Guzzi V7 III

[Kev m]

He sure makes that bike look pretty...

I make anything look good. 

Ohh, wait, you meant for the opposite reason. 

 

[jas67]

He sure makes that bike look pretty...

comment deleted -- too easy. .   

It is a helluva good looking bike though, too bad Pete Roper (sans glasses) is partially blocking it.

[twowheeladdict]

He sure makes that bike look pretty...

What year is the frontier?  I had a blue '15 4-banger, and now have a copper '17 V6.  Best bang for the buck truck available.

[Kev m]

What year is the frontier?  I had a blue '15 4-banger, and now have a copper '17 V6.  Best bang for the buck truck available.

I think it's a 20-something good friend's truck. Yes, best bang for the buck ever.

[Tennmoto]

It’s not white! Lol 

[Kev m]

It’s not white! Lol 

It's not "mine"... 

[Kev m]

So I've ridden some miles on another V7III (my bro's V7III Special), but aside from this being the first miles on my girl's bike (so I was extra conscious of breaking it in and scrubbing the tires/brakes) it was largely the same experience I remembered.

To summarize, I'd say the V7III is all around a better bike than my V7 MkI Stone. Not by leaps and bounds, but just a little better in every measure I can think.

I'll have to look closer to find gripes. Maybe the nicer side stand let's it lean over a little much. Yeah a tach would be nice, but the shift light gives me a ballpark.

65 miles into break-in and I'm smitten. I think she made a good choice.

[SmithSwede]

Congratulations Kev.  Well done!

After you have put several thousand miles on the new machine, I would love to read a detailed comparasion of the newer smallblock to the older 2013 model

[Kev m]

Congratulations Kev.  Well done!

After you have put several thousand miles on the new machine, I would love to read a detailed comparasion of the newer smallblock to the older 2013 model

Absolutely.

Actually I think Jay, Cam, and I (and anyone local who would like to participate) should ride a number of our bikes back-to-back this summer and all post our impressions.

Jay has his 13 Racer and 17 Special
Cam's has his 14 Special
I have our 13 Stone and 18 Carbon

We really just need someone with a V7II and maybe a V7C round it all out.

But then again Jay and I did the V7 Stone back-to-back with his V7C about 5 years ago when my Stone was pretty new. So we can always just cross-reference that.

[s1120]

I got to see one of these in person for the first time last week..  I really like them.. Nice size bike. Ive not ridden one, but is about the size and feel of my old beat around do it all Suzuki GS650L..  Not too big, not too small..  Just getting back in the saddle after 10+ years away, so unless my new to me Cali stone turns out to be a lemon, i dont see getting a another bike soon...  but that beiong said, Im really likeing the looks of the special, and hope to ride one one day.

[twowheeladdict]

So I've ridden some miles on another V7III (my bro's V7III Special), but aside from this being the first miles on my girl's bike (so I was extra conscious of breaking it in and scrubbing the tires/brakes) it was largely the same experience I remembered.

To summarize, I'd say the V7III is all around a better bike than my V7 MkI Stone. Not by leaps and bounds, but just a little better in every measure I can think.

I'll have to look closer to find gripes. Maybe the nicer side stand let's it lean over a little much. Yeah a tach would be nice, but the shift light gives me a ballpark.

65 miles into break-in and I'm smitten. I think she made a good choice.

If you all ever make it down to the Smokys we will have to try and get together.  Around Nashville, better still.  I travel a lot for work but with enough notice I can put in for leave.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to plan far ahead for nice weather in the Smokys.

[bpreynolds]

So I've ridden some miles on another V7III (my bro's V7III Special), but aside from this being the first miles on my girl's bike (so I was extra conscious of breaking it in and scrubbing the tires/brakes) it was largely the same experience I remembered.

To summarize, I'd say the V7III is all around a better bike than my V7 MkI Stone. Not by leaps and bounds, but just a little better in every measure I can think.

I'll have to look closer to find gripes. Maybe the nicer side stand let's it lean over a little much. Yeah a tach would be nice, but the shift light gives me a ballpark.

65 miles into break-in and I'm smitten. I think she made a good choice.

Honestly, I've never been a blacked out bike guy.  I vaguely recall you (Kev) maybe saying at some point or another that you do like the blacked out look on bikes.  Guzzi did it for a reason with all those new III's so I know it must be popular, but me personally, I didn't like them on the III Stone I owned and much preferred the V9's double walled chrome pipes.  Somehow, someway on this bike, however, I actually find myself really liking those pipes.  Maybe it's the red heads that offset them a bit, or maybe the red Brembo caliper or the red eagle.  Not sure and who cares, I just wanna say this is one sharp motorcycle.

[Kev m]

Two- we do have to make it back down to the Smokys one of these days.

Bp- so I'm an enigma wrapped in a contradiction. I've always generally hated black or red bikes (probably because they are so common and I've had a number of used bikes whose tins were black or red). I hated the black paint on the Jackal, our first rubbermount Sportster and my first Suzuki (though it was nice on the R65). I hated the red on my R1100RSa, my Honda Ascot, and even my first Sportster which, though new, was in the days of take whatever you can get when your number comes up.

Hell I repainted my first Sportster and the Jackal to escape it.

At the same time I always hated chrome and preferred black on the motors and running gear.

But when this latest black trend hit they "murdered out" everything going black everywhere including the tins and that is generally a bridge too far. The Indian Dark Horse was perfect EXCEPT it needed color on the tins only to provide some contrast (and they finally did that).

I think the current V7III Stone in Black is a problem like that too.

But I also want the tins to MATCH. So I equally dislike the current Stones in color. Well maybe not equally, but I would be tempted to buy one in blue and have the tins painted to match (and maybe gloss the paint at the same time).

Ok, then with all of that said, I love Jenn's Duc in red because well, it just should be, especially with the trellis frame.

And, I have to admit, I probably wouldn't have looked at the Carbon twice originally, but as usual, my wife is smarter than me and holy CRAP but I really, really like the look of this bike

I think you're right, it has got to be the little red details that break up the black. It might even be the carbon fiber that "matches" the tank but isn't just a plain flat black.

I dunno. But I'm thrilled she picked it.