Cycle News

FIRST RIDE P106 2013 MOTO GUZZI CALIFORNIA 1400 CUSTOM "… THE GUZZI IS ULTRA-DISTINCTIVE, WITH THE CYLINDER HEADS SEEMINGLY BURSTING OUT OF THE SIDES OF THE BIG FUEL TANK. " with the cylinder heads seemingly bursting out of the sides of the big fuel tank, and no more ready to make friends with your knees than on the Touring model. There's lots of room on the feetforward footboards to stretch your legs out, making this a really comfortable riding stance by any standard. Both clutch and front brake levers are five-way adjustable, and the Brembo 320 mm radial front brakes work even better on the lighter Custom than on the Touring, slowing what is still inevitably quite a heavy bike down well from high speed, with zero trace of any snatchy, unduly fierce response. The long 66.3-inch wheelbase helps; it's part of what is inevitably very cruiser-esque geometry for the twin-loop frame, with the non-adjustable 46mm Sachs fork set at a typically rangy 32-degree rake, albeit delivering really plush compliance via what are selfevidently well chosen damping rates. Another difference compared to the Touring version comes in the rear suspension, where the twin Sachs shocks with remote reservoirs giving 4.3 inches of travel are now 10mm longer on the Custom, thus slightly sharpening the steering geometry via the taller rear ride height. Not only is ride quality just that little bit better, the Guzzi cruiser is improbably easy-steering, thanks also to the extra leverage provided by that wider, flatter handlebar – which is also wide enough to allow the chromebacked mirrors to give a good view behind you. It's also easy to control the Guzzi Custom at low speeds in spite of its chunkiness, thanks to the ultra-precise RBW throttle and light, controllable clutch action. Plus the weight's carried down low, so it rides bumps well at speed. And it also steers easily and pretty quickly for such a long wheelbase bike. With a 32-degree steering lock in either direction, it's also surprisingly easy to carve U-turns or fight your way through tight corners in city streets. However, one downside of such a low-slung motorcycle is that, at higher speeds, you'll scrape the footboards relatively easily in exploiting the California's capable handling – a fact Guzzi has anticipated by lining their underside edges with plastic scuff strips. Fortunately, the bike's heavy enough that you won't lever the rear wheel off the ground and unhook the tire and the extra 10mm in rear ride height has delivered an extra five degrees of lean an- gle compared to the Touring. Guzzi R&D engineers admit the model in their sights with the Custom is Harley's Fatboy – but one thing's for sure, though: there's no way you'll ever exploit the potential grip provided by that hefty 200-section 16-inch rear tire without grinding through the floorboards and decking the exhausts. Okay, it's there for its

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