Ever heard the expression “A builder’s house is never finished?” It counts for custom motorcycle builders, too. Even though customization is their bread and butter, many of them ride bikes that are stock—or just partially modified.
That was the status of Nicko Eigert’s 2012-model Moto Guzzi V7 up until recently. The founder of Indonesia’s Smoked Garage bought the V7 about a year ago as his personal daily runner, but it soon became the shop’s workhorse. And even though he had a million ideas of what he wanted to do to it, a steady stream of customer projects kept it on the back burner.
Things changed when the Moto Guzzi, which had been super dependable until then, broke down. With parts on order from Italy and the V7 patiently waiting on the bench, Nicko and his team couldn’t resist making a few tweaks.…