Rocker59's V7 Special Thread

[kingoffleece]

Got it.  Understood.

As for diving, well now you know never to buddy with someone you don't know.

[Cam3512]

Yea, the internet forums only fuel the panic.  Having said that, I will preemtively change mine this winter.  My Calvin died  (popped a pump hose) in the left lane of 95 outside Baltimore. Dumb luck would have it there were no trucks or cars between me and the right shoulder 4 lanes away.  Not fun.

[Kev m]

Got it.  Understood.

As for diving, well now you know never to buddy with someone you don't know.

Absolutely, and I shouldn't have dove that trip anyway as I hadn't planned on it. No computer, rented everything but my mask/snorkel/fins. But I figured it was a relatively shallow resort dive and I knew I'd be fine. I was just shocked at how causal everyone else was. Actually I want even buddied with ANYONE and her "buddy" (husband) was no where to be found.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Yea, the internet forums only fuel the panic.  Having said that, I will preemtively change mine this winter.  My Calvin died  (popped a pump hose) in the left lane of 95 outside Baltimore. Dumb luck would have it there were no trucks or cars between me and the right shoulder 4 lanes away.  Not fun.

That's why I always think, "What's the worst thing that can happen?" when dealing with a known issue.  I fix whatever it is as soon as I find out about it. It took maybe a couple of hours on the Norge. <shrug> Yes, it was soft and swollen. When would it have failed? Probably when I was in the left lane going 80 in rush hour traffic.. 

[Kev m]

I think the issue is whether or not we really KNOW it is an issue.

With only 1 (maybe 2) reports out of ~10k bikes, is it REALLY a problem? Or was ONE filter defective? Swollen isn't failed. Swollen isn't even a guarantee of a future failure.

With the Cal-Vin fuel hoses we've heard maybe a dozen reports, and THAT is out of how many bikes? Maybe 100 or 500?

The difference in percentage of reports per population is HUGE. I believe the Cal-Vin fuel hose swelling was a real problem.

I'm not convinced on the fuel filter. Though I DID eventually replace it on the Breva, and will eventually do so on the V7.

[Cam3512]

I think the issue is whether or not we really KNOW it is an issue.

With only 1 (maybe 2) reports out of ~10k bikes, is it REALLY a problem? Or was ONE filter defective? Swollen isn't failed. Swollen isn't even a guarantee of a future failure.

With the Cal-Vin fuel hoses we've heard maybe a dozen reports, and THAT is out of how many bikes? Maybe 100 or 500?

The difference in percentage of reports per population is HUGE. I believe the Cal-Vin fuel hose swelling was a real problem.

I'm not convinced on the fuel filter. Though I DID eventually replace it on the Breva, and will eventually do so on the V7.

Sounds like a good reason to drink a few cold ones.  Let me know when you do, and I'll take a ride out.

[Kev m]

Sounds like a good reason to drink a few cold ones.  Let me know when you do, and I'll take a ride out.

Probably this winter... like DEAD OF winter, once I take her off the road for that reason. That way I'm not rushed.

But you could always DRIVE out that day. And we can do yours another day.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Mike - I had the fuel pump out of my 2012 many times (adjusting the low fuel sensor).  You don't need buy a gasket.  It's a big heavy rubber thing.

Right on!

Not only is it fine to reuse, a new one is like $37.50

[SmithSwede]

As to fuel filter---what is the logic of making the thing half plastic?  Maybe it is more durable than we fear, but I don't understand why you would design it that way in the first place. 

Thoughts?

[tiger_one]

Most diesels, use clear so you can see the air in the part/line, usually a bad O-ring on the Mercedes.

[rocker59]

Agostinis installed yesterday.  Holy Crap!  They're loud without the removable baffle!

They're also a little too quiet with the baffles...  Hmmm...

Has anyone cut any length off the baffle to try and alter the sound ??

[gerryp]

Agostinis installed yesterday.  Holy Crap!  They're loud without the removable baffle!

They're also a little too quiet with the baffles...  Hmmm...

Has anyone cut any length off the baffle to try and alter the sound ??

That's why I went with the Arrows (after listening to King of Fleece's bike run at Hamlin Cycles). Quiet enough not to piss off the neighbours but loud enough to sound great riding around.

regards,

Gerry

[rocker59]

Which Agostinis did you get?  I had the black ones on my Racer.  They were OK.  Did you order direct from Italy?

Black reverse cone megs.  Bought from AF1Racing.



(pics of my bike to come)

[Loftness]

Yup.  Those are the ones I had.  The script/signature will rust.

Interesting.  I wonder if they realize this.  The exhausts themselves are awesome sounding and the silky matte black finish on those (new) is really beautiful.  But I've only seen them new and haven't seen them after time on the road.  That's disappointing to hear the script would rust.

[rocker59]

The bodies are supposed to be stainless steel.  I'll be sure and report back if the Ago script oxidizes/rusts.

[vntgmx]

Black reverse cone megs.  Bought from AF1Racing.



(pics of my bike to come)

Nice choice!  Those were on my short list but I ended up going with the full 2:2 stainless from Todd at Guzzitech....The black Agos really go with the lines of the V7 imo...

[rocker59]

Ok! The Agostinis have tunable sound!!

This afternoon I hacked 1-5/8" off of the 3-5/8" DB Killers and got a nice compromise in sound. A little more of what I wanted, but still lots quieter  than with them removed.

No popping on overrun, and the bike seems to run great!

[oldbike54]

Ok! The Agostinis have tunable sound!!

This afternoon I hacked 1-5/8" off of the 3-5/8" DB Killers and got a nice compromise in sound. A little more of what I wanted, but still lots quieter  than with them removed.

No popping on overrun, and the bike seems to run great!

 Hillbilly hop up 

  Dusty

[Mile High Guzzi]

I say go w/ the sound level you like...but short shift out of the neighborhood.....I am respectful of others, but I gotta hear the music when alone....

Ok! The Agostinis have tunable sound!!

This afternoon I hacked 1-5/8" off of the 3-5/8" DB Killers and got a nice compromise in sound. A little more of what I wanted, but still lots quieter  than with them removed.

No popping on overrun, and the bike seems to run great!

[rocker59]

I say go w/ the sound level you like...but short shift out of the neighborhood.....I am respectful of others, but I gotta hear the music when alone....

Agreed!  That's why I had to put the baffles back in, but trimmed a bit!









 

[O]

Looking good!  I do love the looks of those Agos.  Before the baffle surgery, with baffles in how did they compare to the stock?  Louder?  Quieter?





Pssst...your safety stickers are still on.   

[Loftness]

Looking good!  I do love the looks of those Agos.  Before the baffle surgery, with baffles in how did they compare to the stock?  Louder?  Quieter?

Agostinis with baffles in sound deeper/throatier than stock (and louder).  With baffles out they're not quite as deep sounding but are much louder.  I actually like the baffle-in sound a bit more...I feel like it better represents Guzzi.

To put it in other words, when I have the baffles out my wife notices from inside the house as I pull away.  ("You're bike sounds loud today.") 

[rocker59]

Looking good!  I do love the looks of those Agos.  Before the baffle surgery, with baffles in how did they compare to the stock?  Louder?  Quieter?

Original baffles in, deep tone sort of like turbo mufflers on a Chevy V8.  Volume only slightly louder than stock, but the low frequency sound really came through.  Very smooth and throaty sound.

With baffles removed, add in a little raspyness and a LOT of volume.  Like Sportster with drag pipes volume.  It was much louder than my Staintune-equipped Sport 1100, which is my benchmark for great sound at just the right volume.  It was just too loud and ostentatious for a V7.  When riding it with baffles removed, I felt like "one of those guys" that I bitch about.

Cutting the baffles allowed a little more volume and raspyness without being "too much".  I won't be embarrassed to ride through the neighborhood, now.  The bike sounds really good, and has a lot more "authority" to its note than you'd expect from a little pushrod 750.

I do have to say, though, that the stock exhaust had a nice little burble.  Just too big, heavy, and shiny for me.

[kirkemon]

I do have to say, though, that the stock exhaust had a nice little burble.  Just too big, heavy, and shiny for me.

Not trying to turn this into an exhaust thread but, I like shiny pipes. I've had cabon fiber Termignonis - although they sounded good after a couple years they didn't look very good.
The Staintunes look fantastic to me, chrome and no rivets.
http://staintune.com.au/collections/moto-guzzi/products/moto-guzzi-v7-classic

[rocker59]

Yeah, the Staintunes are mighty fine.  I have them on my Sport 1100, and almost pulled the trigger for a set, instead of the Agostinis, for the V7.

Just wanted to try something different, and something local to Guzzi, so the Agostinis won out.

[O]

SNIP
I do have to say, though, that the stock exhaust had a nice little burble.  Just too big, heavy, and shiny for me.

I've always enjoyed the sound of the stock, and didn't really get why some folks seemed to think it was anemic, but I'm intrigued by your description of the baffle sound like a Chevy V8.  I have to agree that the stock are way too shiny for my tastes. 

Rocker and Loftness, Thanks for your observations vs. the stock.  Or maybe I shouldn't be thanking you.  I now may have to spring for a set of Agostinis!

[rocker59]

Put about 300 miles on the V7 Special today.  Left home about 0730 on a beautiful, clear 60-degree fall morning, and two hours later I was checking in over in Tulsa at Kinetic Playground, the service provider for Brookside Motorcycle Company, the Tulsa Guzzi/Aprilia/Triumph dealership.

I had emailed Donny at Kinetic, letting him know I thought I needed the new map, 352BV738.  His tech rolled my bike right in upon my arrival and got to work.  Downloaded the updated map and went through the EFI, then road tested it.  Charge was 1/2 hour labor, a bargain considering the good service.



After they were done with the service, I walked across the street and looked around at the new Triumphs and Guzzis on the floor at Brookside.  They have a pretty good inventory.  Mostly new bikes, but there is a black/silver GRiSO that qualifies for the $2,000 customer cash, if anybody is looking for one.

They had a V7 Special II, which I took the time to sit on.  Definitely has more relaxed seating.  Not huge, but noticeable reduction in knee angle.  I shifted through the transmission N-1-2-N.  Interesting.  The new transmission feels "normal"  (non-Guzzi normal).  It's got a stop at the bottom of 1st, and the throws are short and crisp, compared to the long "sliding" feeling of the 5-speed that I have.  The red tank and white/silver stripes look great.  As I've mentioned before, I'd really like to see a set of white Stone fenders on one of these new V7 Special II bikes.



The had an Audace and an Eldorado.  The Audace handlebars don't have enough pullback.  They put your wrists and elbow in a funny position.  Pegs seemed comfortable.  The bike "feels" porky.  Something about the matte paint makes the fuel tank look huge.  Then, I sat on the Eldo, and it just seemed "right".  I'd probably like the Custom's lower bars, but the seat and boards are really nice, and the glossy black paint looks a lot better on the bike, IMHO.  I want one!  Maybe in a couple years.  We'll see. 



On the ride over to Tulsa, I used US-412 the whole way, including the 75 mph Cherokee Turnpike.  Once out of F'ville, it was mostly 70 mph to 90 mph divided 4-lane.  The bike handled it flawlessly, save for a slightly annoying high frequency vibration between 4900 and 5100 rpm.  It was glass smooth at 4400-4600 rpm, and smoothed out again at 5400.  This is the fasted and longest I've ridden this bike, and I must say there is no reason why a V7 can't tour.  When I fueled up in Tulsa, the math came out to 51 mpg.  Not bad, considering the revs I was turning on the way over.

Donny did confirm that the old map was in my bike and he loaded the new one when they went through the EFI.  I noticed immediately that the off-idle performance was dramatically improved.  The bike has noticeably more torque at 1500 rpm with the new tune.  This means much less clutch slipping, happier walking speed clutch out parking lot maneuvers, and much easier riding in stop-and-go traffic !!!  Woo, Hoo !!! 

The bike also feels a little "looser", as in a little more willing to rev through 4000 rpm while shifting through the gears while accellerating away from stops.  I did not check the fuel economy, yet, for the ride home.  It will be interesting to see if there is any noticeable difference.  I'll check cold starts and cold performance in a day, or two.  But, I have no reason to believe it's not dramatically better.

The seat.  For me, it's a 250 mile seat.  And, that's not bad for a stocker.  I purposely left the AirHawk at home for the ride, in order to test the factory seat.  No problems on the 120 miles over to the dealer.  The ride home was a little longer, and by 150 miles, my butt was wanting a break.  I did have jeans on, and that's never good on a long ride, but overall I was pretty happy with the seat.  I still think it needs something better for long rides, though.

On the way home, I made a stop at the local BMW dealer and bought 4 liters of some 10w60 BMW synth oil that they have been stocking.  Now, I'm ready to torque the heads, set the valves, and change fluids!

[mwrenn]

Funny, I missed you by a day.  Bought a V7R from Paul at Brookside on Friday.  He had a cool little V7 Scrambler out front, with white fenders...lol!  Thanks for this posting this thread...
Cheers!

[rocker59]

Yeah, the "Brookside Scrambler" was out there on display today.

Looks like it started as a leftover '13/'14 Stone in white.  They added yellow, trimmed the fenders, and added the new tail light.

Not bad looking.  Still needs an exhaust and some other "scrambler bits".

[Rox]

Im fancying the idea of getting a v7 and doing a "Lemansish" theme with it . Just don't want to get into another 40-50hp bike and dropping $3k into the motor for 20hp. Went through that nightmare with a Thruxton.    But still like them though. A bit. Only if I could fit a v11 moter in that frame....