Ayrton Senna (1960-1994) was much more than a 3-time Formula One Champion. A superstar due to its intellectual brilliance and coruscating charisma. 20 years after his passing in a racing accident while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Italy German builder Marcus Walz pays tribute To Senna with this custom based on a 1970 Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mark I (although the triple world champion was most often seen riding a Ducati.)
Marcus Walz (who has sold in 2011 his company Walz Hardcore Cycles, but since then has created another entity called Walzwerk Racing and opened a Walzwerk Cafe & Restaurant) has experience working for Formula One pilots, having built full blown custom motorcycles for now retired David Coulthard,, current drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. Marcus is himself a racer, but of motorcycles, competing in the Triumph Cup an in Triumph and KTM endurance competitions.
This Senna Tribute Guzzi is very light – about 380 lbs – thanks in big part to a new fabricated very thin 1.5 mm aluminum bodywork.
After taking care of weight, suspension was the object of all attention with, in the front upgrades
of the fork tubes using new internals and progressive springs,and in the back fitting a pair of YSS Z-Series shocks, with adjustable length, preload and rebound.
Engine got some muscle, being counted to go from 850 cc to 1040 cc, now producing 90 hp. Racing attributes include 2-piston Brembo brakes pressing on drilled stainless steel discs, clip-on bars from LSL, one-off fabricated adjustable position rear sets. The Senna Guzzi adopts the color paint scheme of the famous racer helmet, itself inspired by the flag colors of his native Brazil.
One of the cleanest custom Guzzis I have seen. Walzwerks Eacing. (photography @ Walz)
Looks Ike a fun ride.
If you’re gonna do a tribute to Ayrton Senna . Then either do it right basing it on a Ducati or an M/V Agusta [ the two manufactures Ayrton and his foundation did have a business relationship ] and then donate any proceeds to the Ayrton Senna Foundation … or
Don’t do it at all ! Shame on Walz ! Of all the custom builders out there he’s the one you’d think would of known better . Two thumbs down !
Or two thumbs up TJM 😉 ?! For my part, I am absolutely delighted to see Marcus use his clearest engineering expertise to build bikes that look like bikes rather than deja vu big twins…. This goes to show that offenders should be given a second chance… Anyway, well done Marcus, neat and kewl even if a tad too high on its legs 🙂
Nice looking bike! But not based on a 1970 LeMans as they didn’t make that model in 1970 or anything close to it. Where is the battery hidden?
850 Mk 1 w/round head light 1976 only – then went to square
Die Karre sieht doch geil aus!
I like it.
As for the battery, a small gel type wil fit in the seat cowl. Otherwise you can build a compartment in the rear of the fuel tank.
The bike has been doing the rounds on the Net for a while – yet I still looks as fresh as the first time I saw it.
The usual from the peanut gallery about how it supposedly should have been a Ducati or MV. Hey, Marcus decided to do a tribute, he decided to take a Guzzi – it is still a free world, in some parts at least…
Then the other half of the same gallery jabbering about the style being a hybrid of Kaffeemaschine (Hamburg Germany) – well I did not see Kaffeemaschine dragging Marcus to court; so I guess they do not have any such exclusive rights.
Marcus is one of the few builders I admire. Hardcore was/is a signature style (now copied to death) that was both unique and honest. He can build a Ducati cafe racer like no other (check out his website – he has nothing to prove in this regard). He decided to take a different angle on the matter and I happen to think it worked great. The idea is to mimic the colours of Senna’s helmet and that is it.
Sometimes it is nice just being a good backyard mechanic … I would have a hard time with the pressure of an awesome custom builder … People telling me what I should build, what my interpretation of a tribute should be, what I should do with my money …
Cyril said it all … “One of the cleanest custom Guzzis I have seen.”
Domino Dave
p.s. Hey Markus, I still wear the Hardcore shirt you sent me a few years back
Elegant simplicity…. The way a good motorcycle or race car should be.
-nicker-
That’s a great looking bike!
I am not a Moto Guzzi fan, but this is a nice bike. Simple, clean and reduce to the max… Cool Job Marcus !!!!