• Ciao Guest - You’ve landed at the ultimate Guzzi site. NEW FORUM REGISTRATIONS REQUIRE EMAIL ACTIVATION - CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - Use the CONTACT above if you need help. New to the forum? For all new members, we require ONE post in the Introductions section at the bottom, in order to post in most of the other sections. ALWAYS TRY A SEARCH BEFORE STARTING A NEW TOPIC - Most questions you may have, have likely been already answered. DON'T BE A DRIVE-BY POSTER: As a common courtesy, check back in and reply within 24 hours, or your post will be deleted. Note there's decades of heavily experienced Guzzi professionals on this site, all whom happily give endless amounts of their VALUABLE time for free; BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL!
  • There is ZERO tolerance on personal attacks and ANY HYPERLINKS to PRODUCT(S) or other competing website(s), including personal pages, social media or other Forums. This ALSO INCLUDES ECU DIAGnostic software, questions and mapping. We work very hard to offer commercially supported products and to keep info relevant here. First offense is a note, second is a warning, third time will get you banned from the site. We don't have the time to chase repeat (and ignorant) offenders. This is NOT a social media platform; It's an ad-free, privately funded website, in small help with user donations. Be sure to see the GTM STORE link above; ALL product purchases help support the site, or you can upgrade your Forum profile or DONATE via the link above.
  • Be sure to see the GTM STORE link also above for our 700+ product inventory, including OEM parts and many of our 100% Made-in-SoCal-USA GTM products and engine kits. In SoCal? Click the SERVICE tab above for the best in service, tires, tuning and installation of our products or custom work, and don't miss our GT MotoCycles® (not) art on the BUILDS tab above. WE'RE HERE ONLINE ONLY - NO PHONE CALLS MADE OR RECEIVED - DO NOT EMAIL AND ASK QUESTIONS OR ASK TO CALL YOU.
  • Like the new V100, GuzziTech is full throttle into the future! We're now running on an all-new server and we've updated our Forum software. The visual differences are obvious, but hopefully you'll notice the super-fast speed. If you notice any glitches or have any issues, please post on the Site Support section at the bottom. If you haven't yet, please upgrade your account which is covered in the Site Support section or via the DONATE tab above, which gives you full site access including the DOWNLOADS section. We really appreciate every $ and your support to keep this site ad-free. Create an account, sign in, upgrade your account, and enjoy. See you on the road in 2024.

1400 touring questions

Jtaalj

Just got it firing!
Joined
Aug 28, 2020
Messages
6
Location
Netherlands
Hi,
Just to introduce myself, I've been riding bikes for 40 years, mostly Ducati's and Brit bikes some dirt bikes, a few race bikes, 2 Guzzi's (a V1000-convert and a '72 V7-special, that I should not have sold). Lately we are going back to two-up touring. Initially on a '90 K100 but I was looking for more two up comfort. I have always loved the looks of the black 850T3 with the white striping and I think the black 1400 cali is a beautiful tribute to that bike. After a short test ride I bought a 2013 Touring with 18k miles on the clock.
The first ride on the bike was great, comfortable, good handling, good brakes smooth engine.
When I started riding around town I discovered some issues I am not liking so much. Are these normal for this bike or can they be fixed? Been searching this forum but there is sooo much info.....
What is the issue;
I find it very difficult to ride the bike smoothly at slow speed around town and out of corners.
The throttle response is jerky, there is play in the transmission and the bike doesn't seem to run very smooth under 2500 rpm.
Especially when the road surface is not smooth these things add up to a very uncomfortable ride.
The play in the trans is always there, rolling on and off the throttle needs to be don carefully to avoid a jolt. Switching off the cruise control also gives a jolt. At slow speeds in town I have to shift down to 2nd or 1st to keep thing a bit smooth above 2500 rpm but that makes the throttle response even more nervous. 3rd gear under 3000 rpm is very noisy (gear whine) and gear shifts below 4000 rpm always give with a healthy clunk
Bought the bike at a dealer with warranty. Do I have a claim or is this part of the Guzzi 1400 experience (I probably cant live with). Hope you guys can give me some pointers,
Regards, J
 
I bought my Touring new in 2013, and have 50,000km up, mostly two up. The 1400 develops peak torque at about 2800rpm, so trying to load it below 3,000rpm is just inefficient. The motors do their best work north of 3,500. Let it rev. I installed Todd's fuelling upgrade and full exhaust system and have never looked back, gaining a smooth bottom end and much better overall performance. The snatchy transmission sounds like you are lugging the motor, which is rubber mounted, and lacks a heavy flywheel, plus the stock fuelling wouldn't help. As for jolting as you roll on or off the throttle, is it in Turismo or Veloce mode? Veloce requires a steadier hand as it reacts sharply. I could hear the gear whine with the original 'blocked vacuum cleaner' exhausts. Not an issue with Todd's system. On gear changes, I have found the gearbox responds better if your changes are crisp and sporty, just flicking the clutch in and out. Slow shifting seems to result in clunky changes. As for the suspension on patchy roads, the bike is most rewarding on good surfaces, as the twin shock setup is basic. I have swapped in longer, better quality shocks. This is now great one up, and improved two up. Hope this helps.

Stephen
 
I agree with stephenm. These 1400 motors like to be run over 3000 rpm. Todd’s fueling and exhaust does improve the smoothness and throttle response a lot.
 
There is an inexpensive improvement for the low speed running that for some of us is all we wanted . It's
called a Booster Plug , easy to install and with a stock motor I'm holding off doing anything else to my 2018 Eldorado.
It's been in mine for 9000km now and I'm pretty happy (less than $150) . Peter
 
Todd's fueling package cures a lot of ills, not the least of which is the low rpm tendency to be jumpy and uneven. I have had the system on my 2016 Eldorado long enough to have pretty much forgotten the bike's misbehavior below 2,000 RPM. We tend to notice the increase in performance and gloss over the fact that it runs much smoother in all circumstances. Mine will start smoothly from a stop while feeding it minimal throttle and low rpm gear changes are predictable and easy.

One thing to remember, or know, about Todd's system is that he will work with you on it to accommodate your needs and style of riding. I am a real cluck with some computer related tasks but Todd walks you through downloading your ECU maps, getting them adjusted to your preference, and getting them back on your bike. It's all done remotely and results in a motorcycle that probably runs better than any you have had before.
Garwood.
 
Guys, thanks for your comments. I can live with the gear-whine in third as long as I know its not self destructing. Suspension is OK for now, an upgrade would be nice but not in relation to this issue. I agree, everything gets better over 3000rpm. I suppose I am lugging it as you say but only when I go through towns at say below 30 mph. I just cant keep it smooth at slow speeds. On a bad road, say cobbles or a pothole, the play in the transmission and the throttle response work together to make the hole thing judder. That is in 1st or 2nd gear and in pioggia mode! On all my previous bikes I was able to ride around this big twin / light flywheel thing (ducatis have this) but not on this one. I hope I can improve it because it spoils the fun when touring here.
I will search for the booster plug.
J
 
Todd's fueling package cures a lot of ills, not the least of which is the low rpm tendency to be jumpy and uneven. I have had the system on my 2016 Eldorado long enough to have pretty much forgotten the bike's misbehavior below 2,000 RPM. We tend to notice the increase in performance and gloss over the fact that it runs much smoother in all circumstances. Mine will start smoothly from a stop while feeding it minimal throttle and low rpm gear changes are predictable and easy.

One thing to remember, or know, about Todd's system is that he will work with you on it to accommodate your needs and style of riding. I am a real cluck with some computer related tasks but Todd walks you through downloading your ECU maps, getting them adjusted to your preference, and getting them back on your bike. It's all done remotely and results in a motorcycle that probably runs better than any you have had before.
Garwood.
 
I didn’t like my 2014 Custom much when I bought it, and I sense that neither did the 3 previous owners because they had all done pitifully small mileages. My issue was mainly while it warmed up (and the management system was therefore in open loop mode). It was snatchy and full of flat spots. Everything was at its worst in Pioggia mode.

And warming up took so long ...

I’d love Todd’s remap but the bike is ostensibly a toy, and I couldn’t justify spending that much on it. I had resigned myself to living with it when I bought a booster plug.

The web’s alive with people singing its praises, and detractors saying it’s just snake oil. The truth is somewhere in between, but the bike is now much more manageable as it warms to its task. The success of the BP seems to depend on the ambient temperature. It fools the ECU into believing it’s about 10 degrees Centigrade cooler outside than it is to make it enrich the mixture. On a typical 15c day here in the UK that’s fantastic because the system overfuels to perfection. On rare 28c days it still believes it’s 18c and not much enrichment happens.

So the BP is limited, but it wasn’t too hard to fit (had to drain tank) and it has made me see the foibles of the bike as character and love it for them, compared to before when I wondered what I had bought.

Best regards

Paul
 
Being a Ducati owner, you're probably familiar with the FatDuc performance plug-in mod (inline with the O2 sensors down at the muffler). They sell a model with the correct terminals for the 1400 Guzzi's, and I bought a pair from AF1 Racing around 4 years ago. They only modify the mixture in open loop mode, so highway riding isn't affected supposedly. All the gurus say it's a dangerous mod, as if care isn't taken, you wind up with raw gas in the engine oil over time (from running OVERLY rich). This is the same type of thing the BP plug is, although their approach seems to be to mod the Temperature sensor. Overall result is the same (although the FatDucs are quite adjustable). Anyway, I spent a number of hours, spread out over a week, of playing with the FatDuc's, and am fairly happy with the results. Having that cover over the spark plugs made taking plug readings a pain in the posterior... AF1 handles both of these items.
 
So the BP is limited, but it wasn’t too hard to fit (had to drain tank) and it has made me see the foibles of the bike as character and love it for them, compared to before when I wondered what I had bought.

Hi Paul. Thanks for the info on this. I have not noticed much difference between cold and warmed-up running, maybe because its been very warm weather. I hope to also shift from the "wondered what I bought" to the "character" zone. :)
 
So the BP is limited, but it wasn’t too hard to fit (had to drain tank) and it has made me see the foibles of the bike as character and love it for them, compared to before when I wondered what I had bought.

Hi Paul. Thanks for the info on this. I have not noticed much difference between cold and warmed-up running, maybe because its been very warm weather. I hope to also shift from the "wondered what I bought" to the "character" zone. :)
 
I hope you do too. Now I remember my Honda Cb1300 fondly but I never had any real affection for it, not like the Guzzi.

I also have a 1976 Triumph Stag that I have rebuilt to concours over the last 15 years. It shares many features with the Guzzi... its a bitch when cold, it’s gorgeous, everyone wants to talk to you about it when stopped... the point is that, whilst it’s not like my regular car at all, it’s also something that, once I did understand and start to smile at its idiosyncratic behaviour, I’ll never part with. Whereas my regular car is a domestic appliance, like the Honda CB1300.

So keep the faith. Accept that first gear is too high, the engine flexible mountings, combined with two 700cc cylinders, means that low speed riding is fraught with annoyance, slip the clutch more than you normally would. Fit a booster plug. Feel special. And smile :)

Best regards

Paul
 
So the BP is limited, but it wasn’t too hard to fit (had to drain tank) and it has made me see the foibles of the bike as character and love it for them, compared to before when I wondered what I had bought.

Hi Paul. Thanks for the info on this. I have not noticed much difference between cold and warmed-up running, maybe because its been very warm weather. I hope to also shift from the "wondered what I bought" to the "character" zone. :)
 
Hi Paul. I think I understand, my other car is a Morgan ;)

Garwood and James, thanks for the info on fueling mods. I don't have experience with it, I have been satisfied with the stock setting of bikes up to now and power has always been more than enough for street use. It wasn't when I raced of course but that was in the carburetor days. I will have to look into computer fueling now. Going to put some more miles on it first.
Cheers J
ps sorry for the double posts, slow internet caused errors.
 
One more little plus for Todd's fueling system. My bike always starts. Even after being stored in an unheated garage for winters that dip into the -20s, it always starts quickly. I keep fuel preservative in the tank and I keep the battery on a tender 100% of the time during storage, but those are the only concessions I make to winter storage. Todd's system just works very well under all circumstances.
 
Back
Top