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1994 California 1100 , what did I get myself into !

Gappy

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
30
Location
StLouis MO USA
Hi people, I am new to the Guzzi world. I have been riding vintage bmw boxers since the late 70’s.
I Have seen moto guzzi on the road from time to time but never paid much attention to them. I was invited to a guzzi gathering in northern Iowa. I have been dissapointed in the bmw Rally’s of late and the airheads being treated like the red headed step child.
I did not know that some of my boxer friends were closet moto guzzi riders. I have been told by my friends that moto guzzi rally’s are more fun and would be more to my liking. I also was told that my bmw would be welcome, but my OCD kicked in and I bought the first moto guzzi that came up for sale that I could afford. It was in Alabama. A 1994 California 1100 ( carburated ). My first real liter bike. It came with 2 sets of luggage , leather and hard cases along with the brackets , and the oringal butobo shocks. It has progressives on it now. I consider it an airhead, it is air cooled and carburated. This should be no problem.( I paid 1000+700 to get it to StLouis.)
Boy was I in for a surprise. Yes, it did run but I didn’t realize that one cylinder was only firing part time and it shook like a washing machine out of balance on spin cycle. I thought it probably smooths out at highway speeds. Took me an afternoon to figure out what was wrong. I have only heard of Delleorto carburated and have never had them in my hand , they are a enigma. There are no manuals for these things, matter of fact no how to manuals for anything on this bike. No Clymers, no Haynes . I had to send to New Zealand for a shop manual, I am fast becoming friends with Harpers moto guzzi 3hrs down I-70. The local guzzi shops are of no help ,they use the same guys and wil give you no helpful info.
I am fortunate to have a motorcycle frame and suspension shop where I live who is a Butobo and Oilns dealer. I pick up my rebuilt forks and shocks today. I will continue to bleed the brown foam out of the brake system and put the front end back on today so I can continue with getting this juggernaut of a bike back on the road where it belongs.
I am having fun with this project, so please be patient with my problem questions when they come up. I do have the owners manual, guzziology,shop manual, and downloaded torque values. I know this will not cover all my problem so hopefully I can depend on you guys for guidance. I will have this bike cleaned up pretty and in good working order by mid July , problably sooner, for the rally in Iowa.
 
Well first, congrats and welcome to the GT Forum and Guzzi Famiglia. You will find the Guzzi community to be far more fun and lighthearted, as we have to be to endure the humor of Moto Guzzi motorbikes; “Making mechanics out of riders since 1921.”

Hope you’ll add your Info to the Registry; https://guzzitech.com/forums/threads/bb-tonti-registry-and-pic-thread.12601/

Sure you’re aware also by now, but your bike is a big block Tonti, so I moved your post to this section. You’ll find much info and help here. Buying a 25 year old bike, much less a Guzzi will have a challenging and fun road ahead, but will be worth it if you’ve owned and ridden airhead BMWs. I’ve owned a few myself.

Enjoy, and be forewarned... they are addictive.

Best for the New Year. and post often.

p.s. It’s Bitubo, and they are still very much in business; http://www.bitubo.com/Bitubo/cms/
 
I think I worked on that bike a couple years ago. It has suffered much neglect. However with some TLC she will be a good runner. Del'Orto manuals are available on line (just do a web search). The carburetors are pretty straight forward, but the ignition system on these can be a bit troubling. Also the folks at Harper's will get you going right. All I can say is she ran well after I worked on it 2 years ago.
 
I think I worked on that bike a couple years ago. It has suffered much neglect. However with some TLC she will be a good runner. Del'Orto manuals are available on line (just do a web search). The carburetors are pretty straight forward, but the ignition system on these can be a bit troubling. Also the folks at Harper's will get you going right. All I can say is she ran well after I worked on it 2 years ago.

If it belonged to a guy named Matt and was purchased in Europe and brought over to the states, that be the one, It wasn’t neglected, it was abandoned! But, I know that it will be a fine touring platform when I am finished with it. I don’t see me putting a lot of money into it other than the suspension and normal fluid change and maintenance .It has good bones and will be a fine machine to own and ride, looking forward to it.
 
If it belonged to a guy named Matt and was purchased in Europe and brought over to the states, that be the one, It wasn’t neglected, it was abandoned! But, I know that it will be a fine touring platform when I am finished with it. I don’t see me putting a lot of money into it other than the suspension and normal fluid change and maintenance .It has good bones and will be a fine machine to own and ride, looking forward to it.


That is the one. Give her a little TLC and you will have a good bike.
 
If you search the web and find this, it will make the Del Orto very simple. I find them one of the easiest to service ever. Very good, simple and durable. This guide is 20+ pages. Removes the mystery.

Screenshot 20190310 133958 Drive
 
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