I rode my 2014 Ca 1400 Touring 130 miles to Todd's shop in Orange last Thursday to have him install his long version stainless exhaust system and also the fueling modifications. I was hoping that this would take care of a few gripes I had about my bike. First was the exhaust sound or lack thereof. In stock form I think the 1400 sounds more like a Japanese compact car than a motorcycle. To make matters worse the exhaust shields always tend to make a tinny vibrating noise even when they are fully tight. Very annoying! I also was bothered by what seemed like a one or two second lag on the throttle which was especially noticeable when shifting. I couldn't help but notice that Todd is elevated practically to God status on this board so I decided to give a couple of his modifications a try.
He made a good first impression. His shop is ALL about Guzzi. No other bikes, all Guzzi. I like that because I like dealing with specialists and this guy has been around and clearly knows these bikes, and secondly Todd is a really nice guy who treats you more like a guest than a customer. I like that too. I knew my bike was in good hands and I expected good results. I didn't expect him to throw in a couple modifications for free tho but he did. He not only fixed the "moaning whale" he also made a couple of modifications to the air box to make it breath better.
I knew it would be a fun ride home even tho it was all crowded southern Ca highway.
The sound was music to my ears. I can only describe it as a throaty rumble but quick revving like a sports bike. The second thing I noticed was that the engine was running cooler. Much less heat on the legs even tho it was 88 degrees, 15 degrees warmer that when I rode down. Other that that the ride home was a little anti-climatic. I knew I had to get it out on the open road to really give it a test.
So that's what I did the last two mornings. This morning especially the bike revealed itself to me. I headed up a curvy mountain highway behind my home. The bike felt so light. Well yeah, this pipe is thirty pounds lighter and it's noticeable! I can't get over the difference in throttle response and power. I couldn't stop revving this thing. The sound of this bike at 85 or 90 miles an hour is glorious. Todd's dyno results showed about a 20 HP increase with these modifications. Sounds about right.
My Guzzi had been sitting a lot since I got a new Ducati Xdiavel in February. Now all I can think about is getting back on the Guzzi. Im realizing now how lucky I am to have this shop within riding distance and how lucky we all are to have this guy, this Moto Guzzi Wizard available to us on this forum.