V7 Stone dressed with Breva 750 panniers

[Mike744]

Today I mounted a set of Breva 750 panniers with a Hepco & Becker frame on my V7 Stone. It all went together in 15 minutes or so. Wonderful quality gear. The only down side is that the grab rails have to be left off.

[Kev m]

Were the HB racks themselves specifically for the Breva 750 and not the V7?

[Mike744]

This H&B frame was listed as correct for V7 Classic however it mounts on the Stone perfectly. The Breva frame would not fit the Stone.

[Kev m]

I didn't think it would, but I never noticed the rear crossbar sitting so high before so I wondered.

[rocker59]

The bar can be force-fitted low.  That's the way mine came.  I saw it looked wonky and just flipped the bracket when I installed the H+B lock plates that didn't come with the bike.

[Kev m]

That looks fine Rocker.

[Mgv7rider]

Your V7 Stone looks really amazing with the panniers on! I am so close to buying a v7 stone at this coming motorcycle show in Toronto Canada! If you get a chance, could you post a pic without the panniers...I would like to see what it looks like with the HB Frame. So rush and thanks in advance...happy riding (that is if you are in a climate to ride at this time of the year...I am all packed away for the season! :(

[ronatd]

Is that the new "Touring" windscreen from Guzzi for the V7 line?

[Air-Cooled]

You did a nice job of mounting and they look functional, but I can't help but thinking that the Stone is a simple free machine that should look unfettered with bags.

[Kev m]

Is that the new "Touring" windscreen from Guzzi for the V7 line?

That looks like the OEM shield, but for the record the OEM shield is not a new item.

[Mike744]

Your V7 Stone looks really amazing with the panniers on! I am so close to buying a v7 stone at this coming motorcycle show in Toronto Canada! If you get a chance, could you post a pic without the panniers...I would like to see what it looks like with the HB Frame. So rush and thanks in advance...happy riding (that is if you are in a climate to ride at this time of the year...I am all packed away for the season! :(

Before I mounted the panniers I was concerned about how the bike would look with the frame and no bags. However, since installing the panniers I have found them so useful and so unobtrusive that I have never ridden the bike without them.

Is that the new "Touring" windscreen from Guzzi for the V7 line?

The windscreen is the same Guzzi item that has been available for the Breva and Classic for years.

[Kev m]

I'm going to powdercoat the racks black for mine. It helps with durability (as the cheap finish on the chrome HB's is known to pit/corrode), but it also helps downplay them visually. Betcha that would really work well on a black Stone.

[oceanluvr]

I'm going to powdercoat the racks black for mine. It helps with durability (as the cheap finish on the chrome HB's is known to pit/corrode), but it also helps downplay them visually. Betcha that would really work well on a black Stone.

Kevin I owned a large powder coating facility for years in S. Florida and even though powder coating is a great system with lots of applications, there are some caveats.  When you speak of PC chrome the best bet is to completely strip the chrome.  Let me quote from one of my colleagues: "Chroming; like powder-coating, is adding material to a substrate (the aluminum, steel, etc underneath). If the chrome is chipped then chances are that the initial preparation of the steel and/or aluminum was not prepared properly to begin with and anything you put over the chrome will come off in time, but not as quickly as the chrome itself.

Adding a powder coat (or paint) over chrome will only slow the rate of loss since the powder is bonded to the chrome (more on that later). If the chrome comes loose, anything bonded to the top of it will fall off by default (excepting tension bonding on the edges of the chrome "flake").

So, there we go. In short, if the chrome is flaking off then adding a powder coat or paint will simply slow down the process if you do not remove the loose chrome"

[Kev m]

Kevin I owned a large powder coating facility for years in S. Florida and even though powder coating is a great system with lots of applications, there are some caveats.  When you speak of PC chrome the best bet is to completely strip the chrome.  Let me quote from one of my colleagues: "Chroming; like powder-coating, is adding material to a substrate (the aluminum, steel, etc underneath). If the chrome is chipped then chances are that the initial preparation of the steel and/or aluminum was not prepared properly to begin with and anything you put over the chrome will come off in time, but not as quickly as the chrome itself.

Adding a powder coat (or paint) over chrome will only slow the rate of loss since the powder is bonded to the chrome (more on that later). If the chrome comes loose, anything bonded to the top of it will fall off by default (excepting tension bonding on the edges of the chrome "flake").

So, there we go. In short, if the chrome is flaking off then adding a powder coat or paint will simply slow down the process if you do not remove the loose chrome"

I appreciate the info and guess I should explain further.

I did this already, with the HB racks from my Jackal and the results were SPECTACULAR.

Lasted perfectly for many years.

With the new Stone racks I plan on having this powdercoating done right away over top of the pristine/unblemished finishes that are there now.

The HB chrome racks (at least those for the V7) may have a tendency to corrode over time (I think mostly at the weld spots), but I don't think they come that way.

If they are anything like the HB racks for the Jackal I THINK (tell me if I'm wrong) sealing the chrome while still pristine should work fine.

[oceanluvr]

I appreciate the info and guess I should explain further.

I did this already, with the HB racks from my Jackal and the results were SPECTACULAR.

Lasted perfectly for many years.

With the new Stone racks I plan on having this powdercoating done right away over top of the pristine/unblemished finishes that are there now.

The HB chrome racks (at least those for the V7) may have a tendency to corrode over time (I think mostly at the weld spots), but I don't think they come that way.

If they are anything like the HB racks for the Jackal I THINK (tell me if I'm wrong) sealing the chrome while still pristine should work fine.

K- yes you are correct in that if the chrome is in good shape you should be fine with top coating with a PC.  Any coating, whether paint or powder coat is only as good as the substrate to which it is applied.  

[Kev m]

K- yes you are correct in that if the chrome is in good shape you should be fine with top coating with a PC.  Any coating, whether paint or powder coat is only as good as the substrate to which it is applied.  

Excellent - glad to hear.

And thanks for the lesson/experience. I bet more people here will benefit from the advice!

RIDE SAFE!

Kev

[Chicago Mark]

K- yes you are correct in that if the chrome is in good shape you should be fine with top coating with a PC.  Any coating, whether paint or powder coat is only as good as the substrate to which it is applied.  

Anytime I ever had an item powder coated (aluminum, steel, chrome) the powder coat shop always sand blasted the item. The results were always excellent and always better than I expected. They always used a high temp tape to protect any part of the piece that shouldn't get coated to.This was many years ago and the shop was in Santa Ana, CA. Would it be better to strip the original and suspect chrome in this case? Even though the part is new.

Thank You,

Mark

[Kev m]

I suspect my shop sand blasts too, but I haven't verified.

[oceanluvr]

Anytime I ever had an item powder coated (aluminum, steel, chrome) the powder coat shop always sand blasted the item. The results were always excellent and always better than I expected. They always used a high temp tape to protect any part of the piece that shouldn't get coated to.This was many years ago and the shop was in Santa Ana, CA. Would it be better to strip the original and suspect chrome in this case? Even though the part is new.

Thank You,

Mark

Mark, we did a lot of OEM work and some of that required re-do of defective parts.  Our specs from the auto manufacturer required us to always strip the part down to the bare substrate.  However if you are confident the chrome is in good shape you may opt to skip that step but if there is any degradation in the finish, such as peeling, bubbling etc, by all means strip it down.   Additionally if you want to insure a superior finish, after stripping it by either sand blasting or chemical stripping we always then applied what is called a conversion coating to the bare metal, which increased the corrosion protection and also increased the surface hardness, but that is not necessary unless the part is really subjected to extreme conditions.

[mojohand]

Moving back to the bike...I love it! Looks great...close enough to my '04 Breva 750 that I'd be tempted again ;)

[ronatd]

The windscreen is the same Guzzi item that has been available for the Breva and Classic for years.

How sure of that are we? In all the pictures I've seen it appears a bit taller, and it has a different part number than the screen in a Breva 750 accessory catalog.

[Kev m]

I suspect it's the same as the earlier V7 shield, but wouldn't be surprised is it was different from the B7 shield.

[Mgv7rider]

Thanks for the pics without the panniers...bike looks amazing with or without! I am glad to hear that the really do not get in the way of your day to day riding! Happy riding and have a great holiday! I will post some pics of my bike this spring...v7 stone here I come!

[Kev m]

So I noticed today while ordering the HB racks that the photo shown on the HB website has the rear crossbar mounted in the lower position.

Does this only work on EU license plate setups?

[Mike744]

How sure of that are we? In all the pictures I've seen it appears a bit taller, and it has a different part number than the screen in a Breva 750 accessory catalog.

We are very sure. Part 887772 for each.
http://www.motoguzzi.com.au/acc_887772breva.html
http://www.motoguzzi.com.au/acc_887772v7cafe.html
http://www.motoguzzi-us.com/motorcycles/v7-stone/accessories.html

Thanks for the pics without the panniers...bike looks amazing with or without! I am glad to hear that the really do not get in the way of your day to day riding! Happy riding and have a great holiday! I will post some pics of my bike this spring...v7 stone here I come!

I look forward to the photos. Enjoy the anticipation.

So I noticed today while ordering the HB racks that the photo shown on the HB website has the rear crossbar mounted in the lower position.

Does this only work on EU license plate setups?

The rear crossbar can be assembled high or low to suit your needs

[ronatd]

We are very sure. Part 887772 for each.
http://www.motoguzzi.com.au/acc_887772breva.html
http://www.motoguzzi.com.au/acc_887772v7cafe.html
http://www.motoguzzi-us.com/motorcycles/v7-stone/accessories.htmlI look forward to the photos. Enjoy the anticipation.The rear crossbar can be assembled high or low to suit your needs

I have a Breva 750 accessory catalog that gives the part number as MG977431, but the description is the same ("New Windshield") and the picture looks similar.

[guzzipete]

How sure of that are we? In all the pictures I've seen it appears a bit taller, and it has a different part number than the screen in a Breva 750 accessory catalog.

I think that this is the windscreen you are thinking of. I have it installed on my V7C. Part number is 
GU973217200002.

http://fastrixx.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=71529

[Arizona Wayne]

I have a `04 750 Breva and it's Hepco-Becker bag mounts are not chrome.  ???  Maybe you got Nevada mounts.  ;)  I didn't have to take my passenger grab handles off, but with the bags on you use the bag handles instead for things like putting it on the centerstand.   :)

[trix400]

I just got the same windshield for my V7 Special. I'm having a little problem removing the bolts under the speedo/tach housing. Any advice on getting those out?

[trix400]

I just got the same windshield for my V7 Special. I'm having a little problem removing the bolts under the speedo/tach housing. Any advice on getting those out?