1100 SERIES California – Mechanical Tappets
Engine oil: RACING 4T 10W-60 or as an alternative 20W-50

1100 SERIES California – Hydraulic Tappets
Engine oil: RACING 4T 5W-40 Oil to be compulsorily used for a correct operation of hydraulic tappets.

A few other notes about the star-crossed hydro EV’s:

1. Potential buyers need to investigate the bike’s history carefully, as some of the less-reputable dealers of the day reported to Piaggio that the recall was done for particular VINs, took the money for the valve train recall, but did not do the work. So, checking a bike’s VIN against the recall records can be misleading. If you don’t know or trust the dealer that claims to have done the recall, remove the valve covers and look. There is information on the internet as to what to look for. Be wary of a bike that has not had the recall; make sure Moto Guzzi will still pay for it, and that the parts and specialized tools necessary are still available.

2. As a corollary to #1, try to determine if the recall was done before or after the bike was put into service, and, in particular, if it was done before or after the engine failed. Ideally, you want a bike that had the recall done before the bike was first sold. Metal flakes from the defective parts have been known to damage the engine beyond the defective parts themselves. If the bike was in service before the recall, the good dealers flushed the engine carefully and took apart, cleaned, and inspected the oil pump, before putting everything back together, but not all dealers are or were good dealers.

3. The valvetrain was not the only serious problem with these bikes. Some left the factory with a single-plate clutch, instead of the more common dual-plate clutch. MG tried a single-plate clutch to lessen the clutch pull, and it was a disaster. Nearly every single-plate bike had its clutch implode within a few thousand miles of use. Most were changed out under warranty to the dual-plate design, but some were not. Any EV is no longer in warranty, so check to see which clutch is in the bike you are looking at. (There is information online as to what to look for.) Otherwise, it is an $1,800 repair bill to retrofit an EV with the dual-plate clutch. Since this was never the subject of an official recall, you would be paying for that, yourself.

4. Wait! That’s not all…. The hydro EV’s were also plagued with cracking lower triple trees. The good news is: there were (I believe) no reported crashes as a result of this; the cracks are easy to spot (again, the information on what to look for is online); and dealer recall information on this is fairly reliable. Also, since this was the subject of a US government (NHTSA) safety recall, Moto Guzzi is obligated to replace the defective part at their expense, regardless of whether the bike is out of warranty.

Other than those few things — it’s a fantastic motorcycle! No, I’m not being facetious. The hydro EV’s problems can be scoped out before you buy, and, IMO, it’s worth the effort.