2009 V7 Classic Refresh (2019)

[knowmaddd]

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a good holiday and I would like to wish you all the best for the new year.

After the fantastic experience with my Breva, I decided that I would freshen up my v7 classic. 

I really enjoy riding this bike and plan to keep it around as long as I can.  It's a great bike and I especially enjoy riding it in the city.  My concerns regarding the v7 were the plastic gas tank and rectifier.  I have already replace the rectifier once due to failure.  I also had my plastic gas tank replace (warping) under warranty a few year ago.  I thought I would give the bike a little TLC and also get rid of all the chrome.

Over the years I had already made small changes.  Addition of a tail rack, sump extension, Metal side panels, bar-end mirrors, dart flyscreen, metal valve covers and Micheline tires (the tires were the first thing I swapped out).

The 2019 refresh was completed by the team at Revival Cycles in Austin TX.  I wanted to keep the spend low and focus on small changes that would improve both function and appearance.  The requested changes and some of the thinking behind each change was as follows:

- LED headlight (better visibility)
- Custom seat (I made the mistake of installing a gel seat.  I find a custom foam seat way more comfortable)
- Leather wrapped grips with new mirrors installed (The rubber on the heated grips was starting to wear down)
- Coating of fuel tank (Caswell)
- new rectifier (to work better with Li battery)
- Coating of existing pipes/mufflers/rack & crash bars (less chrome)
- New brushed off the shelf headlight bucket (less chrome)
- Wheels/tires (Tubeless!)
- New handlebar (less chrome)

I was fortunate to be able to switch over to tubeless tires as Revival had leftover wheels from another v7 customization.  They have a really nice practice of giving away (with the bike owners permission) parts remove during custom projects.  I was lucky enough to get a set of wheels from a newer v7 that upgraded to a fancy set of Kineo wheels.

I was happy with the CMG lane splitter bar end mirrors, but they had a habit of wearing out the rubber washers in each hinge.  Also, I had changed the mirrors on the Breva for practical reason and had a much better spare set (see parts below).

Some of the parts in this build were:
https://shop.revivalcycles.com/lifepo4-lithium-battery-optimized-mosfet-regulator-rectifier/
https://shop.revivalcycles.com/motogadget-m-rear-bar-end-mirror/

The mid-December update from the Project Manager at Revival was as follows:

"On your Moto Guzzi we have received and installed the new LiPO friendly regulator / rectifier for your charging system. We've also media blaster your exhaust, crash bars and rear rack to give it a nice satin finish. Unfortunately we realized the stripping process would leave the welds exposed and they will eventually rust. The chrome plating is strong enough on the tube to prevent rust but not the welds. We are in the process of powder coating the rack and crash bars a satin silver color for a similar affect as the media blast finish. For the exhaust we've coated it with a high heat black paint that turned out great. The mag wheels have your brand new tires installed and your new LSL handlebars are in place."

I also wanted to have a little fun with this, so some red accents were added to the leather work.

The bike is now done and will be coming home soon, so I thought I would share a few pictures.

[OldMojo]

Looks good. Tasteful mods. The red stitching does offer up a bit of the jolly!

[Rich A]

BTW, rattlecan silver exhaust paint works pretty well. That probably would have prevented the welds from rusting.

Rich A

[greer]

That is a fine looking motorcycle.  I do believe that is my favorite color scheme.

Sarah

[Cam3512]

Nice job, looks great!

[twowheeladdict]

Looks good.  Do you believe it cost you less than selling and getting a newer model?  Or was that not even a factor in the decision?

I've had good results with Ceramic high heat paint from the rattle can on exhaust systems.  haven't tried it on other parts, but I would imagine it would do well. 

[knowmaddd]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the comments.  Here are a few answers to some of the questions and some additional points...

> Good feedback regarding paint/rust.  I live in a apartment (of course I do; I spend all my money on bikes  ) so no space for DIY, but I will remember that tip for future projects

> I really like the scheme of the tank.  The longer I have this bike, the more I like the white/black/red.  This is the reason I caswell'd the tank; way less then swapping out the tank/fuel pump and then having the new tank painted with the same scheme

> I have no plans to sell this bike for sentimental reasons.  All told, with the custom seat and past modifications I've put about 5k into the bike (I forgot to mention the Ikon shocks and fork springs).  The most expensive single part is the custom seat.  I love the seat work revival does, so after riding the Breva for while I decided to give this bike the same treatment

> I'm considering one last small modification.  I may add a small side bag, similar to this (in black)





Thank you!

[Kev m]

Looks great, enjoy!

[twowheeladdict]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the comments.  Here are a few answers to some of the questions and some additional points...

> Good feedback regarding paint/rust.  I live in a apartment (of course I do; I spend all my money on bikes  ) so no space for DIY, but I will remember that tip for future projects

> I really like the scheme of the tank.  The longer I have this bike, the more I like the white/black/red.  This is the reason I caswell'd the tank; way less then swapping out the tank/fuel pump and then having the new tank painted with the same scheme

> I have no plans to sell this bike for sentimental reasons.  All told, with the custom seat and past modifications I've put about 5k into the bike (I forgot to mention the Ikon shocks and fork springs).  The most expensive single part is the custom seat.  I love the seat work revival does, so after riding the Breva for while I decided to give this bike the same treatment

> I'm considering one last small modification.  I may add a small side bag, similar to this (in black)





Thank you!

Thanks for the response.  Glad it works for you.  You must be in a secure apartment complex to not have that beauty stolen.  I guess that is one plus for Moto Guzzi, because would be thieves wouldn't know what to do with it.

[knowmaddd]

Thanks for the response.  Glad it works for you.  You must be in a secure apartment complex to not have that beauty stolen.  I guess that is one plus for Moto Guzzi, because would be thieves wouldn't know what to do with it.

No building is that secure: I always try to park beside a Harley, hoping they won't notice the Guzzi. 

[knowmaddd]

Looks great, enjoy!

Thank you Kev

[twowheeladdict]

No building is that secure: I always try to park beside a Harley, hoping they won't notice the Guzzi.

Sportbikes are usually the first thing stolen from apartments since the stunters like them.  I have heard harley riders getting Honda covers for their bikes when they are travelling.  LOL!

[knowmaddd]

Sportbikes are usually the first thing stolen from apartments since the stunters like them.  I have heard harley riders getting Honda covers for their bikes when they are travelling.  LOL!

That's a great tip!  I've been lucky so far.  I've also taken the precaution of carrying insurance for the value of the modifications, but I understand that I may walk out one day helmet in hand, to find.... nothing...

I'm hoping it never comes to that.

[twowheeladdict]

That's a great tip!  I've been lucky so far.  I've also taken the precaution of carrying insurance for the value of the modifications, but I understand that I may walk out one day helmet in hand, to find.... nothing...

I'm hoping it never comes to that.

This is what I do when I bring a bike on a work trip.  Put a sign on the bike that says "Please steal this POS!"  LOL!  All of my bikes are worth more stolen than I could have ever sold them for.  I guess that is why I have never had a bike stolen!

Seriously, when I travel for work now by bikes go in an enclosed trailer because of my bad back and some of my work sites are not motorcycle friendly.  What I do is park the trailer in a spot where I can use it as a garage for the bike.  I do everything I can to make a thief have to work hard for their prize.  The Trailer gets a ball lock, tongue lock, cable locks through each wheel and leaf springs, jack stands under the rear of the trailer, and at night I park my truck such that it would be impossible to squeeze the trailer past the truck. 

Then, I park the bike inside the rear of the trailer with the handlebars locked so if the thief somehow is able to hook up to the trailer (broad daylight) and drive away the bike will fall over and being at the back of the trailer will cause it to fishtail and hopefully wreck the thief. 

In your case I would recommend a disk lock with alarm and if your version of the V7 can take the accessory theft device, that too.  The insurance discount for an alarm helps pay for the alarm.

[Sheepdog]

Nice looking V7. By all accounts the suspension work makes a big difference on those bikes. I did the same on my Cali after ten years and was surprised how much better the bike steered and held a line in turns. A well sorted roadster is a joy to own...

[Jason Muelver]

That looks great. I wish I fit on a V7.

[knowmaddd]

Nice looking V7. By all accounts the suspension work makes a big difference on those bikes. I did the same on my Cali after ten years and was surprised how much better the bike steered and held a line in turns. A well sorted roadster is a joy to own...

Very true.  My money spent on ikon suspension was very well spent.  I was not the biggest fan of the factory shocks/springs.