Death Machines of London - Airforce

What would Giovanni do? That, we hear, was ultimately the driving question behind this beautiful streamlined futurist Moto Guzzi-based custom that landed on our desk a few days hence. Giovanni was, of course, Giovanni Ravelli; notionally one of the three founders of Moto Guzzi. He was killed in 1919 in a plane crash whilst working as a test pilot. But had he not died, he would perhaps have fulfilled his underlying ambition to help create one of the world's greatest motorcycle marques.

The basic story is straightforward. Carlo Guzzi, Giovanni Ravelli and Giorgio Parodi were three young men assigned to the same air force squadron based near Venice, Italy. Guzzi and Ravelli were pilots. Parodi was a mechanic.

Having proved its worth in the Great War in terms of combat, reconnaissance and communications, the future of flight seemed assured. Meanwhile closer to earth the future of motorcycling also looked very promising.

It was a time of new ideas. New thinking. New orthodoxies. Motorcycle companies were almost daily springing up around the world, most of which were to be short-lived if not stillborn. But some companies would grow and prosper. Firms such as Triumph, Royal Enfield, Harley-Davidson and Indian. And it was in this new technical and social crucible that this trio sketched their plans to create a world class Italian motorcycle manufacturing firm able to compete with anyone who came riding down the pike.

Except that Ravelli never lived to see the founding of the company in 1921. The aforementioned 1919 plane crash instantly snuffed out his dreams. Nevertheless, his energy and enthusiasm helped motivate Guzzi and Parodi, and consequently Ravelli's spirit is, we hear, represented by the Airman Eagle as seen on the company logo.

Fast forward to the present day and we're looking at a motorcycle from Death Machines of London (DMOL) that, according to the builders, would have greatly appealed to the young Ravelli and would have earned his stamp of approval. The pioneer aviation cues are self-evident from the streamlined cockpit fairing (reminiscent of aircraft engine nacelles) to the rear disc wheel (reminiscent of early landing gear) to the prominent air-cooled cylinders (reminiscent of early biplane motive power).

The motorcycle was created (or re-created if you prefer) around a 1982 Moto Guzzi Le Mans. Apparently, the bike had been involved in a collision with a truck and was in a sorry state when it was rediscovered. The elements had been at it, not least the salt air. The usual oxides had formed. The wounds were there for all to see. It was hurt bad. So naturally, it was considered a perfect candidate for treatment.

The bike was presently packaged and despatched to London, specifically to the workshop of Death Machines of London (DMOL). On closer inspection, the engine was said to be in remarkably good condition. But naturally, it was fully stripped and rebuilt with new bearings, seals and gaskets. A gas-flowed top end capped the motor rebuild. A pair of 36mm Dell’Orto carburettors c/w in-house (well, in-workshop) velocity stacks completed the induction circuit. And a pair of slash cut headers were fitted to pump the burnt mixture back out to the atmosphere.

The frame was generally felt to be sound, both in terms of condition and design, so it was de-lugged, otherwise cleaned up, and enjoyed some reworking of the subframe. A custom headstock was then machined; that, we understand, kicked the front end out by another 3 degrees taking it to 30. The front fork is a modified Aprilia rig. The swinging arm, which was donated by a Moto Guzzi California, was heavily braced and hooked up to a mono-shock from Hagon. The frame colour was mixed in-house/workshop and is called Airforce Grey

The wheels are modified Guzzi California hubs laced to 21-inch x 3.00 aluminium rims—and those aluminium discs at the rear are, we're advised, hand spun. Tyres are from Firestone. The front four-pot caliper is from Brembo. The disc rotors were designed and machined by DMOL.

Want more? Okay. The controls are custom made. So are the clip-on tubes and internal throttle mechanism. The gear change linkage is modified Stucchi hardware. The inverse handlebar levers are a DMOL design and will soon be available to buy (ask for Lever Type IN01). The headlamp is a Xenon projector unit. The rear light is LED in a "custom cluster".

All the bodywork was hand-formed over a wooden buck. Tiny hammer indents are created in the process thereby giving the aluminium that classic look. But there is also a little polished metal on the lower concave curve of the fuel tank. The belly pan, meanwhile, is double skinned through which the exhaust system exits.

Airforce was built in 112 days, and it was displayed at the last BikeShed event in 2017. However, the builders tell us that they weren't completely satisfied, so they hauled it back to the workshop and fettled it some more (just to be certain that they'd done it full justice befitting the approval of a certain Mr Giovanni Ravelli).

Naturally, there are dozens of other more subtle touches on this motorcycle. But we think you've got a suitable picture to hang on your mental wall.

If there was anything we'd add or change on this bike it's possibly a few rivets, aircraft style. But where exactly might they be placed? And then again, there's an unwritten rule that says you should never tinker with another man's design. So we're backing well away.

Last words go to Ivo Ivanov who handled the photography.

www.dmolcustoms.com