Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes Moto Guzzi California EV Field Report

I recently purchased a new Moto Guzzi California EV Touring. Here are a few thoughts on it. The bike has a butt load of torque. Real nice when riding two up. At seventy miles an hour in fourth gear (it has five) it's only turning 3,000 RPM. While it doesn't like to be lugged like a Harley it is definitely a lower revving engine than my TBA. Since it hasn't finished its break in period I haven't had it over 85mph. It gets there in a hurry for a dresser and has a bunch of throttle left over. They say a safe top end with the fairing is around 115. They tell me it will pull 125. Should cruise all day at 85-90 MPH without breaking a sweat. I do like the fuel injection and the factory mapping seems pretty good. I'll be putting a Power Commander on it and have it dyna tuned after the engine loosens up. The brakes are a linked system. Not crazy about that. I've never used linked brakes before. It'll take some getting use to. They do haul you down to a stop pretty quick though. The saddle is comfortable, but then I haven't put any long hauls on it yet. I'll let you know about that. It's taller that the TBA, has better ground clearance, and less rake/trail. It's built on a sport bike frame and handles accordingly. Not as good as a sport bike, but should out corner most other cruisers. The bars are comfortable, so far and the mirrors are actually useful. No vibration there. The fairing, heated grips and lowers are great, especially in the cooler weather. It comes with Metzlers, but I will probably change over to Avons once they wear out. The headlight is bright and the idiot lights are really usable. A real change from my Trump. The Hepco&Becker luggage is top notch and will hold a ton of stuff. Overall I'd say it is going to be my long distance runner for sure. Will it totally replace my TBA...nope, I have too much fun on my Triumph. Besides, it's finally just the way I want it. As I get some miles on it I'll post more comments. Until then I hope the weather clears up. Hard to keep two bikes on the road when the weather is crap.

Hey Steve
I looked at MG before buying the America.

Moto Guzzi EV Touring

How are the aftermarket parts for personalizing your bike. Is there a "NewCalifornia.com" out there? My local Triumph dealer carried Moto Guzzis for a year or so, but they wanted him to carry more inventory than our AR market would move, so he switched to Vespas and Piaggios. He's selling a butt load of scooters.

I looked at the California before I bought my TBA and I liked it but it was a little to tall for my short legs. If I was a little taller I think I would have bought it. However, I like the looks of the TBA over the Guzzi.

There's not a lot of third party stuff out there for Guzzis. Remember, they have a smaller market share than Triumph. There are some cool pipes, luggage, windscreens and performance parts for them. I didn't buy the bike with customizing in mind. It's a different kind of ride. I bought it for what it is. A relativly light weight, torquey, shaft drive, good handling Italian touring bike. The thing will out run my TBA and most Harleys are left in your dust. I'll probably have the seat cut down. It is a little tall in the saddle, but other than that I like it as is. My TBA is pretty much a stock bike, with the exception of performance items and changes to make it more touring friendly. I liked the way she looked when I bought her as well.

Very nice looking bike

If anyone wants to check in with a good group of folks and get a ton of information on the Moto Guzzi line check out the following site. Their discussion link is chock full of good info...and the usual amount of motorcycle BS to boot.

http://www.wildguzzi.com/

After having my Guzzi on the road for a bit I can only say...it's a lot of fun. The thing handles much better than my TBA in the twisties and at slow speeds. It has lots of torque, top end and like the Triumph you don't pass yourself on the road every couple of minutes. The TBA is smoother running at lower RPM and the seat height suits me better so the Guzzi seat has to go in for surgery. The stock bar on the Guzzi is more comfortable than the TBA, but the grips aren't as good. I do like the fact they are heated. Makes a huge difference on cold mornings. The linked brakes may have to get de-linked. I prefer being able to modulate the front and rear binders separately. The clutch and tranny on the Triumph are much smoother than the Goose, but it gets the job done. Overall the finish on the Moto Guzzi is as good, or in the case of the tripple tree, much better. The fasteners are cheap though and show signs of rust in some areas. The chrome appears to be good though. After my first long distance trip I'll let you know how it compares to the TBA. I can tell you right now that it wins hands down for storage, but the Bonnie will get the go ahead on range. More to come.

"The fasteners are cheap though and show signs of rust in some areas."

Steve, start saving your pennies for stainless nuts and bolts and washers. They should be as close as your local fasteners store.

Glad you like your bike so far. With a list price about $5,000 more than our bikes, I don't think it's fair to compare the 2. I know, you're comparing the two fits in with this site and what you own, but price should be taken into consideration. I think if Triumph had that kind of price point to aim at with our bikes, we'd have a lot more motorcycle than we do. Would it be better than the Guzzi? Who knows. Maybe we'll find out when Triumph come out with that rumored big twin cruiser that's supposed to slot in between our bikes and the Rocket 3.

Hey Steve,

Like I said, I know why the comparison was made, I just wanted to point out the price of that Guzzi to put things in perspective. Didn't mean it as a slight against you personally, and I apologize if I came across that way.

There's quite a few of us that are interested in this rumored big twin from Triumph. It could be a better option for those of us who don't want to drop a few grand on engine upgrades to get that 85+ hp and more torque we seek, and also don't want all that weight that comes from a Rocket 3.

Looking forward to your long distance trip report on that Guzzi. Got anything planned for that first trip?

There was no offense taken, I was just pointing out the reason for comparing my two bikes. I intend to travel down coastal Hwy 101 to Eureka, CA then cut across 299 to the Klamath River Hwy, north to Yreka, then drop south again to Lassen State Park and on to Hwy 49. After traveling down the spine of the Sierras on Hwy 49 I'll return north through Central Oregon, over Mt. Hood and back home. I hope to spend the better part of 10 days traveling. The last time I did this on my TBA I got a case of food poisoning the first day out and suffered for the majority of my trip because of it. Hopefully I'll avoid the same fate this year. As long as the weather cooperates (early July can still be a bit wet in the NW) it should be a good trip. Meanwhile the TBA will be getting tossed around on the Olympic Penninsula as soon as the weather clears up. I may even do a cam updrade in her this year, I'm not sure yet. I have to move to a sunny climate where I can ride year round. This weather is a drag.

A final thought on the California EV. If you're looking for a long distance runner and you don't more of the same that Harley and the Japanese have to offer this could be the ride for you. Like Triumph it has its quirks and the dealer
network isn't large, but it has a lot of soul and idividual character. Until Bloor and company build a shaft drive 1100 touring bike that handles like a sport bike this is it. Locate a dealer and take a Guzzi for a test drive. It's a hoot.