V7 pathetic secret

[xackley]

Finally bought a V7 III a couple days ago. I was disappointed with how civilized it is. All those Youtubers talking about vibrations and shifting and suspension is nonsense. The V7 is the smoothest operator I own. Adjusted the shocks to the midway and road 70 mile yesterday without a jolt

Only real downside that needs an immediate upgrade is the HORN. The horn is down right useless and would be embarrassing to blow where anyone might hear it, assuming anyone could hear that squeak. All the hundreds of internet reviews I have read and watched in the last year did not warn me.

I am thinking a set of fiamm horns but would appreciate other solutions and pictures of how others have resolved this Moto Guzzi issue.

Loving my pumpkin/squash  "yellow" colored 2017 V7. It has Agostini mufflers and the sound is fantastic!
 H&P rack and  C-mount soft bags,  fly screen and Center Stand. It came set up for a day trip and/or maintenance :)

No pictures yet, been riding and tinkering.

Also this is the first motorcycle I ever bought that my wife thinks looks and sounds beautiful?

Don

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

LOL what ever happened to the 'like' button????

Ride it in good health my friend!

[Dirk_S]

None of my bikes had a horn remotely comparable to a car’s. I figured the Guzzi horn was just par for the course.

[Cam3512]

If the horn is your worst critique of the bike, that’s a good thing. Lots of aftermarket options.

I’m from New Jersey, I can scream louder than the horn.

[Guzzistajohn]

I can fart louder than the original horn on my '83 LeMans. It's a Guzzi TRADITION! 

[Gliderjohn]

My T-3 horn is quite loud however the Norge is a mouse fart in the wind at best.
GliderJohn

[Moparnut72]

I also have a V7lll, a Special. I have also heard and read all the comments about the vibration and etc. I don't have any idea of what they are talking about. I had a little snatching coming off and on with the throttle. I took the slack out of the cables, that is gone. My T120 Bonneville is a bit smoother but it has a counter balancer. I don't know where all this criticism comes from. Maybe they aren't winding it up to where it likes to run.
kk

[Guzzistajohn]

No one reads the "this thing is GREAT!" stuff on the interneck. Look how long a thread about how bad something sucks goes on for pages and pages here!

[inditx]

 

[lucky phil]

I think in 51 years of riding I've used the horn on a motorcycle maybe 3 times and then it was a pointless anger venting response to something or other. You could leave it off entirely and I wouldn't even know. I'm always amused by people that fit big heavy automotive air horns to motorcycles. Confused might be a better word.

Phil

[elrealistico]

The bike vibrates more than similar displacement  Japanese twins, at least when they are in stock frames as delivered. But not a lot more, nowhere near old Britbikes. Juusssttt enough to let you know she's not like the other girls she's gotta leetle bit more motion in the ocean. She's saying vieni a fare un giro bello/a

[xackley]

I do most my riding on back roads. I use the horn when I can see someone coming to an intersections when they make me wonder if they will be giving me my right of way. Also driveways with moving cars. Probably use the horn 2 or three times a week.

A couple years ago the horn on my R69 might have saved my life. A huge pickup truck decided to cross the road in front of a harley coming up the hill and me going to down the hill into Watkins Glen. I was braking hard and holding the horn. I believe the pickup noticed the problem and swung left giving me just enough room to not run into the truck or slam into the ditch.

In the city a horn is just more noise. In the country the sound can be useful.

Don

[9fingers]

Back roads, 4th gear, 50 or 55mph.....what vibrations? Too busy loving it! Seriously, after around 3,800 rpm  that engine just hums!
Scott

[Scout63]

I used my horn for the first time in ages today when a minivan started to creep into my lane.  I wired dual Fiamms - high and low- through the Motogadget brain on my G5.  They are loud and remarkably inexpensive.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Here in Canada we can go to the local Canadian Tire and pick up a matched pair of Fiaam Freeway Blaster horns for around $35
The set comes with one low and one High tone horns and a relay to drive them.
Just wire the relay coil to the original horn wires and power the relays 30 contact direct from the battery with both High and low horns off the 87 contact.
The horns can be mounted on a plate bolted  underneath the steering head using 4 pre-tapped 6mm holes provided.
I have been using a set of these horns on all my guzzles, they are not great looking horns but they sure work well.
I combined the horn brackets with cheap spotlights/

The 6mm screw holes were pre-tapped by the factory, it was easy to make a simple bracket
Note the horns are mounted using the spring steel brackets that came in the package,
you cannot mount them solidly because it damps down the noise considerably.
The spots are cheap 30 degree units from super bright LEDs.com wired to the parking light bulb.
I have them wired through a pair of 2 Amp reed switches closed by a tiny magnet stuck to the outside of the bucket.
An alternate to th reed switches would be the switch and leads listed on the super bright site.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-light-pods/led-light-pod-2-modular-led-off-road-work-light-10w-900-lumens/1699/

[mechanicsavant]

I’m with Kiwi Roy , mine are mounted similarly. Sourced from a recycling yard , so they’re not that striking red . Loud horns save lives !

[blackcat]

I think in 51 years of riding I've used the horn on a motorcycle maybe 3 times and then it was a pointless anger venting response to something or other. You could leave it off entirely and I wouldn't even know. I'm always amused by people that fit big heavy automotive air horns to motorcycles. Confused might be a better word.

Phil

I didn’t have a horn on my CX for about 3 years and the bike was mostly used for NYC commuting, I just revved the engine if I needed to make a sound. I finally got around to installing a new horn but reviving the engine was still better than the horn.

[xackley]

That is an excellent set of instructions. I was concerned about the wire size on the original horn and the relay wiring you suggest makes it a clean install.
Thank you
Don

Here in Canada we can go to the local Canadian Tire and pick up a matched pair of Fiaam horns for around $35
The set comes with one low and one High tone horns and a relay to drive them.
Just wire the relay coil to the original horn wires and power the relays 30 contact direct from the battery with both High and low horns off the 87 contact.
The horns can be mounted on a plate bolted  underneath the steering head using 4 pre-tapped 6mm holes provided.
I have been using a set of these horns on all my guzzles, they are not great looking horns but they sure work well.
I combined the horn brackets with cheap spotlights/

The 6mm screw holes were pre-tapped by the factory, it was easy to make a simple bracket
Note the horns are mounted using the spring steel brackets that came in the package,
you cannot mount them solidly because it damps down the noise considerably.
The spots are cheap 30 degree units from super bright LEDs.com wired to the parking light bulb.
I have them wired through a pair of 2 Amp reed switches closed by a tiny magnet stuck to the outside of the bucket.
An alternate to th reed switches would be the switch and leads listed on the super bright site.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-light-pods/led-light-pod-2-modular-led-off-road-work-light-10w-900-lumens/1699/

[usedtobefast]

I believe on the back of the horn is an adjustment screw (with lock nut) ... you might try fiddling with that.  Turning that in/out will change the tone & loudness of the horn.

Can probably make it sound a bit better, but not the same as those mega horns that are available.

[21SC]

Finally bought a V7 III a couple days ago. I was disappointed with how civilized it is. All those Youtubers talking about vibrations and shifting and suspension is nonsense. The V7 is the smoothest operator I own. Adjusted the shocks to the midway and road 70 mile yesterday without a jolt

Only real downside that needs an immediate upgrade is the HORN. The horn is down right useless and would be embarrassing to blow where anyone might hear it, assuming anyone could hear that squeak. All the hundreds of internet reviews I have read and watched in the last year did not warn me.

I am thinking a set of fiamm horns but would appreciate other solutions and pictures of how others have resolved this Moto Guzzi issue.

Loving my pumpkin/squash  "yellow" colored 2017 V7. It has Agostini mufflers and the sound is fantastic!
 H&P rack and  C-mount soft bags,  fly screen and Center Stand. It came set up for a day trip and/or maintenance :)

No pictures yet, been riding and tinkering.

Also this is the first motorcycle I ever bought that my wife thinks looks and sounds beautiful?

Don

There's a small chance you have my old bike. Where are you in the lakes? I'm near nConesus Lake.

[slowmover]

I’m scared to touch my horn on my 2013 V7 . When I beep at a neighbor they always jump cuz it’s so loud .

[Tom]

Italian "flame" horn work great.      

[Kiwi_Roy]

The drive will get very snatchy if you let the rear tire pressure drop too low, its the traction control cutting in and out.

[twowheeladdict]

The better I got at riding the less I needed the horn.

Stopped upgrading horns 10 years ago.

[Moparnut72]

I used to use the horn to get the attention of a friend but not any longer. The pitiful little beep is embarrassing.
kk

[Cam3512]

Upgraded horns are inexpensive.  Why not?  Better to have it and not need it.  What if you come across Christie Brinkley in a Ferrari convertible and you want to get her attention?

[21SC]

There's a small chance you have my old bike. Where are you in the lakes? I'm near nConesus Lake.

Don, check your pm and let me know if you received my messages, I can't pull up / see my sent messages to you.

[Tusayan]

In 42 years of riding street bikes, over many miles in many countries, I cannot recall ever using the horn except to test it.

[Bulldog9]

Not so much a secret............ lol

As for the skinny jean latte sipping Honda Civic driving MC reviewers and their complaints of 'too much vibration'  Guzzi's don't BUZZ, they thrum, and the firing order brings a nice thumpthump    thump. The motor is much smoother as it breaks in as well, but is never bad.

Welcome to the world of Guzzi, we look forward to seeing what your next Guzzi will be. One is never enough........ Well, in my case, neither is 5 ;-)

[Anomaly]

I’m scared to touch my horn on my 2013 V7 . When I beep at a neighbor they always jump cuz it’s so loud .

This has been my experience too (with my 2012 V7 Classic), so much of this thread is quite a contrast to my experience. After I had an accident caused by an inattentive driver, I was just about to purchase an air horn setup from Twisted Throttle on the recommendation of a guy at the coffee shop I frequented. He had on on his adventure bike and it was loud. But then the next time I saw him, I was on the V7 and I just touched the horn button and he jumped back about three feet and we both laughed and concluded my horn was loud enough. The horn in my new-to-me T3 is similarly loud and I think its stock. YMMV as they say...