V7-850 ride

[inditx]

So it does put a smile on my face when I ride it still. 
Hard to decide as I’m "torn between 2 lovers".... the CB1100 and the V7-850
I know I know, first world problems......
inditx
p.s. If only the V7 could do 2 up for me and the Mrs. well, without a ton of expensive mods....

[kballowe]

What ?

No pictures ?

[Beowulf]

I find two up on the v7 to be decent but my view maybe skewed as I’m not the pillion( think that’s the term). What mods would you make for that?

[inditx]

What ?

No pictures ?

When I ride solo I just don’t snap pics KBallowe, sorry.
Unless you mean pics of the bikes?
inditx

[inditx]

I find two up on the v7 to be decent but my view maybe skewed as I’m not the pillion( think that’s the term). What mods would you make for that?

Upgrade suspension
Lower pegs
Highway pegs
Better seat
More wind protection
Good saddle bags and mounts
inditx

[kballowe]

pics of the bikes

yes

[blackbuell]

We have ridden about 5k miles 2-up on our V7 850 special in relative comfort. Mods include Guzzi center stand, H&B side cases, givi trunk, givi A34 windscreen with X-creen foil, engine guards, throttle lock, airhawk cushion for wife. We are not large people, which does make it easier for us. We plan to take many trips on this bike over the next few years.

[inditx]

yes

Ah can do.
Thanks,
inditx

[inditx]

We have ridden about 5k miles 2-up on our V7 850 special in relative comfort. Mods include Guzzi center stand, H&B side cases, givi trunk, givi A34 windscreen with X-creen foil, engine guards, throttle lock, airhawk cushion for wife. We are not large people, which does make it easier for us. We plan to take many trips on this bike over the next few years.

Love this!
Unfortunately me and the Mrs. combined are, on the larger side shall we say so, 2 up is challenging on the V7 for this reason.
Thanks,
inditx

[JohninVT]

Clearview windshield on stock mounts, Givi Dolomiti luggage and rack, bar risers and a $20 ATV seat pad make for a pretty decent weekend tourer. 

It definitely needs shocks though.  Hopefully I can find a set that are compatible with the Givi rack.  It’s fine solo but woefully under sprung two up.

[JohninVT]

If I had it to do over again, I'd buy a Madstad mount and shield.  You can get them much taller than the Clearview and the mount is adjustable for height and rake.  I bought the Givi luggage rack, luggage mounts and Dolomiti panniers from a company in Europe and even with shipping, saved about $500 over buying them in the US because the exchange rate is great.  I think I have about a thousand into all of it.  The risers are Amazon specials that were about $30.  They raise the bars an inch and pull them back the same amount.  The ATV pad raises my butt enough that I don't need lower pegs and doubles the amount of time I can ride without getting off.  They're $15-$20 on Amazon. 

I really, really want to upgrade the shocks but I'm having a little trouble finding ones that'll work with the Givi rack.  A set of high quality, adjustable shocks like ECM are $750-ish, depending on how custom you want them.  Something like Hagon's are half that.  I'll get a center stand eventually because valve adjustments and tire changes are impossible without raising the rear wheel.

If you go top of the line, it's under $2,000 for a solid, capable tourer.  If you go slightly more reasonable, you can go it for well under a thousand.  Screen, ATV pad, bar risers, something like the Tusk Pilot soft panniers and Hagons could all come in right around $1,000. 

Once you get some quiet behind a decent windshield, you realize just how easy the bike is running at 80mph.  We generally travel 5-10mph faster than traffic and while there isn't a ton of extra oomph above 85mph to pass while riding two up.  A 300 mile day with plenty of stops to look at stuff is painless.  We do it often.  If it had the same electronic cruise that my 1400 Cali had, my 850 would have 10,000 miles on it already.     
 

[inditx]

Nice JohninVT!
Nice to have those 2 steeds to choose from.
I presume you do overnighters with the V7 and longer trips with the Cali?
I have considered a 1400 for 2 up duties.
Thanks,
inditx

[Kev m]

Nice JohninVT!
Nice to have those 2 steeds to choose from.
I presume you do overnighters with the V7 and longer trips with the Cali?
I have considered a 1400 for 2 up duties.
Thanks,
inditx

He got rid of the Cali.

[inditx]

Ah thanks for the clarification Kev
Good to hear from you
Happy New Year!
Jack

[JohninVT]

The ergos of the Cali didn't agree with me.  It felt like I was too far away from the forks and I was steering a Gravely tractor rather than a motorcycle.  The floorboards were also too far forward for me.  I like being able to stand up on the pegs or floorboards.  My passenger seems to find the V7 almost as comfortable as the Cali was.  That's a little surprising because the Cali seat is bigger but I think the distance from the seat to the passenger pegs might be greater on the V7 and she said the Cali pegs vibrated more.  At least a third of our riding is on gravel.  The Cali, with the 200 series rear tire and ponderous weight was terrible on dirt roads. 

The Cali engine is truly great.  It has a horrible lean spot around town but if you get that sorted it's awesome.  Mine shifted much better than my V7 and the brakes were top notch.  The throttle maps and traction control were actually useful on it.  If you like cruiser ergos and do a lot of highway, I think it's a really underrated machine.  Despite that, the only thing I really miss and wish my V7 had is the cruise control.  Cruise control on the V7 would be a game changer for me because of the carpal tunnel in my right hand.  Throttle locks and the like just aren't the same as cruise control. 

If you and your passenger are 350-ish pounds or under the V7 might be a valid touring option, if you set it up right.  If you're at or over 400lbs I think another bike might be a better solution.

If you don't know what your wife or GF weighs....it might be easier to just buy a bigger bike than to ask and suffer the repercussions.         

[inditx]

Thanks sir!