Chappy
Just got it firing!
So, after years of wanting a guzzi I finally found one I could afford. Rode a Honda cx650 for years which I acquired principally because the off-set engine configuration was like moto guzzi.
About a month ago (while looking for a replacement for her 1980 cx500) I came across a 2014 California touring with 5200 miles on it. (!!!)
Loving the bike. First bike I've had with ABS, traction control, cruise control, and fuel injection. At first I couldn't tell what was me and my riding habits and what was the bike...it did NOT want to slow-roll in 1st, bucked and jumped like I was about to kill it. Shifting was weird, there was an odd vibration in 4th, 5th, and 6th--more felt than heard, sort of a periodic VVvvvt I could feel in the floorboards. Turning and curves felt VERY strange, and very squirrely.
So I changed the ignition profile from turismo to veloce and the weird vibration went away. Mostly. I started to learn how to manage my gravel driveway (and sometimes dew-wet grass) at a higher than really comfortable speed. Then I realized that with 5200 miles the tires were probably original to the bike, 2014. Then I realized the rear tire had no crown left--tread, but flat in the middle. (In 30 years of riding I've worn many tires out, but my riding habits never put a flat spot in the middle of the tread, so I didn't think to look for that.)
Got new tires, got 'em installed. Bike was unrideable. That buck and kick was VERY much worse, the traction and abs lights wouldn't stop blinking, and I didn't make it out of the parking lot.
Wheeled around expecting I might have to do the MGCT calibration (which sounded like a pain) but the tech pulled the front wheel and cleaned off the front ABS sensor. I tried it...and it was night and day. I've put a couple hundred miles on the tires now--weirdo vibration is GONE. I can slow-roll in 1st now. The Guzzi feels like a ride I understand now, and I couldn't be happier.
So...check your sensors for debris before you assume it's something complicated. (Or that you've suddenly become a nunce and lost all your riding experience somehow. )
About a month ago (while looking for a replacement for her 1980 cx500) I came across a 2014 California touring with 5200 miles on it. (!!!)
Loving the bike. First bike I've had with ABS, traction control, cruise control, and fuel injection. At first I couldn't tell what was me and my riding habits and what was the bike...it did NOT want to slow-roll in 1st, bucked and jumped like I was about to kill it. Shifting was weird, there was an odd vibration in 4th, 5th, and 6th--more felt than heard, sort of a periodic VVvvvt I could feel in the floorboards. Turning and curves felt VERY strange, and very squirrely.
So I changed the ignition profile from turismo to veloce and the weird vibration went away. Mostly. I started to learn how to manage my gravel driveway (and sometimes dew-wet grass) at a higher than really comfortable speed. Then I realized that with 5200 miles the tires were probably original to the bike, 2014. Then I realized the rear tire had no crown left--tread, but flat in the middle. (In 30 years of riding I've worn many tires out, but my riding habits never put a flat spot in the middle of the tread, so I didn't think to look for that.)
Got new tires, got 'em installed. Bike was unrideable. That buck and kick was VERY much worse, the traction and abs lights wouldn't stop blinking, and I didn't make it out of the parking lot.
Wheeled around expecting I might have to do the MGCT calibration (which sounded like a pain) but the tech pulled the front wheel and cleaned off the front ABS sensor. I tried it...and it was night and day. I've put a couple hundred miles on the tires now--weirdo vibration is GONE. I can slow-roll in 1st now. The Guzzi feels like a ride I understand now, and I couldn't be happier.
So...check your sensors for debris before you assume it's something complicated. (Or that you've suddenly become a nunce and lost all your riding experience somehow. )
