1997 MG California 1100i

[harjp_az]

Hey guys. Just test rode this bike today. Has 16K miles. I have a lot of seat time on dirt bikes and adventure bikes. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed being on this cruiser. Did NOT want to get off the bike.

So tell me please...what am I getting here? By all accounts, it's a great bike and I'm going to love it. But what should I know about the bike that I don't know?

TIA

Harry

[yogidozer]

maintenance history, clean title, price?
FYI there is a very reasonably priced Jackal in Rochester NY if that's anywhere near you.
no relationship to the owner, but he is a forum member.
Here's the link.
http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=91627.0

[harjp_az]

Just looking for general information on the bike. Thanks!

[Kiwi_Roy]

You should be warned, Guzzis are addictive, before you know it you will be looking at a modern V7 or Grisso
Then an old loop will catch your eye.
Before you know it there will be several Guzzis living in your garage.

Ask me how I know


BTW, welcome to the forum

[rodekyll]

Welcome!

It's the first of the injected Tonti/Californias.  They're generally bulletproof mechanically for the first 100k or 2.  Minimal plastic for the era.  16k, if that's the actual clock, could mean you've found a not-broke-in one.  But the speedos were notorious for failing, and you might be looking at miles since replacement.  If the price is right and it checks out mechanically, it's not a bad ride.  No hidden gremlins, nothing particularly finicky besides what you'd expect for the age, and one of the better values in a 20-y-o bike.  They make great touring rigs.  You should be able to keep it a long time.  I bought an earlier model Tonti in 1978 and still ride it daily.

Pictures, history, and stats would help the discussion.  These guys love to pick things apart.

ymmv, not available in all states.

[harjp_az]

The bike is owned by a dealer in Arizona. Had a problem with the TPS that a new part didn't fix. Eventually isolated to wiring. New tires, valve adjustment, oil and filter change, new spark plugs/caps/wires, cleaned fuel injectors, synced throttle bodies, new steering damper.

The speedo looks the same age as the rest of the bike. I kept looking at the mileage to make sure it didn't read 160K.

I'm looking forward to joining the family.




image hosting for ebay

[lorazepam]

Great looking bike! Welcome to the fold.

[harjp_az]

FYI there is a very reasonably priced Jackal in Rochester NY

Rochester was a long way away when I lived in NYC! :) Been in Arizona over 12 years now.

I'm paying under $3K for the 1997. It's definitely been garaged. Surprisingly clean. One small cosmetic blemish at the bottom of the rear fender was all I spotted. And a little discoloring on the edges of the front brake discs.

Something vaguely criminal about getting such an interesting and well designed bike for next to nothing.

[Tom]

Rock solid bike.  If you're getting it for less $3K.     Put some Slime in the rear tire.  It'll be a great ride up the Canyon Lake or South Mtn. Park.  Keep it up at 4K rpm's.  Work 2nd and 3rd gear.  5th is overdrive.  75mph and up.  Ride it up to Payson on the Beeline Hwy or to Saguaro Lake and you'll have a really stupid grin on your face.   

[harjp_az]

Just bought her this morning from the MG shop in Prescott (where we are spending the month).

Did a little loop on Iron Springs Rd. through Skull Valley to Wilcott back into Prescott. Got my first seat time through a lot of twisties. Which you know we don't have in the Valley!

Thanks for the tips on the RPMs. She sounds very happy between 3-4K rpm.

Up the Beeline through Pine and Strawberry then over to Camp Verde is a great ride. And the roads in all directions from Prescott are amazing.

[fotoguzzi]

Do you like the seat?

[harjp_az]

Do you like the seat?

I have less than 2 hours on the bike, but so far yes. Very much!

Why do you ask? I've read here that the EV seat isn't great and the button seat, which I have is real comfy.

[Tom]

Stock seat will kill you long distance.  Better to do hourly breaks.

[Travlr]

You should know there is an excellent Guzzi mechanic in Mesa. 
Tom Hull at Toms Italian Tune.  Just Google it.
He does all my work. 

Mike

[Travlr]

FYI: our monthly Guzzi breakfast is tomorrow morning.
Sunday 8/6 at Dennys at I-17 and Bell Road.
Be there around 7:30.

Also the New Mexico Guzzi Rally is coming up in 2 weeks.
Lots of threads about it here on Wild Guzzi.
Many of the Phoenix contingent stay at The Lago Motel in Quemado.

MIke

[Lee Bruns]

about 65 hp at the ground. Replace the oil filter every THIRD oil change, clean the flywheel sensor, and put brass bushings in the shifter and brake pedal when the stock ones wear out. Other than that, just keep filling the gas tank. LOVE that model of bike.

[guzzista]

I rode a 1995 1100I for about 60k miles till new bike temptation had me trade it in . The Rectifier/regulator  packed it in shortly before trading. The Bitubo rear shocks peed out their oil early in the game and were swapped for  Progressive Air shocks which were very useful for 2 up riding. The other bug was the hose to the MAP Sensor, which is kinda hidden and was collapsing under throttle sporadically and causing misfires. After the local dealer could not figure it out, Moto America, then Guzzi Importer, issued a new ECU. The new ECU was  a more current version than the original unit and the bike ran better, but the problem was not entirely solved till I found  the little MAP hose collapsing , replaced and everything was AOK.  I currently own a carbie 1994 Cali 1100, pretty much the same bike without the fuel injection, which is the part I miss the most. MPG was better with EFI . All in all, solid bikes  and the prices are right on used ones

[harjp_az]

Thanks guys. Great stuff.

[KiwiKev]

Great bike, I'm sure you will enjoy it but now you are doomed to a lifetime Guzzi addiction!!!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[normzone]

The bike is owned by a dealer in Arizona .... I'm looking forward to joining the family.

Do you want us to save you a bunk in Lucky Cabin # 13 at the San Diego rally? Do you snore or have a dog ? You're from out of state, so you're already a shoe-in 

[harjp_az]

Do you want us to save you a bunk in Lucky Cabin # 13 at the San Diego rally? Do you snore or have a dog ? You're from out of state, so you're already a shoe-in 

I have a dog that snores.

Thanks for the invite and the bunk reservation, but I'm tied up all October with work.

[normzone]

Well, if things change let us know. The bunk is free, but you have to be from out of state, snore, or have a dog from another country. 

[harjp_az]

but now you are doomed to a lifetime Guzzi addiction!!!

Looking forward to it! :)

[harjp_az]

FYI: our monthly Guzzi breakfast is tomorrow morning.
Sunday 8/6 at Dennys at I-17 and Bell Road.
Be there around

Thanks! I saw that on the NOC website. Up in Prescott for the month but hope to be there in September.

[vintagehoarder]

Just bought her this morning from the MG shop in Prescott (where we are spending the month).
Did a little loop on Iron Springs Rd. through Skull Valley to Wilcott back into Prescott. Got my first seat time through a lot of twisties. Which you know we don't have in the Valley!

Thanks for the tips on the RPMs. She sounds very happy between 3-4K rpm.

Up the Beeline through Pine and Strawberry then over to Camp Verde is a great ride. And the roads in all directions from Prescott are amazing.

Awesome I have a 96 Fuel injected Cali, one of my favorite bikes in the stable.  Usually my go to bike.  You are going to live it.

[harjp_az]

Awesome I have a 96 Fuel injected Cali, one of my favorite bikes in the stable.  Usually my go to bike.  You are going to live it.

That's quite a statement given the extentiveness of your stable! :)

[Fulton_Cali]

Hey guys. Just test rode this bike today. Has 16K miles. I have a lot of seat time on dirt bikes and adventure bikes. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed being on this cruiser. Did NOT want to get off the bike.

So tell me please...what am I getting here? By all accounts, it's a great bike and I'm going to love it. But what should I know about the bike that I don't know?

TIA

Harry

Welcome to the Tractor Motor Brotherhood, as someone said to me not too long ago. :) I have a '97, as well--the 75th Anniversary edition. Also a low miles pampered bike like yours. When I dug around here on WG and some other places, I came to the following conclusions after rooting around:
1. Most people replace the seat, but hey, if it's perfect for you, awesome (MG actually replaced the seat with a Corbin for a Cruiser review back in 1997, stating their own seat was "not appropriate for touring.").
2. All MGs seem to have some kind of electrical problem sooner or later (mine hasn't. . .yet), so you need some troubleshooting patience or a good mechanic who knows these bikes. So far, every single problem I've read about was solved, but sometimes it was infuriating to find the one spot in the harness causing trouble.
3. Otherwise, they do seem to be pretty reliable.

Mine gets pretty good mileage--around 50  MPG. It's got a nice ride and is a good handler, particularly for its size. I am not wild about some of the plastic pieces MG used--some seem cheap and are fading and cracking more than I would see on, say, a Honda. Bike has always been garaged but the gauge cluster is not the greatest. I think mine is missing a rubber stopper and so it rocks and is slightly mis-aligned. The "chrome" on the gauge housings does not look that great.

The wheels are lovely, albeit hard to clean. Linked brakes I am not wild about--they should have either linked both front brakes or not. Linking half the front seems kind of silly to me. I think the PO used the back brake exclusively which caused different degrees of runout on one front rotor versus the other. I tend to use much more front than rear, but that's also unnerving knowing I'm also only grabbing one rotor. One of the rotors is now starting to feel warped. I bet that is a big ticket money. Sigh.

See my post about the bags (for want of a shoe) earlier this year--if you have the Hepco Becker bags, the bolts are not so good and I almost lost a bag on the road as a result. I got really lucky.

In general, these bikes do sometimes suffer from the Italian approach to engineering and constructions--it's just a little uneven. You would never mistake it for a BMW in terms of attention to detail. However, it's a simple bike and so the problems tend to be simple, too. And it is a pretty, pretty bike. 

Happy riding!

David

[harjp_az]

Welcome to the Tractor Motor Brotherhood

Happy riding!

David

Thanks!

[Tom]

Check Greg's website out.  He's in Cave Creek.    http://www.thisoldtractor.com/

[normzone]

[Fulton Cali], I sent you a lengthy PM re your brakes.