Just picked up a poorly running California

[Parashootist]

As the title states,  I just brought home a 2007 California thar was listed as running but running poorly. The seller said he had checked the TPS and a couple sensors without any luck. He did start it up for me to show that it ran although it took a bit of fiddling with the TPS before it started. Left cylinder was a bit tappy but the price was right so I paid the man.

The California isn't really my style so it's not a bike I've ever really researched. What should I check first? Are there any common issues?

I'm thinking I'll probably just order a TPS since the seller never replaced it. I will also adjust the valves. Oil is fresh but the oil pan had some drips on it so I may drop it and replace the gasket. I'm missing the right saddlebag if anyone happens to have one. Otherwise the left one may go up for sale unless there is a reasonable aftermarket option.

[aklawok]

 The extra bits that make the CalVin special are rare and or expensive. Expect to pay around $1000 for a replacement side case, I have seen some on eBay not in good condition, and Harpers may also have it still.
If you are not yet familiar with guzzidiag do a search here, download the software and buy the lanolec cable BEFORE replacing any electronic components.
 Hope you got a good deal on it, be sure to save anything you decide to remove. Those of us that love our Vintage, and may need those bits will appreciate if you list them on the marketplace here on the forum.

[Parashootist]

The extra bits that make the CalVin special are rare and or expensive. Expect to pay around $1000 for a replacement side case, I have seen some on eBay not in good condition, and Harpers may also have it still.
If you are not yet familiar with guzzidiag do a search here, download the software and buy the lanolec cable BEFORE replacing any electronic components.
 Hope you got a good deal on it, be sure to save anything you decide to remove. Those of us that love our Vintage, and may need those bits will appreciate if you list them on the marketplace here on the forum.

Sounds like I'll be listing my left side case, racks, etc for sale!

Thanks, I think the first think I may dow is pop off the tank and see if the fuel pump looks good to go. I know I've had an aprilia of this vintage and a BMW where the hose between the pump and filter had split open causing them to run horribly. The seller had to do a fair bit of cranking and throttle manipulation to get it started.

I did get a pretty good deal of it and it's in nice shape minus the missing side case.

[guzzisteve]

Like he said, set the TPS w/a meter on mv then look at the parameters and set sync. The pump is on removable plate and may need a filter, when new they would blow the hose off. Change the air filter while you have tank off, it right there. Drop oil pan to change the filter in bottom & clean it out plus use green thick gaskets both & on valve covers too.

https://guzzitek.org/atelier/gb/1100/California1100_Atelier_Compil.pdf

Service manual, the one all the way at bottom is CalVin

You jump out of aircraft?

[Parashootist]

Like he said, set the TPS w/a meter on mv then look at the parameters and set sync. The pump is on removable plate and may need a filter, when new they would blow the hose off. Change the air filter while you have tank off, it right there. Drop oil pan to change the filter in bottom & clean it out plus use green thick gaskets both & on valve covers too.

https://guzzitek.org/atelier/gb/1100/California1100_Atelier_Compil.pdf

Service manual, the one all the way at bottom is CalVin

You jump out of aircraft?

Thanks! The seller just changed the oil and filter but yea, I'm going to drop the pan since it looks like the gasket is leaking.

I'll see how to adjust the TPS and will look into the cables/guzzidiag.

Right now I'm just going to go out in the garage and clean/polish it while making harley sounds haha.

I BASE jump, paraglide, and speed fly but surprisingly I don't jump out of aircraft. Just off cliffs, bridges, antennas, buildings, mountains.

[guzzisteve]

I jumped out of aircraft summer of 70 which came to a halt 55yrs ago just the other day, 1st motorcycle accident, hit by a car. Never thought about jumping from the ground.Dad was a pilot flying jumpers.
CalVins are the latest of that model, rest are just a different color. Good luck You'll be surprised they scoot pretty good.

[Parashootist]

I jumped out of aircraft summer of 70 which came to a halt 55yrs ago just the other day, 1st motorcycle accident, hit by a car. Never thought about jumping from the ground.Dad was a pilot flying jumpers.
CalVins are the latest of that model, rest are just a different color. Good luck You'll be surprised they scoot pretty good.

Sorry to hear about your motorcycle accident. I've been in one of those before, hit by a land rover. Very thankful for my riding gear and that I saw them turning into me early enough to slow down somewhat/turn with them. I walked away very bruised/sore but without any real injuries. Plus I got a free bike and some cash out of it!

Hopefully this one needs less than the V7 I bought in the spring.

[DoubleGuzzi]

I must be getting old, or not feeling too good. That sure is a pretty mile-muncher. 
Too big and heavy for me, alas: a V7 is about my limit.
Good luck with getting it running well.

[Parashootist]

I must be getting old, or not feeling too good. That sure is a pretty mile-muncher. 
Too big and heavy for me, alas: a V7 is about my limit.
Good luck with getting is running well.

Thanks! It's definitely a heavy beast. I've owned some fairly big bikes but this one may be the heaviest besides ones with sidecars. Surprisingly it's pretty easy to move around.

I'll have to see about getting the cables. I have them for another bike but based on pictures only half of what I have is correct (USB to OBDII).

[Tom H]

This should be the cable from USB to OBD. It  should fit your CalVin? Look at pic and check your bike cable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QBXZHLD/?coliid=I3ANDYZRRU50QX&colid=388FSMB9D1X7D&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

If your USB to OBD has the FTDI chip, then you should be good.

Tom

[Parashootist]

This should be the cable from USB to OBD. It  should fit your CalVin? Look at pic and check your bike cable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QBXZHLD/?coliid=I3ANDYZRRU50QX&colid=388FSMB9D1X7D&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

If your USB to OBD has the FTDI chip, then you should be good.

Tom

Thanks! That looks like the correct one. I'll have to look at my USB to OBDII, it's been awhile but I thought it was VAG-COM KKL. I believe it's correct.

[aklawok]

https://www.lonelec.com/product/guzzidiag-jpdiag-ducatidiag-tuneecu-kit-kl-1talia-3-pin-connection/
This is the only cable guarantee to work. Not too expensive, not chinesium, not to say others won't work, but likely.

[Parashootist]

https://www.lonelec.com/product/guzzidiag-jpdiag-ducatidiag-tuneecu-kit-kl-1talia-3-pin-connection/
This is the only cable guarantee to work. Not too expensive, not chinesium, not to say others won't work, but likely.

I would be absolutely shocked if they didn't come out of the exact same Chinese factory but I suppose it's possible the Lonelec one is not made in China (highly unlikely though). I may still order that one depending on shipping time/cost.

[aklawok]

Absolutely not made in China...UK, and authentic FTDI chipset
. One of the few. Here is mine:

[Parashootist]

Absolutely not made in China...UK, and authentic FTDI chipset
. One of the few. Here is mine:

Wow, I'm shocked! It's pretty rare to see electronics made anywhere other than China these days.

[aklawok]

Please tell us about the problems you are having with the bike, how it is running. Some Lifter chatter is normal. Missing? Won't idle? Etc.

[Parashootist]

Please tell us about the problems you are having with the bike, how it is running. Some Lifter chatter is normal. Missing? Won't idle? Etc.

I haven't tried starting or riding it since picking it up today. The seller listed it as running but that it would run worse the longer it ran. It was a bit difficult for him to get started. He was manipulating the throttle a bunch to try to get it to start/idle and was fiddling with something on the left side, maybe the TPS? He discussed taking ohm readings on the TPS and one or two sensors that he pointed out. It sounds like maybe it would run erratically once it had been running for a bit.

I'll give it a run tomorrow and maybe even try to ride it so I can provide a better description.

[Parashootist]

The seller showed me the key release for the seat and said that it's very difficult to get it to work. He wasn't kidding. I can hear the latch making noise but I cannot get it to release the seat. Is there a specific spot to push down on or lift up to relieve pressure on the latch? Is there a way to manually pull on the cable while turning the key? I'd like to charge the battery before I begin diagnosing but I don't see a battery tender lead so the seat needs to come off. Plus I'd like to pull the tank.

Thanks

[brider]

About that Lonelec cable: I tried to order one from their website a few weeks ago and got a msg during the ordering routine that they could not ship to my address....sent an e-mail to them asking for explanation, no reply.

[guzzisteve]

When the key is turned, push down on lever. You don't have to keep turning key it stays. Under the back of seat is a post on fender that pops up into hole under seat. It's about where passenger sits. Often you can pop the back up & then push down the lever by key. The seat latch is on rail right behind battery. The front of seat slides back off tabs by back of bottom of tank.

If you look in owners man or service man it shows you.

[Parashootist]

When the key is turned, push down on lever. You don't have to keep turning key it stays. Under the back of seat is a post on fender that pops up into hole under seat. It's about where passenger sits. Often you can pop the back up & then push down the lever by key. The seat latch is on rail right behind battery. The front of seat slides back off tabs by back of bottom of tank.

If you look in owners man or service man it shows you.

Awesome, thanks. I'll check the manual and give it another try.

About that Lonelec cable: I tried to order one from their website a few weeks ago and got a msg during the ordering routine that they could not ship to my address....sent an e-mail to them asking for explanation, no reply.

Thanks, if it won't go to your address, it definitely won't go to mine. I live in the middle of nowhere and often get my address rejected since it's not in the USPS database. Thanks, I'll probably give the cheap cable referenced above a try.

[moto]

About that Lonelec cable: I tried to order one from their website a few weeks ago and got a msg during the ordering routine that they could not ship to my address....sent an e-mail to them asking for explanation, no reply.

Probably the US dropping the de minimus tarrif exemption. Maybe the company will take some time to adapt their systems or maybe they won't find it worthwhile to ship only a few items to the US anymore.

Here is the British government's advice to businesses shipping to US:

From 29 August 2025, the United States removed the $800 de minimis threshold for commercial shipments. This change affects the vast majority of UK businesses exporting low-value goods to the United States, including items that were previously exempt from tariffs and duties.

As a result:

Exports to the US that previously qualified for the de minimis are likely to see increased costs due to new tariffs and processing fees.
Carriers now face increased customs declaration requirements, which may cause disruption or delays while systems are updated.

More details from the UK government here:
https://www.business.gov.uk/export-from-uk/markets/united-states/de-minimis-shipments-us/

Of course I am assuming you live in the US. You don't say.

[michaell32]

Look on YouTube for janguzzi. He has an excellent video on how to set the tps.

[Parashootist]

Just finished a valve adjustment and it could explain the terrible running. Hopefully it's not an indicator of more working being needed.

When the seller started the bike there was a serious metallic tapping/ticking sound (not a knocking) from the top end, I mostly heard it on the left side.

Left valve clearances as measured:

Exhaust: greater than 0.6mm (largest feeler gauge)
Intake: 0.15mm
Set to 0.15mm EX, 0.10 IN

Right valve clearances as measured:

Exhaust: 0.22mm
Intake: greater than 0.6mm (largest feeler gauge)
Set to 0.15mm EX, 0.10mm IN

Normally with a clearance that huge I'd suspect a bent valve but with all of them being out of spec, I'm unsure. Especially since it did run and even idle.

I'm going to rotate the motor over a few times and recheck/confirm but I've adjusted my fair share of valves over the years (first Guzzi valve check).

I used the S mark for the left cylinder confirming piston at TDC and ensuring both valves loose. D mark for right cylinder, piston at TDC with both valves loose.

I would have to think this would certainly cause poor running...

[aklawok]

 Given what.you have said, I suspect the previous owner of neglecting maintenance and " tinkering" with settings on the throttle bodies.
You are doing great so far, research and do the throttle synchronization before you pull the fuel pump out there are videos too. There are known issues with the fuel line, but if it is running at all probably not the problem.
The seat latch: the key only turns about 1/8 turn, don't force it! Some force is needed pulling up on back of seat, sometimes while holding the key.

[Parashootist]

Given what.you have said, I suspect the previous owner of neglecting maintenance and " tinkering" with settings on the throttle bodies.
You are doing great so far, research and do the throttle synchronization before you pull the fuel pump out there are videos too. There are known issues with the fuel line, but if it is running at all probably not the problem.

I won't give the previous owner too much grief, he seemed like an intermediate owner. I believe he bought it in more or less the condition I bought it in and never got it running properly. He did install a new front tire, fresh oil/filter so it seems the bike may be a bit better off in his care. Someone definitely either neglected the valve adjustments or adjusted them seriously wrong. I'm used to valve clearances tightening though so the fact they were all loose is strange to me.

I should have it buttoned back up in the next half hour or so (going to recheck everything multiple times) and then I'll check the TPS.

I'll hold off on the fuel pump. You're probably right,  the two prior bikes I had with split lines in the tank basically wouldn't run at all.

[guzzisteve]

.With a clearance that big from neglect the throttle bodies have been same way & way out of sync which will make it terrible running.
Don't forget to clean out air bleed screws, I seen them gooed up & no air passes.
 

[Tom H]

You CalVin I believe is the same as my EVT for the throttle bodies and TPS. Here is a very easy to follow tutorial for setting up the TB's from scratch. It IS my reference material.

https://archive.guzzitech.com/EVTuneup-Jeff_B.html

Tom

[Tom H]

I wanted to add....

If all the screws on the TB's have the dab of paint intact and the only ones that don't have the paint is the TPS. You "could" not do the baseline for the TPS (150mv)  and just check/adjust the  500-525mv (.500-.525V) and then move on to the basic balance as described.

With this said, the baseline could be out from wear and the like, so it's not a bad idea to set the baseline.

Tom

[Parashootist]

You CalVin I believe is the same as my EVT for the throttle bodies and TPS. Here is a very easy to follow tutorial for setting up the TB's from scratch. It IS my reference material.

https://archive.guzzitech.com/EVTuneup-Jeff_B.html

Tom

Thanks! I'm ordering the cable so I can get the throttle bodies synced and the TPS dialed in.

.With a clearance that big from neglect the throttle bodies have been same way & way out of sync which will make it terrible running.
Don't forget to clean out air bleed screws, I seen them gooed up & no air passes.

While I wait for the guzzi diag cable I'll clean the throttle bodies including the air bleed screws.

It seems to idle low around 900rpm currently. With a bit of the enrichment lever or whatever function it serves, it idles perfectly at 1200 and sounds significantly better after the valve adjustment. I think are the TPS/TBS it will be running nicely.