Have you ever
taken a sport bike up into the canyon to take photos, ride really fast and when
you were done get handed the keys to a large cruiser and sent on your way? Me
neither. Not until Ultimate Motor Cycling Editor Don Williams wrapped up
our sport bike photo shoot last week and sent me home on a Moto Guzzi California
1400 Custom. To say this was akin to culture shock is an understatement,
especially with me in full leathers and road racing gear.
Naturally, the
first thing my lizard-brain did was to ensure that I engaged the full-power
Veloce fuel injection map, shunning the Tourismo (touring) and Pioggia (rain)
settings. That was my first mistake because in Veloce mode this Guzzi can be a
handful, if not a bit brutal in lower gears and close terrain. With 87 ft/lbs
of torque, most of which is on tap from just off idle, and with 97 horsepower,
this beast will stretch your arms and challenge your handling skills with its
limited cornering clearances.
Working my way
out of Stunt Road in the Santa Monica Mountains could not have been more
different and challenging than on my way in. Trust me, this was not the
friendliest introduction one might have with a new friend but things got
better.
Somehow, in 40
plus years of riding, I have never ridden a single Moto Guzzi motorcycle. I
have seen many and known a bit about them but they were never on the radar of
this dyed-in-the-wool ’60s Triumph guy. I will leave all the historical and
technical facts to Editor Williams in his June 2013 review of the 2013 Moto Guzzi 1400 California Touring, as well as other reviews of the bike on this website, and
focus more on the impressions this large cruiser made on me.
It appears
really big and attracts a lot of attention wherever it’s parked. Available in
Mercury Gray, our test model was the glossy Basalt Black with trim in chrome
and billet for a look that impresses everyone. The headlight surround and
inlaid LED taillights are only two of the many parts that make this bike
unique. Fit and finish are excellent and the element of art within engineering
is highly evident. I’ve made more new acquaintances with this bike than any in
recent memory.
I’ll admit that
at first I didn’t appreciate so much power with little commensurate cornering
ability. It was only after I put aside my preconceived notions and switched not
only into Tourismo mode but cruiser-mentality, that I found the sweetness that
this bike can dish out.
For example,
the Custom likes to go straight and I mean that in the best ways. It just eats
up the pavement with a firm neutrality, provided said pavement is smooth. Given
the fairly stiff rear suspension settings (preload and rebound adjustable)
necessary to harness this, claimed, 701 pound behemoth and allow it to hustle
through turns results in a, sometimes, jarring ride over road blemishes. Find
your kidney belt and wear it if you intend to ride fast, but I digress. If you
ride the Custom as it is designed to be ridden, you will be rewarded with a
steady, effortless pace that makes going straight fun. I’m not kidding, as it
is that smooth.
When the road
gets curvy a moderate pace is best and you will enjoy effortlessly perfect arcs
through the apexes with nary a squiggle or wallow and a planted feeling. It
holds its line, carves the turn and rarely is upset by bumps. You can even
crank it out of the turns but mind the plastic undersides of the floorboards.
This Guzzi is a
handful at parking lot pace, but once up to speed it steers more with his
bottom than with the handlebars. Small shifts in weight set the bike on its
path and inputs to the fairly wide bars are very light. The Custom handles as
well as the geometry of the frame and steering might suggest, meaning that if
the pace is right, this bike offers real, European-bred handling, even at this
weight and 66.3-inch wheelbase.
Riding freeways
on the Custom model without a windscreen has its limitations but the ride is
tight and great fun. Twist the torque handle and we rocket up the on-ramp to 80
mph in seconds and just feast on the power and controlled smoothness. The
Custom can go like this all day long especially owing to the comfortable bucket
seat and amenities like cruise control, traction control, floorboards and
rocker shift lever. The transmission shifts smoothly and the long lever more
than offsets the slightly stiff action. The hydraulic clutch operation is
fairly stiff and requires a strong hand.
In my 500-mile
test I favored riding our back country roads. Even the twisties weren’t a
problem when ridden at a respectful pace, but the best were those long, fruit
grove dotted straights mixed with undulating curves that seem to go on forever.
In 4th and 5th gears, between 45 and 65 mph, this Euro mega-cruiser is in its
happy place and you will be too.
Wick it up a
little more and the Custom will respond instantly. It is capable of a pretty
spirited ride as long as the pilot accepts the limitations set forth. During
the test I averaged 35 mpg and, with the 5.4-gallon fuel tank, the range is
respectable.
I won’t
describe all the functions of the trip computer as it is full-featured. Fueling
is good at all speeds and the throttle-by-wire control allows three-level
traction control as well as cruise control. One limit on the cruise is that
there is no accelerate/resume/coast function and all you can do is engage it at
whatever the speed you are traveling. If you want to slow down or speed up you
must press the button to disengage then set it again when next you want it. Not
optimal but better than nothing, I suppose.
MSRP Price: NA
ENGINE
Type 90° V-twin 4-stroke
Capacity 1400cc
TRANSMISSION
TBA
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES
TBA
DIMENSIONS
TBA
Goods: - Loads of Character
- Fantastic brakes
- Plentiful torque
Bads:
- Plastic fenders in a style that asks for steels
- Some mismatched cycling cues
- A real "bucker" in sport mode
For more information: http://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2013-moto-guzzi-1400-california-custom-review/
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