Luuc Muis redesigns the Moto Guzzi V85 TT for Vanguard

Moto Guzzi’s V85 TT has a lot going for it: a motor with tons of character, a capable chassis, and a look that mixes ‘adventure’ and ‘retro.’ But with such a unique aesthetic, we wouldn’t have a clue where to even begin customizing it.

To make an impact with the V85 TT, you really have to go deep. So that’s exactly what Luuc Muis did with this custom V85, built for the Dutch menswear label Vanguard Clothing. The young custom builder has a background in product design, a fresh outlook and one hella sharp eye—as evident by this wild Indian Scout bobber that he built last year.

Luuc landed the V85 TT project after winning a design contest run by Vanguard. They’d picked a handful of custom builders in the Benelux region to each create a concept, then asked the public vote for their favorites. Luuc took gold against some seriously stiff competition.

Pretty soon he had a brand new V85 TT on the bench, and the daunting task of translating his outrageous design into reality. A part-time builder until now, the win also convinced him to finally ditch his day job, and go full time as LM Creations.

Step one: research. “When I received the Moto Guzzi,” Luuc says, “I immediately rode it to the first dirt road I could find (it was raining at the time) and tested all its capabilities. I wanted to add a bit more fun factor into the bike as well.”

“It was quite tame, and the bike’s reliable ECU system takes over a bit too much for my liking when you’re trying to break out and slide trough a corner.”

Once Luuc had washed all the mud off the Guzzi, he stripped it down and started ordering in parts. On went a set of grippy Pirelli Scorpion STR Rally tires, and a fully tunable custom rear shock from TFX Suspension. Next, Luuc fettled the electronics to switch off the traction control and ABS.

With that out of the way, it was time to start on the heavy lifting. Surprisingly though, Luuc only had to make minimal changes to the back of the frame to nail the lines he was after. “95 percent of the frame is still stock,” he says. “It now has a bumper-like look, which is a great brace to pull it out of the mud if necessary.”

Floating just above the subframe is a custom seat, upholstered by the go-to guy in the region: Jeroen at Silvermachine. It has a cutout for a key release, so that you can access the fuel tank, which now sits under the seat. Luuc fabricated a steel fuel cell from scratch—rubber-mounting it to the frame, and repurposing the OEM fuel pump.

That left him space to go wild up front, where two plastic panels previously covered the stock fuel tank and air box. First off, the intake was flipped around, and throttle bodies relocated to between the cylinders. Then Luuc built a wireframe and paper template, before shaping a set of new faux tank covers.

The design is striking, with a hollow section right through the middle to add more visual lightness. It sports a pretty unique finish too—an inlay of oak and walnut chips, and bits of carbon fiber, set in a resin.

“The idea behind the wood is that this was part of the new product line of Vanguard,” explains Luuc, “and had to be integrated into the bike. On the inlays you will also find two bronze handmade Vanguard logos, made by Lisa Stolle—a friend and local jewelry artist.”

The body kit’s finished off with a sharp headlight nacelle and front fender, designed to match the Guzzi’s original hand guards. Luuc shaped the parts out of clay first, then 3D scanned them, drew up a model in Fusion 360 CAD/CAM software, and 3D printed the final parts. He also 3D scanned the motor’s rocker covers, designed new ones, 3D printed prototypes, and had Vinco Racing mill the final parts.

Other upgrades include new handlebars and risers, grips, a Motogadget speedo, and LED optics for the headlight.

All the Moto Guzzi needed now was a decent exhaust—so Luuc reached out to Akrapovič, who sent him a modified prototype of their new V85 TT muffler. He made up new headers for it, then built a skid plate to protect them at the bottom.

Luuc kept the rest of the Guzzi’s finishes simple to complement the effect on the ‘tank.’ So everything was done in either black or white, with some subtle logos on the skid plate. To add those, Luuc polishing the part, laid down decals to protect the polished finished, and sand blasted the rest of the surface area.

We love Luuc’s interpretation of the V85 TT because it’s completely unexpected, and wholly exciting. He’s somehow taken an already attractive adventure bike, and turned it into an even better looking scrambler.

LM Creations | Instagram | Facebook | Images by Dominique Posthuma

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