New-To-Me V7 III Milano, No Manual

[GreyGooseGuy]

Hey all,

I just brought her home. They're ordering me a manual. In the mean time, I understand 10w-60 is specified for the crankcase. My dipstick has a cross-hatched area with a solid bar across it. Where is the acceptable level on it? In the cross-hatched area above the bar? In the cross-hatched area below the bar? Anywhere in the cross-hatched area?

And while I have you... what grade of fuel is recommended?

Hmmm... how about recommended tire pressures?

I think that will probably do me until the manual arrives. Thank in advance for your assistance!

[jbell]

The dipstick has those crosshatches so you can see the oil.  Usually full is at the top of the crosshatches.  A little low is always better than a little high.
 The rest of your questions, sorry, don't know.

[Bulldog9]

Hey all,

I just brought her home. They're ordering me a manual. In the mean time, I understand 10w-60 is specified for the crankcase. My dipstick has a cross-hatched area with a solid bar across it. Where is the acceptable level on it? In the cross-hatched area above the bar? In the cross-hatched area below the bar? Anywhere in the cross-hatched area?

And while I have you... what grade of fuel is recommended?

Hmmm... how about recommended tire pressures?

I think that will probably do me until the manual arrives. Thank in advance for your assistance!

Welcome! Here you go

Owners Manual: https://cadrecycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/v7iii-race-stone-special.pdf
Tech/Service Manual: https://cadrecycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/V7III-tech-manual_EN.pdf

MUCH easier than the paper version.

[GreyGooseGuy]

Welcome! Here you go

Owners Manual: https://cadrecycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/v7iii-race-stone-special.pdf
Tech/Service Manual: https://cadrecycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/V7III-tech-manual_EN.pdf

MUCH easier than the paper version.

Outstanding! Thanks!   

[Dave Swanson]

Welcome to WG and congratulations on the Milano! 

[Siamese]

Yeah, the paper version is small, bordering on microscopic.  Prefer the digital. 

On my 2018 V7III Special, the tire pressures are on a sticker on the frame.  Don't remember where, but not hard to find. 

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

right in the middle of the cross hatch area will be just about perfect

[GreyGooseGuy]

Thanks everyone for your helpful posts. I ran out and bought a quart of Castrol 10w-60 synthetic "Supercar" oil ...$15.XX. I guess since the bike doesn't have a wet clutch, I no longer have to be concerned about buying oil that accommodates those.

Rode a bit over 100 miles today, getting acquainted with the bike. Rode my "short" and "medium" mountain/canyon loops (the former about 45 minutes; the latter about 1:45). Getting used to the bike, gradually pushing a little harder in the corners. I am SO not used to riding without a windscreen! But I have a Givi A34 coming. First impressions: of course, a totally different experience from the FJR. But I'm adapting. Stock suspension isn't quite as rotten as some would have had me believe. Less harsh than the Ducati Monster 797 I owned briefly, while living in Mexico. I'm not sure which centerstand the Milano came with, but nothing touched down in any of the fairly briskly-ridden left-handers on my twisty route. So nimble. And pulling off onto a gravel shoulder? No hesitation. Something that would have engendered quite a pucker factor on the FJR. In summary: no disappointments. I think this is going to work.

Hepco & Becker top (40L) and side (30L "flash") cases and mounts are enroute. Vista Cruise has been ordered. RAM mount for GPS is enroute. (I trust the bike can spare 6 watts for my Garmin.)

Thanks again for your helpfulness!

[V7three]

Ive been fueling my Milano with 89 since I got it last year, at the dealers recommendation. Recently, I was looking into this more, and found that the manual says to use 95 RON. This is using the European model for octane rating, which is different. In the US, this is equivalent to 91 ((R+M)/2).

She ran fine on the 89 (middle choice at our stations) I was using, but I’ll go for the higher octane now that I know. My dealer’s thinking was that we don’t have a lot of high octane cars driving in our area, just lots of Toyotas, Hondas, and light duty pickup trucks. He thinks the higher octanes end up sitting in the station tank for a lot longer and may show lack of freshness. I think maybe he’s just a little superstitious.

[bad Chad]

95 Eu equals 90.  Using 89 is close enough for all but perhaps very hot weather.

The potential problem I see running mid grade is it is the least used gas of the three flavors.   I think 80% of cars are buying regular, another 17 ish use premium, and that leaves mid grade as the slow mover at most stations.    Do any vehicles actually call for mid grade?

[Moparnut72]

Some if not most of the Mopar Hemis require mid-grade but run fine on regular, at least ours do.
kk

[TexMexStrada]

Thanks everyone for your helpful posts. I ran out and bought a quart of Castrol 10w-60 synthetic "Supercar" oil ...$15.XX. I guess since the bike doesn't have a wet clutch, I no longer have to be concerned about buying oil that accommodates those.

Rode a bit over 100 miles today, getting acquainted with the bike. Rode my "short" and "medium" mountain/canyon loops (the former about 45 minutes; the latter about 1:45). Getting used to the bike, gradually pushing a little harder in the corners. I am SO not used to riding without a windscreen! But I have a Givi A34 coming. First impressions: of course, a totally different experience from the FJR. But I'm adapting. Stock suspension isn't quite as rotten as some would have had me believe. Less harsh than the Ducati Monster 797 I owned briefly, while living in Mexico. I'm not sure which centerstand the Milano came with, but nothing touched down in any of the fairly briskly-ridden left-handers on my twisty route. So nimble. And pulling off onto a gravel shoulder? No hesitation. Something that would have engendered quite a pucker factor on the FJR. In summary: no disappointments. I think this is going to work.

Hepco & Becker top (40L) and side (30L "flash") cases and mounts are enroute. Vista Cruise has been ordered. RAM mount for GPS is enroute. (I trust the bike can spare 6 watts for my Garmin.)

Thanks again for your helpfulness!

Exciting news, glad to read you are having a good time so far! On the tire pressures, I run the front 1.5psi higher than the rear when cold, so that way they are balanced when hot (37.5/36 when it is just me and little extra weight on the bike). I found the front to get a little squirmy in fast sweepers if the rear has higher pressure than the front due to uneven pressure buildup  (When I started with 36/36 cold), and making that adjustment mostly cured that.
Another thing I recommend you look into is pushing up the front fork tubes a little to improve the suspension/frame geometry and weight distribution. There are some great discussions on that, everybody has a different magic number, so I recommend researching and then exploring it for yourself. I picked 12mm, and like the result so far.

Enjoy the ride, and please post pix once all your farkles are on the Milano! 

[Kiwi_Roy]

I use Premium non ethanol fuel, I figure the bike is so economical why put that corn alcohol in it I have put Ethanol in it on a trip but I always make sure to end the trip with a fill of non Ethanol
The dealer I bought mine from uses Motul 8100 X-power SAE 10W60 which is nice because it shares that with the Griso.

[GreyGooseGuy]

... Enjoy the ride, and please post pix once all your farkles are on the Milano!

Will do!

[Bulldog9]

Dude.............. I completely understand the 'joy' of a V7, but I can't imagine coming from an FJR to a V7. I went from an FJR to a Griso and Norge, and it took me quite a while to adjust to lack of viceral power. I had an 05 FJR (faster/lighter) with Two Brothers Exhaust and PC. The thing was an absolute beast with insane passing power and chassis stability, but unless you were riding balls out ALL the time, it was boring........... Once I learned how to ride a Guzzi, I will say that the performance gap shrunk, and I tour with a buddy still on an FJR that couldn't lose me, but few bikes had that visceral power of the FJR. 

Guzzi's however have so much character and liveliness, they are a delight to ride. You just have to get out of that 'It's a Vtwin, DONT spin it up" mentality. Guzzi's thrive in the 4500-6500K rev range, and the sound on and off throttle is sublime. Useable torque across the rev range is also fantastic. 

I don't think I could have made the jump from an FJR to a small block, especially with the rev restrictions during break in.  I tip my hat to you.

[Blaufeld66]

Here in Italy at the gas stations you see pumps with the "E" letter with a number, that means how much % of Ethanol is inside. No probs with E5 or E10, but upwards it is bad for engine...

[et18]

95 Eu equals 90.  Using 89 is close enough for all but perhaps very hot weather.

The potential problem I see running mid grade is it is the least used gas of the three flavors.   I think 80% of cars are buying regular, another 17 ish use premium, and that leaves mid grade as the slow mover at most stations.    Do any vehicles actually call for mid grade?

My understanding is most stations only have two underground tanks, one each for reg and super.  Mid grade is blended from these tanks when pumped.

[Dave Swanson]

Over the past few years ethanol free premium went from fairly scarce to quite common.  I am always able to find it nowadays.  With the help of a phone app I haven't had to use ethanol in my bikes for 2 years now.  All other grades have 10% ethanol so it's a no brainer what goes in the Guzzis

[HarveyMushman]

Over the past few years ethanol free premium went from fairly scarce to quite common.  I am always able to find it nowadays.  With the help of a phone app I haven't had to use ethanol in my bikes for 2 years now.  All other grades have 10% ethanol so it's a no brainer what goes in the Guzzis

Wish I could, but it's not available anywhere convenient to me.

As for the Milano, it's a terrible bike.  Best be rid of it ASAP.

[et18]

As for the Milano, it's a terrible bike.  Best be rid of it ASAP.

Yes, that's what I've heard.  Just to help you out, I'm prepared to trade one carton of toilet paper, one bottle of hand gel and one pound of hamburger for the bike in the picture.  Again, this is just to help you out.

[HarveyMushman]

Yes, that's what I've heard.  Just to help you out, I'm prepared to trade one carton of toilet paper, one bottle of hand gel and one pound of hamburger for the bike in the picture.  Again, this is just to help you out.

That’s very generous. Too generous, really. I couldn’t live with the guilt.

[GreyGooseGuy]

Dude.............. I completely understand the 'joy' of a V7, but I can't imagine coming from an FJR to a V7. I went from an FJR to a Griso and Norge, and it took me quite a while to adjust to lack of viceral power. I had an 05 FJR (faster/lighter) with Two Brothers Exhaust and PC. The thing was an absolute beast with insane passing power and chassis stability, but unless you were riding balls out ALL the time, it was boring........... Once I learned how to ride a Guzzi, I will say that the performance gap shrunk, and I tour with a buddy still on an FJR that couldn't lose me, but few bikes had that visceral power of the FJR. 

Guzzi's however have so much character and liveliness, they are a delight to ride. You just have to get out of that 'It's a Vtwin, DONT spin it up" mentality. Guzzi's thrive in the 4500-6500K rev range, and the sound on and off throttle is sublime. Useable torque across the rev range is also fantastic. 

I don't think I could have made the jump from an FJR to a small block, especially with the rev restrictions during break in.  I tip my hat to you.

1. It was necessary, or would soon have been. I haven't been comfortable on the FJR for a while now.
2. Don't spin it up? I hit the rev limiter on the test ride... 
3. My Milano was already broken in. It had 2,966 miles on the clock when I rode it off the lot.

I knew it would take some adaptation. The fact that I've had an irrational interest in Guzzis for decades will make it easier. A very different style of riding -- yet, I think I'll still be able to ride twisty roads briskly, even if the V7 might prefer a more relaxed pace. It's certainly well-planted at freeway speeds, much more so than the Ducati Monster I owned briefly. Now, passing a string of cars on a winding two-lane road ...that will suffer...

[Bulldog9]

1. It was necessary, or would soon have been. I haven't been comfortable on the FJR for a while now.
2. Don't spin it up? I hit the rev limiter on the test ride... 
3. My Milano was already broken in. It had 2,966 miles on the clock when I rode it off the lot.

I knew it would take some adaptation. The fact that I've had an irrational interest in Guzzis for decades will make it easier. A very different style of riding -- yet, I think I'll still be able to ride twisty roads briskly, even if the V7 might prefer a more relaxed pace. It's certainly well-planted at freeway speeds, much more so than the Ducati Monster I owned briefly. Now, passing a string of cars on a winding two-lane road ...that will suffer...

Ride on Good sir! I didn't realize it was already broken in. The V7 is a Gem....... All you need is a Beetlemap, which I believe bumps the revlimiter by 500 RPM. Not much going on that high, but I find the bump in headroom keeps me from hitting it which I would do REGULARLY before the re-map.  THough the stock mapping on the V7's is good, the overall response and torque curve is greatly improved, particularly the little dip in torque around 3500rpm, at least on the Stornello.

[GreyGooseGuy]

Ride on Good sir! I didn't realize it was already broken in. The V7 is a Gem....... All you need is a Beetlemap, which I believe bumps the revlimiter by 500 RPM. Not much going on that high, but I find the bump in headroom keeps me from hitting it which I would do REGULARLY before the re-map.  THough the stock mapping on the V7's is good, the overall response and torque curve is greatly improved, particularly the little dip in torque around 3500rpm, at least on the Stornello.

I've found nothing to complain about regarding the fueling thus far, but I'll keep that in mind. Probably won't do anything while the remainder of the factory warranty is still in effect.

Thanks!

[HarveyMushman]

I've found nothing to complain about regarding the fueling thus far, but I'll keep that in mind. Probably won't do anything while the remainder of the factory warranty is still in effect.

I didn't have any issues with the stock fueling either, but the Beetle map is an improvement nonetheless.  It just brings the engine to life a bit, with a fuller sound and a freer feel. 

[Kev m]

It's certainly well-planted at freeway speeds, much more so than the Ducati Monster I owned briefly. Now, passing a string of cars on a winding two-lane road ...that will suffer...

That's an interesting comment. Which Monster?

In not sure I agree that is true with ours, but maybe I haven't ridden then back to back lately. I have always felt our 696 was surprisingly stable on the highway.

[GreyGooseGuy]

That's an interesting comment. Which Monster?

In not sure I agree that is true with ours, but maybe I haven't ridden then back to back lately. I have always felt our 696 was surprisingly stable on the highway.

I had a 797. Found it positively twitchy at freeway speeds or better. Harsher suspension than the V7, too, despite my efforts to adjust the harshness out of it.

[Andy1]

Small blocks like to spin not slog!
AndyB

[Kev m]

I had a 797. Found it positively twitchy at freeway speeds or better. Harsher suspension than the V7, too, despite my efforts to adjust the harshness out of it.

Wonder if my little bro agrees (he's got one).

That definitely does not describe our 696. Stability and suspension is better on it then either of our V7s.

[Bulldog9]

In regards to suspension feel and stability, NFN, YMMV, blaa blaa blaa, I initially found the Stornello (v7ii) to be very twitchy overall. Granted that is in comparison to the Griso, Norge, and MGX, and switching between the bikes required attention and adjustment.

Things got much better with the suspension upgrades (Ktech 7.5lb fork springs w/stock oil, and 420mm Hagon Enduro/Trail shocks in the rear). That said, after about 4 months of experimenting with tire pressures, I settled on 30-32 Front, and 34-36 rear. After this, the bike was solid, planted, responsive, but not nervous and twitchy. Made a huge difference in highway and high speed (over 60). I also found that the additional weight of the bags and large windscreen helped to settle the bike.