Where to Start?

[BertoGuzzi17]

Hello all,
I was looking on where to start?

I am a brand new rider and purchased my first bike a v7II special.
With all my colleagues riding Harley's, Hondas and Triumphs . I went against the grain and jumped onto a Moto Guzzi.

The amount of information on the board is amazing.
I am looking to some advice on where to start.

Where to purchase gear?
What kind of accessories are best? Should I invest in a crash bar?
Etc.
Any info you provide would be appreciated.

What do you consider the best way to ride a v7II?

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and advice.

[oldbike54]

 Alright you V7. Small block guys , here is your chance to be experts

 Dusty

[Noguzznoglory]

For gear give your local dealer a shot first but there are several websites selling gear. Look for their close out sections. Good stuff at bargain prices. I personally avoid brands with European sizing systems, Alpinestars in particular. Too hard to get the right size. Rev-it seems to have good stuff but there's that European sizing system
If I had to do it over again, I'd take a serious look at the aerostiich suit. The price is very intimidating but by the time you buy a couple of jackets, pants and a rain suit you're almost there.

I'm sure there will be plenty of advice following. Welcome to the forum.

[Lcarlson]

THAT is what I'd call a true open-ended question. Good one, though. First, if you haven't already done so, get some training. If you're brand new to riding, a state sponsored basic rider course will be well worthwhile. Also, read all you can about riding techniques from the numerous experts who have written books on the subject. Check Whitehorse Press as a good source for these. Wear motorcycle specific gear at all times. That means DOT approved helmet, gloves, boots, jacket.  It should mean motorcycle pants too, but I confess to sliding (no pun) by with Kevlar paneled denim jeans most of the time.

This is just the beginning but I hope it's helpful. HAVE FUN!

[Lcarlson]

Also: make sure you understand the principle of counter steering (you don't steer a motorcycle, or any single track vehicle, by "leaning"); LOOK where you want your bike to go -- it will follow; and always ride at a speed that allows you to stop without drama within your line of sight.

[Guzzidad]

  IMO a crash bar is a wise investment, not only for new riders but us old guys too. Also, a center stand. Indispensable. You can accessorize any way you want. Depends on how you plan to use your bike. I like to take trips that involve camping. I like hard side bags and a trunk. If you plan to stay local a tank bag or tail bag will suffice.
  Try to ride your bike as smoothly as you can. You can accelerate as hard as you want after the clutch is fully engaged but try to decelerate smooth and never just chop the throttle. It's just easier on the drive train. If you need to chop the throttle, pull in the clutch.
  Your Harley friends will tell you to use the back brake only. Sport riders say only use the front. I say, use both, all the time.
  Gear is a personal choice. Most of the time it depends on how much you want to spend. Again, IMO, a full face helmet is best. Saves your skull AND face in case of a spill.

[stevet]

Stuff in my little riding world...

Aerostich riding gear:
Darien 2-piece jacket & pants for me.  Roomier fit, I can easily layer in the cold months.  Others like the more form-fit of the Roadcrafter suits.  http://www.aerostich.com/jackets-pants
Testimonials- http://www.aerostich.com/testimonials
Boots, I use the Combat Lite with gray cleat soles- http://www.aerostich.com/clothing/footwear/combat-touring-boots

You can buy riding gear a lot cheaper than 'Stich, but what is your flesh worth to you?  Buy the right way the first time!  Your Harley mates will ride with denim and leather, good luck to them on a slide down the pavement, denim disappears instantly on a highway slide, along with flesh down to the bone.  (I've taken the slide, I've lost the flesh, at 15mph on a bicycle!  Never again.)  Go with a full-face helmet, or an all-metal latching modular (flip-up chin bar) helmet.  All the gear, all the time (ATGATT).

Other stuff-
Hepco & Becker C-Bow luggage- http://www.motomachines.com/C-Bow-Bags_c_29.html
C-Bow mounts for your bike (black, or chrome)- http://www.motomachines.com/C-Bow--Moto-Guzzi-V7-V7II-Classic-Special-in-Black_p_4954.html
Your local dealer may have access to this luggage.  Show him some love to stay in business, buy local if possible.
Search the Hepco Becker Junior hard cases if you need more capacity and heavier weight bearing.  But this system is much more expensive than the C-Bow soft luggage system.  The soft cases lock to the bike, but the case is not lockable for your contents.

For some silly-a$$ reason, Guzzi has not brought out a center stand for the V7II bikes.  Dumb.  The CS from the V7 bikes is NOT interchangeable.  Here's how I solved that problem-
http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=82965.0  There are a couple 3rd party center stands available, but their level of stability is questionable.  The Hepco Becker center stand is known to allow the bike to come forward off the stand too easily, it can be researched on this board.

You may want to consider replacing the rear shocks, the factory shocks are not known be be the most comfortable shocks available.  Hagen and Ikon make affordable rear shock options.  There are more expensive options, too.  I went with Ikon for their dampening adjustment feature.  Others have upgraded the front fork suspension, too.  Tons of talk on this board about suspension.

You may want to upgrade the seat.  The stock seat, like on many motorcycles, is convex shaped left to right, and not very wide, resulting in the seat driving itself up between your butt bones (pelvic bone) and after a short while becoming quite uncomfortable.  Corbin has recently come out with two seat versions for the V7 bikes, the one-passenger "Gunfighter", which is pretty much a cafe-racer style seat, and the "Gunfighter and Lady", a 2-passenger seat.  These are leather saddles, but they can be made in vinyl, too, if weather is a consideration.  They are also wider than the stock saddle, and have a flatter, more supportive surface than the stocker.
http://corbin.com/motoguzzi/v7menu.shtml 
Discussion of the Corbin- http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=82841.0 and http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=79554.0  Sprinkled in those threads I talk about my local upholstery shop seat rebuild.
As an alternative, WildGuzzi member "Kingoffleece" is on the march toward bringing an aftermarket V7-series seat replacement to market, keep an eye on this board and I'm sure he'll be keeping us updated.

Tube steel engine guards are a very good idea, there are a few options available.

Windshields-
Dart Marlin bikini windshield, board-mate "Kev m" gives a great write-up about it here- http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=75713.0  I bought one, it's great, but I like a bit more wind protection so I went with a Givi windshield setup, the A31 universal fit, with the 4-point mounting system.  http://www.giviusa.com/givi-products/windshields/universal-windshields

This stuff should keep you busy for awhile.

And congratulations, and job well done bucking the trends of your colleagues.  The V7 bikes are head turners, for sure.  Have loads of fun with it!

Lastly, training, training, training.  Never stop.  Take advanced classes.  And always, ALWAYS ride like you are invisible.  Compared to a 4-wheeled vehicle, you almost are invisible, and nearly 2-dimensional, you will not be seen.  Stay out of the next guy's blind spot.  Not a single vehicle driver out there has your best interests at heart.  You, and only you, are 100% responsible for your personal safety.  Nobody else, only you.  Exercise defensive riding practices whenever you saddle up, it's 1000 times safer than a Harley's loud exhaust pipes.  Don't be afraid of the driving world around you, but be absolutely respectful of what is happening in that car or truck in front of you, beside you, and behind you.  They are doing stupid things, they are not being safe, and they will hit you.  Don't let that happen.  Know what is going on, and where, all the time.

Enjoy!
Steve.
(sorry that was so long, got a roll there...)

[Perazzimx14]

For gear skip your local dealer and buy the best you can afford from a reputable company. It will save you money in the long run as good gear lasts while cheap gear typically falls apart in short order and need replaced often. Aerostich IS expensive and IS quality. If you ever slide down the road you'll appreciate where the extra money was spent.

Don't let pricing at the dealer fool you into thinking you're getting quality. Cheap jackets are typically listed at $300 or $400 and because you purchased a bike the dealer will graciously give you a 10% off all  the gear and accessories you want while they laugh all the way to the bank because they only paid about a 1/10 of what you just did. 

[TodkaVonic]

1) Take a riding class. Right now. Stop surfing gear sites and sign up for a class.
2) Buy an expensive, preferably full-face helmet.
3) I wouldn't recommend buying any accessories, yet.  Ride a bit, figure out what you actually need, ease into it.
4) You need a reasonable jacket, gloves, eye protection and suitable shoes for riding...that kinda goes without saying.

It'll all happen, be patient.

[swordds]

Well, as you an see, everyone has different ideas but I am also new to motorcycles (been riding about a year and my V7II is my second bike) and as a new rider I would say don't rush out and spend a lot of money on a lot of extras and add ons until you have had the bike for several months and you start to figure out what you need. I bought a center stand from the dealer, I would say it works great but I haven't figured out why I  "need" it?  I'm glad I  didn't waste money on a tank bag, I  bought a Joe Rocket high-vis jacket, much cheaper than some other brands and one day I  may upgrade but for now this is perfectly adequate IMO. Well no sense rambling on, I would just say no need to rush out and spend thousands modifying your motorcycle and adding gear unless you want to end up with a closet full of stuff you didn't need or that wasn't quite what you wanted. Just ride it like it is for a few months. I love my stock (except for the center stand I don't use) V7II.

[oldbike54]

 Actually Swordds , a centerstand is the first thing to buy .

 Dusty

[lucydad]

Lovely machine, good choice. 

On gear to begin:  mail order can be frustrating due to sizing.  Helmets particularly--go try a bunch on.  Get a full face with good air flow that fits.  White is best for visibility.  Always wear your gear.  Eye protection is critical:  get good glasses. 

What everyone else said above.  Invest in quality gloves, don't skimp there. 

Practice a lot.  Analyze your close calls.  Focus.  NEVER drink alcohol and ride.  No showboating.  Be a Vulcan, never get mad. 

Go to a used book store and pick up some of the classics on motorcycle safety and training and read. 

Don't ride dirty:  get your M license, take the basic class, have insurance.  Carry identification always.

Watch air pressure in tires.  The bike will break in significantly the first 1000 miles. 

Above all:  have fun!

[fotoguzzi]

Get an Aerostich Road crafter.. I crashed at 50 and it saved a lot of skin..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YytH5xNOID0

[BertoGuzzi17]

Wow- thank you all for the information.
Within a few posts I received a wealth of knowledge.

Good news is before I took the plunge into riding a motorcycle I took courses throughout April and took the basic rider course and successfully passed the road test - not riding dirty I have the proud feeling of having that M endorsement on my license.

Safety is # 1.  I signed up for a few courses that allow me to bring my bike for training. - next week.
So I am no rush to break any records speed or distance . I just want to enjoy my ride.

It is a huge investment so I know I will find the right balance.
Thank you all again for your suggestions.

Pardon my ignorance but I saw many of the posts talk of a center stand above .
Why a center stand? What is the purpose? Saw that a member does not particularly use it.

Which and where to purchase the crash bar?

Again thank you for allowing me to come into your community.

[oldbike54]

 A centerstand makes basic maintenance much easier . Good on ya for taking the msf class , and welcome to the slightly dysfunctional family .

 Dusty

[kingoffleece]

Your motorcycle endorsement came with two buckets the instructor may not have mentioned. One is labeled LUCK and the other is labeled EXPERIENCE.  Your job is to fill the second one before the first one runs out.

The question is HOW?  You'll hear "ride like you're invisible" and all other kinds of stuff, but what does that really mean?
Know where the danger zone and death zones are.  Know where to look, when to look there, when to cover your levers, and such.
Ken Condon and David Hough have fantastic books on this subject.  I'll respectfully submit that a good deal of your new riding friends may not be up to speed on these things.  For SURE don't operate your bike like you do your car-driving them requires different skills.

You'll find that, for some, 30 years of experience on a motorcycle is really one years of experience repeated 30 times.

I've certified over 300 people to SCUBA dive and told every one of them the same thing.  Beginners, advanced, mixed gas students, all of them.  A person, when they complete a class, is certified to dive in the exact conditions in which they have trained.  It should be obvious that more and different training is necessary to safely experience more scenarios.  Same with flying (the pilots here can add to this) and motorcycles.

Finally, learn HOW to corner.  Most single vehicle crashes happen in the corner.  That means the rider made a mistake.
Second, the left turn idiot is a big one.  As the British say, SIDSYM-Sorry, I didn't see you, mate!  Understanding how and why these happen will go a long way toward increasing you chances of controlling these scenarios as opposed to the laws of random chance.

Don't let this stuff spoil your fun.  Embrace the challenge and journey that motorcycles will add to your life. I can't imagine not having mine!

[Joe A.]

All very good advice. Use this board for any maintenance questions, the support here is amazing. Also, for any maint. questions, Google and Youtube are good resources. where are you located? There may be folks you can hook up with for a ride. And definitely consider some Guzzi rallies. Motorcycles are motorcycles and Guzzis truly are special. For me, in all of my years of riding, I have never experienced the camaraderie and support from folks all over the globe (literally) as I have since I started riding (and buying) Guzzis in '01. Welcome and best of luck to you! 

[BertoGuzzi17]

Wow , Thank you again .. I could not agree more.  The more I ride and practice the better I feel.
So funny my instructor did mention the Luck and Experience buckets.
I will look out for those books

I am located in White Plains , NY.  About 45 minutes north of NYC.
 Looking to share this adventure with all of you.

Best

[stevet]

Get an Aerostich Road crafter.. I crashed at 50 and it saved a lot of skin..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YytH5xNOID0

What, Aerostich gear isn't radar-proof?  Bummer.

Steve.

[Guzzistajohn]

What they said. #1 on the msf class, I took it after 10 years of riding and learned a lot. Welcome aboard. Have fun.

[sidmonsters]

Too new myself to post to a new rider...but here I go...I am a returning rider after many years away with family and professional duties. Whatever.  Price out your options--when I looked at what was required to fit out my V7 Special for some of the two-up adventures I dreamed about, I found I was nearing 30-50% of the cost of an "experienced" big-block kitted out for exactly that.  Love the V7 and choose it almost every time I am solo and not on it for too too long, but the  Stelvio is clearly the one for miles and fun with my wife or teenager(s).  And you don't need to buy a new 2nd bike...lots of good used ones out there.  Safety stuff on you or the bike--yes. Buy it.  Other accessories are worth waiting on until you know for sure. FWIW.
Steve

[lucydad]

Berto,

A couple more came to mind while on my bicycle ride:

--  "loose on the bars", don't use a death grip, when I first resumed riding I was hurting and aching in my hands due to tension and such, be relaxed, focus, yet always keep your body unwound

--  "ride your own ride", if you go with more experienced riders, especially fast sport bike riders: don't ride above and beyond your skill level, it is not a race

-- use those mirrors, watch what is coming up behind you especially while stopping or stopped at a light

-- stay out of blind spots of of other traffic:  incredibly important, be aware that high profile vehicles just can't see you at all--big trucks, buses, and jacked up SUVs

Bon chance!

[tazio]

"Where to Start" ?
On a dirtbike..
Barring that, follow all the wonderful advice in the previous posts

[BertoGuzzi17]

"Where to Start" ?
On a dirtbike..
Barring that, follow all the wonderful advice in the previous posts

Yes sir!!!
I have been on a dirt bike prior and they are loads of fun.


I will follow all the great advice given thank you all for the suggestions.

[oldbike54]

 Do remember , riding is supposed to be fun .

 Dusty

[Triple Jim]

The first place I check when I'm looking for new riding gear is www.motorcyclegear. com     They even have a "customer's closet" section of used gear.  I got my daughter a very nice and barely broken in leather jacket for something like $90 there.

[Beerman]

I'm pretty much like you. Couldn't be happier with my V711 Special; took delivery of it this week. I just wish it had a centre (UK spelling, folks) stand!

Beerman

[kingoffleece]

Meet up with some of us at the Mass MG rally second weekend in Aug.

[Kiwi_Roy]

When I got back into riding I took a course, best thing I ever did.
One hazard they never mentioned is the sun, riding into it at sunrise or sunset is like riding blind.
I ran a strip of tape along the bottom of my visor so I can tilt it up to block out the sun, makes the world of difference.

[Muzz]

Welcome Berto.
 My 750 Breva is , as one poster said ", the grandmother of the V7. I have had it for 12 years and counting. Absolutely love it. The Guzzi is unique, and being Italian has some little quirks at times. However, this is a great community and plenty of help is at hand.

As for the centre stand, I have not fitted one, but they certainly have their uses.
#1  The sump on the smallblocks is not large. Oil is measured with the bike hot and level.
Second is for when you remove the rear wheel to fit a new tire. Don't know on the V7 but the Breva can be a bit of a pain too remove without a centre stand. Incidentally, when you have the wheel out it is a good time to grease the splines etc. Luigi at the factory was sometimes a bit sparing with the grease.

I have built myself a small cradle type stand which supports the bike under the bottom rails. It has two positions, one holds the bike level but tires touching the ground to check the oil, the second is higher and enables me to tilt the bike forwards so that I can remove the rear wheel.

Have fun! The tighter the corner the more they love it.