After returning home from a nice ride on my California Vintage, I was shocked to see oil dripping down the fins on the left cylinder.
I was lucky in a way because it apparently had just started only moments before. What could be causing oil to drop like this? Oil was dripping down fin by fin, and eventually landing on the left foot board and toe part of the heal-toe shift mechanism.
What do you do when your 66 year old disabled mother-in-law asks you to take her for a ride on your Moto Guzzi? You may be thinking that it’s not a big deal, but this is a woman that can’t walk without using a cane or walker. She has also undergone open heart surgery within the last decade and is disabled, but fortunately she is still determined to try new things.
For Christmas, she managed to make it through the airports from a very cold and snowy Syracuse, NY down to visit us in North Carolina. She warned me ahead of time that she was expecting me to take her out for her very first ever ride on the back of a motorcycle.
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The Moto Guzzi California Vintage, when first introduced in the US market, was not easy to find then, and they are still not exactly easy to find today. Moto Guzzi dealers are not all that common here you know. Fortunately, I live within 20 miles of a dealer that I visited occasionally over the last 10 years as I continued to dream about having another motorcycle. I didn’t want just any motorcycle. I wanted something unique. Something that could last a lifetime and still be special. I studied motorcycle magazines and read reviews for all sorts of bikes, but only a few got me interested. I visited every motorcycle shop that I could find, but nothing really struck me as the one I had to have until I met the Moto Guzzi California Vintage.
One of the early versions of the modern era California Guzzi motorcycles was the 1999 model named the V11 Bassa. The Bassa was a step up from the V11 Jackal, and had a retail price of $11,290 in the US market. That was still a bit pricey for motorcycles in the US in 1999; however, the California Guzzi has pretty much always been a higher-end motorcycle. Actually, the 1999 Bassa was priced $100 less than Guzzi’s 75th anniversary edition of the 1996 California 1100i.
So, what’s it like to ride a Moto Guzzi Bassa? Check out this video for the thrill and sound of a Bassa handling the twists and turns of a mountain road.
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The movie star, Ewan McGregor, has announced he is auctioning his special white Moto Guzzi California Vintage motorcycle on eBay November 27, 2008 to raise money and awareness for UNICEF. The auction proceeds will go to UNICEF UK Children’s Emergency Fund.
Ewan McGregor is an active ambassador for UNICEF in the UK and a motorcycle enthusiast.
You can pre-register now for the auction to take place from November 27, 2008 on eBay, and have a chance at this very special white version of Ewan’s California Vintage, which he personally rode from the Moto Guzzi factory at Lake Como in Italy, home to London.
For those not familiar with Moto Guzzi California Vintage, the motorcycle normally is black. This special white version is certain to be a valuable motorcycle, and even more so in the future.
For more information, visit UNICEF.org.
This web site is dedicated to the California series of motorcycles manufactured by Moto Guzzi, the world famous Italian motorcycle manufacturer.
In the meantime, visit Motorcycle Information for all your motorcycle and scooter information. And also, take a look at the Moto Guzzi Guide for all things Moto Guzzi! If you are in the market for Moto Guzzi related books, apparel or other items, visit the Moto Guzzi for Sale site.
