? What type of Motorcycle do you have/`ride ?
#1
08-25-2014, 05:43 AM
? What type of Motorcycle do you have/`ride ?
Hi Member's,
What do you ride ? Post & let us know `OK.
Pictures are a plus +
================================
Would you want 2 ride the below one ?
The Moto Guzzi California might be a cruiser that converts you
An Italian cruiser tries to convert an American non-believer.
By Alexander George August 5, 2014 / Photos by Moto Guzzi
Cruiser motorcycles are heavy, wide, and expensive, and to me, that always meant that they lack the qualities that make motorcycles wonderfully different from the automobile. It's similarly easy to dismiss their riders as attention-seekers with loud tailpipes, or members of motorcycle clubs riding in formation to the terror of motorists.
Worried that prejudices were keeping me from enjoying something I didn't understand, I accepted an invitation to ride through Malibu on the flagship cruiser from Moto Guzzi, one of the world's great motorcycle manufacturers. It took a sunny Friday morning spent in the namesake state of the bike to understand what it could do on the highway, and on winding turns and hairpin corners.
RELATED: This is the 2015 Indian Scout
As Europe's oldest continuously operating motorcycle manufacturer (93 years), Moto Guzzi is uniquely positioned to make a cruiser that shakes up the category. For one thing they're locally made. At a time when illustrious British (Triumph) and Austrian (KTM) brands have their parts, or entire bikes, made in Thailand and India, Moto Guzzi fabricates its machines at a factory at the feet of Lake Como, surrounded by their oval test track. That origin story, combined with low production numbers gives the bikes an artisanal, esoteric appeal. Park out in front of Alice's Restaurant in California or the Ace Cafe in England and you'll see Harleys and Hondas, but few Guzzis. Maybe it's narcissistic, but having a motorcycle that no one else is riding can make you feel like it was made especially for you.
The ride on the California feels, as you might expect, wonderfully idiosyncratic. It has a typical cruiser seating position with your feet and hands forward, but your knees share space with the 1380-cc V-twin engine. A twist of the throttle in neutral pulls the bike to the right as the shaft drive rotates faster—a unique trait that, for however many thousand of these bikes wind up in the United States, can make you feel like yours is the only one in the world. Feeling apart from the world of automobiles is a reason to love motorcycles, and riding a strange and rare two-wheeler is an extension of that sentiment. I'm not alone; just look at the prices people pay for custom choppers.
Moto GuzziRELATED: Testing the Skully AR-1 heads-up display helmet
For all that character that makes it different from its cruiser peers, the California is still an enormous beast. In Touring trim ($18,490) with panniers and a non-removable windshield, the bike weighs in at 710 pounds dry; the stripped-back 1400 Custom ($15,490) is 661 pounds. Raising the kickstand and exiting the banked parking lot at low speeds was the most anxious I've ever been on a motorcycle, on or off a track. The California, like many bikes built for going far at steady speeds, is clumsy at stop lights and back-in parking, where strong legs and focus are the only things that prevent you from dropping this metal sculpture. Balancing at a stoplight, the enormous cylinders rapidly oscillating the seat and handlebars, can feel like the beginning of a slow sterilization process.
Above 15 mph, however, the California's sound and vibrations become harmonious as it accepts gentle steering inputs, and smooth twists of the throttle give rewarding acceleration at the conclusion of a turn. Once you realize the California is far more compliant than its form would suggest, it's easy to lean in tight for the thrill of brushing the pavement with the bottom of the foot platforms. Motorcycles this enormous and powerful, I had figured, would make you feel more like a passenger than a pilot. As soon as you learn to work with the California and not against it, the bike becomes responsive and willing.
Just to be safe, though, Moto Guzzi peppered this ride with technology to help a novice rider like me feel capable on such an unruly machine. The California, both the Touring and Custom, has a ride-by-wire throttle, engine mapping for different roads and moods, ABS Brembo brakes, and even traction control. Those features keep its 96 horses and 89 lb-ft of torque focused as needed. The 5.4-gallon tank on both models will get you around 120 miles between a fill-up, but if you're considering this motorcycle, fuel economy is not a factor.
For sensory and visual impact even non-riders can understand, the Guzzi California is a standout of gentle charisma in a sea of bikes and riders that feel like they're trying too hard.
RELATED: You should build your own retro cafe racer
What do you ride ? Post & let us know `OK.
Pictures are a plus +
================================
Would you want 2 ride the below one ?
The Moto Guzzi California might be a cruiser that converts you
An Italian cruiser tries to convert an American non-believer.
By Alexander George August 5, 2014 / Photos by Moto Guzzi
Cruiser motorcycles are heavy, wide, and expensive, and to me, that always meant that they lack the qualities that make motorcycles wonderfully different from the automobile. It's similarly easy to dismiss their riders as attention-seekers with loud tailpipes, or members of motorcycle clubs riding in formation to the terror of motorists.
Worried that prejudices were keeping me from enjoying something I didn't understand, I accepted an invitation to ride through Malibu on the flagship cruiser from Moto Guzzi, one of the world's great motorcycle manufacturers. It took a sunny Friday morning spent in the namesake state of the bike to understand what it could do on the highway, and on winding turns and hairpin corners.
RELATED: This is the 2015 Indian Scout
As Europe's oldest continuously operating motorcycle manufacturer (93 years), Moto Guzzi is uniquely positioned to make a cruiser that shakes up the category. For one thing they're locally made. At a time when illustrious British (Triumph) and Austrian (KTM) brands have their parts, or entire bikes, made in Thailand and India, Moto Guzzi fabricates its machines at a factory at the feet of Lake Como, surrounded by their oval test track. That origin story, combined with low production numbers gives the bikes an artisanal, esoteric appeal. Park out in front of Alice's Restaurant in California or the Ace Cafe in England and you'll see Harleys and Hondas, but few Guzzis. Maybe it's narcissistic, but having a motorcycle that no one else is riding can make you feel like it was made especially for you.
The ride on the California feels, as you might expect, wonderfully idiosyncratic. It has a typical cruiser seating position with your feet and hands forward, but your knees share space with the 1380-cc V-twin engine. A twist of the throttle in neutral pulls the bike to the right as the shaft drive rotates faster—a unique trait that, for however many thousand of these bikes wind up in the United States, can make you feel like yours is the only one in the world. Feeling apart from the world of automobiles is a reason to love motorcycles, and riding a strange and rare two-wheeler is an extension of that sentiment. I'm not alone; just look at the prices people pay for custom choppers.
Moto GuzziRELATED: Testing the Skully AR-1 heads-up display helmetFor all that character that makes it different from its cruiser peers, the California is still an enormous beast. In Touring trim ($18,490) with panniers and a non-removable windshield, the bike weighs in at 710 pounds dry; the stripped-back 1400 Custom ($15,490) is 661 pounds. Raising the kickstand and exiting the banked parking lot at low speeds was the most anxious I've ever been on a motorcycle, on or off a track. The California, like many bikes built for going far at steady speeds, is clumsy at stop lights and back-in parking, where strong legs and focus are the only things that prevent you from dropping this metal sculpture. Balancing at a stoplight, the enormous cylinders rapidly oscillating the seat and handlebars, can feel like the beginning of a slow sterilization process.
Above 15 mph, however, the California's sound and vibrations become harmonious as it accepts gentle steering inputs, and smooth twists of the throttle give rewarding acceleration at the conclusion of a turn. Once you realize the California is far more compliant than its form would suggest, it's easy to lean in tight for the thrill of brushing the pavement with the bottom of the foot platforms. Motorcycles this enormous and powerful, I had figured, would make you feel more like a passenger than a pilot. As soon as you learn to work with the California and not against it, the bike becomes responsive and willing.
Just to be safe, though, Moto Guzzi peppered this ride with technology to help a novice rider like me feel capable on such an unruly machine. The California, both the Touring and Custom, has a ride-by-wire throttle, engine mapping for different roads and moods, ABS Brembo brakes, and even traction control. Those features keep its 96 horses and 89 lb-ft of torque focused as needed. The 5.4-gallon tank on both models will get you around 120 miles between a fill-up, but if you're considering this motorcycle, fuel economy is not a factor.
For sensory and visual impact even non-riders can understand, the Guzzi California is a standout of gentle charisma in a sea of bikes and riders that feel like they're trying too hard.
RELATED: You should build your own retro cafe racer
This article originally appeared on Popular Mechanics
Last edited by Space; 08-25-2014 at 06:14 AM.
#2
08-25-2014, 06:25 AM
I had a 04 cbr 600 f4i that had some work done to it but I sold it because I didn't wanna end up hurting/ killing myself or anyone else do to doing stupid stuff on it. I'll stick to 4 wheels 
#3
08-25-2014, 06:38 AM
78 Kawasaki 1000 LTD, Owned since new. MR TURBO full race turbocharger. Runs 9.56 @156 MPH OH , And a 2003 HD ElectraGlide Ultra Classic, That's my Geezer Glide
#4
08-25-2014, 06:40 AM
...Thanks `John for being the first to post on this thread and state your position/reasons why you don't ride 
I also get crazy on a bike, but hopefully I will mature & stop being a idiot/crazy on two wheels.
My future bike will only be for off road...I love to ride 4-Sure
OFF-ROAD/MOTOCROSS
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#5
08-25-2014, 08:09 AM
Tired of reading > Below are some Vid's > EnJoy
http://www.cycleworld.com/videos/fea...site=obnetwork
^ Click
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Last edited by Space; 08-25-2014 at 08:12 AM.
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