Walt Siegl came of age during MV Agusta’s reign of Grand Prix supremacy, so fast forward a few dozen years to where Walt has established himself as one of the premier custom builders in the world, and it makes sense that the Austrian would want to build a bike (or ten) celebrating MV’s rich racing heritage.
Entitled the “Bol d’Or”, this was originally commissioned by a client and based on MV Agusta’s Brutale 800/F3 800. Instead of churning out a one-off example, Walt opted to turn the endurance-inspired project into a series by producing ten Bol d’Or specimens that all sported the same bodywork but with their own unique liveries. Some were fitted with different rims and exhausts as well.
Unlike other Siegl builds that utilize bespoke frames, this project is constructed around the MV’s stock chassis – Siegl built the custom bodywork so that it mounts directly to the factory framework. The stock subframe was replaced with an aluminum unit which now supports a bespoke monoposto tail section. After first working with a foam board and foam core to hone in on the shape of the new tank — the same way the rest of the custom bodywork was created — Walt brought the custom molds to John Harvey of the East Coast’s FuelCel, who turned the shape into a 5.28 gallon Kevlar composite tank. Thanks to the trick material, the complete fuel cell (including the stock fuel pump and an aluminum cap) weighs in at just 3.5 lbs.
The build’s bodywork (tail section, upper and lower fairings, and front fender) collectively weigh just 8.5 lbs. Other highlights include LED bar end indicators, an SC Project three-into-one exhaust with a carbon can, offset endurance style headlight, carbon rear hugger, and a set of custom rearsets Walt machined in-house from 7075-T651 aerospace grade aluminum.
Because MV did such a stellar job engineering its potent three-cylinder motor, Siegl opted to leave the powertrain alone and instead focus on adding lightness by removing and replacing other existing components. When all was said and done, Walt’s custom MV — even with a gallon of fuel in the tank and oil in the case – shave 80 pounds off the stock F3, clocking in at just 340 lbs.
“In my experience, saving weight wherever you can, rather than tearing into an engine to get more horsepower, will always result in a better performing motorcycle,” Walt explained to BikeExif when the site featured the Bol d’Or. “Buying a set of magnesium wheels, for example, will make your bike lighter, and turn easier. And it’s cheaper than putting money into engine performance.”
In addition to being featured on BikeExif, another Bol d’Or example received full writeups on Pipeburn and Silodrome, and another specimen was displayed at the 2016 One Moto Show. There was also a Cycle World piece centered around Walt and the Bol d’Or, and Abhi featured an example last year as well.
You can find this Walt Siegl Motorcycles MV Agusta Brutale 800-based “Bol d’Or” build here on Craigslist in Los Angeles, California (at Moto Club di Santa Monica) with a price of $39,000.