Thinking about - err bought - a Moto Guzzi V7 Racer

[steingar]

Been riding in the worst Ohio traffic there is for 20 years. Oh well, Clint Eastwood said it best:

 

[USAF JD]

I have a soft spot for the V7....someday I will have a Guzzi in the stable. For now, I am still obsessed with my Italian mistress (MV).

 

[Ted]

And the initial video on the Guzzi uploaded:

 

[Brad Smith]

Sounds great at idle! Put on a pipe and leave it at that. Anything other changes would be like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.

 

[Ted]

Sounds great at idle! Put on a pipe and leave it at that. Anything other changes would be like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.

That's basically what I'm thinking. It's a question of what pipe to go with.

I'll probably do the stock vs. straight pipe compare just because it's free, but I'm 99% sure that's not what I want to end up with. Maybe I'll do some more research on which pipes I do want and then do a three-way compare.

 

[Brad Smith]

Ted,
Have you seen the new fairing on the 2020 V7? Looks pretty cool.

 

[Ted]

View attachment 86114 Ted,
Have you seen the new fairing on the 2020 V7? Looks pretty cool.

I hadn’t seen it, but it does look cool!

 

[RoscoeT]

those who buy Harleys don't want to ride fast either, they buy to ride a Harley.

Except when they are riding through the twisties slower than a dump truck and a sport bike starts to pass them....then they get all butthurt and gun their slow ass pig trying to block you LOL.

 

[Ted]

Except when they are riding through the twisties slower than a dump truck and a sport bike starts to pass them....then they get all butthurt and gun their slow ass pig trying to block you LOL.

That phenomenon happens in lots of vehicles. My uncle always used to do that, said anyone who wanted to go faster than him was an idiot so he was justified in blocking the left lane.

Then he wondered why everyone was honking and flashing their high beams at him.

 

[Bill]

Except when they are riding through the twisties slower than a dump truck and a sport bike starts to pass them....then they get all butthurt and gun their slow ass pig trying to block you LOL.

Oh I get it, I’m a sport biker at heart and ride my GSw like it's a big sport bike. When I come up on a clot of Harleys moving at parade pace, I wait a few corners for them to waive me by. If they don’t, then it’s pretty much slash and burn. Nip off as many as I can on each short bit, merge back in with them, rinse repeat until I’m by.

I’d prefer them to be polite and waive me by, but if they’re rude and don’t, I’m perfectly happy being rude to get by them.

 

[wrbix]

Oh I get it, I’m a sport biker at heart and ride my GSw like it's a big sport bike. When I come up on a clot of Harleys moving at parade pace, I wait a few corners for them to waive me by. If they don’t, then it’s pretty much slash and burn. Nip off as many as I can on each short bit, merge back in with them, rinse repeat until I’m by.

I’d prefer them to be polite and waive me by, but if they’re rude and don’t, I’m perfectly happy being rude to get by them.

Be careful with the latter technique....some groups of HD riders consider themselves quasi-gangs and consider it an act of “disrespect” to merge in their parade....and take antisocial action in response.

 

[Bill]

Be careful with the latter technique....some groups of HD riders consider themselves quasi-gangs and consider it an act of “disrespect” to merge in their parade....and take antisocial action in response.

Correct, I’m less inclined to so this If they look rough and are sorting colors.

 

[FastEddieB]

My uncle always used to do that, said anyone who wanted to go faster than him was an idiot...

Kinda goes against George Carlin’s observation: There are just two kinds of drivers. Those that go slower than you are idiots, and those that go faster than you are maniacs.

I’ve had a “thing” for Guzzi’s since I began riding. I’ve owned many BMW “boxers” over the years, and rotating the cylinders up for more ground clearance makes a lot of sense. But the one time I test rode one, likely in the 1980’s, I was disappointed - it vibrated a lot more than a BMW and I thought it felt vaguely “agricultural” and “clunky” in its power delivery. Or, like an air compressor, as Rgbeard said. But maybe the one I rode was out of tune or something. Regardless, I like the way they look and would look forward to trying out a newer one someday.

 

[Ted]

I’ve had a “thing” for Guzzi’s since I began riding. I’ve own many BMW “boxers” over the years, and rotating the cylinders up for more ground clearance makes a lot of sense. But the one time I test rode one, likely in the 1980’s, I was disappointed - it vibrated a lot more than a BMW and I thought it felt vaguely “agricultural” and “clunky” in its power delivery. Or, like an air compressor, as Rgbeard said. But maybe the one I rode was out of tune or something. Regardless, I like the way they look and would look forward to trying out a newer one someday.

Interesting. I know nothing about Guzzis of that vintage and how they behaved. This one has fuel injection and electronic ignition like any modern bike, and you can tune away a lot of sins that are harder to do with a carb.

The power delivery is smooth and constant. The engine does vibrate some, but it’s an appropriate and natural vibration for a V-twin. I’d say at idle it vibrates significantly less than my Harley, maybe a bit more at speed (the modern Harleys really smooth out off idle).

In fact if I have a complaint about it, it’s that the transmission is too smooth and buttery - I like to hear and feel clunks in the gearbox when I shift.

I do notice if I try to rev it when cold the thing does seem to have a harder time of that. Doesn’t stumble per se just that it doesn’t want to. I imagine that has at least a bit to do with an old cylinder and combustion design that needs some heat in it to work well.

I haven’t ridden it again since the day I bought it but I imagine I’ll ride it if my wife and I go riding when she’s home this week.

 

[Seanaldinho]

Interesting. I know nothing about Guzzis of that vintage and how they behaved. This one has fuel injection and electronic ignition like any modern bike, and you can tune away a lot of sins that are harder to do with a carb.

The power delivery is smooth and constant. The engine does vibrate some, but it’s an appropriate and natural vibration for a V-twin. I’d say at idle it vibrates significantly less than my Harley, maybe a bit more at speed (the modern Harleys really smooth out off idle).

In fact if I have a complaint about it, it’s that the transmission is too smooth and buttery - I like to hear and feel clunks in the gearbox when I shift.

I do notice if I try to rev it when cold the thing does seem to have a harder time of that. Doesn’t stumble per se just that it doesn’t want to. I imagine that has at least a bit to do with an old cylinder and combustion design that needs some heat in it to work well.

I haven’t ridden it again since the day I bought it but I imagine I’ll ride it if my wife and I go riding when she’s home this week.

Hows the fueling down low? That was my biggest gripe with my Honda, rolling from idle to low throttle while in gear was about enough to give you whiplash and I did bonk heads with pillions plenty.

Concur on transmissions, I love a good clunk.

 

[Ted]

Hows the fueling down low? That was my biggest gripe with my Honda, rolling from idle to low throttle while in gear was about enough to give you whiplash and I did bonk heads with pillions plenty.

Quite good. Roll on off idle or from 2,000 RPM (or below) in gear and it just applies torque and goes. Doesn’t feel rough, doesn’t buck, etc.

 

[Spring Ford]

I was looking for something else entirely and this rolled by -
I can't figure out what it's for (road/race/coffee table) but it does look good.
Edit: “It was an idea proposed by the client,”. So up to them what they do with it.

https://www.bikeexif.com/death-machines-moto-guzzi

 

[wrbix]

^^^^^^...Guzzi’s are prime candidates for being “cafe’ed”....mine is in post #3.

 

[Ted]

So when I bought the Moto Guzzi, one of my (very few) complaints was that it was too quiet, especially at speed. I've fixed that problem:

For some reason, slip-ons for these bikes are really expensive - you're looking at $750-$1k for a set of them from what I've seen. But I was also thinking about the fact that Laurie and I really liked her Sportster 1200 with drag pipes. Yes, it was loud, but we liked it that way for a bike that didn't get ridden that many miles at once. So I figured pulling pipes off is free and I'd give that a shot.

I'm really happy with the result. It's loud, yes, and if we lived in a neighborhood where it might wake the neighbors if I left for work early in the morning I might not want to do this (unless I didn't like my neighbors). But we don't live in town - we live in the country. It's not too loud, though.

What's interesting is I've had a few bikes with mufflers on them that I felt made things too loud - the VTX 1800, V-Max, and RC51. In all cases they had some kind of aftermarket exhaust on them that made the things truly obnoxious. I didn't own the V-Max long enough to decide to change it, but on the RC51 and VTX 1800 I actually removed the aftermarket pipes and put the stock ones back on because of how obnoxious the aftermarket ones were. I can't really figure out why - all three of those were V configurations (just like the Sportster and Guzzi), but they were also all overhead cam engines, whereas the Sporty and Guzzi are pushrod arrangements. Maybe that's it, or the 4-valve/cylinder heads, or some combination. But, it sounds nice.

Yes, this has thrown off the fueling. So I'm going to get a tune done on it at some point in the not too distant future.

One other negative is that now the exhaust is supported strictly by where it's hung down from the exhaust ports. Now theoretically this will cause the exhaust to crack since it's no longer supported by the back end. I'm thinking about how it could potentially get supported but not sure what I'll do just yet.

 

[Seanaldinho]

Sounds nice!

Not bad for free(ish).

 

[Bill]

Sounds nice, I like the cadence of that bike! And, what really makes it cool is it isn't just another Harley.

 

[Brad Smith]

Your bike sounds great! The shorty extensions will be a nice addition. I had a pair of Screamin’ Eagle slipons on my 1200 Sportster and replaced them with a Supertrapp 2:1 that allowed me to adjust the back pressure and the sound. Being carbureted allowed me to adjust the mixture easily. If you could add a little back pressure without losing too much sound you may not need a program adjustment.

 

[Ted]

Sounds nice, I like the cadence of that bike! And, what really makes it cool is it isn't just another Harley.

A few weeks ago we rode to one of the local Harley dealers - I rode the Guzzi and Laurie rode her Street Glide. I got a few thumbs up even there. Yes, the engine has a nice cadence to it. It's not the same as a Harley, but not sewing-machine consistent like Japanese V-twins tend to be.

Your bike sounds great! The shorty extensions will be a nice addition. I had a pair of Screamin’ Eagle slipons on my 1200 Sportster and replaced them with a Supertrapp 2:1 that allowed me to adjust the back pressure and the sound. Being carbureted allowed me to adjust the mixture easily. If you could add a little back pressure without losing too much sound you may not need a program adjustment.

From what I've read, some of the tunes also help make the general engine performance more in-line with what I'd like, so it seems like it's worth doing anyway.