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California 1400 Reliabilty Opinions?

I too have many concerns about the California,[which is the reason I came on board here BEFORE investing in one] the biggest concern being about the bucking I got out of several different California's I road tested and the stealers telling me that "THEY ALL DO IT" !! One of the gentlemen on here was gracious enough to call me [and again,I thank you for the call sir] to assure me that they all don't run like that and the stealer I was dealing with didn't know what he was talking about nor did he care about correcting that condition.But now,the more I read,the more negative things I'm reading about these machines.It almost seems that the negatives are out weighing the positives,which unfortunately,is turning me away from the California.But I will continue reading and keep an open mind as I go.So please carry on gentlemen as I am learning,and thank you for putting up with a dummy like me!! Dave!!!

Count the number of *posters* (not their message counts), and then look at the number of members here. You will have a much better idea of how many happy owners there are here. I'm one (2014 Cali 1400 Custom), but I've also had a big block Guzzi for well over a decade of one model or another... ;-)

Jim
 
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Dave, My dealer is mainly a Harley dealer and doesn't seem to know much about the other brands they sell. I was complaining early on about engine response and they found the throttle bodies weren't in sync. They billed me for the adjustment which I though was odd as it was still under warranty. They think the goofy throttle response from off stop is normal. What's OBDII? I'm new to motorcycle jargon.
He Little Don. I just stumbled across your post. I traded my 2012 Triumph America for my California Custom. I didn't own the Triumph for very long, only about 1200 miles. I loved it but it was my first bike and wanted to trade up. They were flawless miles and the throttle was always smooth and pleasant to rev. There's definitely something abnormal with the throttle response you are experiencing. Just thought I would give you some perspective.
 
He Little Don. I just stumbled across your post. I traded my 2012 Triumph America for my California Custom. I didn't own the Triumph for very long, only about 1200 miles. I loved it but it was my first bike and wanted to trade up. They were flawless miles and the throttle was always smooth and pleasant to rev. There's definitely something abnormal with the throttle response you are experiencing. Just thought I would give you some perspective.

Many thanks Joe!
 
I have 30,000 miles on my 2013 Guzzi Cal 1400 touring. Bought new. Both mufflers broke, front rotors warped, rear brake fluid reservoir broke and leaked, oil drain plug stripped, transmission drain plug stripped, gas boils in the gas tank when its hot outside, and rear differential fluid was black as coal when I replaced it way before recommended period, and it gets crappy gas mileage. But . . . . this motorcycle is unique, nice looking, fast, and a huge pleasure to ride!!!!!! Tires are expensive too. Most everything was covered under warranty if not I fixed it myself (like the stripped scews). My previous Guzzi was a Norge. It was . . . just ok. I wish some company would come out with a 7 speed tranny. I'm not a Guzzi fan. I'm a whatever it takes to please me fan.
 
I have 30,000 miles on my 2013 Guzzi Cal 1400 touring. Bought new. Both mufflers broke, front rotors warped, rear brake fluid reservoir broke and leaked, oil drain plug stripped, transmission drain plug stripped, gas boils in the gas tank when its hot outside, and rear differential fluid was black as coal when I replaced it way before recommended period, and it gets crappy gas mileage. But . . . . this motorcycle is unique, nice looking, fast, and a huge pleasure to ride!!!!!! Tires are expensive too. Most everything was covered under warranty if not I fixed it myself (like the stripped scews). My previous Guzzi was a Norge. It was . . . just ok. I wish some company would come out with a 7 speed tranny. I'm not a Guzzi fan. I'm a whatever it takes to please me fan.

All those things Immandel spoke of...my 2014 Cali Touring has not done any of those. In fact the only thing done under warranty in the two and a half years of ownership was a leaky rear bevel gear housing. I do my own maintenance and absolutely LOVE riding it. I will admit, it is more finicky than a Japanese bike; but the Guzzi has a soul. It is NOT an Italian Harley; you will not see your Guzzi on every corner. And after returning from 1150 mile in four days Ozarks tour earlier today; I cannot imagine trading it for anything else. LOVE this bike!
 
All those things Immandel spoke of...my 2014 Cali Touring has not done any of those. In fact the only thing done under warranty in the two and a half years of ownership was a leaky rear bevel gear housing. I do my own maintenance and absolutely LOVE riding it. I will admit, it is more finicky than a Japanese bike; but the Guzzi has a soul. It is NOT an Italian Harley; you will not see your Guzzi on every corner. And after returning from 1150 mile in four days Ozarks tour earlier today; I cannot imagine trading it for anything else. LOVE this bike!
I have had the Eldorado about a month and am absolutely loving it. I agree with Touringman...the bike has a soul..I will add...personality and a presence of its own. I was riding it the other day and almost everyone who saw it gave it a second look. But that is not important....it rides like a charm, is smooth and after 5 hours in the saddle I didn't want to get off. I may be exaggerating but I could term it almost addictive. On the technical side there is nothing I can complain about, MG have thought of everything and every adjustment that may be required. Someone in Italy must have taken into account what riders want and put in all of it as standard. The electronics on board alone make this a winner...4 levels of traction control, 3 maps for different riding conditions. This is one of the bikes I will happily get on an ride across Australia without a second thought.....this one's for keeps :)
 
Someone in Italy must have taken into account what riders want and put in all of it as standard. The electronics on board alone make this a winner...4 levels of traction control, 3 maps for different riding conditions. This is one of the bikes I will happily get on an ride across Australia without a second thought.....this one's for keeps :)

Generally, I have come to agree with you after two years of ownership. I will add though that someone else in Italy forgot to do their Quality Control checks in some cases.

Go ahead, ride across Australia. I rode across the U.S. on my California. Okay, I understand you may have to deal with a little greater distance between gas stops, but it still sounds like fun!
 
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Generally, I have come to agree with you after two years of ownership. I will add though that someone else in Italy forgot to do their Quality Control checks in some cases.

Go ahead, ride across Australia. I rode across the U.S. on my California. Okay, I understand you may have to deal with a little greater distance between gas stops, but it still sounds like fun!
Can you give a heads up on what you found lacking in QC. It would be good to know and address right now.....or atleast be ready for it. One of the things which I noticed was the Eagle emblem on the right hand side has started to come off from one side and am wondering what to do about it. I have lodged it with the dealer and he is waiting for a reply from MG Australia......alternatively I could take it all off and put it back after applying some new double sided tape but what good is warranty then!!!
 
Yes! Guzzi's are addictive.
They are the only bike I have ever ridden that after an all day ride I get off, start to walk away then turn & look at her & smile.
 
Can you give a heads up on what you found lacking in QC. It would be good to know and address right now.....or atleast be ready for it. One of the things which I noticed was the Eagle emblem on the right hand side has started to come off from one side and am wondering what to do about it. I have lodged it with the dealer and he is waiting for a reply from MG Australia......alternatively I could take it all off and put it back after applying some new double sided tape but what good is warranty then!!!

The biggest issue as I see it is the exhaust system design. Maybe this is not "technically" a QC issue as it could have very well have been inspected after assembly for fit and to check fasteners having been secured. But, the design is doomed to fail, and it does. When is does, MG does not provide a solution, only another replacement part that is doomed to fail again.
 
All those things Immandel spoke of...my 2014 Cali Touring has not done any of those. In fact the only thing done under warranty in the two and a half years of ownership was a leaky rear bevel gear housing. I do my own maintenance and absolutely LOVE riding it. I will admit, it is more finicky than a Japanese bike; but the Guzzi has a soul. It is NOT an Italian Harley; you will not see your Guzzi on every corner. And after returning from 1150 mile in four days Ozarks tour earlier today; I cannot imagine trading it for anything else. LOVE this bike!

Touringman, just grabbed onto your statement of leaky rear bevel gear housing. I have a 16 month old touring that has the rear drive replaced straight out of the box for leaking fluid. 12 months later I still have oil leaking out of the drive. Did you have an easy fix on your leak? Moto guzzi technicians keep telling me it should'nt be leaking and keep replacing sump washer.
 
Touringman, just grabbed onto your statement of leaky rear bevel gear housing. I have a 16 month old touring that has the rear drive replaced straight out of the box for leaking fluid. 12 months later I still have oil leaking out of the drive. Did you have an easy fix on your leak? Moto guzzi technicians keep telling me it should'nt be leaking and keep replacing sump washer.

Redrock, they are right about the not supposed to be leaking. BUT, mine, the whole thing was replaced by Guzzi under warranty. NOT just the seal. The issue was a machining issue with the seal in the center by the drive splines. Look at yours carefully, it was obvious on mine that the leak was coming from "inside" the housing not just from at the bottom of the sump. Take pictures and be polite, yet VERY persistent about getting it replaced. Oil on the tire/wheel is a safety issue, and Guzzi is fully aware of this issue. Once the unit was replaced there have been no more leaks.
Just a side thought...the bevel drive ONLY takes 250ml of fluid, overfilling it (I cant see how, but "they" say it can happen) will cause leaks as well. There is another thread on this under "What warranty items..." or some such wording. Several of us had ours replaced free by Guzzi.
Good Luck!
Kirk
 
Redrock, they are right about the not supposed to be leaking. BUT, mine, the whole thing was replaced by Guzzi under warranty. NOT just the seal. The issue was a machining issue with the seal in the center by the drive splines. Look at yours carefully, it was obvious on mine that the leak was coming from "inside" the housing not just from at the bottom of the sump. Take pictures and be polite, yet VERY persistent about getting it replaced. Oil on the tire/wheel is a safety issue, and Guzzi is fully aware of this issue. Once the unit was replaced there have been no more leaks.
Just a side thought...the bevel drive ONLY takes 250ml of fluid, overfilling it (I cant see how, but "they" say it can happen) will cause leaks as well. There is another thread on this under "What warranty items..." or some such wording. Several of us had ours replaced free by Guzzi.
Good Luck!
Kirk


Thanks Kirk, I will start looking further inward away from the plug. I think that moto guzzi australia and technicians working on my bike could'nt believe that I could be the recepient of a second faulty drive, however it is starting to look more and more likely. Thanks again
 
Well gang,a couple weeks ago,I took out a brandy new 2017 ,red and white,1400 Tourer for a road test ,with the intention of buying it that day,and was quite impressed with everything about it,EXCEPT,the way it ran when under light throttle.The dam thing bucked,running rougher then hell ,all the way up to 3000 rpm when she finally started to smooth out.But even then,she still had some roughness in the motor.Plus it ran really rough,and I mean REALLY rough, at idle.When I questioned the salesman about it,I got the standard answer, "THEY ALL DO IT"and how it had to do with the size of the flywheel.Well,I don't think so.If I ,or anyone else for that matter,bought a brand new car and it ran as bad as that machine did,I wouldn't buy it either because of that.So I passed on the bike.

Now I also have guys telling me that they are alittle rough at idle,but as soon as you increase rpm,they smooth right out which this machine did NOT do.SOOOOO! Is this true of all the 1400's??Could it be that this dealership is NOT setting it up properly?? I mean,I hear guys talkin about em all the time and never heard anything about roughness once they got the rpm off idle. So as you can see,I still haven't totally dismissed this machine YET!!! So whadaya think???? Thank you!! Dave!!!
 
So as you can see,I still haven't totally dismissed this machine YET!!! So whadaya think???? Thank you!! Dave!!!

Start by ditching your exclaimation key on your computer keyboard -it will make your posts much easier to read. :)

The simple answer is go and try another one or two from different dealers. The offset spark plug is only used at idle on these motors (it's also used for traction control, I believe), rumour has it that it was to make the big California's motor behave like something out of Milwaukee. True or not, one of these days I'm gonna try the motor with this spark plug disconnected, just as an experiment.
 
The dam thing bucked,running rougher then hell ,all the way up to 3000 rpm when she finally started to smooth out.But even then,she still had some roughness in the motor.Plus it ran really rough,and I mean REALLY rough, at idle.

What speed and what gear were you in below 3000 rpm? If you were in 6th gear at say 2500 rpm, the engine will do but it's not going to be a smooth experience.

They all shake at idle...not much way around it. Some folks might call it roughness, some might call it character...it depends on your perception.

Did the dealer have another bike? If they do, I'd suggest riding it as a comparison. If a second bike ride gives the same experience, the California just might not be the bike you are looking for.
 
Well gang,a couple weeks ago,I took out a brandy new 2017 ,red and white,1400 Tourer for a road test ,with the intention of buying it that day,and was quite impressed with everything about it,EXCEPT,the way it ran when under light throttle.The dam thing bucked,running rougher then hell ,all the way up to 3000 rpm when she finally started to smooth out.But even then,she still had some roughness in the motor.Plus it ran really rough,and I mean REALLY rough, at idle.When I questioned the salesman about it,I got the standard answer, "THEY ALL DO IT"and how it had to do with the size of the flywheel.Well,I don't think so.If I ,or anyone else for that matter,bought a brand new car and it ran as bad as that machine did,I wouldn't buy it either because of that.So I passed on the bike.

Now I also have guys telling me that they are alittle rough at idle,but as soon as you increase rpm,they smooth right out which this machine did NOT do.SOOOOO! Is this true of all the 1400's??Could it be that this dealership is NOT setting it up properly?? I mean,I hear guys talkin about em all the time and never heard anything about roughness once they got the rpm off idle. So as you can see,I still haven't totally dismissed this machine YET!!! So whadaya think???? Thank you!! Dave!!!

Hi Dave,

You seem to have been having a similar experience every time you get out to do a test ride on a California. Considering the comments you are making I am going to suggest that it may not be the bike, but the rider. I have owned my California for over two years now and have found it to be one of the smoothest bikes I have owned. It took me a very short time to get the feel of the dry clutch but once I got the feel for the engagement range it was smooth, smooth, smooth. That said, I CAN reproduce the rough running you describe if I lug the engine. In fact I can make any motorcycle "run rough" if I lug it's engine. And, yes, the engine does shake at idle. It is rubber mounted and allowed to move as part of the design. Those same rubber mounts that let the engine move at idle also serve to isolate vibration under cruising conditions.

I really think that it is not the bike, it is not that the dealer did not set up the bike properly and yes, I can buy that "they all do it". I'll bet that if you get another person to ride the same bike that you rode they will report that it runs great. Again, it might be the rider...
 
One question I have is what mode was it in? I never noticed a roughness on my 1400 but it was smoother on throttle response in touring than Veloce mode. The dealer might have it in Veloce mode to show all the power. Mine was almost always in touring. In Rain mode my PC800 could give it a run for it's money. Like others have said it may be a big twin but if you are going slow use a lower gear for smoothness.
 
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