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Moto Guzzi V7 Classic
I just love this bike , simple ,powerful enough ,shaft drive , no sky high seat height , 55mpg ,
and truly classic good look,s . For me , all it need,s is a decent flyscreen and a set of pannier,s and maybe a set of heidenau knobbly tyre,s and i am good to go . Classic case of style: Moto Guzzi V7 Classic - Telegraph |
I agree, what a beautiful bike. This, or a Hinkley Bonniville is all you need to go anywhere really.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...mish/AAAV7.jpg http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b.../AAAbonnie.jpg |
nce bike :thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1:
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One of the very few bikes that I would want to buy from new is the V7. Haveing seen one in the flesh I fell in love with it.
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:thumbup: This new MG is a very cool bike indeed. Low torque and not-too-big 750 engine, shaft drive and not too heavy as well. If I'm going to buy more road-oriented bike next to my DR-Z400S then this may well be it.
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M&S Motorcycles in Newcastle have one in white, on a display stand just as you go into the showroom. Really nice bike and looks more authentic than the Ducati SportClassics.
I was also looking at the Bellagio which is one of the very few cruisers/customs I'd consider owning. |
Involvement
At last I shall make a comment. Moto Guzzis offer a rewarding riding experience whether they look good or not. They are much underrated bikes. A friend of mine had a Hinkley Triumph Thruxton which he loved for its looks. I didn't know him till someone told me he was looking for a Le Mans 850. I spotted one and he went off with a few words of advice--The gearbox is very clunky, all 850's are like that. He bought it. Now to the crux: The Triumph was bland in comparison to ride. He said it was just a smooth, modern bike. The Guzzi however was the real deal. A proper bike. He sold the Triumph for a large loss. I have heard that the new V7 has much of the appeal of the 850's. It is a pity that Triumph feel a smooth, boring experience is suitable for the Bonneville name. It has long puzzled me. Try a Guzzi, you might really be smitten. I'm not speaking in a biased fashion I hope. I'm trying to help. Linzi.
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The Guzzi is the most stunning bike I have seen for a long time
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Club
For anyone really interested in biking I think the bike should be really special. For me my Guzzi is impossible to put a value on. The way it rewards riding and gives pride of ownership. Go to motoguzziclub.co.uk. Check the forum and you'll get the raw truth of the Guzzi experience. The only other bike that I would want above mine is a Ducati 900ss bevel and I could never afford to keep it going so I'll stick with my present bike. Linzi.
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Despite being a long time Triumph fan, the V7 or 750 Breva is the new bike I would buy if I could cope with the left hand shift.
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Changes
Funny, last few days there's been a thread on Tech Talk on the Club site about changing the side of the gearchange. At least discussion about one second hand bike which had such a conversion. It's not difficult apparently. Or don't forget you are allowed to face backwards on a bike in UK as long as both feet are on the pegs! Linzi.
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Linzi, having owned a Ducati 900ss bevel in 1977 and used it as my only bike summer and winter - for everything - screaming round cornish country lanes, commuting to work daily, riding regular weekends from Cornwall to Ayr or Newcastle got to say it was not as fragile as people say - it was one of the most stunning bikes i owned and remained very reliable overall, it was followed by a Guzzi MK 1 Stunning and wonderful with charachter everywhere not quite as pure or as focused to ride as the Ducati, and then a laverda Jota just a rhino of a bike brutal ill tempered and hard as nails in every respect( I had that 20 years) loved it, In between these wonderful italian beasts have been several others Guzzis, a Harris Ducati 600 and 2 - 500 Laverdas. Along with a handful of BMWs and many others to boot. Then I had kids that sorted out the bike collecting fetish and cut it down to one or two at most - I saw my old Ducati for sale (PRG200R) about 7 years ago and wish I had bought it back. But just to say if you get the chance to own one you would not regret it and it will leave you with memories worthy of the cost of ownership. As for the new v7 really is lovely style job -but they should have made it a bit closer to the original maybe a tad more power and upgraded components rather than a budget entry model. That said the newer Guzzi build quality is back up to standard after it dropped off in the late 80s/90s. The closest Guzzi I had in character to the Ducati was believe it or not a carbed 1100 sport - it was again a wonderful bike.
Now the garage is empty of anything from Italy however maybe a mk 1 Guzzi will grace the floor again in the next year or so but if my Ducati came up again I would snap it up. |
I thought it was just me that had the Italian fetish!
I don't know what it is but there's something really special about Italian bikes and cars. It's just something that you just can't put your finger on and that will make you forget every single fault they have and defend them against anyone who says a bad word about them. I missed out on an opportunity to buy back my old Ducati 750SS and I'm kicking myself now. I've always said, if you need someone to explain to you, what it is about Ferrari that is so special, you'll never understand it anyway. I think a little of that rubs off on other Italian machines too, especially if they have a "racing pedigree". My Aprilia RSV Mille is a bit of an Austro-Italian "mongrel" but I love it. |
Seventies
Brian and Craig (and others), I have to say I can admire lots of machines but somehow for me it's the Italian machines exactly as Craig described. I know I can't afford a Lancia Fulvia or other delightful car and have long thought I am not rugby league enough for a brutish Jota but my real interest got stuck firmly in late 70's Italian sports bikes. I cannot express fully how much enjoyment and how widely it enfolds me but my red Le Mans is a real bike. But once a member of the club shook the pub's window's arriving on a Hailwood Replica he'd just bought in bits on e-bay. Now on the road after about £3,800! No side stand and one piece fairing off, he held it up for me to mount for a "go". I had long wondered how similar the two bikes were. First impression was to be really high off the ground. Then the feet were really high up. Dive/fall forward to the bars and I sort of gelled with the bike. To cut a long story short. The Ducati was incredible. I returned shocked, amazed, excited, unable to speak intelligently--gobsmacked as we say. That bike is a focussed fast machine. Right from Taglioni's first Rotring pen stroke on paper it is designed to accelerate to the horizon. I returned to my horny, red, low, long, lean Guzzi and sank down onto the low plank seat. It felt now like a cafe-racer styling job on a general purpose bike! That is exactly what it is of course. But it's simple to work on, robust, can go touring, shopping, pootle along or blast, it's just noisy at all of them. The pure pedigree Ducati is simply full-on adrenaline go, go, go. I came away with the knowledge that I had found for me the ideal bike to roar across the country for a cappuccino, laze a bit and roar back again, decadently taking Supertramp's long way round! But my Le Mans suits me better. Yes the Italians make some exceptional machines and in a long line of Ducatis they've been doing the "Imola thing" for years. Now, two years on I enjoy my Guzzi fully again but for a while it had been shown up--but only at horizon chasing. Ciao Linzi.
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Cafe racer
For enthusiasts, Moto Guzzi have shown another version of the new V7. Photos have been seen of a cafe racer version. It's shown on the club site or in a net search of course. Linzi.
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Linzi your spot on there with your evalution of the two bikes the guzzi is far more usable and in its own right and way its a sexy, stunning and very real motorcycle with that elusive heart that the italians seems to put into these old classics. Its great you have found your perfect machine and hope you have many years from her/Him(not sure what way you have sexed the Lemon). One thing I have to say to you Hold onto the bike dont let it go - one day you would regret what seemed like a sensible sale for whatever reason. Keep the bike - in the future you will want to return to the Lemon no matter what else comes along in between.
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No Chance
Hi Jake, thanks for the warning--not needed. I can't imagine ever ge...can't even say it! Mine is a 2, stripped to a 1, and used rather than prettied up but it looks like a standard 1. I have the big problem of getting anything else to supplement the Guzzi. A scooter, little traillie? I must be nuts but I've been troubled with this for six years. I want to take better care of the Guzzi- it doesn't deserve 5 mile trips for instance. Linzi.
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Linzi no need for 5 mile trips leave 30 minutes earlier and make it 30 miles instead. You know it makes sense !.
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V7 Cafe Classic
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There are a couple of us Guzzi-heads here it seems. More than I thought. How wonderful :) Gives us plenty to talk about then - those groovy kind of bikes that only Guzzi can deliver.
The small 750 engine in the Breva/Classic/Nevada is like made for an adventure tourer in the Tenere class. It has a lot of grunt just over 3500 rpms and is really responsive. It would be PERFECT if mounted on a good frame with proper suspension, 21" front wheel, 17" rear, 33 litre tank (like the older Guzzi NTX 750), etc etc. My wife rides a Breva 750 which has just tipped 50 000 flawless kilometres. It will probably run for at least 150 000 more before needing an overhaul... Service is very simple and straightforward, so owning one is rather inexpensive. And - it's a beauty to ride. |
Too small !
Sat on the Guzzi at the Edmonton Motorcycle show. Seemed too small for me (6'4").
The Stelvio, on the other hand.....:clap: |
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I've always had a link to Italian cars from an early age. I was almost born in a Fiat Mirafiori Sport! Everything from a humble Fiat 127 to a modern Alfa Romeo 156 v6 has had a place in our garage. Owning Italian bikes was something that was inevitable. They're like a posh girlfriend, i.e. high maintenance and prone to tantrums. You just accept it though.
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I wish I'd bought one of the Alfa Guilia saloons (picture the police cars from the original Italian Job) or a Fiat Dino Coupe before, like the Fulvia, the prices went silly. May still happen as they're still reasonably priced in mainland Europe, even at today's exchange rates. I spent the day in Alfa's museum in Arese a couple of years ago. It's a huge building, no other visitors, not even any staff, just me surrounded by beautiful cars. Everything from Nuvolari's Mille Miglia P2 to Nanini's 155. Quite surreal in a way as each car had a story to tell. I owned a 155 at the time and it broke my heart when I sold it :( The Ferrari museum is in contrast, a disappointment. Quite clinical and soulless in fact. It's sole purpose is to keep tourists away from the main factory and workshops and it serves that purpose well. Unfortunately, that means it's usually full of tourists and there was more than one car where some cretin had tried to take a souvenir. Look for the black 166 from the late 40's if you visit. What struck me most was a historic race car i saw, loaned to the Galleria by an American "enthusiast" which had been so over-restored, it had lost any trace of the car it had been in the 50's. It's like saying, "This prehistoric caveman's axe has had a new head and handle 2 years ago but it's still the same axe". :confused1: I don't think so! Monza is also a very special place and full of history. I was nearly thrown out of there for trying to get on to the oval banking, near where von Trips died. It will be a shame if they demolish it. I know, I need help :blushing: |
Getting Closer
Moto Guzzi V7 Cafe Racers are being delivered to Belgium now, in Uk soon perhaps. Linzi.
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Thought I'd dig this thread out rather than start a new one.
The Guzzi V7 is ticking a lot of boxes for me in terms of lightness, available performance, technology, fuel range, shape of the seat etc. My Dad had a Nevada that was decent enough until we found no one knew what year every single part was (this doesn't worry me, it was two company takeovers ago). I've had a Bonneville and was happy with it except for the tank size and how it aged. One minor worry is the oil capacity and (like the Bonneville) the fact I might be in a minority up a Welsh lane in January or up the desert. Anyone else touring one? Thanks Andy |
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