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2007 Moto Guzzi California Vintage

Posted by Kenn Stamp
Monday, 12 November 2007
By Kenn Stamp OK so I really wasn't in Italy, but I was on an Italian motorcycle which is close, right? When Moto Guzzi called and told me that they had a bike that 2WF could have for a test period of 4 weeks, I said yes without hesitation. As it played out, the bike was in Atlanta and it was going to be easier for Dean to pick-up the bike and ride it than it would be for me. Luckily (for me), Dean was coming down to the Orlando area to teach a MSF class, so I decided to swap bikes with him for Sat. afternoon. Dean is going to write up the actual bike review after the loan period is over, but I thought I'd give my impressions on the bike first. Now I am an admitted speed freak, so this bike, while actually very pretty, was not on my radar screen of desire. What I was really interested in was the motor and the whole "Guzzi" experience. Having never ridden one before I was skeptical of the almost mystical qualities bestowed upon the brand by it's loyal (very loyal) following. My first impression of the bike revealed the fact that, without a doubt, this bike was Italian. I mean who else puts a steering dampener on a cruiser? Or Brembo brakes with floating rotors? Or a little mini peg to rest your heel upon when using the rear brake pedal since it sits too high to use comfortably with your heel resting on the floorboard? How about a choke on a fuel injected bike? These are all things that you see when looking at the bike that tell you that this is not some sterile motorcycle. For some reason, and I'm not sure why exactly, Italian machines have souls. You don't so much as ride the bike as join with it in a partnership (not always 50-50 either). All the great Italian machines inspire passion; Ducati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Moto Guzzi, etc.. They are rarely the best engineered nor are they always the most reliable, but they certainly turn heads and most importantly, after one drive/ride, they make us forget all their previous foibles. When I first sat on the bike I noticed how small it felt which is interesting as my father's first response upon seeing it was "that's a big bike". There is definitely a feeling of weight but it is very well balanced and easy to handle. Actually parking it where my FJR usually sits I was able to see that it was indeed a smaller bike than the Feejer, so my first impression was correct; it is a tidy package. Now, you don't sit IN this bike like you do with, say, a Heritage Softail, you sit ON it more along the lines of a Road King. Why am I using Harley's as a comparison? Easy, they are the cruisers that I am most familiar with and they're the bikes I default back to when comparing cruisers. However, this bike is NOTHING like a Harley. No up and down bouncing, no tingly vibration in the grips, no walking, tattooed, behemoths grunting that the bike is cool (can you say stereotyping?). You also don't get the low-end torque or the "dealership on every street corner" kind of support either. This is a cruiser for the person that values standing apart from the crowd instead of blending in. This bike is for the person that doesn't mind getting their grubby little fingers well, grubby, actually working on their own bike and not just bolting on the latest chrome bit. Now I'm not knocking Harleys at all, I actually like Harleys, it's the average Harley rider that I find funny. Which reminds me; One of the funniest things that I experienced during my time with the bike is watching some Harley riders look confused as they tried to figure out; A) should they wave, and B) what in God's name I was riding. Watching their faces was priceless. Back to the task at hand though. Where does one go when one has questions about Moto Guzzis? Why to your local Guzziphile (I just made that name up, I think). I took the bike over to a gentleman who actually has taken his Moto Guzzi Jackal to Jennings..........and rode it on the track! If anyone knows about Moto Guzzi's strong points and weak points it's him. I learned quite a bit about how easy it is to do your own valve adjustments and other interesting things about the bike as well. Things like; There are 2 access points that you can use to turn the crank when it is time to adjust your valves. One is on the front (side?) of the motor (the round chrome piece) that you can unbolt or you can pop the little rubber plug out that resides by the heel rest for the rear brake pedal. Very easy and convenient. An oil change takes a little more effort as the oil filter is located in the oil pan under the motor. I was informed that you will want to use anti-seize lubricant on some of the oil pan's bolts. Apparently they sit so close to the exhaust that the constant heating and cooling will basically weld them in place if you don't lubricate them. One of the things that kept bugging me was that I couldn't figure out why the rear brake was so powerful. And why did the front end keep diving when using only the rear brake pedal? I came to the conclusion (erroneously) that the bike had linked brakes. However, further inspection uncovered that the bike had INTEGRATED brakes! In my entire 16 years of riding I had never run across integrated brakes. I heard about them, but I've never seen any until now. Basically, the bike stopped so fast using just the rear brake because the pedal not only activated the rear brake but the left front caliper as well. This was verified after tracing the brake line that ran off that left caliper. Huh! Go figure. Now I'm not a fan of linked brakes or (as it turns out) integrated brakes. I like my brakes to be separate so that when I am making tight u-turns I can drag the rear brake without drama from the front end. Now some of you are saying "well if you'd have read the specs and information about the bike you would have known this" and you'd be right. But! I didn't and I'll tell you why; 1) I'm a guy, and when is the last time time a guy has read the "instructions". 2) If I would've read the info then I wouldn't have had the moments of discovery that make me feel like I just pondered a mystery and solved it. I'm guessing that Detectives feel the same way when they solve a crime. It is a sense of accomplishment that you just don't get from "reading the owner's manual". The one thing I was most interested in was also the one thing that I fell in love with; the engine. It talks to you. I'm used to having power at my fingertips whenever I want it and I tend to feel cheated when riding a bike that doesn't offer that. Not so on this bike with this engine. The only way to describe it (and those who own one will understand) is that even though it's not the most powerful motor out there it has personality. Down low it's all laid back and relaxed; perfect for puttering around in the city. Get it above 4000rpm though and she (trust me, it's a female) starts to wake up; stretching and letting you get a view of what's in store for you. Above 5000rpm and things happen much faster than you expect them too. When I first started riding the bike I was in 45mph zone thinking that there was a lot of buffeting coming off the shield. Then I looked at the speedometer and realized that I wasn't going 45mph I was going 85mph. Even as I got used to the bike it still kept doing sneaky things like that to me. Everything is so smooth and the talk (sound) is so sweet that you lose yourself to the ride and stop paying attention to minor details like speed limits. All was not roses in this little love affair though. Apparently, and I came to this conclusion later, the bike did not like going to, what it considered, a low class place. I'm talking about a rest stop. Too many Cokes had me stopping at a rest area to see a man about a horse (or however that saying goes). When I came back out, I was greeted with the sound of, well, nothing. Turn key, push start button, and......click, click, click. Hmmm.....really? No warning, no nothing. Luckily, there was a friendly State Trooper that came down and jump started the bike for me. Rode it around (including some two up with my wife) and never had the issue again. Battery terminals were tight and it never even did a slow crank routine the rest of the evening or the next morning. Go figure. Even with the mysterious semi-stranding that I encountered, I can't wait until I get the chance to test some of Moto Guzzi's sportier offerings. See, I told you, after riding this Guzzi, I am completely willing to forgive the bad and embrace the good; I just won't be stopping at any more rest areas, just in case. BTW: 2WF apologizes for the distinct lack of pictures in this article. Pictures were taken, but due to a techinical malfunction they were rendered unusable. Rest assured that for the main review of this bike, Dean will have plenty of pictures in his article. Thank you.

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