V7 III Milano

[twowheeladdict]

The bike from 20years ago is pedestrianly slow compared to bikes of today (94 1100 sport) however Guzzi currently offer nothing better, its steering geometry is a bit outdated as well, I've already upgraded things like brakes carbs exhaust etc but simply its an old bike the engineering will only ever do so much. As for the extra cost associated with suspension brakes etc I'll pay its always worth it IMO.

I'll happily skip the retro styling its not that important to me, If I go to the time and expense of buying a new bike it should be better than the current old dinosaur I own otherwise what's the point, I enjoy it but its a steam train in the microchip world.

The v7 brakes are doughy and lack any real bite the throttle is doughy and lacks any bite sure fine for new riders I'm not a new rider anymore, even the 1400 cali on Veloce is pretty tame and I didn't really understand why it has other riding modes the most aggressive is perfectly manageable in all situations. It still turns like a boat and stops like a train its better than most cruisers but it is still a cruiser. Actually why bikes have multiple riding modes is a bit of a mystery the other ones with switchable modes I've found to be more than manageable on their most aggressive in traffic.

The last bike I brought from Guzzi wasn't even road registrable its not perfect but its a brilliant step up on anything that Guzzi made before or since ands thats my issue 10 odd years after i brought that bike there is nothing available for the road with similar performance even when it wasn't even cutting edge at the time? Guzzi have disappearing into their own little world only ever competing with itself which is fine if your customer base only ever exclusively rides their bikes which is a very small customer base when we talk about guzzi.

I'd like the marketing department to pick up a new marketing line, Higher Better Faster Stronger, hopefully it will be reflected in the engineering.

BTW If anyone has exclusive rights to the Names of Milano and Stelvio it is the city and the mountain pass.

Go buy an H2 GTX and stop your whining.  LOL!

[Devildog]

Just a subjective opinion, but I think older 'primitive' bikes are lots of fun to ride, that is their appeal despite the maintenance, when new bikes can feel like a 'means of transportation'.

[Murray]

Go buy an H2 GTX and stop your whining.  LOL!

The thought has crossed my mind although I've got to find a shop locally that has a couple of brain cells in the parts and servicing department, not as easy as it should be.

[kenvil1]

If the V7 were to become highly refined and powerful, I think several people on this forum would feel compelled to jump ship and to start shopping around for a Royal Enfield or perhaps a Ural. You know, to get their fix.

[Tom]

No need to.  They can stay with the same brand and pick up a Loop.

[twowheeladdict]

The thought has crossed my mind although I've got to find a shop locally that has a couple of brain cells in the parts and servicing department, not as easy as it should be.

Now that I can definitely agree with.  Most I have met I wouldn't call motorcycle enthusiasts. 

[Murray]

Now that I can definitely agree with.  Most I have met I wouldn't call motorcycle enthusiasts.

The local Guzzi shop is very good so it would be nice if Guzzi spat out something I dunno I might actually want to buy, from the line of Lemans Daytona 1100sport V11 MGS-01 Griso 1200 sport there is probably a few around.

[oilhed]

I was going to get a V7III Special but wanted the cast rims, the Stone fits the bill but I hate the "all black treatment", the Milano has the Stone wheels and the Special classsy look, and a tach too....I'm in!!   

I agree.  And that glossy off gray color is sooo cool.  Just wish I could fit a dustbin fairing!

[Tom]

A dustbin fairing would look cool around town but west of the Mississippi, the crosswinds in the open West would drive you nuts.

[rider33]

The V7 is an entertaining and distinctive platform, I hope they bring out as many variations as the market will allow.  The world is full of functional, efficient, soul-less machines.  The V7 is not one of them.  It's not the best at anything, but it's pretty damn good at the stuff that matters, and in the end, that's what matters the most.

[Shorty]

Guzzi ain't got the cash, the management, nor the incentive to build a bike that would please Murray. Maybe if they rebadged an Aprilia?  I'm tickled to death and also mystified Guzzi remains in business. The old engineers, and apparently the passion to perform/innovate seem to have passed away.  Budget constraints, environmental rules, a soft market, seemingly unbeatable
 Nipponese competition?  Lucky indeed a Mandello built Guzzi is still available, no matter how milquetoast you may find them.  Think about it. What truly competitive bikes have Guzzi built since the 1970s? And, what does it matter to the average Guzzi customer?

[kingoffleece]

I'm always amused at the "better" discussion.  Endlessly circular.

[Kev m]

Yesterday I took the morning to escape the daily grind and attend a MGNOC of NJ Guzzi breakfast. The location was a good 100 miles or so away which meant an early (6:45) departure in cool weather.

I briefly entertained the thought of taking the RK (or the Sportster) due to the large windshield and better seat which would make the chilly (58F) morning ride more pleasant.

But I hadn't been on the V7 in a week or so, and really couldn't resist riding a Guzzi to the Guzzi breakfast.

So it was off on the least powerful bike in the garage.

It was glorious.

I remembered instantly why I love this bike so much.

I won't lie, but the end of the day I remembered why I prefer the seats on some of my other bikes, but I didn't care as I was completely happy with my choice of mount for the day thanks to other qualities.

Life is good, don't stress about the little things so much.

[twowheeladdict]

Guzzi ain't got the cash, the management, nor the incentive to build a bike that would please Murray. Maybe if they rebadged an Aprilia?  I'm tickled to death and also mystified Guzzi remains in business. The old engineers, and apparently the passion to perform/innovate seem to have passed away.  Budget constraints, environmental rules, a soft market, seemingly unbeatable
 Nipponese competition?  Lucky indeed a Mandello built Guzzi is still available, no matter how milquetoast you may find them.  Think about it. What truly competitive bikes have Guzzi built since the 1970s? And, what does it matter to the average Guzzi customer?

I found no competition for my V7 III Carbon.  No one else builds a mid size standard with drive shaft and good looks.

[john hooper]

Was out at the weekend  with my  friend  on his new just run in v7 which performed as well as my ev  despite it's  capacity deficit  except on fuel consumption  where it thrashed  the older bike, where i got my normal 10 miles to the litre after 90 miles he put in just 5 1/4 litres , wow, amazing, impressed,  might have to buy a newer bike.

John

[kidsmoke]

That little fairing looks pretty balanced on V7 that with the bags. I'm impressed. Does what you need it to, I take it?

[Kev m]

That little fairing looks pretty balanced on V7 with the bags. I'm impressed. Does what you need it to, I take it?

So I've been back and forth with the V7 and some form of shield since I bought it.

Because I generally prefer an open face helmet I have struggled to find the right solution.

Used a Dart flyscreen at first.

Moved to the pinelands and realized I was riding everywhere at highway speeds and tried a Dart Marlin.

Both were good, but not really ideal for constant highway speeds and an open face helmet.

Tried this fairing (inexpensive take-off from a board member here, used to be a on Jackal I believe), and it was more of the same.



THAT IS, until yesterday, when I broke down and wore my Nolan N44 with the large (removable) face shield. And BAMN.

It was damn near perfect.

Like the Dart and Marlin before it the fairing keeps most of the air off my chest, but leaves my face largely in clean air.

Add the Nolan face shield and I can ride at highway speeds with it positioned to allow some venting or basically blocking everything. PERFECT.

So yes, I'm happy with this (and I like the looks better than the Dart or Marlin), but I probably would have been happy with the Dart or Marlin too if I wore a FF or had tried this damn Nolan sooner.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I think it looks ok without bags too:

[oilhed]

The world is full of functional, efficient, soul-less machines.  The V7 is not one of them.  It's not the best at anything, but it's pretty damn good at the stuff that matters, and in the end, that's what matters the most.

Lucky indeed a Mandello built Guzzi is still available, no matter how milquetoast you may find them.  Think about it. What truly competitive bikes have Guzzi built since the 1970s? And, what does it matter to the average Guzzi customer?

So true.  If you were a fan of Guzzi (or BMW or Morini) in the 70's & 80's you can buy a brand new motorcycle right now that tickles the good memories without as many of the bad ones.

[Daleroso]

There always has been & always will be a Murray. Allways with ideas & opinions to improve what engineers & R&D create. That's not neccessarily bad.  I think it was Alan Girdler who wrote an editorial explaining the affect $ & R&D had on sales & summed it up by saying that all that $ & R&D merely increases the speed at which one day you will eventually crash.
There are simply to many people/riders to make'm all happy. Most bikes now days will never be used to their fullest capacity by most riders regardless of the exceleration, brakes, suspension, seat, hdlbar placement, mirror length/placemant, seat comfort, no ctr std, to loud, to quiet,  to heavy style.

[fossil]

So true.  If you were a fan of Guzzi (or BMW or Morini) in the 70's & 80's you can buy a brand new motorcycle right now that tickles the good memories without as many of the bad ones.

And this is exactly why I bought my white V7 Stone in March 2013. Only I would add Norton to that list.

[kidsmoke]

Tried this fairing (inexpensive take-off from a board member here, used to be a on Jackal I believe), and it was more of the same.
THAT IS, until yesterday, when I broke down and wore my Nolan N44 with the large (removable) face shield. And BAMN.
It was damn near perfect.

Yup, it was off a Jackal. And coincidentally, that board member is also sportin' an N44. Glad it's working well.

[egschade]

I find the Dart pushed just a touch of turbulence into my helmet so I may lower it just a bit. Otherwise the V7 it's pretty much a perfect ride for me.

Met Kev for Sunday breakfast and his set up looks good.

Here's my "Roughed up" Stone (tires, taller suspension, and cosmetics):

[cee2cee]

I find the Dart pushed just a touch of turbulence into my helmet so I may lower it just a bit. Otherwise the V7 it's pretty much a perfect ride for me.

Met Kev for Sunday breakfast and his set up looks good.

Here's my "Roughed up" Stone (tires, taller suspension, and cosmetics):

Nice looking set-up!  Whose bags are those? 

As for Murray, no doubt one of these guys that if you said the sky was blue he would argue that it is not blue enough! 

[Muzz]

As much as I'm annoyed by Murray's whining (and it's significant), I also understand what he is saying.

The brakes on my V7 are perfectly fine, no actually they're downright strong.

BUT if I'm being honest they're not as STOP RIGHT NOW as the dual Brembos on Jenn's 696, or the linked 1-finger stop Brembos on my RK.

Is the front brake on your V7 different from the gold Brembo on the Breva Kev? I can have the front wheel breaking away 2-up going down a hill, and that's not really hauling on it. I don't think I would want it any "stronger".

[Kev m]

Is the front brake on your V7 different from the gold Brembo on the Breva Kev? I can have the front wheel breaking away 2-up going down a hill, and that's not really hauling on it. I don't think I would want it any "stronger".

I dunno, but I doubt it.

Of course you're probably right from a practical usage point of view.

But then again there can be differences in weight bias, tire compounds, road surfaces etc that might alter performance.

So here's the thing, there's obviously a greater chance of fade on the single disc. Plus I like the look and feel of duals even if I don't "need" them.

I'm currently writing the repair manual for the Kymco XC400i Scooter with ABS. This is not a big or powerful machine and even it has dual fixed 4-pot calipers.

There's something about the low effort immediacy of high quality dual discs. I miss it on the V7, the ONLY BIKE we own with a single disc.

[Muzz]

I dunno, but I doubt it.

Of course you're probably right from a practical usage point of view.

But then again there can be differences in weight bias, tire compounds, road surfaces etc that might alter performance.

So here's the thing, there's obviously a greater chance of fade on the single disc. I like the look and feel of duals even if I don't "need" them.

Sport Demon on the front. 15kms downhill with lotsa tight turns  . Good surface (always checked it out going over before hoofing it on the way back). Never had brake fade; I guess it does have a fairly large disk on the front to help the cooling.

Never had a bike with duals, but there is the aspect of unsprung weight which is going to be higher with duals fitted. I must say I have never wished for more braking even with "spirited" riding.

[Kev m]

And I've never wished for less unsprung weight.

[egschade]

Nice looking set-up!  Whose bags are those? 

They're Chase-Harper Stealth 3100 semi-rigid universal bags. Ran the straps under the seat. https://chaseharperusa.com/collections/saddle-bags-1/products/stealth
Picked them up used on eBay - for $50 if I recall.

[Tennmoto]

I haven’t posted for awhile but on this thread I do. I agree the Milano wins the appearance award
For the V7 series. I’ve been wanting one for some time now. I’ve watched YouTube riding reviews
And viewed threads on Advrider com. The thing that’s been holding me up is , I hate blacked out
Motors and exhaust. Maybe I’m not the only one because there are 17s still on dealer floors. I think
A blend of finishes like on the Milano and maybe a couple colors along with it. I’ve been looking at the Ducati scrambler and the 797 monster too, but the V7lll is still a more realistic bike for me. I ride backroads in East Tn and small bikes fit that order much better. Another thing that hurts Guzzi sales
Is the knowledge that they will discount floor models a year later.
  Cadre cycles in Cincinnati had a red 2106 Stone that was well equipped but it is gone.
Some good dealer support might go a long way along with some advertising also

[twowheeladdict]

I haven�t posted for awhile but on this thread I do. I agree the Milano wins the appearance award
For the V7 series. I�ve been wanting one for some time now. I�ve watched YouTube riding reviews
And viewed threads on Advrider com. The thing that�s been holding me up is , I hate blacked out
Motors and exhaust. Maybe I�m not the only one because there are 17s still on dealer floors. I think
A blend of finishes like on the Milano and maybe a couple colors along with it. I�ve been looking at the Ducati scrambler and the 797 monster too, but the V7lll is still a more realistic bike for me. I ride backroads in East Tn and small bikes fit that order much better. Another thing that hurts Guzzi sales
Is the knowledge that they will discount floor models a year later.
  Cadre cycles in Cincinnati had a red 2106 Stone that was well equipped but it is gone.
Some good dealer support might go a long way along with some advertising also

There are leftover '16 V7s out there.  Just the nature of the beast I guess.  I could have bought a '17 Stone or Special at a discount, but decided that I really wanted the Carbon and every time I have bought a bike at a discount I have spent thousands more trying to make it the way I really wanted it.  I decided I didn't want any plastic bits on my V7 and would have eaten up any savings when changing out all the plastic parts for carbon or aluminum. 

Of course I could have waited another year and bought a leftover Carbon, but I might not be alive tomorrow and I have the money so...