Moto Guzzi California Aluminium
I'll admit it now and say Moto Guzzi has long been one of those marques that I've had a soft spot forThe models which have really struck me have been the V11 Corsa of a few years ago, plus just about the entire California series - excluding the low-rider American clones. Oh, and I was a bit fond of the MkV Le Mans.
Which means that the California Aluminium is in for a hard time. The detail is what I regard as a third generation leap of quality for the marque. It's now really good, though the matt finish for the paint on the bodywork (which means there's no clear over the pinstriping) makes me wonder how it's going to last over the long term.
Engine finish, however, is so far ahead of anything else I've seen from the company that it's almost unrecognisable.
Where this and other American-style lowrider cruiser variants on the Cali struggle is rear suspension, which makes a reasonable but inevitably losing fist of very short travel. The strange thing is that the original Calis were pretty good for short folk and had good suspenders.
Performance from a variation of the two-valver powerplant is good, and the gearshift on the Aluminium really struggled with the gaggle of rose joints and links required to connect the forward pegs with the rearward shifter.
Steering is slow, the front forks are oversprung, and the brakes are linked via a clumsy footpedal.
I've ridden some really nice Guzzis, but this isn't one of them.
Guy Allen
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