Swiss Moto Guzzi V9 special build. It's a bit Emmenthal...

OBVIOUSLY, SINCE we're British and still living in 1940 a bit, we can barely contain ourselves at the satirical potential of this story. Here, we have an Italian bike (with an eagle motif that could seem a teeny bit fascist-y), being rebuilt by a firm called 'Fuhrer Moto' ffs, based in the German speaking region of Switzerland. But we're better than that, so all those jokes about gold hidden in the fuel tank and reverse gears will be ignored. Definitely.

Because we quite like this bike, from the pics and spec at least. Okay, a 2016 V9 Guzzi is a pretty underwhelming beastie, but there are some interesting mods and components on here, penned by the Gannet Design firm and executed (!) by das Fuhrer Moto folks. Most of the V9's chassis kit has been trashed, and in its place we get a slick lightweight cafe racer. Forks and shocks are Ohlins, which is always A Good Thing, the wheels are by Kineo, again, an excellent choice, and while we'd prefer Brembo calipers to Tokico, the Japanese radial four-potters aren't half bad. The frame is all bespoke, modded at the back end obvs, and there are custom yokes, clip-ons and a handmade aluminium tail unit. Nice.

The engine mods are pretty intriguing too. First up are the beefy Keihin flat-slide carbs, replacing the stock EFI throttle bodies, which is a pretty bold step, especially with the long, thin intake pipes that use a novel sort of slash-cut inlet design. The exhaust uses a pair of LeoVince cans, with a bespoke header setup, and looks like it'd give the noise tester at Brands a heart attack (you can hear it here apparently: https://www.instagram.com/p/BijrUoJg195/?taken-by=gannetdesign)

The styling is what it is - a blue theme, with an unusual mix of shiny paint and roughed-up bare metal style, all covered in clear coat. If this is the sort of thing you like, then we think you'll like it for sure...

The bike was on show at the Reunion at Monza at the weekend, and will be at Wheels and Waves in Biarritz this weekend, then riding at the Glemseck event in Germany later in the summer too. Check it out if you get the chance - just keep the WW2 quips to yourself, Brexit grandad...

More details: www.gannetdesign.com