High Mileage 2009 V7 Classic, Should I Buy?

[Zcb350fb]

Hi everyone. I am new to this forum and Moto Guzzi’s but not new to motorcycling.
I came across a dealer that has a high mileage 2009 v7 classic. It has 37,000.00 miles. The dealer is only asking $2,000.00 for the bike. I am tempted to purchase but before i do, i have a couple questions for you all to see if it is worth purchasing or not.

Is there anything specific to look for on a 2009 v7 classic to see if it has been well taken care of or anything like that? Is there anything notorious to look for on these models that i should stay away from.
Are there specific places to look for oil leaks, etc... on this model of bike and/or a bike with this high of mileage?
Would you buy a bike with this high of mileage or would you stay away?

Also, are these bikes easy to work on and are they easy to get parts for in the US? The closest Guzzi dealer to me is 2 hours away so i would be doing a lot of my own work. I like working on my own bikes and cars but i am more experienced on older vehicles from the 70’s. Thank you in advance!

[M0T0Geezer]

Only 37,000 miles?  It's just broke in!

I put 55,000 carefree miles on a 2004 Moto Guzzi Breva 750cc which has basically the same motor, driveline, and electronics as the 2009 V7 Classic you are considering.

Assuming the dealer selling it is reputable and offers some kind of parts & labor warranty (90 days??) you should be very happy with the purchase.

While I had my Breva, I gathered this text file full of fixit reference links:

  https://www.dansher.com/bikepix/Guzzi/_V7_fyi.txt

Note that it is a simple text file and not a website.  Downloading the file will be useful if you buy the V7 Classic

'Geezer

[oldbike54]

 Won't argue the price , but the basic package is capable of over 80K miles W/O too much trouble . Welcome to WG .

 Dusty

[fotoguzzi]

If it's been sitting at the dealer for awhile go there with $1500 cash and see what they say..

[Zcb350fb]

Is there any where that you would check on the bike for signs of neglect like the shaft or any specific areas on the motor?

[OldMojo]

That's under 4k miles a year, so that's not really high miles. That's 10 healthy riding seasons! If it was going to have an issue, it would have had it by now.

Guzzis are as easy to work on as anything out there, with the exception of the clutch. Due to the driveline orientation it's a bit more involved than pulling a cover and swapping out plates. That would be something to pay attention to when inspecting the bike. That said, my clutch is going strong at 60k miles.

If you're most comfortable working on 70s era vehicles, then no question - Guzzi is the bike for you 

Parts shouldn't be a problem. There are several well known sources that ship nationwide if your dealer can't or won't provide. Some dealers seem to have more trouble than others when it comes to stocking or ordering parts,  so always check around.

If you're new to Guzzis, be aware that at least at idle, a Guzzi will frequently have a more "agricultural" sound to it than you might be used to - they are gloriously mechanical sounding!

Perhaps have them fire up a newer one to get an ear for it, then compare to the bike in question.

Welcome and good luck with your purchase!

[Tom]

That's low mileage for a Moto Guzzi.  Buy it.

[MMRanch]

My V-7 II has 14,000 miles and is just now feeling broke-in !   They are simple machines .   If ya like the looks of it then 2K$ is not too much to risk .   

[Moparnut72]

If you decide you are going to pass it up post where it is. I am sure that there would be others here that would be interested. I know I would be if it were reasonably close. Sounds like a good deal to me if it is in decent condition.
kk

[malik]

My Classic was only fully run in at around 20,000 miles. It now has 215,000km (133,000 miles) on it and is still going strong. 37,000 miles is low for a Classic (or any Guzzi) and at these miles it's unlikely that there's any serious mechanical problem at all. After 60,000 or more I'd start looking closer.

The clutch push rod seal can be a weak spot - when it fails (I've had 3 go at around 60,000 miles, and have seen another at 50,000 and one more at 16,000), it weeps gear oil up the push rod and onto the clutch, causing it to slip. It's a big job to fix - not particularly costly in parts, but the professionals budget 6 hours in labour. To test for this, remove the rubber bung on the right hand side of the engine block, down from the throttle body, stick a finger in & wiggle it. It will come out black (usually) from powdered clutch friction material, but it shouldn't be wet with oil as well.
Take the bike for a test drive, then check the rear wheel - look for oil spotting on the chrome of the rear wheel rim. It's early days, but it is possible that the seals in the final drive can leak.
From the outside, you can't tell if the drive shaft has been neglected - if the shaft turns the rear wheel, it's working. That's one of those jobs I'd do soon after buying it, (along with changing all the fluids & both filters, cleaning up the battery terminals & the main earth, adjust the clutch, do the tappets, balance the throttle bodies) - is remove the rear wheel & the bevel box/final drive and grease the splines on the drive shaft. Then do it again each time you change the rear tyre.
The idle should be pretty even (around 1100rpm) - not in-line four smooth, but not ragged either. Check the operation on the fast idle lever on the left hand switch block. Check the throttle operation & its return - should be smooth. If it's difficult to get from neutral to first while the engine is idling, it's usually only that the clutch cable needs adjusting. The clutch lever operation is usually quite firm, though should not be too hard.

It's better if you can take along someone that has one of these (& thus knows what to look for), but if you don't have that luxury, give it a decent test ride, and if it appeals, grab it. These bikes are lots of fun.

[pyoungbl]

V7s are not selling for much these days.  If the dealer is asking $2K I bet he will be delighted to get an offer of $1500 because (1) it's winter, (2) Guzzi is an odd brand, (3) there is a perception that 37K is high mileage...it really is not, and (4) the overall motorcycle market is slow.  If you do pick up the bike for $1500 you can easily reassure yourself by doing a basic tune up.  That's a very simple process on the V7.  On top of that I'd remove the rear wheel, take the rear drive off and grease the drive shaft splines.  You will find the V7 to be a simple design that has had many years to work out any issues.

Peter Y. 

[Rich A]

Sounds like a good deal, but (please don't answer this) how much do you have/want to spend? There's the old adage, "Buy the best <car/motorcycle/boat> you can and enjoy it."

Rich

[usedtobefast]

While I had my Breva, I gathered this text file full of fixit reference links:

  https://www.dansher.com/bikepix/Guzzi/_V7_fyi.txt

Note that it is a simple text file and not a website.  Downloading the file will be useful if you buy the V7 Classic

'Geezer

Wow, that is awesome!   What a collection of information.  Have you put this on thisoldtractor or other place like that? 
Wish I had the equivalent list for my Quota. 

[Zcb350fb]

Thank you for all of the information everyone. The bike at the dealer is no longer available. I guess someone beat me to it! I learned a lot though which will help me move quicker when the next deal comes along.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Thank you for all of the information everyone. The bike at the dealer is no longer available. I guess someone beat me to it! I learned a lot though which will help me move quicker when the next deal comes along.

Now you have met some of us, you know you need a Guzzi, sorry you won't be able to resist.

[malik]

Should you come across another one, take it for a test ride, see if it speaks your language. It only took a mile or in city traffic even to convince me.

[Muzz]

Should you come across another one, take it for a test ride, see if it speaks your language. It only took a mile or in city traffic even to convince me.

Just sitting on the Breva and my wife knew that that was the one for me.  Quote, " I've never seen you look so comfortable on a bike before".  After the test drive I was hooked.

Still pretty low miles for me at 28,500 but the motor has never missed a beat.  In fact, I am still running the original plugs.  Had to close the gap about 3 thou once, electrodes still sharp and clean.  Still have the new spare plug which I carry in my jacket from when I bought the bike in 2003.

It is quite happy puddling about town but it still is lovely to tour on, especially with our twisty roads.  Managed to pick up the "best speeding ticket" award at the last Guzzi rally no trouble!

[MMRanch]

Zcb350fb

Be careful , I got a V-7II and found out how the "V" is superposed to be turned and how much fun it is to ride a "LIGHT" bike , now the rest of them bikes seem "SILLY".   

[Muzz]

Zcb350fb

Be careful , I got a V-7II and found out how the "V" is superposed to be turned and how much fun it is to ride a "LIGHT" bike , now the rest of them bikes seem "SILLY".   

This.

The recent Guzzi rally was held in a town just under 40 miles away from where I was born and bred, 25 miles of that is "The Hill".   At the moment a bit over a mile of it is controlled by lights that go every 1/4 of an hour, as the road kinda got washed away in a massive rain storm.  There must have been about 50 Guzzis filtered through to the front when they went green.   The earth shook.   Anyway, at the aftermatch function the big block guys admitted defeat; they just got left in the dust; tight corners often doubling back on themselves and the smallblocks just left them.  I finished the rally with no chicken strip left on the rear tire and a very small one on the front.

When we first came down to the city where we live now I went to get my first Warrant of Fitness and the guy looked at the front tire and remarked, "that's a strange wear pattern".  It was literally flat on the sides with a jagged centre.  I told him we had just shifted down from Golden Bay, and after a few seconds pause he nodded, grinned and said, "ahhh, the Takaka Hill".  It truly is smallblock country.