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I'm still undecided on a V7. I had initially thought of buying one in addition to my Touring but that's not in the cards. It's one or the other. The appeal of the V7 is that it weighs 300lbs less than my California and the geometry(and tire sizes) makes it about a thousand times better on smooth gravel roads. The hitch is that I love the 1400 engine more than any Guzzi I've ever owned. I don't know that I can live with 40hp. Do I keep a bike that has an amazing engine despite not liking the ergonomics and its' inability to explore dirt roads? Do I trade it for a bike I think is beautiful but woefully underpowered? I'm torn. There will not be two Guzzi's in my garage. It's like the Highlander...there can be only one.
How is the V7 woefully underpowered? Zero to 60 times range from 5.2 seconds to 5.8 seconds depending on reviewer. For comparison with you old guys and your 1960s muscle cars:1969 Chevrolet Corvette 427 — 5.3 seconds 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 — 5.3 seconds1966 Plymouth Satellite 426 Hemi — 5.3 seconds1964 Porsche 904 — 5.3 seconds1965 Ford Mustang GT 289 — 5.2 seconds1969 Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi — 5.1 seconds1967 Ford GT40 Mark III — 5.1 secondsThose were amazing cars in their day! LOL! Now a little ol woefully underpowered V7III is just as fast.How often do you do full throttle accelerations on your 1400? If you do that all the time then maybe the V7 isn't for you. I say get a second bike for the gravel and leave the 1400 for the drag strip. ;)
I use full throttle all the time. Executing a pass while riding two-up pretty much requires it. 5.3 to 5.8 seconds to 60mph is about what most of the Japanese 300cc streetbikes can do. Not that it’s all about speed because it’s not.
I wouldn't recommend a V7 for two up riding unless combined you are in the 250lb range. Sounds like two bikes are in order, or just get a GS and be done with it.
My wife and I (when she used to ride pillion) have got to be over300lb together, and the Breva 750 had no problems at all. More than adequate power and it actually handled better.
John,I sounded a lot like you. One of the best things about motorcycling to me is the ability to pass in situations that you would never consider if in a car, and just the thrill of WOT on a powerful bike. But the V7's are gorgeous, and the retro standard stying really appealed to me. I test rode them on several occasions spanning about 5 years before I finally took the plunge, and I will never regret getting a V7. There is just something extremely satisfying about these bikes. They are so easy to ride and invite you to just relax and enjoy. I love riding mine. There is also something satisfying about a machine that is just "adequate" to me. The V7 is enough, but not too much. It is hard to explain, but I am sure they are not for everyone.
Hop on a 24 HP dual sport.....
I LOVE my OUR V7 V7s.... ...but I think you guys are pissing in the wind with John. He's long fallen on the other side of all the subjective impressions of these bikes (and by THESE I mean Guzzis in general) with regards to performance. I think he's not really gonna be happy with something that puts out less hp than say maybe an R9T or Desert Sled even in this application.
My all time favorite motorcycle? The TW200, which has 14hp. I’ve owned four of them and I’ll definitely have another. It’s not that I feel the need to have 100hp all the time. It’s more that I enjoy every kind of riding but I can only have one or two motorcycles. I have to pick bikes that are really flexible and I have a daughter heading off the college this August so if I get something I’ll keep it a long time. I could afford to have a bunch of bikes but I’d feel guilty if Sophie came to me her sophomore year and asked to study abroad or something similar and I had to say no because I had a couple bike loans. So.....what’s an easy decision for some folks isn’t for me and me questioning whether a V7 has enough power isn’t slagging the bike...it’s just me thinking aloud.
But the red ones are faster
Come to the dark side.... We have cookies...
WOW I must be the real odd guy out... granted I normally didn't rid over 250 miles at a time, but heck I used to go anywhere on my old RD400.. My big bike was a 82 GS650 and never lacked power on the road solo or two up... Heck we took many 200 mile rides 2 up on my wifes old 454LTD.. Ya I love more power as much as the next guy, but a lot of people rode a lot of miles on under 50HP bikes for a lot of years.
The V7 line has never been my favorite. They don’t have enough poke to be my sole motorcycle so I’ve always sort of dismissed them. Not because they aren’t good looking....I’ve always thought they look like a proper motorcycle. I’ve been thinking about getting a second bike for a while so suddenly they’re on my radar. My 1400 is a flawed machine. Mainly because it’s 700lbs. I don’t jump on it to ride two miles for the newspaper or a coffee. It’s a bit like trying to commute with a dump truck. I want something light that I can roll up a ramp into the back of my truck alone. I’d like to ride on gravel again. I want a standard. I went to a dealer this morning who had 7 or 8 V7’s and I was shocked....I don’t like the V7III in person. In photos, they look great but in person I thought the valve covers were out of proportion and I really, really dislike painted exhausts. I also don’t like the side covers. Of all the variants I only liked two; the Milano and the yellow Stone. I wouldn’t think the color gray would be especially attractive but it sure is in the flesh and the yellow Stone just pops like crazy. It’s sort of a butterscotch color. I could live with either the Milano or a yellow Stone.However.....what surprised me the most is how beautiful the blue V7II Special is. THAT is what a motorcycle should look like. Holy hell is it sharp. There was also a red V7II Scrambler. It’s basically a Special with an Arrow high exhaust. It sounded better than a 40hp bike has any right to. The only reason there isn’t a new bike in my garage right now is that I couldn’t decide between the two. Both are new leftovers at an acceptable price. I think one of them might come home with me tomorrow.
Sure, and again none of my bikes are "fast" and I LOVE MY V7.But, what you are remembering probably happened when the speed limit was 55 not 75+ with people running 80+.It probably happened when 300 HP = a muscle car and today that's a family sedan.I wouldn't hesitate to ride my V7 anywhere, except I might choose my RK for more power, and more comfort, and more capacity if I'm going longer distances or higher speeds (especially 2-up).As for longer distances there's a pretty big difference between 250 miles and 500 miles in a day.But none of this is really what I think the OP won't like. I'm thinking it's all about the grunt.