My first Guzzi ever! 1999 California EV , What to do before riding?

[iLuvOppai]

Hi all,

Just bought a brand new (to me) 1999 Guzzi California EV. She's only had the 1 previous owner(whose foot you can see in the photo haha) and only 3258 miles on the clock. She's never been parked outside(always in the garage). She looked pretty immaculate except for a pin sized chip on the cream paint on the gas tank and a tiny little scratch on the front fender. All it took to get her to start was  to siphon out the 4 year old gas and attach a new battery.

If I may pick your brains, I have a some questions.
1) The last time it was ridden was about 4 years ago, the original owner had changed the oil at the time, is that oil still okay to use? or should I look to change it before doing any real riding... What about the other fluids? Change vs top off?

2)I believe that these are the original set of tires...so about 18 years old!! They've hardly been used and look pretty good since the bike was garage stored, no sunlight, sat on the center stand so atleast the rear wheel was off the ground... Would it be okay to  ride the local streets for the mean time to get it home? I do want to buy a new set of tires (and was searching the forums) and was planning to go with either the BT45 or a set of Shinko (I'm kinda on a budget and I won't be doing any serious riding, just easy cruising) but I also read that some people were going with a different tire size to improve handling. Also which model Shinkos should I get? Any one know of a decently priced shop in the nyc area that would change the tires or should I look into DIY and buying tools lol.

3)To fix the chip ( or atleast fill it in) what touch up paint would match the red and cream on the bike?

4)Any cool mods I should consider? Performance wise or functionality improvements( I did read some threads about ecu swap).

5) Anything I should look out for, recalls, things to nip in the butt before they get out of hand, quirks that the bike is known for? Things to service, given the age of the bike and the low amount of use.

I appreciate all of your comments and knowledge! Thank you my Guzzi Senseis!
~Phil

[dcardo021]

New tires a must....change oil also...

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[dcardo021]

As well as gear oil and rear end oil...

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[lucian]

Change all fluids ,  new tires, new battery  , check valve adjustment/ carb sync. lube all pivots, check normal inspection items and ride.  Oh and look out for crazy chic's with big ideas.  She's a beauty enjoy!

[kingoffleece]

I'd also run a high quality fuel system cleaner thru the bike and change all the rubber hoses.  Dry rot is a real possibility.

[John Ulrich]

Check the fuel lines!!!!!!!

[Penderic]

And don't forget to do your Special Happy Dance!!

[craigclu]

I had the exact bike 1999 (even colors).  Great bike.  My old brain had adjusting issues to the floorboards vs pedals or I'd still have it, I'm sure.  For what it's worth, I put Michelin Pilot Activ tires on mine and it transformed it (lots of other good choices with testimonials noted).  Also, realize every other oil change requires an internal filter change that requires dropping the pan.  Easy enough but a bit of extra fiddling if you're not accustomed.  Have a spare pan gasket on hand.  Many Guzzi folks add a hose clamp to the filter to be assured that the filter stays where it belongs and doesn't work itself loose.  These are about as complicated as a lawn tractor so don't be too intimidated to do some service yourself.  Sparse dealer networks have Guzzi folks being pretty self-sufficient.  Welcome to the fold!

[Rich A]

Touching up chips in the paint is an art--I'm not very good at it, but what I do is go down to the local auto parts store and buy a couple of rattle cans of paint that are as close to the paint you're trying to match as I can get. Clean out a clear nail polish bottle with solvent and let it dry. Spray a little of one can of paint into the bottle (it's messy), mix with the other paints 'til you get as close a match as you can (you can test the match on a part of the bike you don't see, or put it on a piece of plastic and compare). When you're done, you'll have a little bottle of touch up paint you can use on future chips.

Rich

[Kiwi_Roy]

The old tires will be hard but perfectly ok to ride home on, just get a new pair before you go carving up the corners.
The moat drain on the tank filler will block with rust if it gets wet, dribble a few drops of light oil into it to make sure it's free.
As others say change the fluids soon, oil is cheap, don't forget the brake fluid, I would just let some out at the caliper bleeders, make sure you don't get any air in.

Welcome to the forum.

Enjoy

[wavedog]

What everyone else has said- but don't forget to pray to Carlo before riding. Just ask Steve.

[sidecarnutz]

The factory never seemed to lube the splines on the drive shafts on these bikes. I would highly recommend tearing the rear drive and swing arm off and doing this. They are probably dry and sticking together from corrosion. A new U joint is a couple hundred $. With lubed splines, you are good to go for a couple years.

Being a old FI bike, I would change the fuel lines out too. Gasahol rots them.

Beautiful bike you have there!

[Triple Jim]

5) Anything I should look out for, recalls, things to nip in the butt before they get out of hand...

I like that, sort of a Brooklyn version of "nip in the bud".     

[Chuck in Indiana]

The dodgiest (is that a word?) part of any Guzzi is the electrical system. Whenever I get a new old Guzzi, I spend a day taking apart every electrical connection and cleaning it with Caig DeOxit. It will pay dividends. Trust me..

[iLuvOppai]

Wow awesome responses everyone!! thank you so much!! Yeah gonna ride it home(10~miles) then do a full service on fluids and gas lines, source them from Harpers? I guess I could save money by removing the wheels from the bike first and bring em to the tire change shop. I hope to catch some of you on the road!

[bugite]

Fork bearings,very dry by now
There was. Not enough to begin with

[Lee Bruns]

What everyone else said. Then I'll add this. The shifter lever and brake pedal bushings are nylon. They wear out fast then the shifter waggles around and makes it shift hard. When that happens, replace the nylon bushing with a brass one. That will help a bunch.

[Huzo]

Jeez mate, that's a nice bike you've got there. Do you really want to put those crappy Shitko tyres on it ? Gotta be worth a decent set surely, all this BS about how much mileage they give is just justification for tight arsedness. Just shout her a set of Pilot 4's and that way when you've gotta slam the brakes on in an emergency, half way round a corner, you just might get home with that small chip on the tank being the only blemish on her. If your budget is tight as you say, I'd go easy on the "cool mods" and change every fluid and replace the fuel lines as mentioned. Good luck !

[elvisboy77]

Don't freak out about the laundry list of stuff you have been given, ride it and live with it a while then see what your list is like (although I'd say tires now)

[Scud]

Lots of good advice here, which will take a long time if you do it all at once. Maybe you could go through it in sections and take your time with each mini-project so you can sneak in a few rides while you get her all updated and sorted.

Here's how I'd do it.
- Check for fuel leaks or cracks in hoses - if present, address immediately.
- Oils and tires first. Take the wheels off and have somebody else put the tires on (since you don't have tire tools now).
- While the front wheel is off - clean the brake calipers and make sure the pistons are moving freely and the pads are in good condition (they probably are) - and flush the bake system with new fluid.
- While the rear wheel is off - this is the time to decide how far into the bike you want to go. Certainly flush and clean the brake. Some riders are really hard on rear brakes and it's possible that the rear pads are worn even at such low mileage. Then you can decide whether you have time to pull the swingarm to inspect bearings and lube the driveshaft (splines and grease fittings). This is a fair bit of work if you haven't done it before.
- For your next "work party" pull the gas tank and all the body panels. This is when you can most easily replace fuel lines, clean injectors, and service your electrical system.
- Then you'll probably want to replace the fork oil. While you're there, you can lube the steering head bearings.

So - that's my list. I probably missed some stuff, but I hope it gives you an idea about how you can make progress while still enjoying the bike. If you do all that, you'll get to know her really well, and you'll have a clean, well-oiled machine that should be ready for many thousand miles.

[Tom]

Congrats on the bike!  You'll hardly use 5th gear until you get on the Thruway going N.  Mostly 1st & 2nd till you get into Jersey.  Keep the rev's up.  Shift at 5K.  Cruise closer to 4K.

[Huzo]

Scud's spot on mate. Something like steering head bearings won't harm the bike even if they're shagged, only the races suffer. Oil , fuel and tyres are non negotiable...NOW ! Have a good time getting to "know" her.

[iLuvOppai]

Wow! Thanks guys. I definitely have a nice list of things to do. Now to find a shop/repair manual so I know how to take it apart and apply some elbow grease. 

Speaking of grease, what kind should I be looking to use? Do I go by the oils/fluids in the manual verbatim or have modern alternatives been found that work? I know older machines tend to be super sensitive.

I'll definitely keep you guys updated as I knock each thing off the list (with pics and such).

As always please do continue to share any info/advice/things to add to the list. I greatly appreciate all of your responses!

[Tom]

Oh......goody...... .an oil thread!!!  Non-synthetic is okay.