guzzi. It was named after the 24-hour motorcycle endurance race at Le Mans in France. The model was produced from 1976-1992 and the original 850 Le Mans was a café racer with clip-on handlebars and a bikini nose fairing. The Moto Guzzi model competed against Italian superbikes from Ducati and Laverda.
The rebuild process
The original motorcycle including engine and gearbox was completely disassembled and vapor blasted prior to a forensic inspection of all original parts. Death Machines of London also completely restored the original instrumentation housed in a bespoke dash and incorporated warning lights and main switch from a 1940 Merlin Spitfire.
The client was the one to propose to have the frame delugged and Airtailed to give the bike a refined minimalistic look. The design ensured to keep all electrical components hidden from view.
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The finished design of the Airtail
The completed 950cc engine features a polished, lightened and balanced crankshaft, in-house gas flowed cylinder heads and all new valves. The motor breathes through a pair of 40mm Dellorto carbs with accelerator pumps and a new lightweight R.A.M. clutch and flywheel were also installed.
On the bars, drastically reduced switchgear is made possible with the Death Machines of London in-house custom loom utilising an M-Unit control box. Finally, precision paintwork was added to the bike in Italian red gloss and a satin finish Old English white with a hand painted Moto Guzzi logo.
Death Machines of London
The pair of custom bike builders from London is all about refined custom builds and creating unique bikes with attitude. The name of the Company comes from an old piece of advice: “motorcycles are death machines”. Obviously, not something that anyone with a motorbike takes too seriously but all bikes by Death Machines of London are engineered to the highest standards and with mechanical safety as the number one priority.
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