California Dreaming
Story: Mark Fattore
Photos: Ken Wootton
Moto Guzzi has made some major changes to the latest version of the California Special Sport it's a far superior product.
I was happily in the middle of that touring comfort zone. You know, the one where the motorcycle is purring along effortlessly beneath you, you're lost in thought about the chances of community co-ops succeeding in Botswana, and you're totally oblivious to the surroundings - until a stray fox decides to run in front of you on a fog-laden road and threatens your very survival.
I'm not entirely clear on the fox's motives for the highway ambush, but either it was pleading for a ride on the new 2001 Moto Guzzi California Special I was riding, or urging me to pull the plug on my late-evening journey to the dairy farming in-laws near Echuca (Vic).
Needless to say, the fox thought better of trying to cross the path of the lumbering Guzzi, and performed the best U-turn since John Howard's back flip on fuel taxes. Otherwise, it may have been nasty, but then again so was the trip to the in-laws... I don't want a repeat of those shenanigans for a long while, but I could certainly stomach another waltz on the 90-degree, air-cooled California Special Sport, which is the first Moto Guzzi to leave the Mandello factory since Aprilia bought out its ailing Italian counterpart in the second half of 1999.
In a sign that Aprilia management means business, the differences between the 'new' Special Sport and the 'old' one (apart from the obvious paint and graphic changes) are quite wide-ranging - although the genes that have made this model such a success for Moto Guzzi haven't been abandoned. And, more importantly, the specific bones of contention on the superseded Special have been addressed, such as rusting on the header pipe flanges and a so-so gearbox.
The former has been achieved with the addition of smooth-edge flanges to replace the outdated finned numbers, and the latter via reduced loads and travel. But there's one gripe I want to get out of the way early - the petrol cap is still very sticky to get off and on.
Power Phenomenon
Probably the thing that stands out most for me on the new model vis-a-vis the long-termer that's been in the AMCN lair since January (and saying goodbye; see accompanying panel) is the greater urge it possesses throughout the entire rev range.
Although Guzzi still claims the same performance figures (73ps at 6400rpm and 9.6kg-m at 5000rpm) on the 2001 incarnation, it definitely feels much stronger closer in performance to the bare-bones (and lighter) Jackal Stone, which also houses the same 1064cc donk.
I can't really explain the phenomenon: Guzzi has made some changes to the fuel-injection settings, or it may be that the long-termer is just feeling the ravages of time and kilometres. Certainly nothing to split hairs over, if we're talking about going in the opposite direction then some hard questions would have to be asked.
The new $18,999 Sport is a lot cleaner at low rpm than the old model, which tended to skip a beat on a regular basis, especially from a standing start. Another tick for the fuel injection.
Economy-wise, the's not as much to enthuse over, as mileage on the open road at 110kmh was a fairly average 14.9km/lt - up to 3.1km/lt worse off than figures we've got from the long-termer.
That equates to around 280km out of the 19lt tank. Aesthetically, the engine is now finished in matt black - if standout factor was a part of the 2001 design brief, then it's been a success.
As mentioned, the wide-ratio five-speed gearbox - still with the heel and toe shifting mechanism is now more velvet-like in 2001 form; it's less notchy, false neutrals are a thing of the past and it's got a lighter feel.
Business as usual
On the chassis and braking front, it's business as usual on the new Special; not the type of business that'll make you feel like a millionaire, but for a cruiser it's still commendable. The wide-set handlebars have been retained I'm yet to find a cruiser where the hands fall to the bars so effortlessly. A steering damper is still a part of the bike's decor, which continues to be a little out of place considering its normal habitat -
but then again I wear swimming goggles while I'm cutting onions in the kitchen. And I haven't cried in ages.
The linked Brembo brakes are also still around, with one 320mm front disc activated by the footlever in tandem with the rear disc.
When the long-termer first started its tenure, the severity and bias of the brakes took some getting used to, but on the new bike they didn't really enter my psyche. That's probably because most of my kilometres were churned out on the open road, where the shock factor of the brakes is negated.
Available in black and gold or black and red, the California Special Sport comes with new rear shocks, which are claimed to increase rider comfort. That's a difficult one to gauge, as most standard twin-shock set-ups tend to struggle when the bumps get too gnarly; probably a pillion is the best person to answer that question.
The Sport still comes with the same Metzeler rubber (ME55 front and ME33 rear), which performed admirably on the long-termer over a variety of terrain. Excessive wear on the rear tyre was the only criticism (it had to be replaced after 8000km), although it did have to cope with some heavy payloads.
As for the lights on the bike, they are crackers I reckon I would have nearly melted the fox on the highway if it had continued its ambush. The beam extends hundreds of metres up the road, so there's no chance of missing out on what's ahead.
I'm full of praise for this first Aprilia-era California Special Sport. The problems from the previous model have been addressed, it's got more zoom zoom zoom, it looks better - and it's still got the soul. The bike doesn't promise the world, but it delivers where it should - in no-fuss and comfortable cruising.
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