Moto Guzzi Tana Introduces V35 Frame to NTX 750 Powerplant in a Custom Encounter

Hungry to learn new things and perhaps sick of taking his rides to the mechanic for the simplest jobs, Marco eventually decided to deepen his knowledge. He took crash courses in fabrication and mechanics to better understand the intricacies of motorcycles and all their different components. Then, he bought four used bikes from a local dealer, diving head-first into the world of customization.

And here we are a decade later; Marco is known as Matteucci Garage to the broader public nowadays, with a sizeable portfolio of professional builds under his belt. The latest of these is what we’ll be inspecting in the following paragraphs, and it’s fascinating to see how far this guy’s abilities have come in a relatively short timeframe. Sure, you might say 10 years aren’t a “short timeframe,” but keep in mind that he literally started from square one!

For the superb one-off we’re about to look at, Matteucci’s chosen donor was a Moto Guzzi V35 – sort of. Only the V35’s framework is still present here, and the Italian craftsman spared absolutely no expense in catapulting this project to the next level. The bike he now refers to as Tana is intriguing in a lot of different ways, yet the coolest thing about it might just be the engine swap.

Within the V35’s double cradle skeleton sits a much larger 744cc longitudinal V-twin, which had previously belonged to an NTX 750. In stock form, this new powerhouse boasts twice as much torque and around 20 extra ponies for Tana to play with, but these numbers will have been increased even further thanks to enhanced airflow.

Once he’d refurbished the twin-cylinder mill, five-speed gearbox, and driveshaft, Marco also overhauled the carbs and blessed them with aftermarket pod filters. At the opposite end of the combustion cycle, he fitted a pair of ceramic-coated exhaust headers fabricated in-house. These bad boys terminate in dual slash-cut silencers on either side of the rear wheel.

Tana’s suspension is a delightful mixture of old and new, but it bears absolutely no resemblance to the setup you’d find on an NTX or V35. At the front, we come across vintage-style springer forks oozing classic Harley-Davidson vibes, but the suspension arrangement at six o’clock is even more interesting. Matteucci modified the swingarm to accommodate a single shock absorber instead of two, and the monoshock itself was transplanted from a Yamaha R1.

As far as the brakes are concerned, the front and rear Brembo calipers appear to have been adapted from the Moto Guzzi V35. Operated via stainless-steel brake lines, they pinch a set of drilled aftermarket rotors for ample stopping power. The origin of those laced hoops hasn’t been made clear, but our guess is that they were taken off the NTX 750 along with its engine. Their rims got painted black and subsequently cloaked in dual-purpose rubber.

Now, the cosmetic side of Marco’s work is also dialed up to eleven. He ditched the factory subframe in favor of a looped alternative built from scratch, and the rearmost portion of the tubing received a circular LED taillight. You’ll spot a handmade, swingarm-mounted fender complete with a license plate bracket lower down, while a much smaller unit can be seen at twelve o’clock.

Despite its unquestionably retro looks, the Bates-style headlamp placed up high is an LED part just like the taillight and turn signals. Matteucci got the fuel tank from a Laverda 125, cleverly adjusting it to achieve a perfect fit with the main frame. Needing some reinforcements when it came to the upholstery, he enrolled the help of a local shoemaker and leather expert named Mauro Testella.

Their collaboration gave Tana a brown calfskin saddle that looks absolutely delicious, but the leather makes its way forward to form a stylish tank strap, as well. The said extension features a smartphone pocket topped with a touch screen window, and we also see an elegant pouch underneath the seat. As you might expect, the motorcycle’s cockpit is so tidy it could probably treat OCD.

A flat aluminum handlebar is placed ahead of a tank-mounted aftermarket dial, and it wears compact switchgear, underslung bar-end mirrors, and rubber grips. Last but not least, there’s that stunning light blue colorway adorning Tana’s bodywork and frame – the ideal match for the brown leather upholstery we talked about earlier. White highlights and silver pinstripes accompany the blue base on the gas tank, rounding out the bike’s livery in style.