Cento: A track-bred café racer from Blacktrack Motors

The last time we checked in with Blacktrack Motors, they’d just turned a bloated Harley cruiser into a svelte café racer. Their next project was a Porsche 964 Carrera 4 restomod—but they’re back onto two wheels now, and this time they’ve pulled out all the stops.

The Blacktrack Motors BT-05 Cento is a track-focussed café racer, built around a stonking 1,382 cc Moto Guzzi motor. It also uses a race-bred chassis, carbon fiber bodywork and a plethora of top shelf parts. And it looks absolutely spectacular, too.

“Since the inception of Blacktrack Motors, building a café racer around a big Moto Guzzi V-twin engine was at the top of my list,” says Sacha Lakic, the company’s founder and lead designer. He’s designated this build ‘Cento,’ which is Italian for 100, as a homage to the storied marque’s 100 year anniversary.

“I love this brand, and this engine, for many reasons. They are soulful—the sound, the vibration, the typical side-to-side movement of a longitudinally mounted V-twin, the look of the motor from any angle, and even the shape of the shaft drive.”

The BT-05 Cento is propelled forward by the eight valve ‘big block’ twin from the Moto Guzzi Griso 1200. It’s been bored out to 1,382 cc with a 11.3/1 compression ratio, and is good for 136 hp at 7,480 rpm and 144 Nm at 5,342 rpm. It also features a new aluminum oil cooler and a custom designed carbon fiber air box.

The exhaust system is equally racy. It’s a full two-into-one titanium system from Zard, designed specifically for this project.

Blacktrack didn’t keep much else of the donor bike than it’s motor, because Sacha wanted this job to be more than just a remodel. “Stripping down a stock Moto Guzzi and simply creating a new style wasn’t enough,” he explains. “With the BT-05 we went one step further, by making it completely track-oriented.”

“All components were selected with these goals in mind: achieving as low a weight as possible, increasing power and torque figures, and making the BT-05 an absolute thrill to ride.”

With that objective in mind, Blacktrack connected with the Italian Moto Guzzi specialists, Guareschi Moto, in Parma, Italy. Founded by Claudio Guareschi 50 years ago, it’s a family business that’s now run by his sons, Vittoriano and Gianfranco. The brothers share an immense amount of knowledge and race experience between them—Vittoriano managed Ducati’s MotoGP team for a while, and was their test rider before that.

Guareschi Moto have developed a tubular steel frame for Moto Guzzi twins, with track-specific geometry—so Blacktrack picked that for the BT-05.

The main frame weighs just 10.7 kilos, and the subframe 1.7 kilos. Combined with a considered selection of components, it brings the overall dry weight to a very respectable 175 kg [386 lbs].

Those components include fully adjustable Öhlins suspension at both ends, magnesium wheels from Marvic with Michelin Power RS tires, and Brembo brakes. And items like the yokes, foot controls and shaft drive brace are all custom—designed by Blacktrack and CNC-machined by a trusted network of suppliers.

Sacha designed the BT-05’s compact bodywork, using an approach he calls “looking to the past to design the future.” His inspiration came from the legendary Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans, but he explains that this is more of a contemporary re-interpretation than a straight replica. The bodywork is extremely minimalistic, with an aim to highlight the frame and motor.

Everything’s been built with carbon fiber, with a 3.2-gallon fuel cell hidden underneath a tank cover. There’s a café racer style hump at the back, but it’s deliberately sharper than most trad designs, to create “the look of a café racer that’s been put into overdrive.”

Up in the cockpit is a set of clip-ons, CNC Racing switches, a Motogadget Motoscope Pro speedo and a keyless ignition. There’s LED lighting at both ends and a low-slung license plate mount—but those are actually add-ons.

Blacktrack will be offering the BT-05 Cento as a limited run of 10 units, but since it’s designed as a track bike, it won’t be street legal out the box. If you want to run it on the street, you’ll have to fit an array of street-friendly parts that are supplied with the bike.

Each bike will be assembled in Italy, with a lead time of 12 months and a warranty that’s just as long. Customers can choose between more expensive carbon fiber, or slightly heavier (by six kilos) composite bodywork.

And to keep things exclusive, each BT-05 will have its own livery and trim colors.

Blacktrack are calling the paint scheme on their prototype bike Charade Grey, named after the French motor racing circuit. But they’ve already mocked up various options, including Daytona Blue, Suzuka White [above] and Le Mans Red. If you were in the market, which would you pick?

Blacktrack Motors | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Sébastien Nunes

Blacktrack Motors would like to thank their technical partners: Sacha Lakic Design, Guareschi Moto, Brembo, Öhlins, Michelin, Marvic, SQP Motors and Motogadget.

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Pay Dirt: A Purpose Built Harley Sportster Scrambler

Not all scramblers are created equal. Some wear high pipes and knobbly tires, but may never go off-road, while others are made to be punished. It’s builds like this that really get our hearts racing: Purpose Built Moto’s 1998 Harley-Davidson Sportster, a lean scrambler packing real dirt credentials.

The Queensland-based team know what they’re doing when it comes to throwing a Harley around off-road, as this is their second scrambler based on H-D’s perennial Sportster. Their first was featured in the must-see documentary, Wide of the Mark, smashing through the Tasmanian bush.

And that’s how the latest Sportster project kicked off—while their first was still under construction. “During the build process for the first Sportster, the customer visited the shop,” says Tom Gilroy from PBM. “He saw it on the bench and he told me I had to build him one.”

So after the team limped back from Tasmania, smitten with the performance of their first Sportster scrambler, and armed with a long list of improvements fresh in their mind, they set to work building their next big dirt basher.

The project started with a venerable 1998 XLH1200S. For the uninitiated, it’s long considered a real ‘rider’s’ Harley, and came from the factory with adjustable suspension, twin discs and a decent claim to the Sportster name. But the only thing that would remain was the twin-spark engine and the lighter rigid mount frame—because Tom had big plans.

“I wanted to push a little further in terms of the design on this one, creating a distinctive motocross feel across the whole build,” he recalls.

That striking off-road bend started with the suspension, where no expense was spared to keep the big V-twin under control.

The front end was nicked from a KTM 1190 Adventure, paired to a Haan hub and a 19” Excel rim. The rear runs a Trac Dynamics swingarm, 17” rim and twin Öhlins shocks. Both ends were given a work over by local off-road suspension whisperer, Costanzo Racing.

Meanwhile, the engine was stripped and rebuilt with an emphasis on reliability, but with a solid increase in power too. A new clutch, mild cams and some porting work helped to push the engine to zero hour status.

Fueling comes via a Lectron carburetor, which breathes through a clever custom-built intake arrangement. The air filter is a DNA Filters model designed for a Ducati 1299, fitted via a handmade mount and a 3D printed carbon filament intake plenum.

The Sporty exhales through a shop-built two-into-one stainless system, set low but exiting long and high at the rear. It also makes its way around a pair of rear pegs as the customer plans on pillioning his son and scaring the living daylights out of him. All that engine work means the Sportster now punches out 75 horses of reliable, tractable power.

That’s nothing to sneeze at when you look at the pared-back bodywork and the amount of weight the Harley has dropped. It now weighs a measly 447 lbs dry.

The tank was taken from a 2018 Street Bob and modified to suit the older carbureted engine. “I’ve always liked the short bulbous design, and although our other handmade body parts don’t exactly ‘match,’ I feel like the proportions and balance have been struck pretty well,” Tom says.

The fenders have been hand-shaped and fabricated from aluminum, and the back end and integrated tail light assembly is Tom’s favorite part of the build. “Simply because I never thought I’d see something like that on a Sportster,” he explains. “It gives it a real modern dirt bike edge.”

The modern angle continues with the front front number plate and LED lighting array. The Sportster also features 5” risers, Pro Taper Outlaw bars, ISR levers, and shop-built Purpose Built Moto switch blocks and mirrors. The speedo is a tiny Motogadget item.

Lower down are chunky off-road foot pegs and a burly bash plate.

That monumental shift away from the lines of a traditional scrambler is also evident in the livery. “When it came down to the finish on this bike I wanted something as bold as the lines of the body,” Tom says. “I had sketched out a twin bolt design on the tank, but I wanted the whole motorcycle to have the same feeling.”

Josh from Ride Design Co. came to the party, and hand-templated the panels to work up a graphics kit for the scrambler.

Purpose Built Moto’s latest ride is one of the more dirt-focused Scramblers we’ve seen—and it’s designed to be ridden. The bars and the seat pan are rubber mounted to reduce fatigue, and there’s room for a tool kit, easy access to the electronics behind the battery box cover and even a space for an onboard air compressor. “Some might think it’s a little gimmicky,” Tom says, “but it’s actually really handy when you ride off the beach and back onto the bitumen.”

That’s right, the owner is planning on tackling some proper off-road rides, one of which will be the Mackay Moto Beach race.

“Our second iteration of the Adventure Sportster design is something I’m really happy to see evolve,” Tom says. “Informed by real world experience adventuring on my own Sportster, I can say I’ve made some big leaps and bounds in the way the bike rides.”

We can only imagine. A 447 lbs, 75 hp Sportster that looks this damn good and is set up for off-road riding must be an absolute hoot to ride.

Purpose Built Moto | Facebook | Instagram  | Images by Brandan Trudinger

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El Camino: Roland Sands’ modern vintage Indian Chief

Vintage motorcycles are charming, but they can be a real pain to live with. So what do you do if you want all the allure of a 1940s Indian Chief—but you also want to spend more time riding than wrenching? You call Roland Sands Design.

Their latest build combines a 2014 Indian Chief Classic engine with a salvaged 1946 Indian Chief frame, topped off with period correct parts and pre-aged finishes. Dubbed ‘El Camino,’ it was commissioned by a regular client who gave RSD the green light to do whatever they wanted to.

“We like to push ourselves to do new things and stay out of our comfort zone,” says the shop’s project manager, Cameron Brewer.

“We’ve built quite a few different frame-up custom Thunderstroke Indians, but we wanted to do something totally different on this one. We have never built the same bike twice and have no frame fixtures here. Every custom frame we build is a one-off setup on our frame table.”

“We have always wanted to build a bike the old way and pay homage to the original Chief, with cast frame joints and brazing instead of welding. What better way than starting with an actual 1946 Chief frame?”

Armed with that wild idea, RSD sourced a crashed 1946 frame from the local vintage Indian specialists, Kiwi Indian. They got a bunch of 1946 Indian reproduction parts there too, including the split fuel tanks and caps, saddle, handlebars, grips, headlight, floorboards and foot controls.

RSD’s fabricator, Aaron Boss, took the OEM neck and as many of the stock castings as possible, then made new joints to accommodate the modern engine. These were distressed by hammering them, then brazed to new tubes, to make everything blend visually with the older parts of the frame. But to get the brazing right, Aaron first needed to know exactly what metal he was working with.

“We had the castings analyzed at a local metallurgy lab before starting,” Cameron explains. “Also, thanks to Nate from Harlot Cycles for his time on the phone, to discuss materials and processes to execute this properly.”

RSD sourced an original 1946 Indian Chief girder front end too, then rebuilt it with parts from Kiwi Indian. There’s a custom-made chromoly swingarm out back, connected to a Ducati Panigale shock from Penske Racing Shocks.

The Indian’s wheel and brake set is thoroughly modern. It rolls on 19” Roland Sands Racing Traction flat track wheels with TT race hubs, wrapped in Dunlop DT3 rubber.

There are Performance Machine brake calipers at both ends, with floating discs from Galfer and new lines from Spiegler. The front brake’s mounted to a handmade bracket that’s welded to the forks. A remote front master cylinder from Exile cycles keeps the cockpit looking retro, with a reproduction Wagner Lockheed-type part doing duty at the rear.

The motor’s had some upgrades too. RSD installed an Altmann Micro Machines Haan P3 ignition system, a mini dual fire ignition coil and a Lithium-ion battery. The front sprocket’s a one-off, and was made by modifying the stock belt pulley.

The intake system features a hand-made manifold, a Mikuni HSR45 carb and a modified reproduction Linkert ‘bird deflector’ carb cover. RSD also fabricated new exhaust headers, and capped them off with a pair of Cone Engineering mufflers.

Smaller details include a single-cable Biltwell Inc. throttle, a custom RSD gear shift lever, and a Lowbrow Customs fender to finish off the rear end.

As for the antique look, that request came from the client. “We have built him other bikes that are super shiny and highly finished, but he wanted this one to look really old and barn find-ish,” explains Cameron.

To achieve that effect, Aaron treated the parts with a combination of primer, vinegar, salt, hydrogen peroxide and black paint. He then left them to age for a while, before rinsing them thoroughly to neutralize the chemicals. A final coat of linseed oil was applied to seal the parts up, and make sure they didn’t age further.

Manufactured patina can be a contentious issue. But we love the idea of a bobber that looks tired, but goes and stops like a modern machine.

It’s the type of bike that someone will spot in the street, and ask “what year is that?”

Roland Sands Design | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Joe Hitzelberger

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Super trick: Cardsharper’s BMW K1100LT scrambler

Back in the 90s, if you wanted a big touring motorcycle, the BMW K1100LT was probably on your shortlist. It was the first Beemer to displace more than a liter, with a fuel-injected engine and low-maintenance shaft drive.

Compared to the behemoths from Harley and Honda, the K1100 was a technological tour de force. And despite weighing around 580 pounds dry, it was agreeably spritely on the road.

A lot of the weight of the K1100LT came from the bodywork—which included a huge fairing, panniers and a top box. Drop that lot, and you’ve got the makings of a much more nimble bike. First gear wheelies become even more of a breeze.

So we reckon this fresh-looking K (with a hint of Dakar in the graphics) will be a blast to ride. It’s the work of Jacek Mulak, who runs Cardsharper in Lublin, Poland, and the paint finish grabbed us right away.

If the name Cardsharper sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because we featured Jacek’s lovely CB550 café racer a couple of years ago. But this time, Jacek resisted the temptation to join the café crowd.

“Our client likes to ride on country tracks,” says Jacek, “and he wanted to be able to put on (small) panniers. There are quite a lot of cafe racers using the ‘K’ base, so we decided to make a scrambler.”

“Also, the frame is modified so that if you want a cafe racer, you can remove everything,” Jacek adds. “It’s easy to change the style of this bike.”

The scrambler transformation works surprisingly well. Granted, you wouldn’t want to go through ankle-deep mud on this K1100, but it should tackle hardpack well—and the proper fenders mean you won’t get covered in too much mud.

The brightly colored crashbars and new rear frame dominate the aesthetics and fit well with the tank—which often integrates poorly on K-series customs.

“The small original crash bars from the K1100 were used as a base,” Jacek says. “I welded the rest to them.” The same steel tube was used for the back of the revised frame: “It was designed to fit the line of the tank, and has two mounting brackets which hold the luggage racks.”

The rear luggage frames can be removed, but Jacek and his client have decided to leave them on. “We think that they add charm to the motorcycle. The idea is that you can remove them when needed—and even replace the top rack with a cafe racer seat pan.”

The rack behind the new seat is strong enough to support a passenger seat pad later on, if desired. And the electrics are neatly tucked away in a box under the seat.

The rear fender is new, selected from a stack of spare parts Jacek had in his workshop. “I just fitted few of them, chose this one, and reshaped it to fit my needs—and the taillight,” he says. “The front fender is the original ABS plastic one from this bike, but cut and fitted higher. The back piece is steel.”

The wheelset is off-road friendly too: taken from a BMW R1150GS and refurbished with new spokes, it’s a classic F19/R17 setup. The GS donated its rear brake too, but the front dual disc arrangement is refurbished K1100. Everything is plumbed together with new lines.

The long, low-slung muffler of the stock K1100LT would be a liability over bumpy ground, so Jacek has fitted new piping and an aftermarket muffler that terminates at license-plate level. “The sound is low key,” he says. “Even when riding fast, it’s not excessively loud.”

The entire front fairing was made from scratch, with a mini-frame hiding behind custom sheet metal. The bars and headlight are aftermarket and were an easy mod, unlike the electrics. Since this is a BMW, even something as simple as swapping out the speedo became complicated.

The new instrument is a discreet Koso TNT-04 ‘multifunction meter’ that shows not only RPM, but also speed, fuel level and more. To get it to work, Jacek had to wire in a BEP3.0 ‘conversion box’ from Maru Labs—but the effort was worth it for a clean and functional cockpit. A Motogadget keyless ignition system cleans things up still further.

Sometimes it’s the icing that makes the cake, though, and the multicolored icing on this Kuchen is terrific. There’s more than a hint of the Moto Guzzi V85TT in there, with the red tubing and yellow highlights, and that’s no bad thing. (“I swear that’s random,” Jacek laughs.)

There’s nothing else random about this build though. It’s just a well planned, smartly executed custom that should provide years of fun—and is probably a million miles away from what the BMW designers envisaged three decades ago.

Cardsharper Customs Facebook | Instagram | Images by Marcin Tarkowski

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