MGX-21 'Flying Fortress' makes it Down Under
First revealed as a prototype at the 2014 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan by Moto Guzzi, it's now hit Australia in production guiseMoto Guzzi's MGX-21 'Flying Fortress' cruiser has now gone on sale in Australia in very limited numbers for $35,000.
The bike that Moto Guzzi said was for those "who do not suffer from an identity crisis" when it was unveiled as a prototype at the 2014 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan has some serious firepower courtesy of the company's hulking 120Nm, 1300cc V-twin with Cardan shaft final drive. The engine has some seriously big pistons at 104mm, but to keep vibration to a minimum Moto Guzzi has rubber-mounted the engine rather than using it as a stressed member.
But as Moto Guzzi points out, the California has forgotten its past, and “at a standstill the bike maintains... its pulsating soul”. That’s code for a shudder and shake, but it then disappears once the clutch lever is let go and bike begins its spritely forward thrust.
There sixth gear is an overdrive with the 0.8 gear ratio, while the bike has all the electronics that we have been privy to on the California 1400 cruisers such as three engine maps, Continental-sourced ABS, traction control and cruise control.
The bike's styling is dominated by the batwing fairing and the nearly fully enclosed 21-inch front wheel. The rear wheel is 16 inches, and the suspenders are 45mm forks and twin shocks adjustable for preload. Seat height is a low 740mm, and the whole plot weighs in at 356kg wet.
Contact your local Moto Guzzi dealer for more information on availability, because there probably won’t be too many MGX-21s sitting on showroom floors – as soon as they arrive they will be out the door.
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