Scrambled Moto Guzzi NTX Levante Has Custom Perfection Written All Over It

Today, it’s Filippo’s work that will be taking the spotlight here on autoevolution. His startling Moto Guzzi customs were showcased on these pages several times before, and most of them have been client commissions built with various sets of instructions in mind. By contrast, the scrambled one-off we’re about to look at (aka Levante) was a personal project done on Signor Barbacane’s own terms.

It therefore gave him free reign over things like the budget or stylistic direction, but not without presenting some challenges all at once. With priority given to the endless stream of client orders, the author had very little time to allocate toward this endeavor, so it became something of a back-burner. Officine Rossopuro’s frontman was determined to press on, though, and his unyielding dedication made everything come together in the end. Now, let’s talk about the donor bike.

Filippo’s weapon of choice was an ex-police NTX 350 from the mid-eighties, which was destined to become his personal ride for off-road outings and trips outside the city. However, he wasn’t exactly satisfied with the original 346cc powerplant and its 35 ponies, and this called for a complete engine swap as part of the overhaul. Along with the V-twin mill, items like the factory bodywork, rear shocks, and front wheel have also been eliminated.

The real customization work was ready to begin following the initial teardown. Filippo busied himself with some extensive fabrication work before finding a new power source to better suit his needs. It saw him craft a complete aluminum attire from scratch, with the centerpiece being a compact fuel tank sporting two leather straps. Although it’s not pictured here, our protagonist also built a second, larger gas tank for long-distance riding.

Bespoke high-mounted fenders are present at both ends, and the front unit is joined by a rounded nose fairing a bit higher up. Further back on the motorcycle’s flanks, we come across handmade alloy side panels filling up the subframe triangle. A scrambler-style bench seat can be spotted up top, featuring black leather upholstery and plentiful padding for comfortable off-roading.

Moving on to the powertrain side of the equation, Officine Rossopuro transplanted the much bigger engine of a modern fuel-injected Guzzi onto the Levante. It displaces close to 750cc, and the accompanying transmission has longer gear ratios than those of the NTX 350. The mill is aided by a smattering of upgraded electronic goodies and fitted with a custom stainless-steel exhaust system built in-house.

Employing a two-into-one layout for its headers, the high-mounted pipework snakes its way back to a MASS Moto silencer on the right-hand side. It passes between the subframe tubes and through a side panel cut-out while doing so, before terminating right above the rear wheel. The new powertrain paraphernalia is said to offer plenty of low-end torque, which will certainly come in handy when venturing off the asphalt.

For a touch of modern performance in the suspension department, Filippo rebuilt the OEM forks and had them fitted with fresh cartridges. At the opposite end, he deleted the factory NTX shock absorbers altogether, so as to make room for adjustable Bitubo alternatives with piggyback reservoirs. There’s no word on whether the rear brake was upgraded in any way, but we do know that the front unit got some serious attention.

This came in the form of a top-shelf Brembo caliper, which bites down on a floating rotor measuring 320 m (12.6 inches) in diameter. The Guzzi’s 21-inch front wheel was taken out of the equation and replaced with a 19-inch aluminum item more suitable for riding on the tarmac. In addition, both hoops were shod in dual-purpose TKC 80 rubber from Continental’s range.

Officine Rossopuro decided against the use of LED lighting on the Levante, as it wouldn’t have been an appropriate fit from a cosmetic standpoint. With his project finally nearing completion around 2019, Filippo finished things off with a couple of sweet little touches before addressing the paint job. They included custom hand guards, a fender-mounted license plate holder, and an SW Motech bag placed on the left.

Last but not least, the Levante’s aluminum outfit was left unpainted to showcase maestro Barbacane’s handiwork, but the frame got finished in red for ample contrast. The build was at last completed once the paint job had been taken care of, and Filippo began plotting his future adventures in its saddle. He plans on taking it to Iceland and Morocco, both of which sound like fantastic destinations for a man and his two-wheeled companion!