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Brakes are actually not bad, altho back brake is far too powerful. It's the back shocks which are tremendously bad. No, the main weapon is weight: only 170 kgs. With about 50 HP. Good formulae for city fun and B-roads.

Well, I have a 2013 V7 stone and it's the most reliable Guzzi I ever had. Not the most exciting, not the most beautiful, but this bike has been so far perfect (13.000 kms, mostly town). Only one really, really bad flaw: the suspension is TERRIBLE.

Thanx for the link. There's also a new french company dealing with Guzzi shocks: shock factory http://mandello.fr/shock.html

Hagon ? I'll check them up. Thanx Jaap

Dear all, Happy new year all ! I got tired of my griso 8v: too heavy and too thirsty in town. Got a great deal for a part-swap part-cash on a brand new V7 stone and I must say the small bike is lovely: so light, a big bicycle really. It's a real pleasure and as I'm doing only town riding it's perfect for me. Before the power bug grabs me again The Stone is cool but has a big let down on one point: stock suspensions are crap. Has anyone an idea on good twin shocks suspensions with a great ratio quality/price ? Thanx

I haven't ridden a Magni but I have ridden SP2, SP4 and SP5 Ducatis and the SP5 was just incredible.

A week or so with the V7 stone and all I can say is...this is the BEST city bike I ever had (and i had plenty). For towns, it's even better than the V50s Nato I had, something to do with ergonomics and weight distribution I guess plus the fact you can turn this handlebar full tilt without any problems. It's like a big bicycle. It handles very well, get you out of the traffic even when it's still on breaking mode. Sound is nice, engine has good torque but you need to remember it's only one solo disc at the front. Back brake isn't very compliant, it's a bit rough and you need to be careful when applying pressure. Just a few minor things: 1/ Can't get used to have a side stand that remote compared to the ones my other Guzzi had: I'm used to extend the left leg to open/close it and with the V7 the side stand is actually situated much more near the pegs. Needs some time to sink in. 2/ my V7 doesn't like to be operated while cold. Even after having it warm it up a bit (no, I can't wait longer to have the bike at perfect t°, I only let it idle for a couple of minutes, time to put helmet + gloves on). It will most time than not need a few throttle strikes or it will bring minor troubles when trying to lift off. Besides these two points which aren't important really or can be fixed easily, this bike is the real McCoy in town and will run on one gas tank like for ever... Ah yes, the back suspensions are a joke. It will need scrutinizing and maybe upgrading to better ones. Doesn't bite you unless you cut the throttle in the middle of a corner, which you're not supposed to, but it will wave a little bit on curves from mid-speed (60 mph and up). Took it for a spin on B roads and I can definitively say this bike has soul. The one I like, the perfect spot where you swear this motorbike will run until the end of time with the throttle only opened juuuuuust a litlle bit.

Well, I've tried hard but never got round to really like my 2008 Griso 1200. Yes, it's fast, yes it looks great if you don't look at the exhaust side of the bike, yes it has some cool details but no, I just didn't like that 8 valves motor delivery. I just never fell in love with the Griso. Why is that ? It's totally subjective of course cos that engine is very potent, the brakes are amazing, the frame isn't bad but something got lost when they incept the soul in it: the delivery, the torque wave, the way it kicks in, it just didn't do it for me and the bike had to go and let room for another one. And, well, i got my hand on the smallest of them all, the intro bike to the Guzzi range: a simple, nearly bare V7 stone. Half the horsepower of a Griso, 60 kgs less, the size of a big bicycle, this seems hardly the kind of things that could excite a 6 times owner of a Guzzi but we're wrong: this V7 has charms. And it should be great for my use which is now mainly town and the occasional sunday ride. Gone are the track days with the Ghezzi, gone are the long stretches of B roads with the Calif T3, gone are the days of the leaky days of my V50 Nato, gone are the mad rushes of the Griso acceleration. Please welcome a bike that just that: WYSIWYG: a simple 750cc engine in a black bike, 170 kgs of ready-to-go Moto Guzzi. Initially, on picture, I wanted a V7 special with the S3 colors and the nice wheels but when the bike arrived at the dealership, the real thing turned out to be far too shiny and bling-bling. The Stone is simple and some of its parts (the suspensions, the horn, the seat) are really less than average but the overall package oozes of a cool feel. Yes, it's very "hipster" and there are already companies in France (http://www.baak-moto.fr/) proposing boober versions with 16 wheels conversion, but I can feel big grins ahead. I'll keep you posted

Thanx all. Problem has been taken care of via the use of Redline !

Thanx. I'll have the mechanic looking into changing the gearbox oil. What's the best oil for it ? Any special advice ?

Would someone know who's that german chap with a Guzzi shirt who owns 45 Guzzis ? That sure sounds like an interesting garage/museum !

Hi all, I had more time and the (relative)* pleasure of riding more my 8.000 kms 2008 Griso 1200 4v around and I find the gearbox very noisy when engaging gears in, whenever the bike is moving or not. Even when i go up or down a gear and I carefully and slowly engage the gear, it's more often than not annoyingly noisy and make a strong metallic sound. When the gear is on, the gearbox isn't noisy, it's really the moment when the gear is passing in that the noise occur. Furthermore, the bike reacts strongly when first gear is engaged: the bike tends to jump forward when the gear is put in, more than with every bike i had previously. The clutch is fine, it's not like it slips, it's just like a strong reaction or else... Common characteristics of the Griso 4V ? Is there anything my mechanic could do to atenuate the noise and the nervous reaction ? * : i'm not crazy about the Griso 1200: it's a very potent bike but I miss something more organic.

Thank Jaap. I went to TLM when I had the Ghezzi and they were indeed helpful. It's just quite a long way (about 200 kms)...

Hi all, Getting round to finally discover more about my 2008 Griso 1200 and, yeah, what a great engine. Finally did find out why the bike was hard to get into corners (verify your tyre pressure more often, you dummy), been told why it's drinking so much (the lambda is dead and therefore the engine thinks it's on cold all the time), and going thru minor glitches that need fixes (mirrors are wider than the bike: very stupid when one has to get the bike around in traffic jams, starter fuse blowing every now and then, especially when the weather is quite crispy). This lambda answer from a Guzzi shop is exactly why I come here with a precise question to all you Belgians or Dutch people: where can i go to have my bike being well scrutinized and serviced with a mechanic that will answer my dumb questions and will not raise its eyes to the skies when asked to look for specifics (like "is it on map #68?" or "why did i blow 5 starter fuses in a thousand kms?". I adore my Guzzi (this is only my 5th Guzzi after all...) but i'm tired to not find a decent shop which is well equipped and with a shop owner and mechanics who see me as a genuine person (who may have some naive questions sometimes) and not a ATM machine on two legs. Anyhwere in Belgium ? Or TLM in Holland ? Shops with courtesy bikes are a + but the ideal is a shop i can finally TRUST.