Moto Guzzi: In
The ANNOTICO Report
The
legend of the great Italian "Eagle"
is born
On
The partners in the
enterprise were the well known Genovese shipowner Emanuele Vittorio Parodi, his son Giorgio
and ex comrade in arms in the Italian Air Force and motorcycling enthusiast, Carlo Guzzi
who was
unable to find the ideal motorcycle, so he built it himself. At the time, motorcycling
was little more than pioneering. Even starting up one of the early bikes was a
feat. Riders lubricated the engine with a manual pump with devastating results
for clothing.
Riding a motorcyc! le was an act of heroism
and the list of spare parts to take with you on a trip included practically all
the components.
The first prototype
was produced in 1919 in the Mandello
del Lario workshop with the
help of blacksmith Giorgio Ripamonti. It was a 500 cc
single cylinder with four valve cylinder head and overheard camshaft. It
delivered 12 hp and had a maximum speed of 100 km/h. The model drew heavily on
aircraft engine technology, well known by the designer.
"Moto Guzzi" was born, revolutionary
and well ahead of its time, together with a contemporary icon, the eagle with outspread wings, chosen as the logo
to commemorate the rider Giovanni Ravelli, who was to have been the third partner
before being killed in an air accident.
So, in 1921, the Normale was born. This was the first model marketed,
with 8 hp, a maximum speed of 80 km/h.
On
After WWII, the tastes and trends of the public changed. The motorcycle no longer was a vehicle for a chosen few elite skilful expert riders. It became a means of transport for everyday commuting. that birthed the Guzzino 65 an agile low-powered inexpensive bike.
In
1957 Italians turned away from motorcycles toward budget price automobiles, and
without it's original founders around to provide
inspiration. a crises loomed at Moto Guzzi. In 1967 Siemms tookover, and turned to mopeds.
In
parallel with moped production, however, Giulio Cesare Carcano
began development of the first 90° V-Twin
power unit, the engine that would soon grow to be the very symbol of Moto Guzzi.
The Guzzi V7 Series, including the legendary V7 Sport, a machine with extraordinary road
holding, modern Italian styling, and new technology, that America fell in love with , and work soon
began on the Special, California and Ambassador
versions.
These powerful and elegant Italian cruisers captured the American imagination
to such an extent that they played star roles in a large number of films and
adverts. These highly successful Guzzis fired a
passion that still lives on in the States.
In
1973, Moto Guzzi was
acquired by De Tomaso
Industries Inc. (D.T.I. Group).In 1988, Fratelli
Benelli and Seimm
merged to create Guzzi Benelli Moto
(G.B.M. S.p.A. ).
In 1994, De Tomaso Industries Inc. handed control over to Finprogetti. In 1996, G.B.M. changed the company
name back to Moto Guzzi S.p.A..In August 1996, De Tomaso withdrew, and control passed to
Trident Rowan Group Inc (TRG). By the end of 1998,
operations at Mandello del Lario were under the control of Mario Tozzi-Condivi,
who assumed the role of Managing Director. With a merger with other motorcycle companies imminent, Aprilia S.p.A.
on 14 April 2000, started
proceedings to take over Moto ! Guzzi that were completed on 30 December 2004.
The Aprilia - Moto
Guzzi Group is the two-wheeler European leading group: with
turnover of 1.5 billion Euro, a 24% share of the European two-wheeler market
and a 35% share of the Italian market, annual production of more than 600,000
vehicles, 6,000 employees, 8 manufacturing facilities worldwide and operations
in more than 50 countries.
Moto Guzzi
had two strings to its bow. On the one hand, it made high-performance
motorcycles such as the V7 Sport, which became the classic 850 Le Mans. On the
other, it made Gran Turismo
bikes - a class of big tourers it invented in the
1920s - from which the California evolved.
Part cruiser, part tourer, the California went down a storm with the custom-mad Americans. The Italian style and then-advanced Guzzi technology was a breath of fresh air in a Harley-Davidson dominated market. They loved it. Even the American police force adopted it in its droves, although sadly John and Ponch rode Kawasakis rather than Guzzis in the TV series CHiPs. The Guzzi California's cross-pond success was such that the bike became the mainstay of Guzzi production throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and it was a consistent seller in Europe and elsewhere too.
The California
started out with a capacity of 757cc, moving on to 850cc then 1,000cc before
settling for the 1,100cc that it boasts today. It has always used Moto Guzzi's traditional
90-degree V-twin configuration, with a string of trickery including electronic
fuel injection and linked brakes modernising later
models. Not only did the bike stop properly, it also handled well compared with
the American offerings. However, the new California is the first for a while to
use a new engine - a revised unit taken from the Breva
1100, itself all-new only a year ago
MOTO GUZZI: THE LATEST
TAKE ON A CLASSIC ITALIAN MARQUE
Grab your shades.
By Harriet Ridley
02 May 2006
I feel a beard
grow, my belly protrude. My helmet visor metamorphoses into Ray-Ban
wraparounds. I'm prowling the main street in Italy's Mandello
del Lario, conscious that my
perennial urge to devour the turns and twists of all the world's roads in a
frantic flurry of revs, reaction and rubber has vanished. I feel so laid back
I'd light a cigarette (except it'd make me cough - not cool). Bemused at my
strange new outlook, I admire the scenery. I can do this because it's in focus,
not passing me by in a blur of mph. This must be what they call
"cruising".
One week earlier,
Moto Guzzi invited me to
test its stable of new bikes at its historic Mandello
factory, in celebration of the Italian manufacturer's 85th anniversary year. It
was my chance for a first ride on its revamped California, which has been
probably the most important model of the past 25 years for Guzzi,
as it kept the factory alive in this period.
The California
and I share the same birth year, 1971. In those days, Moto
Guzzi had two strings to its bow. On the one hand, it
made high-performance motorcycles such as the V7 Sport, which became the
classic 850 Le Mans. On the other, it made Gran Turismo bikes - a class of big tourers
it invented in the 1920s - from which the California evolved.
Part cruiser,
part tourer, the California went down a storm with
the custom-mad Americans. The Italian style and then-advanced Guzzi technology was a breath of fresh air in a
Harley-Davidson dominated market. They loved it. Even the American police force
adopted it in its droves, although sadly John and Ponch
rode Kawasakis rather than Guzzis
in the TV series CHiPs. The Guzzi
California's cross-pond success was such that the bike became the mainstay of Guzzi production throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and it was
a consistent seller in Europe and elsewhere too.
The California
started out with a capacity of 757cc, moving on to 850cc then 1,000cc before
settling for the 1,100cc that it boasts today. It has always used Moto Guzzi's traditional
90-degree V-twin configuration, with a string of trickery including electronic
fuel injection and linked brakes modernising later
models. Not only did the bike stop properly, it also handled well compared with
the American offerings. However, the new California is the first for a while to
use a new engine - a revised unit taken from the Breva
1100, itself all-new only a year ago.
But it's still
unmistakably a Guzzi California. The route gets
twisty and climbs uphill away from the town centre. I'm a little wary as I
prepare to attack the first steep hairpin with this beast between my legs. But
the California laughs it off, gliding round the
I don't need to
use the heel-toe gearshift that often to keep the California's tractor-like
engine chugging between corners. But when I do, I short-shift
early in the rev range to make the most of the torque. The gearbox feels
clonky, especially after riding the slicker Nevada,
the entry-level cruiser in the Guzzi range. When I
point this out to my companions, they tell me it's intentional. The notchiness of the old Guzzi
gearboxes has become part of the California experience. Now, Moto Guzzi enthusiasts (the
"Guzzisti") both like and expect a good
"clok" to confirm a ratio change.
However, the
strength of the California package is the engine. The new motor pulls strongly
and smoothly from zero revs - get that throttle wide open and the whole
wind-in-the-hair business takes on gale force proportions (OK, if you weren't
wearing a helmet) as the engine propels the bike manfully forward, leaving the
pitiful trapped in their tin cans in its wake.
Having said that,
it's not so much helmet as windshield that deflects the windblast, a job it
performs with excellence. Unlike Harleys, the California is well suited to
90mph motorway jaunts. Indeed, Calis have built a
solid reputation for performing well over long distances....
Moto Guzzi
offers three California versions. The Touring is the best for long journeys,
with its integrated front fairing, 45-litre top-box
coordinated with panniers, and heated grips. The Vintage gets details such as
fog-lights that hark back to Guzzi's US police-bike
days, and the Classic is styled with extra chrome. Oh, and the Vintage is the
one with the low seat, so if you're tall, go for one of the others. I'm off to
trim that beard....
Engine: 1,064cc, 4-stroke, air
cooled, 90(infinity) V-twin cylinder
Maximum power: 72bhp @ 6,400rpm
Maximum torque: 69lb.ft @ 5,000rpm
Transmissions: 5-speed gearbox, shaft final drive
Brakes: front double Brembo Serie Oro stainless steel
floating 320mm disc, 4-piston calliper; rear: single Brembo stainless- steel floating 282mm disc, two-piston calliper. Linked braking system.
Seat height: 780mm
Dry weight: 251kg
Fuel capacity: 19 litres
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