test drove a red 2015 today

[mtiberio]

California 1400 Touring. Seems there is a new Moto Guzzi dealer 1 mile from my house. If only they were there a year ago...

[LowRyter]

is it faster than the white and black ones?

[Idontwantapickle]

Oh.My.Goodness.

[Kev m]

Not bad.... Not bad at all...

[ibis1]

is it faster than the white and black ones?

Looks faster! :BEER:

[Turin]

The red looks reeeeeaaaaally good.

[atavar]

OK, did they steal those side bags off a Victory?

[Lannis]

Are you thinking about buying another, now that there's a dealer right at hand?

You sort of had to give up on the last one you had, as I recall ... Second time the charm?   ;)

Lannis

[mtiberio]

the pictures exagerate the size of the bags. they are big, but wrap the shocks and are tucked in nicely. Lannis, I loved my Cal14 Touring in white, but the lack of dealers did me in. My one year experiment with Harleys didn't go well either. Great dealer network, but the bikes pale to Guzzis (especially the Cal14). I will consider going back to the Cal14. I might wait for the Eldorado, or perhaps go with a Custom. Maybe the footpeg model. I don't know. I took such a beating selling mine after a year and 15000 miles, I'm a bit gun shy on new bikes. In contrast, I bought a Road King last June, paid 13,900 for a leftover police model, I just sold it with 8000 miles for $13.4K.

[Nick]

Seems there is a new Moto Guzzi dealer 1 mile from my house.

Mike,
what is the dealer's name/location?
Thanks,
Nick

[blackcat]

the pictures exagerate the size of the bags. they are big, but wrap the shocks and are tucked in nicely. Lannis, I loved my Cal14 Touring in white, but the lack of dealers did me in. My one year experiment with Harleys didn't go well either. Great dealer network, but the bikes pale to Guzzis (especially the Cal14). I will consider going back to the Cal14. I might wait for the Eldorado, or perhaps go with a Custom. Maybe the footpeg model. I don't know. I took such a beating selling mine after a year and 15000 miles, I'm a bit gun shy on new bikes. In contrast, I bought a Road King last June, paid 13,900 for a leftover police model, I just sold it with 8000 miles for $13.4K.

Mike, What was lacking between the RK and the Cal14?

[Thunderbox]

Beautiful in red.  Or any color.  But red is very nice I like.

[mtiberio]

Mike,
what is the dealer's name/location?
Thanks,
Nick

Currently Vespa of Arlington at the corner of N. Irving and 10th St N in Arlington. They are moving 2 blocks away in a week or two to the corner of 10th St. N and Wilson. Theiur new name will be La Moto Washington...

[LowRyter]

the pictures exagerate the size of the bags. they are big, but wrap the shocks and are tucked in nicely. Lannis, I loved my Cal14 Touring in white, but the lack of dealers did me in. My one year experiment with Harleys didn't go well either. Great dealer network, but the bikes pale to Guzzis (especially the Cal14). I will consider going back to the Cal14. I might wait for the Eldorado, or perhaps go with a Custom. Maybe the footpeg model. I don't know. I took such a beating selling mine after a year and 15000 miles, I'm a bit gun shy on new bikes. In contrast, I bought a Road King last June, paid 13,900 for a leftover police model, I just sold it with 8000 miles for $13.4K.

I see the Eldo is on the MG USA website.  And the spec says:  Dry weight   401 lbs (182 kg)   (I am sure that's a misprint)

Anyway, they're on their way for delivery. 


http://www.motoguzzi-us.com/motorcycles/eldorado.html

[JeffOlson]

That red California Touring is beautiful! I may have to test ride the one at Portland Moto Guzzi (if someone doesn't snap it up first!). However, I probably should say nothing about it to my wife...

[mtiberio]

Mike, What was lacking between the RK and the Cal14?

I ditched the Cal14 for the RK because I wanted the Harley dealer network. My friends all said, get the Road King. I get a Road King. Now I figure that an 800 pound bike with a name like Road King should ride like a Caddilac, no? That bike had the singularly worst/harshest suspension I have ever experienced on a motorcycle. It beat the ever loving shit out of me. I tried 4 different sets of rear shocks. I tried 3 saddles. From what I could glean on the internet, it would take $1500 to $2000 to set up the suspension properly (priceyy Ohlins and fork work). Not a gamble I was willing to take, especially after what I spent for that bike. So I refused, and decided to sell it. The bike did have a great motor and trans (although heavy clutch), but so didn't the Cal14. During the past year while I have been riding the Harley I realized. I traded convienence during those rare occurances where you have a breakdown for a poorer bike all the time while I was riding. Better to have the better bike that you use daily, and pay the towing bill for hundreds of miles when (and if) you break down.

There are lots of other things that drive you crazy with Harley. The cascading cluster**** I am about to describe is one example. To minimize "ugly" wires, they keep the front brake light switch inside the right switch cluster, and have a paddle extension on the front brake lever operate it. Fair enough, but this means the master cylinder and the switch housing have to be in exact alignment (and you can read the horror stories of assembling w/o protecting the switch, guess what happens 1) you can break the switch, or 2) what happened to me, the brake light stuck on, and I melted my laydown talight lens). For a company that touts "freedom of choice" this means you cannot rotate the master cylinder independent of the switch cluster. Now, since the wires from the switch emerge into a dimple in the handlebars (they couldn't notch the switch cluster and have them emerge parallel to the surface of the bar), that means your switch cluster is locked into one position on the handlebars (see where I am getting at). Never mind if you want to adjust your handlebars, to get to the handlebar pinch bolts, you have to remove 13 fasteners including the headlight. Once you do that and rotate your bars where your body likes them, your levers could be pointing off in never never land.

I have rather unique grip angle and handlebar shape needs due to multiple broken wrists and shoulder injuries. To get my bike to fit after installing new bars, I had to take out a dremel, and grind away at the underbelly of my switch cluster to get just ever so much lateral freedon of movement from the wiring loom, I also had to grind away on the underside of the master cylinder clamp.

Luckily my bike didn't come with and I had no desire to run the switch wires inside the bars. It was bad enough that the electronic fly by wire throttle 'wires' did. To change out the bars on my Harley (and this is something I do at least twice a year on a Guzzi) took me 11 hours in the garage. Granted this was a first time, and I could do it faster next time, but really...

[John Ulrich]

I don't have the photo handy of Pete's Touring next to my 1800 Wing ....but that Guzzi has "huge" bags.  Makes the Wing look skinny.  If you're going  to tour you want those bags.  Reminds me of a modern day reincarnation of the huge DB bags that were sold for Loop frames back in the day

[rboe]

So tempted to ditch the Griso and get a Touring......

[Vasco DG]

Griso and Cali couldn't be more different. Horses for courses and all that, just depends what you want.

Pete

[Zoom Zoom]

is it faster than the white and black ones?

Of course it is! Red is always the faster color. ;D ~;

John Henry

[rboe]

Griso and Cali couldn't be more different. Horses for courses and all that, just depends what you want.

Pete

That is the rub. I need to borrow a buddies Touring at the next rally. But I think my riding style is changing a bit (and I have the CB1100 for light riding) hence the interest in the Touring. But I do like the idea the Griso is hundreds of pounds lighter than the Touring. :)

[lucian]

I am fortunate to have a 14 custom and a 09 griso 8v , I love both bike's for what they are, however if I had to have just one it would have to be the griso. I say this only because unless I am taking a pillion the cali sits home. Griso is just easy to ride, and handles superbly. But for now the cali stays. Both are great machines. And thanks to Pete and Mark the Griso's fueling is smoothed out dramatically.  ;-T

[Greg Field]

The funny thing is that the Call 1400 was specifically designed to be "a Road King killer." I heard this from  the Italian designers with my own ears. This was in 2009, and they had absolutely no concept of what that meant.

[HDGoose]

I ditched the Cal14 for the RK because I wanted the Harley dealer network. My friends all said, get the Road King. I get a Road King. Now I figure that an 800 pound bike with a name like Road King should ride like a Caddilac, no? That bike had the singularly worst/harshest suspension I have ever experienced on a motorcycle. It beat the ever loving shit out of me. I tried 4 different sets of rear shocks. I tried 3 saddles. From what I could glean on the internet, it would take $1500 to $2000 to set up the suspension properly (priceyy Ohlins and fork work). Not a gamble I was willing to take, especially after what I spent for that bike. So I refused, and decided to sell it. The bike did have a great motor and trans (although heavy clutch), but so didn't the Cal14. During the past year while I have been riding the Harley I realized. I traded convienence during those rare occurances where you have a breakdown for a poorer bike all the time while I was riding. Better to have the better bike that you use daily, and pay the towing bill for hundreds of miles when (and if) you break down.

There are lots of other things that drive you crazy with Harley. The cascading cluster**** I am about to describe is one example. To minimize "ugly" wires, they keep the front brake light switch inside the right switch cluster, and have a paddle extension on the front brake lever operate it. Fair enough, but this means the master cylinder and the switch housing have to be in exact alignment (and you can read the horror stories of assembling w/o protecting the switch, guess what happens 1) you can break the switch, or 2) what happened to me, the brake light stuck on, and I melted my laydown talight lens). For a company that touts "freedom of choice" this means you cannot rotate the master cylinder independent of the switch cluster. Now, since the wires from the switch emerge into a dimple in the handlebars (they couldn't notch the switch cluster and have them emerge parallel to the surface of the bar), that means your switch cluster is locked into one position on the handlebars (see where I am getting at). Never mind if you want to adjust your handlebars, to get to the handlebar pinch bolts, you have to remove 13 fasteners including the headlight. Once you do that and rotate your bars where your body likes them, your levers could be pointing off in never never land.

I have rather unique grip angle and handlebar shape needs due to multiple broken wrists and shoulder injuries. To get my bike to fit after installing new bars, I had to take out a dremel, and grind away at the underbelly of my switch cluster to get just ever so much lateral freedon of movement from the wiring loom, I also had to grind away on the underside of the master cylinder clamp.

Luckily my bike didn't come with and I had no desire to run the switch wires inside the bars. It was bad enough that the electronic fly by wire throttle 'wires' did. To change out the bars on my Harley (and this is something I do at least twice a year on a Guzzi) took me 11 hours in the garage. Granted this was a first time, and I could do it faster next time, but really...

Or a call to Progressive Shocks for proper weight fork springs and rear air shocks. While HD motorcycles ave lots of parts outlets, there are few HD mechanics who understand suspensions. I find the same with all but the racing shops for other brands.

I do find it funny that the Road King suspension was worse than a stock Guzzi suspension.

[Kev m]

I think some people just set the suspension bar way high. I've ridden the current RK, along with the Cali, Indian, and equivalent Vic offerings and the suspensions were all frickin magic carpet rides compared to a lot of motorcycles.

[smartin108]

I see the Eldo is on the MG USA website.  And the spec says:  Dry weight   401 lbs (182 kg)   (I am sure that's a misprint)

Anyway, they're on their way for delivery. 


http://www.motoguzzi-us.com/motorcycles/eldorado.html

I am surprised to see the Eldo is only in black.  The show version was red and looked so good it is my screen saver.  To me it is much better looking in red. YMMV

[rocker59]

The funny thing is that the Call 1400 was specifically designed to be "a Road King killer." I heard this from  the Italian designers with my own ears. This was in 2009, and they had absolutely no concept of what that meant.

What DOES that mean ? 

[mtiberio]

Can't speak for Greg, but I'd assume, they have no real idea what the appeal is to american riders, so how could they know how to supplant it?

[Zoom Zoom]

IIRC, Greg actually mentioned he had some input on this bike. Obviously Greg could elaborate on what influence that had.

John Henry

[tiger_one]

I wish Moto Guzzi would specify the suspension travel at both ends on these bikes.  The next to no travel on the Griso is what finished it off for me.  There was no way I could modify it either, due to the design of the swingarm and the mono-shock placement.

The Cali14 and family however have shocks on the sides of swingarm, so should be more potential travel.