they've pretty much covered the reliability issues 'round here. The classic is very upright, the v7 racer looks more like what you are talking about for riding posture. I think the 2011 racer is so beautiful- $10k
I don't have a spare 9K lying around to spend on a V7 Cafe...and I'm not sure it would work well for me, as I'm not small. That said, the V7 Cafe pushes my buttons. It is simply a beautiful motorcycle, well built and good performance. If I had the dough, I'd buy one...
Gorgeous. I just wish the mileage weren't so piss-poor. Oh well... it's not the kind of bike I would want to put a ton of miles on anyway. Chances are very good I will own one of these eventually.
I love the looks of the Classic and think it is the most desirable Guzzi. But faced with few delaers, poor support and riding as I do a Bonneville which is ultra reliable and ultra comfortable and properly supported...it's just no contest. I also like the "proper "riding position and a flat seat to slide back on.
How's the Classic's track record for reliability? I've got a Royal Enfield that's sort of in the same general size / aesthetic class, and while the engine is definitely up to scratch, pretty much everything else is not. After two months of commuting, it blew the headpipe gasket a tooth tore off the rear sprocket. Frequently tightened or not, shit will probably fall off. Why they don't use threadlocker from the factory baffles me. Now it's sitting on my porch with a cover on it, probably for months. Needs major quality improvements before it can be considered qualified for a practical commuter, unless you live right next to your very friendly and knowledgeable dealer.
Comparing a V7 Classic to a Royal Enfield is going to make life rough for the RE. I had a Bullet a couple years ago. It was kind of like a boat, where the two best days of owning it are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Enough said about that. I spent a few months on the net reading everything I could find on the V7C, and it sounded like everything I wanted in a bike. I finally went up to Denver and test rode one and took it home. I left the shop Saturday evening at closing and rode about 70 miles of backroads to a motel. The next morning I got up before sunrise, checked everything out and headed for the mountains for a break in ride. That evening I got another motel, having ridden 470 miles, doing 6 mountain passes (about 40 of it unpaved,) all over 10k elevation. I got home Monday for lunch with another 200 miles on the clock. What a flippin joy to ride! There are a lot of bikes I've not ridden, so maybe I've missed it somewhere, but I think if a motorcycle could be "ZEN", this is it. It is readily apparent that this bike loves tight mountain roads, and whoever designed it has my utmost respect. Dealer support is something to consider, it is pretty thin, currently no dealers in New Mexico, in this case the internet is my support. After owning the Enfield and currently keeping up a Ural Patrol, I think I can handle just about anything that will come up with the Guzzi. There is little reported in the way of "typical problems" with this particular model, apparently not much goes wrong with them (granted it is only a couple model years old, but still...) I am a really pleased with this bike, and have a feeling it is a keeper. PS- I live at 6400 feet, regular gas is averaging 58 mpg, and getting better as she breaks in. Guzzitech.com and Wildguzzi.com provide a wealth of info.
Sorry, I forgot the obligatory picture. As you can see I am not tall, but at least my legs are long enough to reach the ground... . Riding position is upright, with a slightly forward lean (a bit less than the cafe) feet not quite under my butt, but not forward like a midcontrol HD. The ride is fairly stiff but not harsh. My back has seen better days, but no problem with the position, and several hundred miles a day is no big deal. The seat is plenty tolerable. Tar strips give a bit of a wiggle, but not much, and it is REALLY easy to dodge potholes. Power is adequate, but racing is not its strong point. If you like the sound of a four barrel carb opening secondaries on a smallblock V8, you might like this. After roasting on a 96 twincam HD and a Buell, I am really pleased with how little heat this puts off.
Treebone, Thanks for the pictures and reliability/ride report. I guess I need to sit on one. I have a 33" inseam & arm length so I'm mildly concerned I won't fit. As a 4 time Guzzi owner I'm pretty familiar w/ the dealership experience. I'm very surprised I have not come across any used V7 Classics. This might a be a good indication owners are happy w/ them. Time to do some tire kicking Motoretro
I am very curious looking at these pictures... what happens to the engine when these things fall over? Looking at the pictures I'm guessing that off the bat you'll have the spark plug boot / cable / terminal grind off, and then the valve cover. Looking on google, I see a handful of references to an engine bar available, but is the above a fair assessment?
Still love that bike, still want one. I'm just not willing to get rid of my Harley for it, and there's no more room in the garage.
I hope I never find out what gets damaged on a tip over much less a get off. There are some crashbars for the Breva available that don't look too bad. There are also rumored to be guard plates that fit at the rocker cover that would be cool, but I am not sure if they fit the new V7's. I am coming to find out that this is a really rare bike in the US, I would guess that less 100 (maybe a lot less) of them are in the country from 2008 on. Guzzi guys and dealers largely don't seem real up on this bike, knowledge and information is scarce, and must be hard searched for. I bought the highly recommended book "Guzziology", which is 2 1/2 inches thick, and you could put all the reference to the V7 Classic on 4 or 5 pages. I think the hard core Guzzi guys may look down on the Piaggio era bike kind of like old Harley guys view bowling ball era H-D's or classic gun owners think of post 64 Winchesters. While the pictures shown kind of imply this as being a real perfomance bike, I think that might be a bit more of a fantasy than a reality. Keep in mind this is rated at about 48 HP at sea level, the Triumphs (and my wifes Burgman 650) will likely leave it in the dust. They are missing the point. As long as one is looking for more cubes, higher torque and horsepower ratings, or bizzare design, the V7 Classic will be over looked. Maybe I am getting old, but I tried most of that and always found myself oddly unsatisfied and kind of bummed, thinking I would never find a bike that I TRUELY loved to ride You really have to ride one to understand what it is about, and I suppose it will not be the ticket for most guys. If high performance is the goal, I would advise looking elsewhere. I traded a 2010 H-D FXD for this puppy, and have not regretted it for a minute.
As a long time Guzzi rider I agree. There were always two camps of thought on Guzzi twins, the Small block and the Big blocks. Unless I'm mistaken, the new V7 Classic is of the Small block variety. Even though I rode the big block based versions such as the ElDorado, SP1000 and Strada, I was always a fan of both. I tried my best to do a trade in 1984 for a V65 SP although the dealer was not cooperative. A friend also rode a V65 Lario in AMA competition and did quite well. As far as the whole Vintage/Retro thing, while everyone remembers the largely produced Triumph Bonneville of year's past and knew someone who rode one, the V7 Sport in which the V7 Classic is patterned after was much rarer. Not many people knew much of the V7 Sport which came over in pretty small numbers for a relatively short period of time. As far as rarity, there seems to be plenty of new V7 Classics on the dealership's floors, perhaps pricing or the economy is keeping buyer's away. Guzzis have always been an acquired taste and perhaps the Retro/Vintage link isn't being made. With this in mind, Guzzis years ago always seem to sit for a year or two before prices come down enough to entice people to buy or allow a enthusiast to track a specific model down lingering on the dealership's floor. The same thing may happen to the V7Classic. As I've aged, desired motorcycle characteristics have changed a bit. Something light with good handling and sufficient power to allow me to enjoy a Saturday ride works just fine for me now. I fully realized others may want a totally different type of motorcycle, which is fine with me. I was the only guy riding Guzzis in my area for years and perhaps I will be again soon. Motoretro
plenty of info available at: www.wildguzzi.com/forum http://forum.guzzitech.com/forum Guzziology covers all guzzis, so it's not unexpected that info on any one given model is limited. Keep in mind that the current V7 line goes back to the V65, V50 and V35, so lots of info overlaps... There are knowlegeable dealers. They're just not around the corner unless you live in KC, LA, Houston, Seattle... Harpers MPH Moto International MG Cycle
I saw a white V7 Classic at a dealer a couple of months ago and it was just beautiful. Sitting on it was less of a pleasure. The seat was very firm and wide at the front making it difficult to get both feet down flat. I know that's not a problem to many riders but it is to me. My issues with the bike are the lack of dealers in this area and the spoked wheels that would make getting a puncture in a remote area a big problem. But I loved the look and the modest performance wouldn't be an issue for me. Now if I could have more than one bike and only use the Classic on local rides....
30 Liter Hepco & Beckers: I had the chrome racks & handle bars powder coated black. I hate chrome. Put this on too: With the daughter & brother-in-law
Love the looks of the V7 classic. I sat on a cafe at the dealers (50 miles away) and think the V7 classic would be very comfortable for me. 48 hp is more then enough for me, my TU250 has under 20 and provides plenty of fun and has no problems on a 300 mile trip, so 48 would be very nice. Love the dash, the instruments, the entire bike. The TU is about 320 pounds wet, the V7 is 400 dry? 400 is not bad. The TU250 was $3000.00 new though, while the V7 would be close to 10,000.00! If I hit the lottery, I would run right out and get one. The way things are these days, I am glad I have the money from selling the Harley in the bank!
