felix42o Posted April 29, 2010 Posted April 29, 2010 I stopped by GP Cycles today in San Diego to check out their current offerings, and ended up taking a V7 out for a short test ride. What a cool little bike! The fueling was spot-on, power was adequate (despite the low horsepower ratings) and delivered nicely across the RPM range, and the handling was nice and stable. The riding position is as comfortable as a standard bike should be, and much less rackish than the Ducati's Sport Classic series, despite the low bars. Suspension seemed a little soft on spring rate, but the damping wasn't too far off and the chassis didn't seem to mind the rougher sections of road I traveled over. Combined with a relative low weight carried nice and low in the frame, the handling was good, if not a little slow from all the rake in the front end. Aftermarket pipes with a little more bark would be nice, but the engine wasn't overly quiet and you could certainly hear enough of that v-twin sound over the road and wind noise. Fit and finish was much higher than I expected as well, and was far from cheap looking. The mirrors even stayed where I put them while providing a clear, vibe-free picture behind me. Overall, I really liked the thing right off the bat, and am seriously considering selling the Cali Aluminum and my DR650 dually to make room for one in the garage. Any takers?
callison Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I stopped by GP Cycles today in San Diego to check out their current offerings, and ended up taking a V7 out for a short test ride. What a cool little bike! The fueling was spot-on, power was adequate (despite the low horsepower ratings) and delivered nicely across the RPM range, and the handling was nice and stable. The riding position is as comfortable as a standard bike should be, and much less rackish than the Ducati's Sport Classic series, despite the low bars. Suspension seemed a little soft on spring rate, but the damping wasn't too far off and the chassis didn't seem to mind the rougher sections of road I traveled over. Combined with a relative low weight carried nice and low in the frame, the handling was good, if not a little slow from all the rake in the front end. Aftermarket pipes with a little more bark would be nice, but the engine wasn't overly quiet and you could certainly hear enough of that v-twin sound over the road and wind noise. Fit and finish was much higher than I expected as well, and was far from cheap looking. The mirrors even stayed where I put them while providing a clear, vibe-free picture behind me. Overall, I really liked the thing right off the bat, and am seriously considering selling the Cali Aluminum and my DR650 dually to make room for one in the garage. Any takers? I've got just under 3000 miles on mine. I agree with most of your observations. It does quite well in the twisties although I have to ride about 200 miles to get to any. I put 460 miles on mine yesterday and I would say that the seat was murder for me after about 150 miles necessitating frequent stops to relieve the pain. The footpegs are a bit too far forward which cramps the body on long rides as well. Personally, I feel the ride can be a bit harsh but that may be a settings issue. I haven't touched mine. The stock mirrors have a tendency to break since the metal is machined too thin at the clamping area, I've changed to 1200 Sport mirrors. It is a pretty sweet bike other than that but I would not get rid of the Cali to make room for one. A V7 Café and a Cali would be very complimentary but neither bike by itself covers all of the abilities of the other.
orangeokie Posted August 17, 2010 Posted August 17, 2010 I stopped by GP Cycles today in San Diego to check out their current offerings, and ended up taking a V7 out for a short test ride. What a cool little bike! The fueling was spot-on, power was adequate (despite the low horsepower ratings) and delivered nicely across the RPM range, and the handling was nice and stable. The riding position is as comfortable as a standard bike should be, and much less rackish than the Ducati's Sport Classic series, despite the low bars. Suspension seemed a little soft on spring rate, but the damping wasn't too far off and the chassis didn't seem to mind the rougher sections of road I traveled over. Combined with a relative low weight carried nice and low in the frame, the handling was good, if not a little slow from all the rake in the front end. Aftermarket pipes with a little more bark would be nice, but the engine wasn't overly quiet and you could certainly hear enough of that v-twin sound over the road and wind noise. Fit and finish was much higher than I expected as well, and was far from cheap looking. The mirrors even stayed where I put them while providing a clear, vibe-free picture behind me. Overall, I really liked the thing right off the bat, and am seriously considering selling the Cali Aluminum and my DR650 dually to make room for one in the garage. Any takers? I've got just under 3000 miles on mine. I agree with most of your observations. It does quite well in the twisties although I have to ride about 200 miles to get to any. I put 460 miles on mine yesterday and I would say that the seat was murder for me after about 150 miles necessitating frequent stops to relieve the pain. The footpegs are a bit too far forward which cramps the body on long rides as well. Personally, I feel the ride can be a bit harsh but that may be a settings issue. I haven't touched mine. The stock mirrors have a tendency to break since the metal is machined too thin at the clamping area, I've changed to 1200 Sport mirrors. It is a pretty sweet bike other than that but I would not get rid of the Cali to make room for one. A V7 Café and a Cali would be very complimentary but neither bike by itself covers all of the abilities of the other. Howdy Carl, glad to see you are still on the forum. You probably saw on here that I just sold my Rosso Corsa. Too bad we didn't get to go for a ride together. I am still working pipeline and am gone quite a bit of the year. Hope all is well. The next time I am back home in OKC I'll give you a call? Does your number still end in xxx-xxx-1951? Phil
Bbennett Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 I've got just under 3000 miles on mine. I agree with most of your observations. It does quite well in the twisties although I have to ride about 200 miles to get to any. I put 460 miles on mine yesterday and I would say that the seat was murder for me after about 150 miles necessitating frequent stops to relieve the pain. The footpegs are a bit too far forward which cramps the body on long rides as well. Personally, I feel the ride can be a bit harsh but that may be a settings issue. I haven't touched mine. The stock mirrors have a tendency to break since the metal is machined too thin at the clamping area, I've changed to 1200 Sport mirrors. It is a pretty sweet bike other than that but I would not get rid of the Cali to make room for one. A V7 Café and a Cali would be very complimentary but neither bike by itself covers all of the abilities of the other. Good review. I think the bike fits a niche. Seems like a nice bike for hopping on and running an errand, probably with a detour to have a little fun. Great bike to learn on. Good 3rd or 4th bike. I kind of want one, but I still wish it had a bit more power, even 60hp. Every bike is a compromise, and dammit my V11 is probably my all time favorite overall. The new V7 sport looks pretty good too, but I cannot get past that weird number plate. I dunno if it is coming to the USA, there is an open posting on that topic elsewhere on the Forum.
gstallons Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 CafeRacer magazine did an article on the V7. They replace the exhaust,installed a PC,etc. and got a good h.p. increase..
belfastguzzi Posted September 22, 2010 Posted September 22, 2010 Ha ha... I just read Baldini's views on the Classic tart, as posted in another place. Hilarious: and spot-on, of course.
Baldini Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 Ha ha... I just read Baldini's views on the Classic tart, as posted in another place... "Pretty!??? Maybe the V7 Classic is pretty - but in "falsies & make up"? To call this pretty is an abuse of the language. Cafe Racer??? A cafe racer is stripped down to function not tarted up with bling! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quy4HEBBhJ0&feature=related The clueless bufoons at Guzzi HQ have outdone themselves - a pimped up shiney pretender for wannabe yuppie outlaw cafe types to mince about on massaging their egos - & what's so sad is Guzzi are PROUD of it. They should hang their heads in shame, it's an embarassment...." ...a view of the new V7 Racer not widely appreciated by inhabitants of that other place... ...stylistically I take my lead from the Great Antipodean Master of Vituperol who is a constant inspiration. KB
belfastguzzi Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 Ha ha... I just read Baldini's views on the Classic tart, as posted in another place... "Pretty!??? Maybe the V7 Classic is pretty - but in "falsies & make up"? To call this pretty is an abuse of the language. Cafe Racer??? A cafe racer is stripped down to function not tarted up with bling! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quy4HEBBhJ0&feature=related The clueless bufoons at Guzzi HQ have outdone themselves - a pimped up shiney pretender for wannabe yuppie outlaw cafe types to mince about on massaging their egos - & what's so sad is Guzzi are PROUD of it. They should hang their heads in shame, it's an embarassment...." ...a view of the new V7 Racer not widely appreciated by inhabitants of that other place... ...stylistically I take my lead from the Great Antipodean Master of Vituperol who is a constant inspiration. KB Well, you are too modest, as that is only a tiny, teasing vituperation extracted from the full meisterwerk. And indeed, I was thinking, as I laughed heartily, that the Roper has been out-Roperised. Have you considered emigrating to Austrialand?
Baldini Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 ...Have you considered emigrating to Austrialand? Who am I to question the wisdom of The Power which brought me here to this small gap in the hedge, to offer distant assistance to our colonial cousin, in his tireless fight from his desert fastness for all those things that we, together hold dear.
belfastguzzi Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 ...Have you considered emigrating to Austrialand? Who am I to question the wisdom of The Power which brought me here to this small gap in the hedge, to offer distant assistance to our colonial cousin, in his tireless fight from his desert fastness for all those things that we, together hold dear. Have you considered adding a question mark at the end of that sentence?
Baldini Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 Have you considered adding a question mark at the end of that sentence? Sorry, I was too busy concentrating on placing the commas.
belfastguzzi Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 Who am I... Sorry, I was too busy concentrating on placing the commas. Ah! So... Now I know the answer to your question! You are, Moto Guzzi!
Baldini Posted September 27, 2010 Posted September 27, 2010 Hey!!! Where's everyone gone... ? I find punctuation...fascinating...I don't know the rules. Did you ever see that book about it? I only read the first few pages, it was a bit boring...Ah! well, d'ye fancy another beer Belfast? ...Hey! Belfast!...BELFAST!!...baahhh! He's gone to sleep... It's quiet down in this part of the forum isn't it?
belfastguzzi Posted September 27, 2010 Posted September 27, 2010 You said: Sorry, I was too busy concentrating on placing the commas. So I said: Ah! So... Now I know the answer to your question! You are, Moto Guzzi! 'too busy concentrating on placing the commas' well, it seemed to me like a good description of MG, but, it was the death of the conversation. Ho hum. Where's Roper? Patching-up his boots?
Baldini Posted September 27, 2010 Posted September 27, 2010 'too busy concentrating on placing the commas' well, it seemed to me like a good description of MG, but, it was the death of the conversation... So, you are not interested in punctuation then?
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now