FRANCESCO Tutino is the proprietor of Francis Von Tuto Moto Works. He is a 36-year-old Italian motorcycle mechanic who has spent the past six years building custom bikes in Brisbane, initially for himself and then for others. Sometimes for both.
“The bike was originally purchased to build wifey a little custom she could learn on, but she never got around to getting a licence,” Francesco says. “So it ended up being a tribute to the smaller-class grand prix bikes of the past.” His interest in racing goes back to his apprenticeship, when he spent three seasons as a technical assistant in the Italian Supersport Championship. “This bike is my personal tribute to the lightweight GP bikes of the past. The name ‘Motoleggera’ comes from a category of small-capacity motorcycles now obsolete. It means ‘lightweight motorbike’. It was also the name of a bicycle-lookalike 65cc Moto Guzzi, but in my mind it recalls the smell of burning oil, skinny tyres, black leathers and silly open-face
