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California 1400 Reliabilty Opinions?

I have the OEM heated grips for the California Custom and they are 34mm in diameter. I have the exact opposite problem in that these grips cause my hands to cramp with the small radius. I have ordered some grip Buddies Super Shark Grips Wraps in hopes of increasing the diameter. I have no problems with cramping on my BMW R80 equiped with Emgo GT Touring Grips.
After having the heated grips fitted to my Touring, I installed a pair of Grip Puppies. Less vibration and very comfortable also no issues regards the operation of the heated grips.
 
I have the OEM heated grips for the California Custom and they are 34mm in diameter. I have the exact opposite problem in that these grips cause my hands to cramp with the small radius. I have ordered some grip Buddies Super Shark Grips Wraps in hopes of increasing the diameter.

I have used GRIP PUPPIES on all of my bikes. They are foam, and make the O.D. of the OEM grips comfortable.
 
After having the heated grips fitted to my Touring, I installed a pair of Grip Puppies. Less vibration and very comfortable also no issues regards the operation of the heated grips.

Hi Robert,
I am thinking to install this exact combination (heated grip + puppies) but I am concerned about the potential too large of a diameter with both grip/puppies combined. Can I ask for a favor? Could you please measure the circumference of your grip when you have 5 minutes to spare?

Thank you in advance.
Martin
 
Image Hi Martin,
I actually found the heated grips narrower than the stock grips, so with the grip puppies installed the diameter is 40/42mm.
Regards.
Rob
 
Good evening gentlemen: It's been awhile since I've been on here,but since I couldn't find a dealership that had a California that ran correctly,or one that knew what they were doing,I kinda gave up on it and bought a new 2018 Indian Springfield Darkhorse.I have owned it now for alittle over three years,covering over 53,000 trouble free miles,and really like it.But to be truthfull with you guys,I STILL like the design of that California.So maybe one day,"IF" Guzzi ever gets the bucking sensation out of it,maybe I'll still own one.But right now,I'm pretty happy with my Injun.So I wanna thank you guys for all the assistance and information you've provided about the Guzzi.I'll stop by from time to time to see how everyone is doing and how your Guzzis are running.Thank you again gentlemen for putting up with me!!! Dave!!!
 
I've gone the same way.

Covid made me buy an Indian FTR1200, which was followed shortly afterwards by a 2017 Indian Chief.

I love my Guzzis, but these bikes are something special.
 
SO ARE YOU ON THE INDIAN MOTORCYCLE FORUM WEBSITE?? i WAS ON THERE FOR THE PAST 3 OR 4 YEARS UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN I GOT BOOTED OFF FOR TRYING TO HELP SOMEONE WITH A PROBLEM HE WAS HAVING WHICH I WAS FAMILIAR WITH.BUT THEY DIDN'T LIKE MY SOLUTION AND KINDA TOLD ME TO SCREW.SO I DID.IN THE MEANTIME,MY BIKE RUNS GREAT,BUT THAT GENTLEMAN'S BIKE DOES NOT.OH WELL!! ALL YOU CAN DO IS TRY.AS THEY SAY IN THE LAND OF POLAND WHERE MY ANCESTORS CAME FROM,TOUGH SHITSKI !!! LOL LOL LOL








!!!
 
Good evening gentlemen: It's been awhile since I've been on here,but since I couldn't find a dealership that had a California that ran correctly,or one that knew what they were doing,I kinda gave up on it and bought a new 2018 Indian Springfield Darkhorse.I have owned it now for alittle over three years,covering over 53,000 trouble free miles,and really like it.But to be truthfull with you guys,I STILL like the design of that California.So maybe one day,"IF" Guzzi ever gets the bucking sensation out of it,maybe I'll still own one.But right now,I'm pretty happy with my Injun.So I wanna thank you guys for all the assistance and information you've provided about the Guzzi.I'll stop by from time to time to see how everyone is doing and how your Guzzis are running.Thank you again gentlemen for putting up with me!!! Dave!!!

The 1400's can't comply with Euro 5 emissions and have been discontinued.
 
I work on Indians (and hence, ride them) all the time. They are ok. Too damn heavy and way too kitschy for my taste. Some run great, others not so much. Most all run much better than any Harley Davidson but that's not saying much.

Chiefs/Chieftans/Springfield are the biggest pain in the ass to change the rear wheel with having to pull a body panel bolt, then jack the underside of the engine up "just so" not too much or too little, then pull the c-clip, then use the body panel bolt to yank out the upper shock retaining pin, then jack the engine up to separate the swingers from the interference of the exhaust. Try doing all that crap on the side of the road!

Take any marque, and I can find people who love it and others who hate it. Never changes. It's just like a tire or oil thread.

But I digress, this is a Moto Guzzi site! It's for aficionados of Moto Guzzi of which I am a life-long member.

I have walked the grounds of the factory in Mandello del Lario. I have sat at Carlo Guzzi's desk and put my hands out to touch the wind tunnel. I have breathed in the air of history in the factory museum.

My love and affection of this marque gives me a DIRECT CONNECTION to Carlo Guzzi, Georgio Parodi, and Giovanno Ravelli and I can feel Gulio Cesare Carcano, Lino Tonti, and Omobono Tenni on every ride I take on my Moto Guzzi's.

Polaris bought the Indian name, but Indian has been dead since 1953. TO ME, their motorcycle have all the appeal and provenance of a Chinese made toaster.

Moto Guzzi has been in CONTINUOUS production in the same factory in northern Italy, since 1923. It is the most historic motorcycle company in existence with a true provenance and history which lives on today.

That being said...

Some of my Moto Guzzis are BONE STOCK and run beautiful. My Stelvio, ran ok, but needed improvement. For many years now, it has enjoyed Todd's full monty setup on it and it is the best running, sweetest riding Stelvio Have ever thrown a leg over. It's perfect.

It's a shame you never rode a new 1400 with Todd's setup. It would have probably been the ticket for you.

Alas, I always say...

Ride what you love so that you will love what you ride!
 
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Obviously,you found a dealership that knew what they were doing cause every single Guzzi I test rode around here bucked like hell while trying to maintain a constant rpm,plus every bike I test rode came from a different dealership,to boot.Their answer was: THEY ALL DO THAT! So,since they all do that,I moved on to a different make motorcycle which was my Triumph 1600 which,like every other bike I road tested did NOT buck like the Guzzi did at a steady RPM.So my question to them was: How come not ONE of the other motorcycle manufacturers' makes bucked like every single Guzzi I test rode did??? And their answer was: THEY ALL DO THAT!! So again,since they all do that,atleast according to them,I started looking at different brands of motorcycles.
I mean,I loved everything about that machine,except that bucking which was totally unacceptable.Anyways,that's the reason I don't own a Guzzi,plain and simple!! Dave!!!
 
I know of what you speak , but in the beginning there was a simple plug in device from across the Atlantic
that tricked the ECU into thinking it was cold out , that alone for a small fee was satisfactory for a few thousand
kilometers ( and for many others also) , I eventually found alternatives that improved upon that . Everyone
here seems very satisfied with Todds' mods , but I was keeping the bike stock , I needed no more power , hey I'm
70 now and it's pretty damn fast for something so substantial . A little more searching may have swayed your
purchase , however here in Vancouver , the Indians are selling well . Have fun , Peter
 
I'm 74 years old and have been involved in the automotive repair business ever since I was 8 years old, turning pro when I was 15, and have been doing it ever since,right along with everything else,like small engines,marine applications,diesel,motorcycles,and aerial lift equipment.I had my first automobile when I was 12 years old,and my first motorcycle when I was 8 years old and am STILL trouble shooting and fixing these things today even though I retired 19 years ago.[but,as ya know, ya never retire from this business cause there's always someone with a problem,lol ]But I also have a pretty good understanding of all of em hence the reason I can still fix em.Of course,I've also had to invest in some special tools,shop manuals, and test equipment,but I've always gotten my money back and then some.lol But I think my biggest gradification was when I fixed what the local shops and or stealerships could not. Dave!!!
 
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Honestly, I don't care what you ride Dave. Not one bit.

It's what you ride, not me. You must have missed my last statement, "Ride what you love so that you will love what you ride!".

I can only assume what you term as "bucking" would be what motorcycle mechanics would refer to as "surging" of the fuel injection.

I can tell you that with regard to Moto Guzzis, they do not "All do that".

Unfortunately, there are many dealerships that are opened and operated by people who do not have any passion for the marque, nor do they have themselves, nor employ, those with the necessary skill set and knowledge. It's just about trying to make money to them. This is a shame, because a well-sorted Moto Guzzi is a wonderful machine indeed.

Anyway, enjoy your Indian!
 
I've enjoyed every single motorcycle I've ever owned,plus I'm also the guy who serviced em so I KNEW the job would be done correctly, always taking the time to do the job RIGHT.Plus,on occassion,I have,infact, been called to a dealership,car,bike, truck,or marine application,to assist their mechanic in a job that he was having balls with or was unfamiliar with,and together,we were able to solve the problem.But one thing remains the same,I've always done the best job I could possibly do.But now that I'm in my golden years,[one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel ,lol ] I can pick and choose which job I wanna do cause everything built today is "in fact" so much more suffisdicated,including the motorcycle !! Dave!!!
 
Chiefs/Chieftans/Springfield are the biggest pain in the ass to change the rear wheel with having to pull a body panel bolt, then jack the underside of the engine up "just so" not too much or too little, then pull the c-clip, then use the body panel bolt to yank out the upper shock retaining pin, then jack the engine up to separate the swingers from the interference of the exhaust.

Thanks for this. I was wondering how I would attack it if the motorcycle tire threw their spanners out of the cot (sorry, mixed metaphor).

It's a shame you never rode a new 1400 with Todd's setup.

I have, and still do. I purchased Todd's 1400 a few years ago and brought it back to NZ. A very good example how a well set up Power Commander and Autotune can work.
 
Like hearing these stories . I too retired from 42 years of motorcycle , 4 wheeler and snowmobile mechanicing (it's a word I'm sure :) ).
It was 5 years ago that I retired and what if this last winter I was approached by my old employer to assist with some warranty work .
Turns out it was a transmission replacement recall . First one only took 4 days :) . She was so pleased I allowed myself to be talked into
doing 5 more ( down to 3 days in the end). Those FJR1300's are one bike just chock full of parts . The lead into this was I had volunteered
to get her fathers' 1976 Gold Wing running again after 16 years of really bad storage . I succeeded and that led to the above tasks .
As an old buddy once told me "Let no good deed go unpunished"
Peter
 
Ya know gang,as I've been reading thru these posts regarding the Moto Guzzi,a thought just occurred to me: Since owning my 99 Yamaha RSV for 11 years, traveling over 200,000 miles on it,then my Triumph Thunderbird for 8 years,traveling another 125,000 on it,and now the Indian,which I have owned for a little over three years, traveling over 50,000 miles with it, [totaling almost 400,000 miles between the three machines] I have YET to see a Moto Guzzi on the road and I'm like horse sh**,that is,I'm all over the place. :happy:So,since there are atleast two dealerships around this area,one would think that there would be atleast a couple of Guzzis' running around the streets,but I haven't seen any???:think::think::think: Dave!!!
 
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