First Ride 2016 V7II Stone, Literally a fist ride!

[Seamaster]

I am new to motorcycle, just got my endorsement about 4 weeks ago. Because of my job, I have been really busy and never got a chance to pick up my bike from a good friend of mine's house. He helped me to pick the bike from MotoInternational Seattle. Dave, the owner of the shop is a great guy BTW. I bought the bike without test ride it because I was too chicken sh**t to ride in hilly Seattle neighborhood.

Today, I went to my friends' house to pick up my bike because his house is full of bikes and have no space for mine, I kind feel sorry for him to baby sit my bike for me. Today is actually my first time to ride a motorcycle on the street in my life! My whole motorcycle riding experiences just the three-day motorcycle safety course (2 days on a bike). It took me almost 45 min to get home from his house using local roads that only took 20 min by car. I was really nervous and afraid to drop the brand new Italian beauty queen on her sides...... well, a set of Agostini crash bars are now in the Atlantic ocean somewhere right now from Italy, man, I really wished they were on my bike NOW!!! When I got home and after I gained all my senses back, I feel my heart is really pounding like crazy! But at least the beauty queen is scratch free, that is good. I really like to share some riding expression here.

The good:
The bike is very agile with effortless steering, she is very easy to control.
The throttle is not super sensitive and is quite forgiving, that actually saved my ass once (you know what I mean, I am a beginner)
Engine note is great for stock but a pair of short Mistral slip-on may even better.
Maybe because of my bike is 2016 model, the foot shifter is pretty smooth, I had no problem to find neutral.
Seating position is great, the lower gel seat really made a big difference in real live for short people like me 5'6" (170mm)

The bad:
Forks dive under hard braking.
Power deliver could be more smooth.
I can't really see what is directly behind me, I have to reposition my head to look with stock mirrors.
I can feel vibrations through the handle bar, you can "feel" the road.
While the front brake level is easy to reach, the clutch level seem have little longer reach. The clutch is not as light as I would like especially in low speed traffic, maybe because I am new and used lots of hand effort when nervous

The ugly
I hate those rear shocks already, they made the bike feel like a tractor especially on the broken roads.

[pikipiki]

Mirrors, mirrors don't need fully screwed onto the bracket.
About 5 turns should be enough, then hold with the locking nut.
that will take the mirrors out another 5-10mm either side from being fully screwed in.
You may still see your shoulders, but it wont be quite as bad.

[Dave Swanson]

Dave R has a great rear shock option that won't break the bank.  Talk to him about it. 

[rboe]

If Dave has not already done it, have him adjust the suspension to you (set the sag, etc.), then get in some seat time.

Being new to motorcycles your tastes and perceptions will change by the day as you gain experience. So try to limit your changes to the bike for now. What seems like a great idea today may seem less than great in a month or two. Especially as the bike breaks in, and to a degree - so do you.

Enjoy!

[not-fishing]

Power delivery is the education of your throttle hand and clutch hand.  after a while you only need the clutch hand to smooth out low speed corner snatch

Front fork dive is a re-spring problem.  Unfortunately for me I have to change springs because I'm not a 170 lb Eyetalian .  Heck I haven't seen 170 lbs since 1968.

[Triple Jim]

Front end dive under hard braking is always going to happen, it's just a matter of what you consider excessive.  If they bottom out, it's excessive.  If they don't, it's going to be a compromise between how much they dive, and how stiff they are (feeling bumps, etc.)  Progressive rate springs help, since they're soft near the top of the travel, and stiffer near the bottom.  I don't know if that bike already has them or not.

And you're being too hard on yourself with that adjective: 

adjective: chicken-sh**
    1.    worthless or contemptible (used as a general term of deprecation).
    "no more chickensh**excuses"

[rocker59]

I am new to motorcycle, 
I bought the bike without test ride 
Today is actually my first time to ride a motorcycle on the street 

 
The bad:
Forks dive under hard braking.
 

All forks dive.  In my experience, the V7's forks do not dive "excessively".

 Why are you "hard braking" a new motorcycle on your first ever ride on the street?

Take a couple steps back and think about this.

[sib]

What the other posts said.  But, you bring back fond memories.  I got my '13 Stone in May 2013 and rode it the 29 miles from the dealer to my house, it being the first time I had been on a motorcycle since I sold my Honda CB-77 over 35 years earlier.  It was a total miracle that I got home in one piece.  Over the next 3 months or so, I dropped the bike only 4 times.  But, like everyone else, I eventually learned how to ride competently enough that there haven't been any other mishaps since then.

Yes, the front end will dive when you overuse the front brake coming to a stop, like I did as a new rider.  Yes, your clutch hand will get tired and ache until it gets strong.  And, you will stall the engine, do some ungraceful shifting, miss some shifts, etc.

Enjoy your bike, eventually, riding it will seem like second nature.

[bad Chad]

Because he has next to no experience, that why!

But Rocker is right.  Take it easy, and practice in a parking lot on being smooth.  Try to get used to a smooth, easy release of the clutch, and smooth application of the brakes.  Imagine you have a little baby on the back and you don't want to wake her up, how would you go about activating the controls?   This kind of practice will help you gain confidence and ability.

[rocker59]

Take it easy, and practice in a parking lot on being smooth.  Try to get used to a smooth, easy release of the clutch, and smooth application of the brakes.   

 :1:

[Adan]

Rear shocks are the Achilles heal of the V7.  Even going to something cheap and simple like $400 Ikon brand shocks will transform the bike into something you'd be comfortable taking across the country.  Maybe add a Dart flyscreen if you're really going to do that.

The rest of what you describe can be categorized as "character."  You'll adapt to it.

[stevet]

Hey, congratulations on your new license, your new bike, and surviving your first ride!  Practice, practice, practice.

Mirrors, yes, the stock mirrors are about worthless.  Ashcan those stockers and replace them with a set of these, as written about in my V7II intro thread last year:

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=79843.0
And the mirrors.  What was Guzzi thinking?  The stock mirrors (top photo) are great if all you want to see are your armpits.  I replaced the mirrors with units from AF1, their stock numbers 858539 and 896663, 140mm stalks, and now I can see behind me.  (Shown in 2nd photo.)  Stock Aprilia mirrors, may have been used on the Guzzi 1200 Sport(?).  Very solid, a clear view at speed.  http://www.af1racing.com/store/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=6254

And showing the installation of the AF1 mirrors, 5th post down.  You'll see what is behind you with these replacements!
http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=81188.msg1279728#msg1279728

Steve.

[kingoffleece]

I transferred SW-Motec extenders from a bike I sold to the V7  mirrors.  Works a treat.

[sib]

I transferred SW-Motec extenders from a bike I sold to the V7  mirrors.  Works a treat.

I'll second the nod toward SW-Motech risers.  I put a pair of the 25 mm (1 inch) size on my '16 Stone and they make the ride much more comfortable for me.  I'm not blaming the bike's ergos, it's more likely my 74-year-old back was the problem.

[Triple Jim]

Another option is bar end mirrors.  I've been using them for decades.  The ones on eBay are dirt cheap and work very well.

[Seamaster]

Power delivery is the education of your throttle hand and clutch hand.   Heck I haven't seen 170 lbs since 1968.

That is very true! I was 150 LBS a few years ago, now I am shooting for 190!

[Seamaster]

 Why are you "hard braking" a new motorcycle on your first ever ride on the street?

Take a couple steps back and think about this.

I was testing the upper limit of the bike's brake, so I don't get caught off guard.

[Seamaster]

Thanks for all the advises and suggestions, you guys are awesome.

I just bought a pair of Rizoma Reverse Retro Universal Mirror with correct bar ends. I hope this will fix the rear view issue. I also ordered a pair clamp to replace the ones with mirror holes for a proper mirror job 

I seriously consider the Ikon rear shocks, but 7610 or 7614? Which one is better? Everyone seems like 7610 for simple adjustment and $100 less.

[Triple Jim]

I was testing the upper limit of the bike's brake, so I don't get caught off guard.

Practicing extreme braking in a safe place is an excellent thing to do.  I still do it on my own motorcycles occasionally in hopes of keeping it automatic, and if I ride someone else's that I'm not familiar with, I do a couple hard stops very early in the ride.  I do not want to be caught guessing at how the bike will respond if I need to stop quickly.

[ScepticalScotty]

Congrats on the new bike and introuduction to the world of riding. Take it easy, have fun, take rides in the country as often as you can. I got my license in 1996 and 2 weeks later set off on an 8 day tour....

[Dave Swanson]

I seriously consider the Ikon rear shocks, but 7610 or 7614? Which one is better? Everyone seems like 7610 for simple adjustment and $100 less.

Seamaster talk to Dave Richardson about his "off road shocks" before you go with the Ikon. 

[Seamaster]

Seamaster talk to Dave Richardson about his "off road shocks" before you go with the Ikon.

I called MotoInternational, they mentioned about the off road shock that made by progressive. can you tell me more about this shock?

[Dave Swanson]

I called MotoInternational, they mentioned about the off road shock that made by progressive. can you tell me more about this shock?

Nothing other than it sounds like a good option.  Dave and the MI team have tried out this shock and all have given it an enthusiastic thumbs up.   

I have ordered a set for my V7, but do not have first hand experience as of yet.