Touringman
Cruisin' Guzzisti
I have to admit, I was concerned when I dropped the 20+ large for my Cali 1400 Touring. See, I'm not really a cruiser guy; despite the fact that I have owned two HD's over the years. What my head likes is power. Yessss, that mystical mix of horse power, torque, chassis dynamics and gearing that can at the same time, thrill, and scare the ever loving crap out of you. I'm an addict and I love every minute of it.
But... I'm not getting any younger, and neither is the Pillion Princess. We have been together almost 37 years and while she was NOT happy when I brought the first bike home years ago, now she gets pissed if I go riding without her. Sadly, age had turned the tours on the GSF 1250s painful for both of us, but especially, for the Pillion Princess. Folded up on the back, was no longer her happy place.
A change was needed. So with all the requisite research, test rides, lurking on Guzzi forums etc. We walked into RPM cycle in Dallas and took a black Cali 1400T home.
I liked the Cali, I didn't love it initially, but I did like it. Decent power, comfortable ergonomics, nice predictable handling, (despite the evil OEM Dunlops), and certainly no more engine heat than your average Hardley Rideable. But something was missing...at least it seemed so to me.
Even in Veloche mode the bike felt like it was struggling and seemed...perhaps...sluggish and just not "right".
I then stumbled onto GuzziTech. Which is where I first realized that the 16:1 light throttle air/fuel ratio was where the real issue with the bike lay. No wonder it felt "wrong".
So with the upcoming 6000 mile service near due, I contacted Todd and ordered his engine magic package with the full reflash of the ECU, the Dynojet PC-v, and the dual o2 sensor AT300 system all working together as one.
After installing the package and putting several hundred miles on the bike here are my thoughts on this amazing piece of engineering.
INSTALLATION- It looks like, once I opened the box, a spaghetti nightmare...wires everywhere! In reality, once everything is laid out in some sort of order it is not that bad at all. Anyone with some moderate mechanical skills can do this. I took a long afternoon to get all set in place, and then tidied it all up the next morning. This while downing several Rahr and Son's, Iron Thistle Scottish Ales.
STARTUP- Very much like stock. Except that the engine settles into a somewhat smoother and slightly faster idle, perhaps 1350-1400 rpm cold. If I hadn't been intentionally paying attention, I might never have noticed the difference. It is that subtle. As the engine warms the idle does drop back some...I still say the engine idles smoother regardless of the rpm.
PULLING AWAY- Niiice! The snatchiness and abrupt on/off throttle are gone. Smooth power take up from a walking speed on up. I'm no longer concerned about dropping the bike, because the power hic-ups are long gone.
UP THROUGH THE GEARS- Again, much like bone stock, except now the RPM doesn't fall like a stone when the clutch is pulled in, it seems to fall more slowly. This allows the next gear to pickup where the other left off...not 3-500 rpm below like stock. OK, it's not exactly like that but it is smoother and at the same time a more urgent shift. Down shifting is also a pleasure, matching gears is much more intuitive, and less of a chore.
ENGINE HEAT- Ummmm. This is still an air/oil cooled 1.4 liter twin...it still produces heat commensurate with it's size. That said, I ride in Texas mostly and the air temp on my way home today was 94* F. I may have a better idea of the actual engine heat output once it cools off here later in the year. Note: the proper 13.7:1 air/fuel ratio WILL cool the combustion chamber temperatures somewhat, and that will prevent nasty engine damage over time. And the Cali 1400 still produces no more heat than a HD.
SUM OF THE PARTS- First I want to thank Todd for taking the time to get this modification right. His dedication, sleepless nights, and refusal to compromise have made the Cali 1400 what the factory wanted, but the politicians wouldn't allow.
The bike now does nearly everything better than it did. It is faster, runs smoother, shifts smoother, pulls harder and is happier all over the RPM range than in stock form. Especially from 3000 rpm up. Modulation of the throttle through sweeping corners is magical. The change is simply amazing. And to top it off, the whole setup is completely forgettable. That is, it works so smoothly and subtly, you completely forget it's there.
I tend to ride in Veloche, two up most all the time. I did add the opened air box lid and the BMG filter. I am still running the stock muffs, at least for now. I can't imagine how good this will be once I get the exhaust opened up...I love my Cali now!!
Now...about that suspension...
But... I'm not getting any younger, and neither is the Pillion Princess. We have been together almost 37 years and while she was NOT happy when I brought the first bike home years ago, now she gets pissed if I go riding without her. Sadly, age had turned the tours on the GSF 1250s painful for both of us, but especially, for the Pillion Princess. Folded up on the back, was no longer her happy place.
A change was needed. So with all the requisite research, test rides, lurking on Guzzi forums etc. We walked into RPM cycle in Dallas and took a black Cali 1400T home.
I liked the Cali, I didn't love it initially, but I did like it. Decent power, comfortable ergonomics, nice predictable handling, (despite the evil OEM Dunlops), and certainly no more engine heat than your average Hardley Rideable. But something was missing...at least it seemed so to me.
Even in Veloche mode the bike felt like it was struggling and seemed...perhaps...sluggish and just not "right".
I then stumbled onto GuzziTech. Which is where I first realized that the 16:1 light throttle air/fuel ratio was where the real issue with the bike lay. No wonder it felt "wrong".
So with the upcoming 6000 mile service near due, I contacted Todd and ordered his engine magic package with the full reflash of the ECU, the Dynojet PC-v, and the dual o2 sensor AT300 system all working together as one.
After installing the package and putting several hundred miles on the bike here are my thoughts on this amazing piece of engineering.
INSTALLATION- It looks like, once I opened the box, a spaghetti nightmare...wires everywhere! In reality, once everything is laid out in some sort of order it is not that bad at all. Anyone with some moderate mechanical skills can do this. I took a long afternoon to get all set in place, and then tidied it all up the next morning. This while downing several Rahr and Son's, Iron Thistle Scottish Ales.
STARTUP- Very much like stock. Except that the engine settles into a somewhat smoother and slightly faster idle, perhaps 1350-1400 rpm cold. If I hadn't been intentionally paying attention, I might never have noticed the difference. It is that subtle. As the engine warms the idle does drop back some...I still say the engine idles smoother regardless of the rpm.
PULLING AWAY- Niiice! The snatchiness and abrupt on/off throttle are gone. Smooth power take up from a walking speed on up. I'm no longer concerned about dropping the bike, because the power hic-ups are long gone.
UP THROUGH THE GEARS- Again, much like bone stock, except now the RPM doesn't fall like a stone when the clutch is pulled in, it seems to fall more slowly. This allows the next gear to pickup where the other left off...not 3-500 rpm below like stock. OK, it's not exactly like that but it is smoother and at the same time a more urgent shift. Down shifting is also a pleasure, matching gears is much more intuitive, and less of a chore.
ENGINE HEAT- Ummmm. This is still an air/oil cooled 1.4 liter twin...it still produces heat commensurate with it's size. That said, I ride in Texas mostly and the air temp on my way home today was 94* F. I may have a better idea of the actual engine heat output once it cools off here later in the year. Note: the proper 13.7:1 air/fuel ratio WILL cool the combustion chamber temperatures somewhat, and that will prevent nasty engine damage over time. And the Cali 1400 still produces no more heat than a HD.
SUM OF THE PARTS- First I want to thank Todd for taking the time to get this modification right. His dedication, sleepless nights, and refusal to compromise have made the Cali 1400 what the factory wanted, but the politicians wouldn't allow.
The bike now does nearly everything better than it did. It is faster, runs smoother, shifts smoother, pulls harder and is happier all over the RPM range than in stock form. Especially from 3000 rpm up. Modulation of the throttle through sweeping corners is magical. The change is simply amazing. And to top it off, the whole setup is completely forgettable. That is, it works so smoothly and subtly, you completely forget it's there.
I tend to ride in Veloche, two up most all the time. I did add the opened air box lid and the BMG filter. I am still running the stock muffs, at least for now. I can't imagine how good this will be once I get the exhaust opened up...I love my Cali now!!
Now...about that suspension...
