2009 Moto Guzzi California Vintage
User Reviews
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Junk
By (I am an Owner) on Mar 26, 2011I bought this bike online for a reasonable price.[from a very reputable dealer].He promised a money back satisfaction guarantee.It was shipped to my house,and was absolutely beautiful...end of love affair.The tach didn*t work,I took it out for a 10 mile drive,and found the left rear turn signal hanging ... by the wires.there were numerous loose nuts and bolts.The right panier was put together with screws that didn*t even thread into the retaining nuts.The clutch lever had 3/4 inches of play..on and on and on...It always smelled of gas as well.I used to ride a 78 Guzzi t3..and had no..zero..issues whatsoever.The Califonia Vintage was a huge letdown...full of bugs and pathetic quality control.BUYER BEWARE.I was lucky.My dealer gave me a full refund.
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It's All In The Dealer
By (I am an Owner) on Nov 06, 2009I ORDERED my 2009 California Vintage ("CalVin") through the local dealer (MPH Cycles) sight-unseen. MPH is reputedly one of the best Guzzi dealers in the country. Price wasgood, too, as they didin't have to floor-plan it.
Now have nearly 2000 miles completely trouble-free, mostly commuter ... miles.
The popular saying amongst Guzzi owners is that the first 5,000 miles is troublesome, but the next 100,000 will be trouble-free. I believe I lucked-out with both a good specimen and a great dealer, so I may have skipped-over the troublesome parts.
Re: problems in previous posts:
Lean running at start-up: check with the dealer for a revised computer "map". MPH remapped mine at prep.
Electrical problems: many of these are traceable to poor prep at a mediocre dealer, and loose connectors or bad switches.
Generally, this is a fantastic motorcyle IF you get it from an excellent dealer. Hang around the service folks at your dealer. If they aren't exceptionally qualified, go someplace else.
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Moto Guzzi???
By (I am an Enthusiast) on Sep 09, 2009From what I have read on-line, the MG California Vintage LOOKS great and runs lousy. One would think after all these years the Italians would finally get it right, right? Guess not. BMW all the way for me folks. Motorcycles should be very very reliable. BMW has it. MG wishes they had it.
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Guzzi Displeasure
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 04, 2009I purchase my 2009 Cal Vin with great optimism. Unfortunatley, I've had mine in the shop three times in 8 months; all electrical and quality problems. The ride is not that great as I read and heard. Performance in not...lacks power and throttle response. The bike is not very nimble or rider friendly ... to me. I am six feet all and my knees hit the cyclinder pads and my feet have no room to move on the left floorboard. Service is hard to locate if you're not in a big city. Mabye I just got a lemon? Then again, maybe i did not.
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California Vintage--Problem
By (I am an Owner) on Jun 01, 2009I've put 1,500 miles on my new California Vintage, and I'm disturbed by how poorly it continues to perform when cold. For the first ten minutes of riding in 50-60 degree weather, it hesitates and sputters when I lay on the throttle, sometimes to the point of almost dying. Sadly, it accelerates ... more slowly than a VW bug.
After ten minutes of riding, the performance improves remarkably.
I've had the bike in the shop twice now for diagnostics, and the mechanics are stupefied.
Does anyone know what the problem might be?
Thanks,
wrypfeiffer@aol.com
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