The last time We asked Blacktrack Motors, they had just turned a bloated Harley into a slim café racer. Their next project was a Porsche 964 Carrera 4 Restomod – but now they’re back on two wheels and this time they pulled out all the stops.
The Blacktrack Motors BT-05 Cento is a track-focused café racer built around an impressive 1,382cc Moto Guzzi engine. It also uses a racing chassis, carbon fiber body, and a variety of top shelf parts. And it looks absolutely spectacular too.
“Since Blacktrack Motors was founded, building a café racer around a large Moto Guzzi V-twin has been high on my list,” said Sacha Lakic, founder and chief designer of the company. As an homage to the 100th anniversary of the traditional brand, he called this building “Cento”, which means 100 in Italian.
“I love this brand and this engine for many reasons. They are soulful – the sound, the vibration, the typical lateral movement of a longitudinally installed V-Twin, the appearance of the engine from every angle and even the shape of the shaft drive. “
The BT-05 Cento is powered by the eight-valve big-block twin from the Moto Guzzi Griso 1200. It was bored out to 1,382 cc with a compression ratio of 11.3 / 1 and developed 136 hp at 7,480 rpm and 144 Nm at 5,342 rpm. It also features a new aluminum oil cooler and a specially designed carbon fiber airbox.
The exhaust system is just as classy. It’s a complete two-in-one titanium system from Zard specially designed for this project.
Blacktrack didn’t keep much of the donor bike other than the motor, because Sacha wanted this job to be more than just a conversion. “It wasn’t enough to just dismantle a standard Moto Guzzi and just create a new style,” he explains. “With the BT-05 we went one step further by making it completely route-oriented.”
“All components were chosen with these goals in mind: to achieve the lowest possible weight, to increase the power and torque values and to make the BT-05 an absolute driving pleasure.”
To this end, Blacktrack has teamed up with Italian Moto Guzzi specialist Guareschi Moto in Parma, Italy. The family company founded 50 years ago by Claudio Guareschi is now run by his sons Vittoriano and Gianfranco. The brothers share immense knowledge and racing experience – Vittoriano led Ducati’s MotoGP team for a while and was previously their test rider.
Guareschi Moto developed a tubular steel frame with track-specific geometry for Moto Guzzi Twins – so Blacktrack chose this for the BT-05.
The main frame weighs only 10.7 kilos, the subframe 1.7 kilos. In combination with a well-considered selection of components, it brings the total dry weight to a very respectable 175 kg [386 lbs].
These components include a fully adjustable Öhlins chassis at both ends, Marvic magnesium wheels with Michelin Power RS tires and Brembo brakes. And items like the yokes, foot levers, and shaft drive strut are all custom – designed by Blacktrack and CNC machined by a trusted network of suppliers.
Sacha designed the compact body of the BT-05 according to an approach that he calls “Looking into the past to shape the future”. His inspiration came from the legendary Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans, but he explains that this is more of a contemporary reinterpretation than a mere replica. The body is extremely minimalistic to highlight the frame and engine.
Everything was built from carbon fiber, with a 3.2 gallon fuel cell hidden under a tank cover. There is a cafe-racer-style hump on the back, but it’s intentionally sharper than most traditional designs to “create the look of a cafe-racer put on overdrive”.
At the top of the cockpit is a set of clip-ons, CNC racing switches, a Motogadget Motoscope Pro speedometer and a keyless ignition. There’s LED lighting on either end and a low license plate bracket – but these are actually add-ons.
Blacktrack will be offering the BT-05 Cento in a limited edition of 10, but since it’s designed as a track bike, it won’t be street legal right away. If you want to ride it on the road you need to assemble a number of road friendly parts that come with the bike.
Each bike is assembled in Italy, with a lead time of 12 months and an equally long guarantee. Customers can choose between a more expensive carbon fiber or slightly heavier (around six kilos) composite body.
And in order to maintain exclusivity, each BT-05 will have its own paintwork and equipment colors.
Blacktrack calls the paintwork of their prototype bike Charade Gray, named after the French race track. But they have already recreated various options, including Daytona Blue, Suzuka White [above] and Le Mans red. If you were in the market which one would you choose?
Blacktrack engines | Facebook | Instagram | Pictures by Sébastien Nunes
Blacktrack Motors would like to thank its technical partners: Sacha Lakic Design, Guareschi Moto, Brembo, Öhlins, Michelin, Marvic, SQP Motors and Motogadget.