Driving report Moto Guzzi California Special and Quota 1100 ES

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Driving report Moto Guzzi California Special and Quota 1100 ES

Magical power

Forza in movimento – there is power in movement: The Moto Guzzi eagle should gain flight altitude with new models from new production facilities.

As a breeding ground for the motorcycles with the eagle on the tank, the old Moto Guzzi plant in Mandello del Lario has had its day, and production is now running in modern production facilities that were found near Monza.
This – undoubtedly inevitable – break with tradition brings tears to every real Guzzi fan. The company management never tires of emphasizing that the heart and mind of the company will continue to be based on the shores of Lake Como, as it has always been.
This commitment to the roots of Guzzi history gains in persuasiveness in view of two motorcycles that will be available at German dealerships from August: The newly dressed California Special wants to be a matter of the heart with glamor, while the completely renewed Quota 1100 ES is more on the mind appeals. Both have in common the technical foundation of the imposing V2 engine, whose rustic charm has been inextricably linked with the name Moto Guzzi for more than 30 years.
Rustic charm is also the right keyword for the new quota. Regardless of various stylistic retouches – side cover, nose trim with elliptical headlights, paintwork in elegant metallic tones – the 1100 ES has remained what its forerunner of 1000 cubic meters has always been: a huge chunk of motorcycle with considerable deterrent potential. Anyone who dares the first ascent will find that the appearance of the quota is not deceptive. Only people with a guard can bring both feet safely to the ground when standing – which is definitely an advantage when handling 260 kilograms of live weight. The seat height – it’s hard to believe – has been reduced by 70 millimeters.
Once it rolls, it rolls very easily – this promising song strikes the quota with considerable persuasiveness. When changing direction, the machine does not want to be asked for long, slight steering impulses on the protruding handlebars are enough to get it on course without further ado and without arbitrariness. Deviating behavior is alien to the quota even in bends with undulating road surface, and the heavy metal car runs straight ahead anyway on a 160 centimeter wheelbase. The quota crowns your unproblematic driving behavior with a trio of (not integrally networked) Brembo stoppers, with which you can easily make the tires cry.
The 1100 ES shows light and shadow in terms of ergonomics and comfort. On the one hand, it offers a generous amount of space on a lush bench, on the other hand, its spring elements are too good to react to any unevenness. On the one hand, it delights the eyes and hands with clearly arranged instruments and perfect switch ensembles, on the other hand, it throws itself into the chest with a panel that makes a lot of fuss about little protection.
Pros and cons, also when it comes to the drive train. Here the culturally gifted injection engine, which reacts quickly, even if not with exuberant power, there a transmission that offers an oversupply of idle positions and, moreover, trumpets every shift to the world.
If the quota – true to its charisma – is a motorcycle with rough edges, the California Special presents itself visually as a well-rounded thing. Technically unchanged from the 1100 EV, it has given its outerwear a new shape. From the larger chrome headlights to smooth cylinder head covers and side covers to the sweeping rear section, the youngest Cali interprets the »cruiser« theme unobtrusively but accurately.
Changed ergonomic conditions on board – as far as driving the “Special” is concerned – make the biggest difference to the “normal” California. The hands find a wider, more cranked handlebar, the very best rests with a slightly lowered seat in a tightly padded, saddle-shaped hollow, the feet rest on thickly rubberized footrests positioned relatively far back. This results in a seating position that pays homage to the relaxation therapy typical of cruisers, but which does not spoil the fun of a courageous driving style.
This is a good thing because the California Special allows you to enjoy driving pleasure without regrets. Thanks to a properly sprung and well damped chassis, which also adheres to the basic rules of motorcycle construction in terms of wheelbase, steering geometry and tires, the Cali can be driven relaxed and precisely through the area. And that’s pretty quick: 73 horsepower hanging cleanly on the gas has relatively easy play with five hundred pounds of dry weight. In return, the proven integral braking system is always in control of the situation. With a double pack of four-piston calipers in the front wheel and a foot brake lever, which can now be reached without a tap dance, you can conjure up first-class deceleration rates on the asphalt.
A.On the subject of magic: 22. 500 marks will cost the “Special”, 18. 900 marks the quota – with this Moto Guzzi has accomplished the trick of stopping at the pricing with the regained desire for movement.

The future: new V2 engine – Moto Guzzi California Special and Quota 1100 ES

A successful surprise: You travel to Italy to collect your first impressions of driving two ostensibly new, but basically well-known motorcycles, and suddenly you get a brand-new engine that the world has never seen before – a V2 in the direction of travel lying crankshaft, so far everything as before. But small, very small even in comparison with the current design, which has been in office for more than 30 years. A closer look, supported by sparse official information on the inner workings of the new engine, reveals further characteristics. The two cylinders, each 500 cubic centimeters, with Nikasil-coated running surfaces, form an angle of 75 degrees. In terms of mass balancing, this is a step backwards compared to the traditional 90-degree layout, but it also ensures more compact dimensions. The crankshaft, which guides both connecting rods on a crank pin, has an extremely short-stroke design – behind the scenes there is talk of 61.5 millimeters, which corresponds to a bore of just under 102 millimeters. It rotates in a horizontally divided housing, the upper part of which integrates the cylinders. Via a spur gear set on the front of the engine, the crankshaft communicates with an intermediate shaft located between the cylinders, which drives the timing chains and the water pump (on the rear). The oil pump, which is also driven by a spur gear, is located below the crankshaft and acts as the central element of a dry sump lubrication system. A separate channel leads to the outside from each valve. The mixture is prepared by an intake manifold injection with two nozzles per cylinder. The power transmission marks a radical break with tradition. Since the new engine’s decidedly sporty ambition is not compatible with a secondary drive via cardan shaft, the gearbox housing (which is missing in the photos) houses a bevel gear reduction that diverts the power flow between the crankshaft and clutch by 90 degrees. The latter runs dry and has a lamellar design. The actual manual transmission with six gears is a cassette construction with transversely superposed transmission shafts. The chain sprocket is on the right-hand side (in the direction of travel). The new engine should complete its first test bench runs this summer. If the results are satisfactory, it is planned to use the V2 in superbike racing: as early as 1999 in individual national races, in 2000 in the world championship. Ambitious plans that require the construction of a serial athlete soon. It already exists – compact, fully clad, painted red. For the time being, unfortunately, only on paper.

Technical data: MOTO GUZZI Quota 1100 ES

Engine: Air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 90-degree V-engine, longitudinal crankshaft, a central chain-driven camshaft, two valves per cylinder, bumpers, rocker arms, wet sump lubrication, Marelli electronic intake manifold injection, digital engine management, no exhaust gas cleaning, electric starter, three-phase alternator 350 W, battery 12 V / 14 Ah, bore x stroke 92.0 x 80 mm, displacement 1064 cm³, compression ratio 9.5: 1, rated output 51 kW (69 PS) at 6400 rpm, max. Torque 85 Nm (8.7 kpm) at 3800 rpm Power transmission: primary drive via gear wheels, mechanically operated two-disc dry clutch, five-speed gearbox, cardan, secondary drive 8:33 Chassis: Double loop frame made of square steel profiles, screwed down beams, telescopic fork, standpipe diameter 42 mm, two-arm swing arm Steel profiles, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base, double disc brake at the front, double-piston calipers, Ø 296 mm, rear disc brake, single-piston caliper, Ø 260 mm, spoke wheels with aluminum rims 1.85 x 21; 2.75 x 17 tires 90/90 H 21; 130/80 H 17 R Chassis data: wheelbase 1610 mm, steering head angle 63.5 degrees, caster 105 mm, suspension travel f / h 170/180 mmDimensions and weightsL / W / H 2310/920/1340 mmWeight with a full tank 245 kg Permissible total weight xxx kg Payload xxx kg Reserve 20/4 litersGuarantee three years with unlimited mileageColors champagne / sun yellow, champagne / petrol blue, champagne byzantium brownPerformance variants 25 kW (34 PS), 37 kW (50 PS) Price including VAT 18,900 Mark VAT. and including additional costs

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