first ride on new V7 850 special

[blackbuell]

Picked up my V7 850 special from Cadre Cycle in Cincinnati yesterday. Rode it the 40 miles home, then another 50 miles. First impressions: finally, a bike that fits me! At 5'7" and 150 lbs., I find the size and weight very manageable for my 73 YO body. It has significantly less HP than any bike I have owned in the past 20 years, but there is ample torque down where it counts. The lower HP will likely be no big deal. There are some vibes, especially upon acceleration, but it is pleasant, low pulsation. I did take it up to 80 mph (just a tad over 4500 rpm's), and it seemed smooth and stable. It is soon to tell, but the seat seems to be very comfortable. Love the riding position. In the few twisties I rode, it seems to be just as flickable as the BMW F800GT that I traded in for it. It is such an easy bike to pilot!

Accessories: Guzzi center stand is nice: easy to get bike up and seems to be very stable. Guzzi rear rack: already mounted my Givi monlock platform on it with little effort; top case fits fine. H & B side cases look good, IMO; operation took a while to perfect, but seem to be able to hold adequate amounts of gear and allow plenty of room for my wife to sit on the back. The one issue: the Guzzi windscreen (maybe small enough to be considered a fly screen) looks great, but does little to block wind at speeds over 60 mph. At 75+ mph, there is a lot of buffeting. I have been spoiled over the past 10 years by bikes with full fairings and excellent windscreens that have provided quiet pockets of air at highway speeds. I tried adding an X-creen left over from my BMW, but it didn't help much. Would like to figure this out. Will post a pic with the mods later.

Jon

[twowheeladdict]

Congrats.

Try without the shield and see if the buffeting continues. Sometimes it is the mirrors that contribute to buffeting. 

I like bar end mirrors myself.

MMRanch has a large windshield on his V7 and rides with a half helmet with no complaints.

[kingoffleece]

It will smooth out a lot by 5K.

[Kev m]

Sounds awesome!

Enjoy!

[egschade]

I started with a Dart Classic flyscreen on my V7 and had the same problem with turbulence. Changed to their Piranha which is lower profile and the turbulence was gone. Same with the stock V85TT screen. I cut that down to eliminate the turbulence in the summer and use a (much) bigger CalSci screen in the colder weather to push the air over my helmet.

[usedtobefast]

I like those generic "bolt to the handlebar" windshields.  Like from National Cycle or MRA.  When looking, in the bike selection, I usually put Suzuki SV-650 (normal handlebar, tach/speedo, round headlight) as most don't list anything for a Moto Guzzi. 

The really large ones have a 4 point mounting ... but they use radiator type clamp around the top fork tube, seems kind of cheesy to me, so I've not tried one that big.  So I go for the handlebar mount ones.

This still does not get you touring bike level of wind coverage, but I was out this week, up to 75 mph, no need for ear plugs, but not like a R1200RT or ST1300.  That was on a naked bike with a MRA Vario Screen.

[kballowe]

I would really like to find a regular sort of windshield for one of those V7's.
Something like a Memphis Shades/National Cycle quick detach.  Traditional style - not handlebar mount.
Even if it needed some modification.

P.S.   Congratulations on your new bike.  Hope you get many happy miles !

 

[spmoto]

Congrats!!
I'll bet one of these would look pretty nice on this bike and I know it would work great! Best fairing going IMHO. A v65sp fairing would be a bit smaller but they a bit more scarce. There's also some mounting hardware there on ebay as well. Not sure how it would attach to your bike though.
Steve M
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254610129741?hash=item3b47f2434d:g:H2UAAOSw6IFezuBT

[spmoto]

https://www.motoforzafairings.com/moto-guzzi/

Nice fairings here too.
SM

[kpmurphy]

Jon,

 The windshield I use is a Givi A34 and it throws most of wind over my head and off my chest. Not as good as a fairing of course but much better than the fly screen style. Please post a pic of your motorcycle with the bags. I’m still undecided about which way to go for bags.

[blackbuell]

KP,

At your request, here is a pic. I might look into the Givi A34.

[Ncdan]

Congrats on the new bike. It’s great to have a motorcycle that actually fits one personally 👍

[kpmurphy]

Jon,

Thanks. I had the HB Junior bags on my V7 iii.

[kballowe]

KP,

At your request, here is a pic. I might look into the Givi A34.

Are those Hepco Becker side case mounts ?
Is the rear rack also Hepco Becker ?

[blackbuell]

kb,

HB case mounts, Guzzi rear rack. Mounting the Givi top case on the rack was easy; seems very secure.

Jon

[PeteS]

Nice looking bike. As for windshields/fairings I have found the pressure balanced types to be the best with least buffeting.
Swanee, H&H, Madstad, Parabellum types. The only downside is they let some air in so the will be cooler. Good for the warm weather, not so good in the cool weather.

Pete

[9fingers]

Beautiful, enjoy the new bike! I started with a Dart Classic on my V7III Special and had too much buffeting and not much protection. I switched to a Marlin and mounted it slightly more upright than standard, just a few degrees, and it is a big improvement. Still not a ton of wind protection of course. But the airflow is much smoother with far less buffeting. Have you tried the wind deflector clip on in a more vertical position? I have one on my V Strom and that is the way it works best, almost totally straight up.
Scott

[blackbuell]

Scott,

I did put my X-Creen up as high as possible and vertical. It did, indeed, improve the protection and the quality of the air flow.

Jon

[inditx]