Written by Marlon Slack
In the last ten years old Moto Guzzis have gone through a stratospheric increase in value. Big block 70?s and 80?s models now command prices that would have been laughable a decade ago. The secret?s out – and now people realize what a great base they are for a killer custom build. So next time you?re hunting for a Guzzi and cursing prices, turn to face Italy and swear loudly. It?s builds like this incredibly gorgeous 1983 Le Mans Mk3 by Ruote Fiere that?s pushing up the prices.

Ruote Fiere, headed by the enigmatic Davide Caforio, pride themselves on their unusual approach to building bikes. ?When a customer entrusts me with a project,? he explains, ?he does so because he understands that it?ll be different from others. What comes out in the end is unique, but also innovative?. Davide, a long time fan of antique motorcycles, draws inspiration from all sorts of quarters. This time around, he looked to old race cars as a starting point.
?I was inspired by the Porsche 907 and Ferrari Barchetta that raced in Le Mans and in the Targa Florio,? Davide says. ?I love Barchetta body work. The base of this project is linked to these cars. I wanted the visual feeling to be inspired by them?. When it comes to inspiration Davide is a sucker for anything endurance-racer related. ?I?m inspired by them for everything,? he says, ?Style, details and technical solutions?.

And what of the bike itself" ?It was found in Northern Italy,? Davide explains, ?It h...