Clara Wagner is often lauded as the first woman to race a motorcycle—or at least the first documented woman to do so, as captured by many newspapers in 1910. But is she?
Clara Wagner: The First Woman to Race Motorcycles?
Madhouse Motors Classy Moto Guzzi
Another gorgeous build from Madhouse Motors in Cambridge, Massachusettes.
J. Shia (pictured above) is a lead mechanic and fabricator at Madhouse, her family business, with her partner Sayre. Together they built this classy looking 1984 Moto Guzzi V1000sp- J. focusing more on fabrication and cosmetics, while Sayre tackled the block and wiring work.
Originally classified as a touring bike complete with shaft drive, this bike has gone through quite a transformation. For some reason people tend to over look these larger mid-eighties touring bikes, unable to get past the extra plastic and baubles affixed to the frame. Strip it down, and it’s surprising how much better they look. Originally it weighed somewhere around 540 lbs (~245 kg), with a reported 67 HP, making it an average powered bike for the time.
J chopped and shaped both fenders, painted the fenders and covers to match the previously painted tank.
They added an Acewell digital speedometer/tachometer, custom seat, completely reworked the lighting and electrical, and modified the top triple tree so the instruments stand alone.
The entire engine worked through, plus a good carb tune, makes it both beautiful and reliable.
Take a look at the Madhouse Motors website, or their instagram for more builds.
related: past posts featuring Madhouse Motors | more Moto Guzzi
Posted on October 13, 2014 in MotoLadies, Motorcycles by Alicia Mariah Elfving
Great build! I loved reading about this right up to where it said, “…with her partner Sayre.” 😉