V7 III Racer 10th anniversary

[kirkemon]

Looks very nice, but I guess only cosmetic, no performance (hp) upgrades.
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/2020-moto-guzzi-v7-updates/

[Roebling3]

Actually there's a 'performance' down grade: Ohlins rear shocks are gone as are the fully adjustable foot controls!  R3~

[hauto]

They had to do that so they can sell those butt ugly white one from last year.Don't mind the white,but that is the lamest stripping I've ever seen

[Dave Swanson]

I like the new Stone S!

[Huzo]

that is the lamest stripping I've ever seen

Damn..!
I must have stepped out, I missed the stripper..!

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Deff better than the 2019 White/Red version...

If I was a V7 owner i would be poking around these 2020 V7's to see if the new taillight assy could be a straight swap over to my bike...  That's a huge improvement !  Prob cost you a few hundy to order the factory parts, but I would call it worth it if you want to improve the rear end esthetics without going the tail tidy route.. i bet those are some smaller, euro spec turn signals.. id order those if I was doing the swap and could find a part number

[jas67]

That Stone S or whatever it is called looks nice.


I do like the fairing on the V7R.   Looks WAY better than the stupid number plate thing that was on my 2013 when I got it.

[kingoffleece]

Who would have guessed that the 2020 racer was so polarizing?

[Dave Swanson]

Make it a Stone S for me please. 

[pete roper]

These are awful, tawdry, boring motorbikes. Can someone please explain, preferably by PM so as not to clog the board, what the attraction is? I really, really don't get it???? Year after year, endless rehashes of the same essentially 1960's engineering.

Sorry. I just don't get it.

[Kev m]

These are awful, tawdry, boring motorbikes. Can someone please explain, preferably by PM so as not to clog the board, what the attraction is? I really, really don't get it???? Year after year, endless rehashes of the same essentially 1960's engineering.

Sorry. I just don't get it.

Harley has been showing for decades that not everyone wants the latest/greatest performance package. Many want a classic looking bike that is fun and easy to live with. It need not be the fastest or best handling, it need simply be a bit visceral and fun.

The smallblocks have that in spades.

[kingoffleece]

Pretty much sums it up.
I've had several high performance high hp machines and much prefer the V7. n It's just way more fun to ride.  YMMV, as well it should.

[Dave Swanson]

I agree with Pete that the V7 series, especially when considering their paltry spec sheet, should be dreadfully boring bikes.

A riding acquaintance just last week asked me what's the favorite bike in my herd, and without hesitation I said the V7.  Kev has always been able to put it into words better than I, but I just enjoy riding it.  It is an elemental riding experience which I find not in the least boring.

[vintage53]

Just thought I would add another V7 to the conversation!  ... anyway I like it ...  With Ohlins and adjustable foot controls.

Has anyone seen this bike in person?

[bad Chad]

These are awful, tawdry, boring motorbikes. Can someone please explain, preferably by PM so as not to clog the board, what the attraction is? I really, really don't get it???? Year after year, endless rehashes of the same essentially 1960's engineering.

Sorry. I just don't get it.

I don't think it can be explained in a way that you will "get it".    Really, I think you do "get it", but rather, can't figure out why others would want it?

It's all a matter of perspective, and what someone is looking for out of a motorcycle.   Guzzi is surely doing it because it's cost effective for them, and the current market seems to have a hard on for Retro bikes.   I like them, however, I like you want Guzzi to stop coasting, and bring to market something new a cool.   None of us are getting younger fast, I think if their going to do anything fun and new, its got to be shown next year for the 100th Anv.

[jas67]

These are awful, tawdry, boring motorbikes. Can someone please explain, preferably by PM so as not to clog the board, what the attraction is? I really, really don't get it???? Year after year, endless rehashes of the same essentially 1960's engineering.

Sorry. I just don't get it.

Yes, Pete.   We get it, you don't get the attraction to classic-styled bikes with primitive suspensions. 
You don't have to re-hash it everything a new thread pops up on the V7 series.   You beat that horse into a horse meat purée.

I do value your posts on so many different topics, some very informative, and some quite funny.

I personally am not a fan of cruisers, and especially thing feet forward controls and ape hangers are stupid.   But, people who have them like 'em.    We all like different things.

[Huzo]

These are awful, tawdry, boring motorbikes. Can someone please explain, preferably by PM so as not to clog the board, what the attraction is? I really, really don't get it???? Year after year, endless rehashes of the same essentially 1960's engineering.

Sorry. I just don't get it.

I think the problem you have Pete, is that you have the depth of knowlege and inquiring nature to look deeper than a healthy percentage of owner/riders.
That could be seen as a bit of a curse..(but lucky for us).
You perceive inadequacy as a function of how good something is, versus how good it could realistically have been. I offer the opinion that a bike IS as good as the owner perceives it to be.
If you look back into your own past and recall which bike you revered the most as a young bloke, you would be bound to admit you thought that bike was fabulous at the time and now would be classed as garbage.
Which opinion would be correct ? Clearly both, yet how can that be ?
It’s because the conventional wisdom of the time/s led you to that conclusion.
Many riders cannot see deeply enough to find the flaws, because for them the flaws simply do not exist.
I think if you are “guilty” of anything, it’s that you have spent a lifetime staring into the innards of uncooperative recalcitrant buckets of pus and bristle when similar offerings are proported to be “all new” or “new direction”..blah blah.
There will come a time when yours and others Grisos will be classed as utterly dangerous pieces of laughable junk by the luminaries of the day, but that does not mean you are incorrect to hold them in the esteem that you do today.
I’m in the same position with my V85, I do not find it “anodyne and boring” so therefore for me, it is not.
It, and to a greater degree my Norge which is a fat overweight underpowered slug, with a clearly inadequate 2VPC.. , makes me want to get out of bed and see the world over the screen and I would suggest that no one could successfully graft their opinion onto mine and expect it to grow.
It’s the diversity of opinion that gives this bike thing it’s colour and texture and the constant wonder as to how other people can hold a different opinion than ourselves that fosters discussion.
An opinion by definition can NEVER be wrong.
No one will be able to tell YOU why the V7 is not boring because that perception is subjective and ever will be..
Thank goodness.

[kingoffleece]

Nice.  I like that.  And I like Pete's perspective and assistance.  What I REALLY like is that there seems to be a motorbike for all of us, no matter what we like.  And, our likes change over time.

I spent a decade working hard to upgrade my skills so as to pace with some friends who could keep a much quicker pace than I.  Some are still faster and always will be but many are now always within sight.  Funny thing, now that I can I mostly don't want to.  Same with bikes.
I have more fun running the V7 near it's limit that I ever did trying to find MY limit, not to mention the bike's (with a Speed and Street triple) in the "good old days".

What's very much enjoyable is that most of these discussions seem like they'd be a blast with the group all together with a beverage, or two!

[Kev m]

Point of order - it doesn't have to be ignorance of the alternative, it can simply be a preference.

It seems counterintuitive, but sometimes a machine that performs "too well" is too perfect, isolating, boring in another way.

In other cases too high a level of performance means you can't ever wring it out or push it.

Other times it means a slight lapse of attention or judgement is more dangerous.

There are lots of reasons why one might choose a bike that isn't the cutting edge of ability or performance.

[Huzo]

Yes, Pete.   We get it, you don't get the attraction to classic-styled bikes with primitive suspensions. 
You don't have to re-hash it everything a new thread pops up on the V7 series.   You beat that horse into a horse meat purée.

I do value your posts on so many different topics, some very informative, and some quite funny.

I personally am not a fan of cruisers, and especially thing feet forward controls and ape hangers are stupid.   But, people who have them like 'em.    We all like different things.

He doesn’t need my help..
But in his defence, he did suggest reply by PM so as not to give all and sundry the screaming shits.

[Huzo]

Nice.  I like that.  And I like Pete's perspective and assistance.  What I REALLY like is that there seems to be a motorbike for all of us, no matter what we like.  And, our likes change over time.

I spent a decade working hard to upgrade my skills so as to pace with some friends who could keep a much quicker pace than I.  Some are still faster and always will be but many are now always within sight.  Funny thing, now that I can I mostly don't want to.  Same with bikes.
I have more fun running the V7 near it's limit that I ever did trying to find MY limit, not to mention the bike's (with a Speed and Street triple) in the "good old days".

What's very much enjoyable is that most of these discussions seem like they'd be a blast with the group all together with a beverage, or two!

If you come to Australia, you can take my Norge, Mk2 or V85 away for a tour..Gratis.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Harley has been showing for decades that not everyone wants the latest/greatest performance package. Many want a classic looking bike that is fun and easy to live with. It need not be the fastest or best handling, it need simply be a bit visceral and fun.

The smallblocks have that in spades.

there's your answer... not everyone is looking for a bike that looks like a bug and goes 150mph 

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Just thought I would add another V7 to the conversation!  ... anyway I like it ...  With Ohlins and adjustable foot controls.

Has anyone seen this bike in person?

I saw one in the brooklyn guzzi showroom. I'm not a fan and didnt think it looked any better in person than in photos..  the stripes just dont do it for me

[Rich A]

Most of my riding is on two-lane roads, 5 or sometimes 10 mph over the 25 to 50 mph speed limits. I don't need 100 hp and a state-of-the-technology suspension to make those rides fun, and I wouldn't ever approach the limits of a modern sport bike. I've slowed down over time, and the rides themselves have become shorter as I've grown older.

For me, these relaxed sorts of rides would be more enjoyable on a nice 1960s Bonneville than on a Panigale.

The best advice I've heard about buying a motorcycle is to choose one based on its intended purpose. My V7 wouldn't be competitive on the track and wouldn't be very good for extended touring, but for toodling around on a Sunday afternoon, it's just what I want.

Chocolate or vanilla; Ford or Chevy; YMMV; If I have to explain it..., etc.

Rich A

[jas67]

I have a Ducati 749 that I've ridden on the track for two years (now replacing it with an 848).    It is a great track bike.
On public roads, meh.   It has to be ridden at 2-3X the speed limit to be fun, and public roads are no place for that.   At the track, there are run off areas, and medical personal standing by.   A 50 MPH low side at the track usually results in little or, just minor injury, but, on the street, depending on what you end up hitting before your slide ends on it's own, the same low side could be catastrophic.

I bought my 848 a month or so ago, and took it for a ride on the street a couple of times.    My V7's, and Eldorado are more engaging for me to ride on on the street than the 848 (or 749).    I have a lot of fun riding them at 0-10 (sometimes 15) MPH over the speed limit.   Same goes for my other vintage bikes.

I have modern bikes on the street too, R1200RS, and Monster 796.   I enjoy those on the street, but, sometimes riding faster than I should (see comments in first paragraph).   When the roads get rough, I do appreciate the Öhlins suspension that I have on both of these.    I added Öhlins shocks to the rear of the 2013 V7 Racer this  year.   What a huge difference over the stock Bitubos, which on their softest damping setting were still to harsh.   I rode that bike twice as much this year as prior years as a result.

All and all, there is a seat for every butt.    Some people get bikes like the V7, others don't.   And, for those who don't, there are a lot of technically superior bikes out there for them to ride.   For those who do, Moto Guzzi has built a variety of different V7's, and also V9's for those who like that style built on basically the same platform.

[s1120]

Point of order - it doesn't have to be ignorance of the alternative, it can simply be a preference.

It seems counterintuitive, but sometimes a machine that performs "too well" is too perfect, isolating, boring in another way.

In other cases too high a level of performance means you can't ever wring it out or push it.

Other times it means a slight lapse of attention or judgement is more dangerous.

There are lots of reasons why one might choose a bike that isn't the cutting edge of ability or performance.

Great points..  Do we all ditch our MG's and ride a bike from the big red H? I think a lot of us LIKE the crude.  like the flaws, like the feeing of the bikes.. I mean, I spent a day last week cruzing down some northeast backroads on my old Cali stone.. 50-55 MPH, and 45 deg out side. Would it have been warmer, and quicker in my Mini van?  yup... but really it was one of those dream rides where you fly away from the world, and think nothing of the ride....  One of the big 4 could have made a better bike for it...  but I could not have wanted to be on another.. The flaws give life.

That being said, and to get back to topic... I really like the new racer. I love the faring on it, but still would ditch the rear cowling, with number plate...I like old, and imperfect.. 

[Bulldog9]

Point of order - it doesn't have to be ignorance of the alternative, it can simply be a preference.

It seems counterintuitive, but sometimes a machine that performs "too well" is too perfect, isolating, boring in another way.

In other cases too high a level of performance means you can't ever wring it out or push it.

Other times it means a slight lapse of attention or judgement is more dangerous.

There are lots of reasons why one might choose a bike that isn't the cutting edge of ability or performance.

You just summed up my FJR and why it almost killed my MC passion. Knowing it was the 'top of the heap' ST options, and unable to point to anything 'wrong' or bad. It gave me 60K+ trouble free high performance sport touring adventure between 2008 & 2015, and I only rode it 500 miles the last year, despite living 20 minutes to MT Rainier and the beautiful Olympic peninsula. I had zero desire to ride or wrench.... Thought about giving it up, pulling one of my old bikes out of storage, but decided to sell it and buy a more modern smaller/lighter naked bike. The Griso found me and the rest was history. Rode almost 3000 miles the first month or two...........

I ignored the V7 for hundreds of reasons. Small, low power, crappy base suspension, low power.... a great starter bike, and not for me.  Then I spent the afternoon on one and had a blast. Bought a Stornello, and ride it every day. My Griso is my favorite, but the V7 is a brilliant bike. Fun, reliable, loads of character.

Not a big fan of the latest Guzzi 'dressup kits.' particularly the red frame. The flame red frame and swingarm is fine for the Stornello and a couple others, but the Racer needs that beautiful candy red.... I also think the seat cowl is kinda dumb...The racer should also have brushed aluminum front and rear fenders.

I do very much like the aluminum side bits on the new models, was shocked to see all the plastic on the V7iii's

I'd love to see a 'special' with gloss paint, minimal pinstriping, matching painted side covers, dual gauges and chrome fenders front and rear.

[kingoffleece]

When I got my Jackal a few years ago it was BECAUSE it felt a bit rude and ALIVE.  Not too smooth, not too perfect, but felt like to ride it correct one had to "listen" to it and partner with it.  It would say "shift HERE, apply THIS much brake, lean THIS much and no further, and so forth".

Perfect modern motorcycles do anything at any speed and almost any rev-whatever the rider demands.  For some, it's much more satisfying to partner with the bike and let it speak it's mind-and requires one to be able to listen to it.  A bit Zen, perhaps, but the Street Triple, which was a fantastic machine, demanded none of that.  All it ever wanted was more throttle.

Maye it's the Bourbon............ ...........double oaked!

[Groover]

I think it's a sign that Moto Guzzi actually pays attention to trends and what current motorcyclist may be after. Cafe racers, hacking, stripping, minimalism whatever you call, then Moto Guzzi notices and focuses on the V7 and V9. A few years ago there was a TV show on Sky Italia where teams, then eventually individuals would modify V9s based on a theme selected each week, similar to tattoo shows and cake decorating shows. The winner ultimately won I believe the royalties (or part of) of the conversion kit they designed for the V9, and I'm pretty sure the V85 concept spurred from that show as one of the competition episodes was to make an enduro out of a V9 and some actually resembled the new v85 as best as I recall. Anyway, big sidetrack here and my thumb is going crazy here fixing every word I misspell using my phone. Long story short, it's what the trend is, tons of accessories for the market/bike, and that's what is also killing the used Guzzi market a bit lately. Similar thing happened about a half decade ago with vintage instruments. Everybody whom played an instrument wanted worn looking instruments, so a 60's or 70's guitar or bass would fetch 4-10 grand at least, then Fender paid attention and started making Road Worn series that looked used and worn out, selling for 600-1500 new, and killing the vintage market. Same game, designers in these companies paying attention to the trends instead of focusing on something revolutionary. Wherever the money is. My 2-cents.


Edit: found some information on that show that I mentioned - https://wide.piaggiogroup.com/en/articles/garage/omt-garage-with-the-moto-guzzi-v9-silver-knight-is-the-2016-lord-of-the-bikes/index.html

[kingoffleece]

My Fiesta Red Roadworn P-Bass with flat wounds is one of the top sounding basses I've ever had.  As a bonus, I don't have to take an early 60's Jazz out anymore.
NGC, as you can see.