Guzzi Cali 1400 as tug

We have not done one yet, We have mounts for most other Guzzi's and are life members of the Guzzi club both my wife and my general manager own Guzzi's, I have looked at these bikes when they first started showing up at the club breakfasts, I see no problem mounting a sidecar to one and once we have the first one in our shop we will tool up to reproduce the mounts. If you do not have the bike yet, Moto International is our local dealer and will deliver bikes to us to install sidecar on. So if you were to buy a bike from Moto International http://www.motointernational.com/ we could install the sidecar on it and then you could either come pick it up or we can ship it to you. We usually can ship a bike with a sidecar for not much more money then shipping a crated sidecar. If you do pick up a completed rig from us and have not ridden sidecar before we will be happy to deliver the bike to one of the local sidecar training classes for you to be able to take a class on your own bike.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

Hello Hackal1,
I also am a life member of MGNOC Moto Guzzi National Owners Club. I would not consider the Guzzi Cali 1400 outfit. Why? Parts and dealer network. You will spend a lot of money to set up any bike up right, why not do it to a bike you can get parts and service. I can’t tell you how many times I was out on the road and needed a small everyday parts like speedo cable or an oil /air filter only to have the Guzzi dealer say I have to order it. Nothing is more frustrating to be hundreds or thousands miles from home and your stuck!

Frank Wedge the head of MGNOC had to wait a month or so for Moto Guzzi of America just to decide about if they where going to fixing his transmission on his NEW California 1400. They did finely decide to do the right thing and fix it in the end. But are you willing to wait weeks to months for it?

We have never had any problem at all getting parts for our Guzzi's however they are old, my wives bike is a 1974, my general managers is a 1976. One thing I do like about the Guzzi's is that you can get parts for them when they are old. No idea how the newer bikes are working out. It would be worth hearing from a few more owners on the newer Guzzi's
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793

Jay--thanks for the info. I'm just beginning to think about this. What I may do if I decide to take this route is buy a Cali1400, ride it solo for a few years, then have a sidecar rigged to it.

I've put well over 100K on two Guzzis (a Bassa and a Jackal, which is rigged to a hack), and have had four others so I have some experience with the marque. I would guess that parts availability is probably worse for a newer model like the 1400 than the older ones.

Bugs--just out of curiosity, what would you recommend for a tug? I've thought about a Harley, but there are quite a few reports of problems with the twin cams (google it). A friend has a Goldwing, and he said that they have had lots and lots of recalls. I also wouldn't want to get something with a chain.

Rich

Another lager bike that we have had good luck with is the Triumph Rocket 3. Of course if 2300cc is not enough, there is a turbo kit for it.
It would be best to go with a bike that triple tree's are made for as well as of course mounts, most Harleys there are tree's and mounts (if you do not want a chain, sure you want rubber band power?) The Rocket 3 and the Rocket 3 tourer we have tree's for both. Of course we have tree's for the Guzzi's you now own (My wife also has an EV) but have nothing as of yet for the new 1400.
Lots of good bikes out there, not many bikes now a days that are not well built.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

jaydmc - 10/28/2014 6:17 PM

Another larger bike that we have had good luck with is the Triumph Rocket 3.

2300 cc is almost as much displacement as my Subie and imho the Rocket3 will not win any beauty contests. I have heard that the radiator on the Rocket is useful as a projection screen at rallys.
I might go ahead and get a C14, ride it solo for a while and hope you make a set of 3-trees for use as a hack somewhere down the road. I think it would make an excellent tug if the frame has good attachment points.

Rich

Hackal1, just so you know I currently own fifteen Guzzis from 1948 up to 2003. I’ve ridden my 1999 EV11 to Alaska and back twice, completed SCMA USA Four Corners two times on it and one Three Flags Classic and also once on my 2003 LeMans. My total miles on Guzzis are around 385,000. Most of my old 500cc singles don’t even have speedos, so who knows exactly. I love the old marque but wouldn’t own a new one. My old Guzzis had steel fenders, then they went to polished stainless steel, then back to steel. Now the new Cali 1400 have plastic fenders. How cheap can you make them now Piaggio?

What would I use as a tug now? Well there are a lot of good bikes out there. Jay can certainly help you out in that department. Myself, if I was looking for classic look a H-D Road King with a Liberty sidecar would be sooo-sweet. My dream ride would be a Ducati Diavel with some kind of sidecar like an EZS or EML center hub-steering set-up.

I currently ride
2008 BMW K1200S EML Speed 2000 with center-hub steering
1997 MZ Silverstar Gespann
1985 BMW K100 EML

Not that German bikes are my first choice, it just seemed to work out that way. I would rather buy a good one already set-up. Let someone else take the hit on the cost. Yes I’m a cheap date. I’m the first to admit it.

Just my $.02

I wouldn't dismiss a bike just because it had plastic fenders. Having owned a Multistrada, I wouldn't want to pay for the maintenance on a Diavel and I also wouldn't want to mess with a chain. I've never owned a BMW, but I'd be concerned about the cost of parts and maintenance on one of those. Harley maybe, but I'd prefer a Cali-1400 tho' I wouldn't want to be the first to try.

"2300 cc is almost as much displacement as my Subie and imho the Rocket3 will not win any beauty contests."

I like the looks of this one.

Sidebike: Yes, that outfit is nice, but the owner must have spent a small fortune to put it together. I was thinking of the cruiserish ones like this--which doesn't do much for me--tho' of course it's all subjective.

RA

The new Indian's may work out great, we have a 2014 Vintage in the shop right now that we are making the triple tree's for as well as a new model of sidecar we are calling the Tomahawk. The Tomahawk will look very much like a 1940's Indian princes sidecar however be scaled up a bit as the new bikes are larger then the old and we want it to look right. It will also have a door in the side making it easy to get in and out of. The windshield and the first 6 inches or so of the body will tip forward to ease entry and the trunk will open from the out side seal and lock. Latter this week we will have the fender finished which we are also offering as an option on our M72C, M72CX and Expedition sidecars. We purchased a front fender from Indian filled in the sides and adapted an LED tail light as the Indian tail light does not lend its self to use with out turn signals on both sides. The first Tomahawks are due to start shipping in February 2015
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

The Indian Vintage/Tomahawk sure sounds like a beautiful outfit, but it'd have to be around $30k or maybe more out the door?

jaydmc - 10/29/2014 10:27 AM

The first Tomahawks are due to start shipping in February 2015
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

Jay, please post pictures when this is complete. I'm in love with the new Indian Chief.
Tom