MOTO-GUZZI AUDACE (2015 - on) Review

Guzzi has taken its California and given it the mean and moody treatment to come up with the new Audace. The new bike has a sporty stance and wide bars, while the footboards have been replaced by proper footpegs. It handles better too. The Audace feels lighter, the handling is sportier as there is less lift and squat from the shaftdrive under acceleration and deceleration. The sporty stance puts you forward in the chassis and there’s more ground clearance than you’d expect.

Guzzi produce excellent cruisers, the classic California and the new Eldorado are fine examples. They are classy, sophisticated, smooth and comfortable. Guzzi cruisers are not built for outright speed or performance but they exude confidence and quality, built up over decades of evolution and trust, with racing success deep in the company’s DNA. But somehow the Audace doesn’t quite come off.

Guzzi claims the Audace is mean with a dark side. Truth is, it’s not mean enough. Yes it’s a little sportier than the Eldorado and has some nice touches but I don’t think many will choose one over a California or a new Eldorado – not for such a small saving (£1500 and £500 respectively).

The twin shock now has more adjustment, there’s 3mm more ground clearance and the wheels have changed in size as well as design. The Audace has an 18in front and 16in rear rather than 16-inchers all round, while a meaty 200-section rear replaces the standard 180. The exhaust has been chopped too, not just to give a more aggressive stance but also add a little noise. Overall the Audace weighs 15kg less than the Eldorado and it’s £500 cheaper.  

It may appear to be a hard-nosed cruiser, whereas in fact it’s a little soft. It wants to be mean, but can’t quite pull it off. The big air-cooled V-twin is a little too lazy and soft to be considered angry. Yes the exhaust barks, but it’s more Jack Russell than Rottweiler. The huge air-cooled V-twin is identical to that of the California 1400 and Eldorado versions, but thanks to different fuelling power, behaves in a slightly different way, with torque being a fraction higher at 3000rpm.

It's a modern Moto Guzzi, which means build quality to please parent company Piaggio, so problems should be very few and far between. 

At £15,135, the Audace is neither cheap, nor expensive against a landscape of similar large-capacity cruisers. The biggest benefit of owning one is that you're unlikely to pass another on the road - and that individuality can be very attractive. 

In common with the Eldorado you get rider modes, three-stage traction control and ABS Brembos. Again scratch deep enough and you’ll find the same California underneath.  But in all honesty engine-wise they feel identical. The big difference between the bikes is feeling, ergonomics and image.