1979 Moto Guzzi Custom 1000SP

Dockray was inspired by DECCLA vintage-class racing in Cartagena, Spain—a wide-open series that requires only that the bikes be carbureted, have twin-shocks and be based on a bike produced no later than 1979. When he noticed Moto Guzzis being raced by Manel Segarra on the Cartagena circuit were beating out Ducati’s and Kawasakis that a Guzzi generally had no business contending with, Dockray started down a rabbit hold that led to a trip to Spain to meet with Segarra directly, and to several painstaking years of design and fabrication. The Segarra bikes greatly influenced how Dockray would build his own, as did endurance racing bikes from the late 60’s. Dockray started with a 1975 850T chassis and a 1979 1000SP engine. The bottom end of the motor was balanced and the top end got cylinders bored to the maximum allowable and high-compression aftermarket pistons. Guzzi Convert cylinder heads picked from eBay were restored to LeMans MK1 spec. Front suspension was sourced from a Sport 1100. A custom stainless steel header feeds into a muffler intended for a Suzuki GSXR. And those are all just all the basics. The fine-grain details are what make this such a stunning bike. “Most of the metal fabrication I did myself,” Dockray told Motorcycle Classics as part of a full-spread feature article the magazine ran in 2011. “My fabrication experience is from aircraft, so that’s reflected in the way it’s built. Much of what most people would have welded, I riveted together. It makes for a lighter structure, generally.” And lighter generally equals faster. Not unrelated, Dockray also built in a radar detector and signal scrambler into the bike’s Magni V11 fairing kit. Even the color has a story to it—the “Tenni” green paint was the color of the limited-edition 1971 V7 Sport dedicated to Omobono Tenni, the 1937 Isle of Mann TT winner. Dockray told Motorcycle Classics he was fascinated by stories of the old Guzzi race team hand-forming their dustbin race fairings and painting with whatever they could find cheap—basic green airplane primer. To sum it up, this bike’s beautiful details are both pretty to look at and highly functional. And it absolutely flies when opened up. Peter at Moto Borgotaro can confirm. And here’s the kicker. It’s for sale. Check out the full specs page to find out more over at the For Sale page at MotoBorgotaro.com.