The California Touring is the latest heir to the successful project with which Moto Guzzi redesigned the concept of luxury motorcycle at the end of 2012. The Touring is a perfect representation of Moto Guzzi’s culture and the ability to build unique motorcycles that has been around since 1921: it is the California in its most classic expression, unequalled in terms of style, comfort, performance and reliability. Success driven by a rare quality: knowing how to reconcile the comfort and cargo capacity of a custom bike with the dynamic performance of a powerful cruiser. 

 

Powerful, ultra-equipped, exclusive, with an innovative, yet highly personal and traditional design, the California Touring manages to enhance like no other the values of one of the noblest brands in the world and the symbol of “Made in Italy”. Surprising not only because of the smallest aesthetic details, but also because of the technical choices: In fact, the Touring is a true traveller driven by the largest V-twin ever made in Europe, the first custom bike equipped with advanced electronic control systems such as traction control, ABS and the new full Ride-by-wire accelerator, as well as having a brand new frame with an elastic engine mounting system capable of eliminating vibration transfer entirely.

 

Moto Guzzi California Touring is characterised by a two-tone graphic: Nero Gentleman and Rosso Charme. This version, which has a built-in passenger backrest and grab handle, emphasises the virtual continuity with its ancestors through the reinterpretation of various style elements. The most obvious of these are connected to the profile of the saddle, the chromium grab handle and the side panels inspired by the historic Guzzi T3 as well as a ratio between the fuel tank and engine sizes which favours the latter, just like the style of the glorious V7 and V850. This impression is especially emphasized by the ingenious fuel tank, made in metal, with a 21 litre central body and two side covers where the Eagle logo is proudly displayed, moulded on the powerful thermal units of the 1400 cc engine.

 

This allusion to Moto Guzzi’s glorious heritage is further accentuated by the horizontal lines of the highly polished silencers that end at the rear mudguard, moulded over the impressive 200 tyre and equipped with a spectacular dual LED light cluster that also includes the turn indicators. The front view is no less impressive, with a complex surface headlight unit and a polyelliptical light with LED daylight running light (DRL).

 

The particular polygon shape of the headlight dominates the luxurious front end, enriched in classic California tradition by the windshield and supplementary lights, painted to match the body, as well as the front deflectors. The handlebar electric controls are new, more functional and enhanced by an aluminium finish. The left side electric block hosts the controls for the new Moto Guzzi cruise control. The system allows the selected speed to be maintained without acting on the throttle and the cruising speed to be increased or decreased by pressing the cursor button on the left side electrical control. The speed can be temporarily increased with a twist of the throttle. After the throttle is released, the cruising speed will be resumed. The system disengages automatically, not only when the rider brakes or presses the selector button, but also when the throttle grip is twisted in reverse. Once deactivated, the last cruising speed set can be resumed with the “resume” feature.

 

The elegant style of the California Touring is also enhanced by the lightweight alloy wheels with an original ribbed design, as well as the headlight frame and the supplementary lights. The engine cylinder head covers have prestigious finishing made by the utensil machine and are now painted black. The 45 mm fork is also a throwback to its glorious ancestors: completely sealed by dominating “telescopes” with a blackfinish. The pair of rear shock absorbers, on the other hand, now has a convenient remote control for spring preload, very practical to adjust performance based on the amount of cargo loaded. Furthermore, their standard setup has been improved, thanks to more hydraulic rebound braking and a higher spring preload. 

 

Intended for those who devour kilometres, the California Touring is unrivalled in terms of comfort and load capacity thanks to its generous saddle and the spacious and elegant 35 litre side panniers, the new cruise control feature and the dampening action of the elastic kinematic mounting system for the twin-cylinder engine. The engine mounted is the sculpturesque 1380 cc big bore, the absolute top of its class in terms of performance and consumption, equipped with electronic engine management that exploits the new full Ride-by-wire multimap throttle. The system guarantees an even more fine tuned and accurate throttle control, thereby allowing the engine to return a top shelf, smooth response, without being twitchy in opening and closing, that translates into top level riding pleasure in any conditions of use. This technology also allows the rider to choose one of three engine management maps: Turismo, Veloce and Pioggia.

 

The Moto Guzzi engine mounted in the California Touring is also Euro 4 approved: the transversal V-twin was designed from the start to comply with the future and increasingly strict harmful emissions reduction regulations. This way none of the Moto Guzzi V-twin’s proverbial performance has been lost. The current limit has been more than achieved thanks to the use of the secondary air system at the exhaust and the specific catalytic converter.

 

The dynamic performance of the vehicle is also kept under control by its traction control system (MGCT) which can be adjusted on three actuation levels in order to increase active safety without impacting performance and riding pleasure.

 

MG-MP (Moto Guzzi Multimedia Platform), available as optional equipment, is the innovative multimedia system which allows you to connect the bike to your smartphone and consequently to the web. With this application, downloadable free from App Store and Google Play, your smartphone (iPhone or Android) becomes an actual sophisticated on board multifunctional computer and the link between the vehicle and the Internet. The wireless connection allows you to simultaneously see important information about the vehicle on your smartphone screen so you will always have your trip parameters under control. The smartphone’s touch screen allows you to view five parameters of your choice at a time, selected from a vast menu and including the speedometer, rev counter, instant power, instant torque, instant and average fuel consumption, average speed and battery voltage, longitudinal acceleration and extended trip computer.  The “Eco Ride” feature helps to limit fuel consumption and to maintain eco-compatible riding conduct, providing a brief assessment of the results obtained during the trip.

 

You can also store your trip data and review it later on your computer or directly on the app so you can analyse your route along with the vehicle performance parameters. When the fuel reserve light comes on MG-MP indicates the location of the closest petrol stations; the system also helps you easily find the vehicle when you are parked in an unfamiliar area, automatically saving the position where it was last switched off.

 

MG-MP includes the “Grip Warning” function which replicates the indications on traction control operation for maximum visibility and provides information in real time on your riding performance with relation to the road surface conditions. A dedicated indicator light warns in the event of excessive use of available grip. Thanks to the synergistic use of gyroscopes and the information coming from the vehicle, the smartphone becomes a sophisticated instrument to measure the lean angle in turns thanks to specifically developed algorithms developed. The limit thresholds can be set both for lean angle as well as vehicle and engine speed. When these limits are exceeded the relative indicator lights will come on or the virtual dashboard will flash.