Cali inseam compatibility chart

[RJVB]

Hi,

I have often promised myself that one day I'd own that quintessential Guzzi, a California. The time is about right to consider one, despite an early sit-on test on a bike where my knees seemed to stick out above the tank and full lock of the handle bars was against those body parts. Didn't have that on a Vintage test-ride I did a year or 2 ago, but I did have the impression that with the geometries involved (bike and rider) and the foot boards I was more or less locked into a single position, without much leeway to shift around ... or hit the integral brakes rapidly and with dosage.

I'm about 1m89 (6'2) with around 34" inseam ... and a EU size 46+ (around 13 US I think). Any Cali riders on here that are comparably tall or taller, and at ease on their bike?

René

 

[brlawson]

I have the exact same dimensions as you and experience the same difficulty with my Titanium sans foot pegs. My legs would cramp a bit so I installed the aftermarket foot board from MGCycle. They are a bit easy to drag in the turns but they do pivot and I find it is not much of an issue. These boards make my upper leg more parallel to the road. A litlle bit taller seat would also help.

http://www.mgcycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=1087

 

[RJVB]

Interesting, thanks!

So footpegs would be another solution ... but they're not exactly straightforward to install on a Cali, right?

 

[GTM®]

René, many here in the States of your stature or larger (both height and weight) that have no issues with the California series. Pegs can be done, but not easily. Floorboards to pegs (as shown above) are easier. Which model are you thinking about?

 

[RJVB]

An EV would be nice: http://www.leboncoin.fr/motos/355343765.htm?ca=12_s . But that would be floorboards to pegs, no?

As I said, I didn't have any particular issues during the 30 min. ride on the Cali Vin, but that was both a short ride and not anywhere near representative of Parisian traffic. No hard, unexpected braking required. I like how I'm taller than most cars on the Norge, can't really assess how that would work out on a Cali.

 

[melj]

I'm 1m82cm / 32" and found the CalVin very uncomfortable, after an initial 20 or so minutes. The footboard / seat / bar relationship – as you suggested – locks you in to more or less one position. For me, I found myself leaning back slightly, and having to ‘pull’ my upper body forwards with my upper / inner thighs. This becomes very uncomfortable after a short period of time. The boards mean you can’t shift your feet (much); I found myself often hanging my feet off the edge of the boards to get some variation…on occasion I also used the pillion pegs. The rear brake pedal with the ‘stub’ is frankly a pain as well. I’d want that resolved somehow, but it seems the Advanced pedal is no longer available.

I had the seat raised by an inch or so which helped – slightly – but in the end the ergonomics just didn’t work. Combine that with the buffeting from the standard screen at around 70mph+ and the buffeting from the Rifle large screen that replaced it an 80mph+ (indicated – GPS says that was probably 10mph optimistic  ) and I eventually sold it on, concluding that Cali’s with footboards are no use for anyone over 5’10”, IMO. Two-up made it worse.

Having said that, if you travel solo all the time a seat with a backrest would probably help, and I would probably suggest a *smaller* screen like the little bikini fairings on some, or even just a flyscreen on the headlight, for helping with buffeting and making the bike more nimble feeling.

Having said all that, we did manage a couple of thousand miles of pleasant touring through France, Holland and Germany before selling…for me though, it was a case of being ‘just about acceptable’ rather than ‘enjoyable’ from a riding point of view. Better than a Harley though

 

[RJVB]

Just back from a test ride on the bike referenced above. Very nice, I must say. I had a couple of 'extra' neutrals, and the N light wasn't too reliable, but those are probably trivial things. She ran roughly towards the end of my 30min, but that's because I was riding on fumes :dry: Saw some oil on the left side of the centre stand though - where are the business ends of the evac/breather hoses on a California? Also, according to the owner the dash was only glued to silent-blocks, not bolted (it's currently held in place with a couple of zip-ties...). Is that normal on these machines (the lack of bolts, not the zip-ties :mrgreen: )

Is it possible that the current version of the engine (twinspark, as mounted on the Vintage) has a bit more power, or torque? This bike felt longer in the teeth than the Vintage I rode (2-up at that) and didn't seem particularly eager to accelerate past 90km/h in 5th.

Hard to say in 30min how I'd feel after a day in the saddle. A very comfortable one, probably a bit higher than the standard saddle as I felt like I had ample room to move my feet around on the boards. I felt right at home, at least as long as I didn't have to shift down or brake. The brake pedal remains an issue, it's like I have to lift my leg unnaturally high to get to it. I suppose there's a trick to putting your foot (heel) partly on the little stub when you see delicate braking is going to be necessary?

Last but not least: what about my existing luggage? I saw Bagster/Baglux make a tank protector onto which my Bagster Tech City bag should mount. But that's a bag designed to hold a laptop in the lower compartment. Would that be wise, given the form of the tank??
I have not found a Givi luggage rack to hold my Givi topcase. Is there a known way to adapt a Monokey topcase to a California? I'm not a big fan of topcases, but there are times I need the additional space and the one that comes with the bike is a bit small...

 

[melj]

The seat on the LBC bike seems to put the rider further forwards and slightly higher, with a bit of lower back support thrown in, which is good. Other than that it looks nice and clean. 6500 euro seems a bit steep though. Clocks should be bolted on I would imagine!

For mounting a Givi box on my CalVin, I used one of the givi universal mounting plates bolted onto the existing chrome rack.
http://www.hard-motorcycle-luggage.co.uk/acatalog/monokey_plates.html#aE250_20U
It worked quite well and I was able to get it into a position that was comfortable for the pillion. It was pretty far back when set like that, but didn't seem to be a problem. However, having a large topbox on the CalVin meant that the long hinged lids for the panniers wouldn't open properly without taking off the topbox. Worth bearing in mind.

For tankbags, I can only say I dislike tankbags immensely...and with the curvy Cali tank, I would think putting something flat in one- like a laptop - would not be ideal. Plus my fuelcap had a tendency to leak...eventually fixed under warranty (along with the clocks, the throttle, the pillion pegs, the steering damper, the pinched gearbox breather, the headlight, the mirrors, the panniers...).

I would say the bikini fairing on that EV is the type to have over the CalVin blade, as well.

Power-wise, my CalVin was pretty gutless in 5th. You could easily live with only 4 gears on it Some long inclines 2 up on autoroutes, mine would not hold an indicated 80 - 90mph, I had to be in 4th. To be honest I found the CalVin slightly lacking in power...others say they get better with age. i sold mine well before it made 10k.

 

[RJVB]

6500 euro seems a bit steep though.

Yeah, there's a bit of margin for negotiation there! Esp. since I "only" have to add about 2000€ to get a rather nice Norge (600km away though). And I know that my head would chose a Norge. Apart from having my knees a bit too close to the cylinders (not at all an issue on the Cali, but I guess that would put the N at an advantage in winter!) it's considerably more practical and economic (about 1l/100km less fuel consumption).

I came across the Givi mounting plate myself, but thanks! (And no, I won't consider a Vintage or other model with fixed panniers!)

For tankbags, I can only say I dislike tankbags immensely...

Interesting. I don't know about the huge towering bags one sees on some bikes; I only used the Tech City and its predecessor (Citadine). To me it's really the optimal way to transport a laptop and other delicate (or valuable) stuff, safe from vibrations and most kind of shocks. Easy to put on, easy to take off, doubles as back-pack, one can run a GPS cable underneath to the socket under the saddle, have toll money/parking remote/whatever handy, it adds a bit of wind protection ... and my laptop survived 3 crashes which might not have been the case in any other luggage facility.

Some long inclines 2 up on autoroutes, mine would not hold an indicated 80 - 90mph, I had to be in 4th. To be honest I found the CalVin slightly lacking in power

Well, it's certainly the least powerful big-block Guzzi, and also the heaviest. But many small cars make comparable or less power, and still manage highway speeds despite being about 3x the weight. What kind of fuel were you tanking?

It's certain that I need a bike that's also at ease at highway speeds (120-130 km/h); I do considerable long distance riding and thus cannot really escape the flat tops. (Fortunately the ones I take have nice enough scenery and the traffic they contain keeps them from becoming monotonous :mrgreen: )

 

[melj]

I guess tankbags are a personal thing. For me, I just don't like the way they interrupt my 'normal' relationship or perception of the bike, IYSWIM. Plus there's the access-for-fuelling issue. I agree though that they would be handy should you need stuff easily to hand for paying tolls and such like - don't have many of those in Scotland, so not such an issue! These days I find a topbox to be the best solution for carting 'stuff' in conjunction with the multiple pockets in my 'stich for wallet / keys / coins.

For reference, I was using standard 95 ron in the CalVin (as I do for every bike I run).

I personally think Cali's are nice, but they are crude compared to modern bikes - like the Norge. For me, i'd have another Cali, but only if I could find a nice one for at or below £3000. These days, an extra 1k or so buys a 1200 sport, Norge, Bellagio, Griso...


Good luck with your decision either way!

 

[RJVB]

I have yet to see an acceptable Norge under 7000€, except this one. And I'd probably go for a 2008 model or younger, to be on the safe side with the oil sender/pump issue. I never had any problems with that on my own 2006/7 Norge, it'd prefer to keep it that way. (In fact, it'd be nice not to have any issues at all for more than 2y, for a change!)

 

[Trout]

For what it is worth: I'm 5'8" with a 30" inseam so I don't fit your size criteria. I have a 2011 Cali Black Eagle & now have over 4000 miles on it. Labor day weekend I racked up over 1000 miles in two days and that trip sold me totally on this bike.

If you want a Cali & don't have to own new you may want to consider an older model with the pegs instead of the floor boards. There are quite a few out there with low mileage at a decent price and if you find you're not happy with it turn it over for something else or if you decide to drop a few bucks on it for mod's to fit your style it won't hurt so bad. You may even get lucky and get the one that the previous owner spent all the money on getting right and then decided to trade off.

I'll say this: Guzzi's are a strange bike to begin with, I've been riding them for over 40 years and this crop of Cali's is stranger yet. At times I want a set of clip ons, a cafe seat, set back controls and loud pipes because let's face it these are built on the same frame that revolutionized racing bikes in the 70's. The wide bars & floor boards throws a mental curve at expected handling so don't expect it to handle like a cruiser because it doesn't! Don't plan to use 5th gear until you are on an interstate and can cruise at 80 mph & it will cruise at 80 all day with no complaint, she's only turning 3000 RPM. Coming up behind 18 wheelers and hitting the turbulence the bike was stable; passing was no problem just roll the throttle & 100 mph came up quick.

If you buy new you will have bugs and will have to work them out. I have a Power Commander V w/Auto Tune & a reflashed ECU coming from Todd to clean up the performance, an expense I had not planned on. Bolt on accessories do not exist so we're back to the days of yesteryear where we fabricated our own, I actually like that.

Even with my smaller frame I find that on long rides I begin to feel locked in as so many have complained about. My solution is take a deep breath, relax and enjoy the ride. I'm not sure why but I seem to tense and lean forward and that's when I feel locked in, it's almost like I'm trying to reach for those clip-ons. I may switch to a set of bars that are more straight and forward and see how that works. I will sometimes slide my feet back on the boards and put my heels on the passenger pegs with toes resting on the boards or put my feet up on the passenger pegs, there again the bike feels more natural that way and I really do believe it is the racing heritage that creates the desire to do it. I installed a small Maier Brand windscreen that does well even at higher speeds.

I think it is a love it or hate it thing with Guzzi's in general, people get it or they don't. They are your wife, your mistress and your best friend all rolled together. We all have our faults so it comes down to what you are willing to live with and accept out of another being.

Trout

 

[Turkey Creek Dave]

Greetings

I have a 2000 Bassa with the footpegs. I'm 6'1" and have a 30 inch inseam (think orangutang). I find that ergonomically the riding posistion is about perfect for me. I did raise the bars and bring them back about two inches. When stopped I can easily place my feet flat on the ground.
I do have a set of highway pegs installed but seldom use them and usually just leave them folded up out of the way, especially around town.
I have found the Bassa to be geared very tall and seldom ever get out of third gear in urban traffic and only use fifth out on the interstate hwy.(speed limit 75 mph). The engine pulls hard all through the rpm range and it's very easy to find yourself exceeding the posted limits if not careful.
All in all I like the Bassa and find it a joy to ride. I think it, like most bikes can be fitted to each owners spec's., just takes a little time to ascertain what you want. Ride safe and enjoy whatever you decide to ride.

Singolare Guzzi