V7 most reliable Guzzi in decades?

[twowheeladdict]

Join any motorcycle forum and you will find out the shortcomings of that particular model.  That doesn't mean those riders don't love their bikes.  When the problems stack up, then someone gets frustrated and moves on.

When you study those forums you go into ownership with knowledge and can decide if you will part with the bike before experiencing that common problem, or work through it and enjoy the bike.

I could list all the bikes i have owned and their common problems, but this is a MG forum.

[MMRanch]

 alanp wrote:

My 2016 V7II is tied for most reliable bike I have ever owned with a 2012 Suzuki VStrom.  The Strom had no issues, and so far neither has the V7.  I pretty much had come to the conclusion the V7 series was the most reliable modern Guzzi before I bought mine, based on my friends experience with them and my impressions from reading on here.  No scientific, but seems to be the case to me.
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Alano ,  thats the same bike I've got but in silver .   I'm just now coming up on 6000 miles and done changed both tires .   How many ya got on it so far ?







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posting a picture on this site seem way to messy !   I've tried three different methods and still don't know which one works or if I could repeat the process if I had too !  ???

[ScepticalScotty]

Sounds like they are pretty reliable all right. If I had to replace the Breva 750 at any stage it would be with a V7 Stone, unless the V85 engine is put into a V7 type bike, or even better a bike like the MT07 Tracer.

B750 done 51,000 pretty much trouble free miles. The battery needs love and attention. Replaced a fuel injector ten years ago. On my third screen. Cosmetics are tired. Second seat. That's about it. Hope to give her a referb for another 50,000 miles...

[OlofE]

I cannot complain. In the family we've had a string of V7 (Classic,  ii and iii). Not only have they all behaved flawlessly but also put up with ham fisted treatment, such as running with low oil levels and tight clutch cables. While not strictly related to reliability, fit and finish also seems to have improved with each model change. And with the iii even fuelling seems sorted.
 

[Huzo]

If I think about it, there was the dodgy electric screen motor replaced with an upgraded one under warranty, startus interruptus and sludgy original map.
Anything else that needed doing was due to some buggerising around by me directly or peripherally.
Apart from a myriad of modifications done just for fun, my CARC gas been a rock of Gibraltar.
Beetle has utterly transformed the fuelling, and the debacle regarding the Sacred Screw was a massive learning experience for me and I'm the better for it.
I still know virtually nothing about maps and TB's, but I know people who do.
My Norge has more personality in it's flat tappets than any other so called "reliable" bike I've ever owned and I consider the last ten years a shared journey of discovery.
If you want "reliability", go buy a stinking GS 500 Suzuki or similar, ride around in the beige tinted world of mediocrity and be happy never having to learn anything.
Grab yourself a wooden spoon and plastic bucket while you're at it and your "safe and reliable, risk free existence" will be complete.
Reliable motorcycling is like a toasted ham, cheese and tomato sandwich without salt and pepper, or like taking your sister on a date and kissing her on the lips, really easy but no spice.
If my '07 Norge was stolen tomorrow, I would get another identical one, give Beetle another pissy $100, take a ride to Roper's and see y'all in another 150,000 k.
Forrgettabaaarrt it...!

[Darren Williams]

Perception is everything. I have had some cars, trucks and bikes that were "enthusiast" items and had to work on them regularly, and if it wasn't fixing it was improving or just changing. Then I have had some that were tools and I expected them to just work and do their job every time I put them to work. I haven't felt the need to carry a bunch of tools when traveling on my FJR, but do on my GS, even though it has never stranded me, but has had "gadget" issues. The new Griso? Putting a tool kit list together for it now.

I have heard about how reliable and perfect some bikes were, but noticed folks that had them carried tools and had to fiddle with them regularly. I had a couple of KLR's that are referred to as super reliable and simple. After doing all the little changes that are required before going anywhere, those changes didn't prevent me from having to truck one home when on a trip and the other having to fix a severe oil burning situation on a low mileage engine.

[Kev m]

There is absolutely no reason a bike can't have character and connection with the owner yet be perfectly reliable.

[Darren Williams]

There is absolutely no reason a bike can't have character and connection with the owner yet be perfectly reliable.

Absolutely! And it doesn't have to shake or rattle the neighbors windows to "have character and connection with the owner" either.

[twowheeladdict]

There is absolutely no reason a bike can't have character and connection with the owner yet be perfectly reliable.

As long as you are willing to pay for it.  Manufacturers make all kinds of trade offs when wrestling with what price point they need to meet against performance, fit and finish, handling, etc.

They have to determine what components are "good enough" based on the perceived use.  Any bike I have bought that was under $15k had many compromises in components, fit and finish, etc.

I have not bought a bike yet that I didn't put $2k - $4k in accessories and upgrades on it, or decided to part with it before spending the money.

[Darren Williams]

Big difference in "performance" and "reliability", in regard to costs. Case in point, the Honda CB500 R/F/X models. Almost all of the components making up those bikes are very reliable and cost effective, yet performance is not exactly cutting edge. That is unless by performance you are talking durability and longevity. Then I would say those bikes are top shelf with a very low price tag. Same with the Wee-Strom.

[Kev m]

I've got a fleet of bikes with stock exhausts. I don't think there's anything about a loud bike that makes it cooler or gives it more character in any way. If anything it tends to amplify imperfections.

And I don't think price should have much of anything to do with reliability. It may mean some less fancy or lower performance details, but you can buy a car for mid-20's that has a crap load more material, technology, safety features and a hell of a lot more spent in R&D that will go the first 100k miles with nothing more than oil changes.

There's no excuse for some of the shit R&D and quality control we have seen from many modern bike builders including Guzzi (valve trains, thrust washers, dashes), BMW (final drives), and Harley (that friggin first year TC motor debacle). No excuse at all except that customers let them get away with it.

Too many customers don't use them enough (that is don't rack up the miles) and the warranties are too short for the manufacturers to be properly incentivized to eliminate these cock ups.

[Spokane2303]

LIKE!

[Tusayan]

The V7 is an exception to current trends - a simple bike made reliable without massive investment, over time, that is building a following instead of peeing away Guzzis brand value like the poorly developed 'me too' bikes did, the ones that you can now pick up for almost nothing used. I think the retro V7 Sport re-hash styling reflects a relatively tasteless recent trend that it does follow - but regardless most of the market cares more about reliability than anything else.

When it comes to the more complex bikes that have become typical, none of the European manufacturers with the possible exception of Triumph are devoting the necessary resources to make them highly reliable at introduction, and they don't stick often with any given technology or model long enough to work out the bugs over time.  This is the opposite of the 'value' and 'forever bike' philosophy that brought me and others to European bikes in the first place, in the 80s and before. By the end of the 90s European manufacturers completely changed to chasing trends and selling gagetry that they haven't yet made reliable.  I find the resulting over-accessorized bikes in a word, tiresome. The current situation reminds me of cable TV - paying high prices to buy lots of 'channels' I don't want, targeted to buyers with which I'm happy to have little in common.

Triumph is an interesting case and there's a reason that like the V7, they are generally speaking an exception.  When John Bloor bought the company he realized that the number one and possibly only thing that was going to make him successful was to reverse Triumph's well earned reputation for poor reliability.  He was right, and successful, and it was just a coincidence that this occurred at the same time that other European manufacturers were going in the opposite direction.  Maybe Piaggio will learn the same in time, with the V7 as their object lesson, about the same time that BMW runs out of old guys buying their last hurrah fitted with as much crappola as can be installed.  One can hope 

[twowheeladdict]

about the same time that BMW runs out of old guys buying their last hurrah fitted with as much crappola as can be installed.  One can hope 

Won't there always be 'old' guys?  I keep hearing this about Harley as well.  As long as the Japanese make cheap cruisers there will always be guys buying cruisers and then one day they will have enough disposable income to buy a Harley.  That's what happened to me. 

Same goes for BMW and Ducati. 

I rode for 30 years and 300,000 miles before I switched to Harley and the European bikes. 

[Yukonica]

Aside from my current self-healing question mark, here is a rough list to the best of my recall.
At month one the gear lever vibrated off while 70 km north of home. (Never found it).
At month three I noticed during inspection that the lower bolt for the left shock had sheared off (??I don't ride motorcross).
Also had the usual crappy spark-plug lead/cap issue so many of us experienced. (Thank you forum for great advice)
Key/ignition assembly fried and was replaced. (There's a good thread here with advice about re-wiring so that won't happen again).
The link arm between the transmission and the shifter broke in half as I left for work. (Laser welded and still holding).
Starter switch on the handle bars sticks 'on' if it has been raining hard. (May have contributed to failed ignition module).
That's about it so far.

[jpv7]

My V7ii remains the only brand new bike i ever bought with an oil leak (alternator cover where the wires come out- others have had same issue).  I fixed it myself under "warranty" because i wanted it fixed right, and didn't want a dent in my tank from the kid at the dealer...

I also applied the usual plug caps and fuel filter updates, and sorted the suspension front and rear.  I like riding the bike now, and all seems fine at just over 16,000 kms.

We'll see how it goes..

[sign216]

And ... isn't the V7 the last road vehicle world-wide with Heron heads.  Simplicity has it's virtue.   

[alanp]

alanp wrote:

My 2016 V7II is tied for most reliable bike I have ever owned with a 2012 Suzuki VStrom.  The Strom had no issues, and so far neither has the V7.  I pretty much had come to the conclusion the V7 series was the most reliable modern Guzzi before I bought mine, based on my friends experience with them and my impressions from reading on here.  No scientific, but seems to be the case to me.
................... ................... ................
Alano ,  thats the same bike I've got but in silver .   I'm just now coming up on 6000 miles and done changed both tires .   How many ya got on it so far ?





Great looking Stone you have there.  I am right at 7000 miles in a little over a year with the bike.  I do think it is my favorite bike of the 20 plus I have owned, but it is hard to explain why because it isn't the best in any category (except reliability which was the point of this thread).  But the overall V7 package is very appealing to me. 


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posting a picture on this site seem way to messy !   I've tried three different methods and still don't know which one works or if I could repeat the process if I had too !  ???

Great looking Stone you have there.  I am right at 7000 miles in a little over a year with the bike.  I do think it is my favorite bike of the 20 plus I have owned, but it is hard to explain why because it isn't the best in any category (except reliability which was the point of this thread).  But the overall V7 package is very appealing to me. 

By the way, what luggage is that?  At first I thought Hepworth Becker, but those look like top opening bags. 

[bad Chad]

The Carc I ride , 43,000 miles, no issues of any consequence.

[MMRanch]

By the way, what luggage is that?  At first I thought Hepworth Becker, but those look like top opening bags. 

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They are top opening .    Ebay has everything ! 

I crossed the 7,000 mile mark today .   
I'd like to have a road gear that would run 75 mph @ 1/2 way through the rpm range (3,500) .    There seem to be plenty of power around that rpm range but I don't think the guzzi manufactures understand the American interstate system as good as Harley does.   But they sure understand the inportance of "Light Weight" ! 

I really like that 5.5 gal fuel tank and the "Standard" seating , so unless guzzi puts a "REAL" interstate gear in the future V-7 bikes I'll just keep this one for a long time.   

[Warren Rhen]

Having owned a V11 LeMans, a Rosso Mondello, And a 100 Breva and my V7 Stornello I would say that that has been my experience. Best Guzzi I've owned since my CX100

[Dofin]

Well I  got stranded 50 miles from home on my 2015 V7 Stone at 32K.  Starter button wont engage starter.   Went back to my PC800 to do my 2 day trip.  Figure it might be neutral switch or clutch switch??  Checked side stand switch all ready.

Ha ha, startus interruptus too maybe...

Kev m, have read about "startus interuptus" so delved more deeply.  Checked my V7 out but I first unplugged the stater solenoid spade connector, cleaned and reconnected.  Ta da the bike stated!!  I've had similar problems with other older vehicles that use spade connectors on the solenoid, including some of my home built aircraft.  I will keep a chunk of wire tucked away under the seat for any future possible problems with "startus interuptus".

Kev M thanks for the interest and helpful post!!

[lazlokovacs]

It's possible that people tend to 'screw around' with bikes only when they're not working properly

if they are actually reliable and work to spec they just get ridden

I'm thinking, for example, of the old Lemans 1000, you'd go in to set the points gap as per the manual and lo and behold, the plates couldn't be moved far enough to set the gaps as per spec. so you'd get the plate off the dizzy (screw around with it) and file away at it and laboriously finish a job that the factory should have done for you.....

I've put around 10,000kms on my old 1970 V7 in the last couple of months and its asked for nothing but an oil change.....

So I'd say it's pretty reliable

having said that, I'm also in agreement with Dave Richardson who feels that guzzi never quite resolved the inherent problems of the 2 plate clutch until they replaced it with basically a car clutch for the griso-era of bikes. and it only took them 30 years to figure that one out!

[Chuck in Indiana]

having said that, I'm also in agreement with Dave Richardson who feels that guzzi never quite resolved the inherent problems of the 2 plate clutch until they replaced it with basically a car clutch for the griso-era of bikes. and it only took them 30 years to figure that one out!

The small blocks have had a car clutch since inception. 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I'm thinking, for example, of the old Lemans 1000, you'd go in to set the points gap as per the manual and lo and behold, the plates couldn't be moved far enough to set the gaps as per spec. so you'd get the plate off the dizzy (screw around with it) and file away at it and laboriously finish a job that the factory should have done for you.....

I've put around 10,000kms on my old 1970 V7 in the last couple of months and its asked for nothing but an oil change.....

So I'd say it's pretty reliable

having said that, I'm also in agreement with Dave Richardson who feels that guzzi never quite resolved the inherent problems of the 2 plate clutch until they replaced it with basically a car clutch for the griso-era of bikes. and it only took them 30 years to figure that one out!

No modification needed to the plate of my Convert, both point gaps set to spec. without any fudging.

Yeah, the dual-plate clutch in my '69 Ambo has only gone 110,000 miles so far. Junk. When will they ever make one to last? 

While on the subject of that Ambo, it's total number of issues in the last 21 years and 74k miles can be counted on one hand: failed condenser burnt up the points, failed coil (an Echlin I installed) left me sit once, wire fell off of the back of the generator and I ran on battery power for several hours before I found and fixed it, bad voltage regulator, the dreaded flaky chrome syndrome.

[pete roper]

I have to say that none of my Guzzi's, big or small, have ever failed to get me home. It's been a close run thing on rare occasions but they've always done it.

Never had a problem with the points. If there was an issue with the plate not moving enough you just play with the dwell, it's not difficult. As for the twin plate clutch? Sure there have been times when they've sourced plates from 'Cheap' suppliers or obviously lowered the spec for cost reasons. Well, you get what you pay for. If Guzzi owners weren't so damn parsimonious it would probably be less of an issue!  .

Pete

[Toecutter]

It's possible that people tend to 'screw around' with bikes only when they're not working properly

if they are actually reliable and work to spec they just get ridden

I'm thinking, for example, of the old Lemans 1000, you'd go in to set the points gap as per the manual and lo and behold, the plates couldn't be moved far enough to set the gaps as per spec. so you'd get the plate off the dizzy (screw around with it) and file away at it and laboriously finish a job that the factory should have done for you.....

I've put around 10,000kms on my old 1970 V7 in the last couple of months and its asked for nothing but an oil change.....

So I'd say it's pretty reliable

having said that, I'm also in agreement with Dave Richardson who feels that guzzi never quite resolved the inherent problems of the 2 plate clutch until they replaced it with basically a car clutch for the griso-era of bikes. and it only took them 30 years to figure that one out!

I disagree, mildly. I "screw around" with my vintage bikes, all the damn time, even when they're running great. Just can't resist trying to make them better-er. Now, the V7... I just leave alone... for now.

[Guzzitenn]

Other than this stupid Turkish filter bad idea, I think my V7lll 2018 Rough will be reliable and hold value

[Frulk]

2014 V7R. A hair over 7K easy going miles. Rear seal replaced twice on my own dime during that time since dealership folded. Still makes a hell of a howl occasionally after warming up while sitting at stop lights with clutch pulled in and putting it in gear. Possibly throw out bearing. May also be one of the bikes that had that plastic fuel filter which would still need to be addressed. No longer trust the bike outside of our city limit. As I’ve stated in another post or two. Going on static display in theater room once basement is finished . My one and probably done Guzzi experience due to the lack of easily accessible and competent dealership support.

[elvisboy77]

It sure seems from this forum and others I frequent that the V7 series is much more reliable than every other model Guzzi has sold in the last 20 years.  The CARC bikes all have issues that appear frequently; gauges leaking and killing ECU's, cracked headers, warped rotors, etc.  Not to mention the 8 valve roller debacle.  Going back to the previous Cali series there was the Hydro recall.

The V7 clutch thing on a few bikes is about the only major issue I've seen.  Is the V7 the most reliable Guzzi sold in the last decade or two? 

 

If you get your reliability info from the internet groups that complain about their bikes, or have problems and come here to solve them, you will have a very lopsided view of reliability.  I have owned a lot of different Guzzis over the last 20 or so years, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017 and now 2020 and they have all been great, reliable bikes.

Check your assumptions.