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Indian to California to Indian

sgl

Just got it firing!
Joined
Jun 25, 2019
Messages
2
Location
Cincinnati
I had an Indian Chieftain and bought a California touring as a second bike 4 years ago. Realizing I didn't need two bikes, I sold the Guzzi even though I loved it. Now I'm on a newer Indian Roadmaster and love it. But I've come to realize that I'm not doing any big trips but rather just riding through the country side. I still may do some weekend trips, but long distance travel is certainly not my priority. So I'm wondering if I really need a bike the size of the Roadmaster. So do I sell the Roadmaster and go back to a California? I know I'm asking this on a Guzzi site, but I'm hoping for some input by anyone who perhaps has owned both a newer Indian as well as a California and can give me their thoughts.
 
Well, if you think you'll do better on a Cali, sell the Indian. It is simple.
I was almost selling my Cali for a brand new MGX-21, I already had the dealer offering me for the Cali almost the same price that I spent, and the bank prepared the loan...
Then I spent an entire day travelling on my Cali....
And I understood I was making a mistake.
The Cali is MY dream bike.
 
So do I sell the Roadmaster and go back to a California? I know I'm asking this on a Guzzi site, but I'm hoping for some input by anyone who perhaps has owned both a newer Indian as well as a California and can give me their thoughts.

Since you know what the California is (having already owned one) I guess it depends on how much you depend on dealers. If you only need to ever see a dealer to buy a motorcycle then Moto Guzzi is the brand to go with. As you know MG dealers are short lived and few and far between and can't be depended on to even exist when you need them.

If, on the other hand you depend on dealers for minor and major services maybe you might want to look into the Indian Scout or the new FTR 1200. Both smaller than the Roadmaster but sticking with your trusted Indian brand.
 
Won't you take a financial hit selling the Roadmaster? If so the positive in buying a California is their plummeting resale value. You could buy a nice one for well under 10k. But yes the increasing lack of dealer support is an issue, too.
 
I had an Indian Chieftain and bought a California touring as a second bike 4 years ago. Realizing I didn't need two bikes, I sold the Guzzi even though I loved it. Now I'm on a newer Indian Roadmaster and love it. But I've come to realize that I'm not doing any big trips but rather just riding through the country side. I still may do some weekend trips, but long distance travel is certainly not my priority. So I'm wondering if I really need a bike the size of the Roadmaster. So do I sell the Roadmaster and go back to a California? I know I'm asking this on a Guzzi site, but I'm hoping for some input by anyone who perhaps has owned both a newer Indian as well as a California and can give me their thoughts.

I've done this same back & forth between Victory & Guzzi, at present I still have 3 Guzzi's & 1 Vic.
As much as I love my Guzzi's if I had to chose (& that time is coming soon) I'll keep the Vic & sell 2 Guzzi's, (keep the Jackal).
Before anybody takes issue let me explain.

I used to love wrenching, now it is a chore I don't want to do.
I've had a few strokes so the brain is not functioning the way it should.
I get the shakes sometimes (right now it's hard to type) especially when fine motor skills are involved.

I want to ride not wrench. Riding is the only time I feel normal.

I know Vic went belly up but these bikes are rock solid & good for over 100K miles.
Maintenance is simple: oil change with filter every 5K. No valve adjustment.
I run the Dunlop E4 tires & get about 20K to 25K on a rear.
The E4 has a bit harder ride & some road noise but I'll take the higher mileage.

The steel frame Vic's are going for cheap: Gunner, Judge, Vegas, Kingpins etc are going for 5K to 8K with low mileage & xtras.
They are not a heavy cruiser like your Indian & won't handle like the Guzzi but have their own brand of fun.
Try to get a ride on one.
 
My California is for sale I will go back with Harley, just because there is more dealers and cheaper to maintain.
 
My California is for sale I will go back with Harley, just because there is more dealers and cheaper to maintain.
I agree with the Dealerships but I think the Maintenance is easier on the Guzzi.. I change my own tires and oil...plus it way out performs them in handling and power.
 
My California is for sale I will go back with Harley, just because there is more dealers and cheaper to maintain.
I have to admit I love my Audace not just for its simplicity, but also the fact that it's not worth much these days (never was), not like those big $30-40k Harleys and Indians, I don't baby it and don't worry about it either. I decline the "comprehensive" part of my insurance and the fire and theft coverage. There's no market for stolen guzzi bits anyway (well not much, not compared to Harley's) and If I total it, it's probably only worth about $5k CDN anyways (fully comprehensive in these parts would run me about $2kCDN/Year even after discounts). I'm fortunate that I've never paid anyone to service my bike, so those savings and the savings in insurance mean the bike will have cost me nothing after about 4 years.

Yes it's nice to have a dealer locally, but mine seems to be edging rapidly towards Triumph these days. Guzzis are outside on the street, only the Triumphs are in the showroom, Now I'm out of warranty I wonder what good they would be anyway. Any half decent independent mechanic should be able to do the obvious stuff and anyways in 30 years of riding I've never had to call on any dealer for repairs. The worst that has happened was a busted radiator on my FZ1 (another reason to like air cooled) and with Todd and his aftermarket bits like exhaust crossover, shock absorbers, fueling etc, having an independent source is probably better than OEM (and cheaper)
 
I was a long haul rider in years past, mostly on sporty bikes rather than big cruisers but at one time a 500-800 mile day was my every day.

Nowadays, I find the desire to ride such distances absent. I still love to ride sporty bikes, but mostly for short hauls and day rides. The V7III Racer is perfect for that. If you prefer a larger, more luxurious bike, the California should be good. But only you can decide what you prefer.

The big Indians are attractive bikes and technically very well done, but for me they are too heavy and too large to be what I'd like to ride. I prefer lighter and more nimble machines. Of course, watching a gang of CHP officers on big heavy H-D cruisers fly along Skyline Blvd a few weeks ago, rider skill is far more of what makes a motorcycle nimble on the street than anything to do with the motorcycle itself! :D
 
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