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2003 California Titanium

Hydrolastic

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Contributor
Joined
May 25, 2020
Messages
105
Location
Pacific NW
I recently picked up a 2003 California Titanium, and am working on getting it fully revived for regular use. It's a bike that I maybe should have passed on, or at least worked harder on the sale price, but it's all mine now, so I'll keep pushing forward.

Some background on it - I got it from a guy out in Idaho, who said he got it from the original owner. He made it sound like he'd had it for a while and rode it regularly until recently, but while signing over the title, it showed he'd only had it about six months, so it's more likely that it was purchased from an estate sale or something, cleaned up, and flipped (like a house, not on the road, just for clarity :) ). This was further evidenced when he handed me four oil filters to go with it that turned out to be nowhere close. He did give me a partial jug of Liqui-Moly 10W-60, which, while being incorrect for this motor, at least showed he did some research on what oil is used, and the oil was fresh in the motor (more on that later).

Based on that, I'm really glad I decided to trailer it home rather than ride it. It started and ran fine, but anything over about 10 years old with low mileage should be fully investigated for any time-related deterioration. I started by changing the oil with the correct 5W-40 for the PI engine. Luckily, the inside of the engine was spotless, save for slight evidence of water mixed with oil in a spot in the lower left corner of the pan, probably from being parked and getting condensation (also points to a likelihood that the oil was changed previously, but not the filter). The gearbox is also very clean, and the gas tank rust free.

Now we get to what it needs. This is the part where I didn't follow my own advice - always bring someone else with you on a major purchase, even if they are just there to remind you of your checklist. I had done research and had been looking for a while. I picked up the most recent edition of Dave Richardson's Guzziology, and had read up on things go look for, but decided to roll the dice and came up a little short. I asked the seller about the cam recall, and he said he hadn't heard of anything like that. It also didn't sound like he'd know what to look for when pulling the cam cover. Well, it hasn't been done. The engine does run quietly, with no swarf in the pan, so that is good, but I do have a call out to MPH for a cam kit for when it is needed. It also has the single disc clutch, which I verified on purchase, but I decided to chance it anyway, not fully knowing the intricacies of Guzzi clutches. I'll split that out to a separate thread later. So far so good, but it is definitely nearing the end of it's life. It also will need tires - the tires have almost no wear, and exhibit no vibration or anything, but are date coded 2008, so I want to replace them before going out too far or riding in the rain.

So my first question here is around missing equipment. I found it was missing the tool tray and tool kit, both of which have been sourced. I've attached a picture of the battery. I feel like it should be held down by something, but the parts diagrams aren't very descriptive. Do more experienced eyes see anything in particular that's missing? Also, this bike apparently had an evap canister, but that has been removed. It looks like they are available for not too much, and the lines are still there but plugged (although they need to be replaced). Are there any big problems with having the evap system in place now that there is another 17 years of experience with it?

Thanks for any help, more to follow.

Dave

BatteryBox
 
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Well, finally got a win - looks like the lower fork recall doesn't apply at least.
 

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Got my Carbmate today, so I set about tuning things up. It turns out the throttle bodies were well balanced, but the TPS was off. The TPS part was the most complicated part. The connector on my bike does not have a rubber boot that can be pulled back to probe the wires. I ended up partially straightening a paperclip to get gently past the weather seal. I found it was at .440 mv. I decided to set it at 0 deg just to make sure I had a good point of reference. I can safely say the TPS had never been touched, because there was so much of the tamper detection paint on the screws that I couldn't get a bit in to loosen them. I had to chip and scrape it out. I set it at 150 mv, then turned the idle screw until it read 540 mv, which lined the throttle linkage up perfectly with the untouched right side throttle, so all good there. The low RPM performance is definitely better. It doesn't feel like it leans out when I take it just off idle anymore, doesn't surge as much at part throttle, and it is still smooth above 2500 RPM. The idle still seems a little low, and I ended up setting the air valves at 1/2 turn vs. a full turn, because that is where they were to start with and it ran better there in the end. I'll probably just bump it up a little, it's only a hundred or so RPM low, but I want the idle at least at minimum to keep oil flowing in the PI engine.

Dave
 
The 540mV is close, but it should be 524mV to equal 3.6 degrees open. I suggest you get the cam recall done as soon as possible.
 
I suggest you get the cam recall done as soon as possible.

Got it, parts are in progress, it's just going to take a bit to get them. These bikes are getting old, and the kits are both rare and very expensive at this stage in the product life cycle.
 
go find a good dealer to work with.

I read through the recall thread here a while back. I saw that a guy in PA was able to get the work done in 2015 covered by Piaggio, but that was after someone at Piaggio stated it would be covered when apparently they weren't authorized to make that statement. My local dealer is pretty new to the game, only having Aprilia and Moto Guzzi since last year. I had them look up the S/N, and the only recall possibility that came up was the lower fork. The next closest dealers are in California or Nevada. I guess I could call around and see about getting something worked out over the phone, but I have heard Piaggio is difficult to work with on new machines, let alone a 17 year old one with a 15 year old service campaign.

I didn't find a user named Guzzi Steve, do you mean V700Steve? Are you referring to this thread here?
https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/2003-moto-guzzi-lifter-recall.19293/
 
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I have a Hydro to fix this week, just an oil leak. To change the oring on studs I'll reset valves. Couldn't get a slug so I made my own out of good parts, Just like factory. 0602201411 00
Full of epoxy 0602201412 00
I wonder what happen to Bruce's tools, he had a tool kit for this.
My insertion tool is just 3/8" tubing I drilled & sanded to fit and a poker rod.
 
I read through the recall thread here a while back. I saw that a guy in PA was able to get the work done in 2015 covered by Piaggio, but that was after someone at Piaggio stated it would be covered when apparently they weren't authorized to make that statement. My local dealer is pretty new to the game, only having Apriilia and Moto Guzzi since last year. I had them look up the S/N, and the only recall possibility that came up was the lower fork. The next closest dealers are in California or Nevada. I guess I could call around and see about getting something worked out over the phone, but I have heard Piaggio is difficult to work with on new machines, let alone a 17 year old one with a 15 year old service campaign.

I didn't find a user named Guzzi Steve, do you mean V700Steve? Are you referring to this thread here?
https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/2003-moto-guzzi-lifter-recall.19293/


yes, as I recall they never did a real recall or admitted guilt that's why you need a real, experienced dealer on your side.
 
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yes, as I recall they never did a real recall or admitted guilt that's why you need a real, experienced dealer on your side.

Any suggestions west of the Mississippi? Any further and costs for transport, lodging, etc. start to make it a wash.
 
I've finally got the bike set up the way it will work best for me. Took off the throw-over bags that were on it, and set up a H&B top box on their luggage rack. All oil changed, new tires, replaced broken tail light, brake system flushed, fuel filter and hoses replaced, speedometer rebuilt by Joel Levine (thanks for that reference here, BTW!). Also sourced the missing fittings for the headlight fairing, and straightened the bent left side strut for said fairing.

Dave

20200814 133621 20200814 133456
 
I've finally got the bike set up the way it will work best for me. Took off the throw-over bags that were on it, and set up a H&B top box on their luggage rack. All oil changed, new tires, replaced broken tail light, brake system flushed, fuel filter and hoses replaced, speedometer rebuilt by Joel Levine (thanks for that reference here, BTW!). Also sourced the missing fittings for the headlight fairing, and straightened the bent left side strut for said fairing.

Dave

View attachment 20261 View attachment 20262 View attachment 20263 View attachment 20264
Very nice looking bike:rock:
 
The fairing is original to the Titanium model. The fact it was still there and relatively complete is what prompted me to go look at this particular bike when it showed up for sale.
 
I like your fairing. Is that stock or aftermarket? If so, do you know the brand/model?
It launched on the Cal 11 Aluminum, and followed on the Titanium. Those are the only two models I can recall that had it. Guzzi also had a similar looking version on the later model V11 Sport series, but the mounting brackets were completely different.

Photos moto guzzi v11 sport ballabio 2
 
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