Ooo…You encouraged me to check out the specs of the 3 bikes (per the service manuals):
- V7 Classic:
Weight: 436 lb.
Rake: 27.5°
Trail: 5.43 in. - V7 II:
Weight: 436 lb.
Rake: 27.5°
Trail: 4.61 in.(due to the adjusted angle of the engine?) - V7 III:
Weight: 470 lb.
Rake: 26°
Trail: 4.17 in.
That 5.4+ in. of trail would lead me to believe it would want to go straight more than the others, like a cruiser. I wonder if this might simply be ‘new bike feel’ on my part…or maybe it’s the tire. Who knows. I’m never as smart as I pretend.
Mind you, the engine service manual for the older small blocks has verbiage cautioning us how to handle the antifreeze coolant in our bikes, so take those prankster Italians with a grain of fine Roman salt.
Yeah, I take everything from Guzzi with a grain of salt, though it's entirely possible the rake and trail data is fine. I don't track rake and trail measurements and I doubt aftermarket sources independently confirm that when testing.
But I do have a spreadsheet with wet and dry weight measurements that disagree a little with what you've got there (and at least some of that is measured by testers).
Your Data:
- V7 Classic:
Weight: 436 lb. - V7 II:
Weight: 436 lb. - V7 III:
Weight: 470 lb.
What I've Got:
- V7 Classic:
Weight (Dry/Wet): 401/444 lb. - V7 I:
Weight (Dry/Wet): 395/443-446 lb. - V7 II:
Weight (Dry/Wet): 417/453 lb. - V7 III:
Weight (Dry/Wet): 432/461 lb. - V7 IV-V:
Weight (Dry/Wet): 437/481-492 lb.
Ranges included because of discrepancies between sources.
What all this data suggests to me is that there is likely a bigger difference between the MK I and MKIII than the MKII and MKIII because of all these factors.
It's been a long time since I rode a V7C and MKI back-to-back and have to wonder if/how they felt different. I don't remember writing about handling differences so maybe not much. Though we should remember that the MKI lowered unsprung weights front and back with lighter wheels.
Other factors could come into place like tire choices (Mine have always been Demons or Michelins, all bias-ply).
Perhaps we're just overthinking it and it's as simple as weight and/or perception.
OHHHHH, one more thing this data doesn't show that could affect perception - SEAT HEIGHT which will effectively change center of gravity no? (cue Huzo with Physics)
V7C - 31.7
V7 I - 31.6
V7 II - 31.1
----------------------
V7 III - 30.3
V7 IV-V - 30.7
If nothing else seat height can definitely change perception of lean in. Hell, my V7III feels different when I've got the 3" taller seat on it than when I have the OEM seat. Thought that's a much larger difference than between these generations. Still.
Ohhh wait, there's one more thing I should mention.
Steering - there have been multiple reports here and on ADV rider about steering head shakes on V7III models specifically. I don't recall any on the earlier OR later ones.
I can confirm OURS has started to shake if the bars are released or held lightly during deceleration in certain rpm. I am starting to think that it was induced by the rake/trail changes (and maybe shows up more with worn tires than new from some of the reports). But I'm also taking a swag here that the steering head changes on the IV and later models was to address this.
OP - sorry about tangent, but maybe it's good to compare/contrast various generations of smallblocks when shopping.
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