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|August 2016
Moto Guzzi is now officially in India. So Jared saddles up on its lightest and most powerful big block for his first ever ride on the Italian cruiser.
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My favourite country in the world is Italy. There’s just something about the Italian way of life that I love. They enjoy their food, they’re relaxed, and they express themselves very passionately – and, of course, the women are beautiful. It’s the little things in life that the Italians pay close attention to, and their ‘no nonsense’ approach to everything just fascinates me. The Moto Guzzi Audace, which I had with me for the weekend in Pune, clearly represents this brilliant Italian attitude. I must admit, though, that I’ve never really been a fan of Moto Guzzi. But now I realise that this was only because I was never given a chance to get up close and personal with these beautiful motorbikes.
American cruisers have dominated the global market, and it’s quite obvious that not many people in India are even aware that the Italians are also into big burly cruisers. Well, that’s all about to change now. Moto Guzzi is officially in India, and they have a nice selection of big cruisers for the Indian customer. The Audace is essentially a stripped down version of the Moto Guzzi California. After doing a bit of research I found out that the 1,400cc engine from the California is a brand new unit developed by the historic marque from Mandello del Lario, and has already gained quite a legendary reputation amongst auto journalists around the globe. The same engine is also found in the Audace, and with 96bhp and 121Nm of torque, its closest competitors in India are the new Triumph Thruxton and Thunderbird, and the Harley Davidson Fat boy and Night Rod Special. I’ve ridden all of these bikes before, and they’re highly impressive in their own right.
This story is from the August 2016 edition of autoX.
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