From full- to part-time builder, Colin Cornberg hasn’t lost his touch—as evidenced by this handsome Moto Guzzi V35.
We know countless stories of hobbyists becoming full-time custom motorcycle builders—a few years ago, Colin Cornberg did the opposite. He packed up his motorcycle workshop, Number 8 Wire Motorcycles, in Montana, USA, and moved back to his homeland, New Zealand. He now works for a corporate marine composites company, but his passion for motorcycles hasn’t waned a bit.
His biggest project since then has been managing the 250 cc land speed bike that he built some time ago for his client and friend, John McAleer. John finally broke the AMA and FIM land speed records for the bike’s class last year, giving Colin breathing room to focus on something else.
“I kept getting drawn back to the idea of building a fun town bike,” Colin tells us. “I bought a Guzzi as a derelict project about a year and a half ago. Unsure of how the process of rebuilding a bike would go in my 1.5-car garage, rather than the proper shop I was used to, there was nothing to do but crack on.”
The bike was a 1985 Moto Guzzi V35 that had seen better days. It came with a host of questionable mods, a missing seat, and a hacked subframe. So once Colin had whipped the frame back into shape, he turned to his newly acquired English wheel and a small set of hand tools to fabricate new aluminum bodywork.
“I wanted to pay homage to the original by retaining the hallmark horizontal chine that so many Guzzi tanks of this era had,” he says. “I also wanted to lift the tank, to show off the frame, which now really established the bone line of the bike.”
“The tank popping up a bit, combined with the admittedly silly big tires, gave it the attitude I was looking for—not taking itself too seriously, but still coming together with quality work and finishes.”
Colin also created a pair of side covers, plus abbreviated fenders that hover over the chunky Shinko tires. Next, a new seat pan was shaped out of carbon fiber, topped off with foam, and sent for upholstery. With the Moto Guzzi taking shape, it was time to flesh out all the small things that make a build shine.
“Many small handmade parts are on the bike,” Colin explains, “including the taillight, countless brackets, and the kickstand—which was missing when purchased. I also did a full engine rebuild, a front fork rebuild and upgrade to the V7 sport dampeners, and a complete rewire with a simple custom loom I designed and a new Lithium-compatible charging system.”
“Renthal bars, a Motogadget speedo, micro handlebar switches, and, of course, Biltwell Kung Fu grips (old habits die hard) complete the build. There are still a few no-frills details—like the old alternator cover, original foot pegs, and cork plugging the timing hole. It would be different if it were for a paying customer, but for me, as a commuter, they add some fun character.”
Colin also built the Moto Guzzi V35’s brushed stainless steel exhaust headers, which terminate in a pair of Cone Engineering mufflers. Parts like the frame and wheels were sent off for powder-coating, while Colin turned to a colleague to help him out on the bodywork paint.
“The head painter at work used some leftover paint we had from a job—a custom Ferrari color, Grigio Silverstone. The paint is a pretty amazing multi-tone brown, green, and silver-based metallic. It’s basically impossible to photograph, but my mate Josh did as good a job as one can.”
Now that Colin’s Moto Guzzi V35 is all buttoned up, he plans to ride it all summer long before he sells it to fund the next project. “Building a bike in a tiny space with a minimal setup was super rewarding, although the garage is becoming a bit more equipped now,” he adds.
“I have a steady stream of work for word-of-mouth customers, a little KTM build for my wife on the go, and a few people pushing me to take the next step and open shop under the new name of Number 8 Moto. Anything could happen!”
Number 8 Moto | Instagram | Images by Josh Cole
