Turning a Centauro into a Café Racer...

[Admin Jaap]

Aaah, you're going that way too? Keep us updated!

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

I most certainly will ..... I would prefer to start with a V11 chassis and use the V10 motor but I'm really not too concerned about having the best handling bike. The Centauro is OK by my standards and the WP forks feel better than the Marzocchi's. I am thinking I want it to be as bare bone as some of the Tonti cafe bikes ....... very minimal .....

 

I have a Bub exhaust that will be perfect and it weighs very little. I am curious as to just how light I can get the bike .... there is a lot of necessary mass but I think I can get rid of maybe 30 pounds ..... and that is before I go on a diet myself!

 

If anyone is looking for Centauro body work there will be some good deals coming soon!

[Tom M]

Sounds like a great project Jim.  What are you planning on using for the tank and seat?

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

I have a V11 tank to start with and an old style Ducati 900SS seat. I'll mock up and see how that looks. If I don't like that then I will try and make a deal with a motorbike salvaged parts shop to try several old tanks (likely from Japanese bike) but I am pretty sure the 900SS seat is what I will want. Maybe do some mock-ups - take pictures and post here for feedback.

 

I'll have to make a new rear subframe and probably relocate a lot of the electrical to the seat tailpiece. I also have some spoked wheels that should look nice (I'll have to cut down the excess flange from the rear drive).

 

Still not sure what I want for handlebars ..... go full-on clip-ons or keep the flat bars - or something in between.

 

All I know is .... I have tried to like the looks of the Centauro but it just ain't happening. The handling is OK .... a relaxed version of the V11. The suspension is OK and the engine is an absolute blast. It doesn't have the grunt of the V11 but at 5,000 it feels like a 2-stroke coming on the pipe and red-lines at 9,000. It has a chip to help it run better and with a different exhaust I may want to get a PCIII or even a MyECU but this bike isn't going to be about perfect power ....... it will be about a fun Sunday afternoon ride AND a fun Saturday night special. 

[Tom M]

 If you're going with spoked wheels you might want to consider doing an "1100S" with a Tonti 1000S/LeMans tank like the V11 below but with 1000S stripes.  I don't know how much work was involved in putting that Tonti tank, sidecovers, seta and tail on a V11 but whoever did it did a nice job.

 

 

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

My other crazy idea was to build upon the Centauro's ungainly lines to tray and make something very, very retro .... as in the 50's and earlier Guzzi racers like the Dondolino and Gambalunga. The Centauro tank and tail end could actually be a starting point for these lines but that would mean a whole different level of fabricating.

 

 

 

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

On second thought .... I don't think I'm ready to go that route quite yet .....

[Calijackalbob]

Hi there,

just found this topic while searching for information. As I´m currently fitting a daytona tank to a centauro I do know that it fits nicely on to the main frame. Only I am not sure about the position of the front adapters. Are the ones on a Daytona frame slightly deeper? The tank seems to be a bit high at its front end. Can someone help me? Width of the adapters is perfect though. Anyone knows about the original rear end adapters for the early type tank and a suitable filler cap?

As for a suitable seat, I made up a rear frame from a crashed v11 part, making looks a bit shorter.

Second feature I could use some help with is the colour scheme for tank and seat cover. Black/White, Red/Black, Guzzi V8 old-style green with brown leather-seat? Can´t make up my mind. Any suggestions?

Gerhard

I like the idea of a centauro cafe, but like the idea of it still looking like a Centauro................ personally, I think it looks cool with the centauro tank (if the side panels were modified nicely) and the tail just trimmed and tideied like in photo jpg 012, the grey one. It keeps all the wires and plumbing hidden and retains the Centauro character. I'd just add clip ons and hit the road. 

Don't get me wrong. The Daytona tank looks good, but, why not just get a Daytona?

 

[docc]

My other crazy idea was to build upon the Centauro's ungainly lines to tray and make something very, very retro .... as in the 50's and earlier Guzzi racers like the Dondolino and Gambalunga. The Centauro tank and tail end could actually be a starting point for these lines but that would mean a whole different level of fabricating.

 

 

 

 

Notably, this nice old Moto Guzzi is the Dondolino (not Gambalunga, as the caption suggests).

 

In an interview with Luciano Marabese, he stated that the Centauro took its inspiration from the Dondolino and the V11 from the Gambalunghino.

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notably, this nice old Moto Guzzi is the Dondolino (not Gambalunga, as the caption suggests).

 

 

 

 

 

Actually ....... if you click on the photo ....... the caption say Dondolino.

[docc]

It would be quite something to actually see a Dondolino next to a Centauro and a Gambalunga/lunghino next to a V11.

 

Pretty amazing the designer went back fifty years for the inspiration. Luciano Marabese