Axel Budde believes that motorcycle travel should be done in style. He’s the founder of the Moto Guzzi specialist shop, Kaffeemaschine, who have just built the third machine in a limited series of Guzzi 850-based Grand Tourers. And just like everything else they’ve produced, it’s impossibly elegant.
Kaffeemaschine’s GT series was conceived last year, when a client requested a bike that prioritized comfort for longer rides. It got Axel thinking about how seldom he sees classic bikes out on the open road?and how the touring scene is saturated with overloaded modern adventure bikes. So he put his imagination to work, and built the first two GT prototypes.

The latest build follows the same template, albeit with subtle refinements. It’s based on a 1982-model Moto Guzzi 850T4, but most of the original machine has been upgraded with Kaffeemaschine parts. The work started with the Guzzi’s motor. The crew overhauled it with a balanced crank, a lightened flywheel, an electronic ignition and a modern alternator that would play nice with the new Lithium-ion battery. Also in play are a set of Dell?Orto PHF carbs, and a pair of stainless steel Kaffeemaschine exhausts.

Previous GT machines from the German workshop were bored out to 1,000 cc, but Axel didn’t see the need here. The engine improvements have bumped the torquey V-twin’s output to 76 hp?and a diet has brought its weight down to 184 kilos [406 lbs]. That’s ample for laz...