FIRST RIDE
P104
2013 MOTO GUZZI CALIFORNIA 1400 CUSTOM
much flatter one-piece so-called
drag handlebar - mounted on tall
2.7-inch risers - that replaces the
pulled-back handlebar on the
Touring. This delivers a different
riding stance, a lot more upright
even to the point of having you
leaning forward slightly in more
purposeful mode.
Up in the foothills of the AlpesMaritimes, it was hard not to be
seduced by the acres of torque
available at almost any rpm from
the bike's potent, purposeful Vtwin motor. Thumbing the starter
button and blipping the throttle
at rest produces the same leftto-right shakes as on any other
Guzzi V-twin, but as soon as you
ride away and pick up revs, the
big engine smoothes out. And
above 2000 rpm there's zero
sign of any undue vibes. None
The California
Custom features
distinctive styling
by Miguel Galluzzi,
uniting the
model's traditional
values with a
modern look.
at all – it's amazingly smooth for
such a big twin, and that's without
the benefit of a counter-balancer,
thanks to the perfect balance of
the 90-degree V-twin motor.
From 2500 rpm up it muscles
its way in totally linear and mightily muscular mode towards the
soft-action 7200 rpm rev-limiter,
which you'll easily hit along a
twisty mountain road - especially
in Veloce mode on the three-way
RBW mapping, when everything
happens with more zest and eagerness.
I tried the rain map riding
through town, and that felt very
lazy and controllable, especially
in traffic, but Turismo mode was
my favorite, and I guarantee that
most Custom owners will opt to
use this most of the time. In spite
of peak torque arriving at just
2750 rpm, the big motor is happy
to build revs way higher, with a
slight extra kick of acceleration above the 5000 mark.
And it's all accompanied
by a gloriously distinctive,
mellifluous but meaty
muted rumble from the
