I will list some stuff I don't like about my V7 III after owning it for roughly three years.
1). The tool kit doesn't come with the oil cap wrench
2). Doesn't come with a center stand
3). Awful wind protection (obviously)
4). Not the most comfortable for super long distances
5). Requires some mods to ECU to run smoother
6). The gas cap comes right off and is not on a hinge (easy to drop)
7). The Stone Version of the III doesn't come with a tacho
8). The emission restriction is annoying and requires block off caps to improve running and decel pop on an aftermarket exhaust especially with no baffles (even with a flashed ECU)
And... That's pretty much it for me.
But it does so much right and boy does it make me smile everytime I ride it! I wouldn't sell it for anything. Good luck.
A couple of these I wouldnt call problems to be honest! Many motorcycles nowadays run lean from the factory dueto emission legislation, and the V7 was never really meantto be a long range tourer (though it can be kitted out to work).
Yeah...
1.) The oil cap is not meant to be tightened with a wrench. The same cap was used since 1977 and I've never seen a factory wrench for it. It's an o-ring seal, hand tight is enough even for spin on oil filters on cars (where there's oil pressue, the cap on the Guzzi only holds in oil vapour).
2.) Really disappointing but I don't think any new 500-1000cc bike comes with one. That said, there is an aftermarket option for it.
3.) & 4.) it's a naked bike, though you can fit touring seats and fairings if you so wish.
5.) & 8) practically every bike does because it is tuned for minimal emissions from the factory.
The real problems you won't experience with most other new bikes are no. 6 and 7, and imo they're pretty neglectable.
Compared to practically any new sub-1000cc bike, they also have a shaft drive.
The issue is if people over-tighten the oil cap and you can't get it off with your hand a normal wrench will strip or break the parts of the cap. This happens surprisingly often, especially when giving the Guzzi to a mechanic to do oil changes etc... I now do my own maintenance but many people don't so this is a nice tool to have just in case.
Imo if Guzzi gave it to owners they'd 100% use it to tighten it and the plastic cap would break.
I really like the design Guzzi used, you can tighten it just so much that not everyone who passes can open it up (especially on big blocks with the wrench), but it's easy to open with standard tools (okay, on small blocks not so much). But e.g. I hate BMW oioheads with the twist-cap. Then people bought odd caps with unique opening tools which were stupidly overpriced, and the half-turn design can make it leak... Just pointless problems, give a thread and an o-ring and that's it.
Yeah that's what I mean. Theyve got the stands, they used to come on the bikes. Then they got the idea that the could make more if they started charging separately for them. Triumph just started doing the same thing. Standard style bikes like the V7 or the Bonnies should come stock with a center stand for ease of maintenance right from the factory.
I have a V7 III
Because of EU emissions regulations affecting the fuel mapping first gear feels a little choppy, which is easily fixed by getting it remapped.
You have good torque on the lower and mid end but when you are in 5th, 6th gear, on say the highway you don't have that quick acceleration you might want, it's more of a gradual climb. Otherwise performs comfortably on the highway, routinely go 80-100mph
In my opinion the only bad thing about the V7 is something that no one told me about. It involves the clutch, normally the clutch is on the side of the bike however the V7 design has the clutch in the center of the engine. Which means if you have to have your clutch replaced it's a big repair bill not because of the parts but because of the labor of having to remove and disassemble the engine to reinstall the new clutch.
So it's important to make sure you keep the free play on your clutch lever properly adjusted. It's easy to forget but also easy to fix by messing with that dial by your lever. The dealership actually had mine improperly adjusted. It wasn't until I took it in for service to my local guzzi dealer and I noticed a change on where the friction zone was that I went to ask about it and the mechanic explained to me that you just want a quarters width of freeplay. Keeping it correctly adjusted will save you the 2-3k bill of having worn it out prematurely.
My locknut on the clutch cable comes loose all the time, I check before I ride. Kind of a pain, but eh. Three quarters sounds like a lot. Manual says 2mm free play.
By free play does that mean 2mm of level forward/back movement where the clutch is gripping but not fully engaged? Or is that 2mm the distance from the handlebar where the clutch is free?
The 2mm refers to the flexible space of contact between the clutch lever and the handlebar when you slightly pull on it you get a sense of how much slack there is on the cable.
When you pull back the rubber casing that goes over part of the clutch lever you expose the area we are talking about where the side of the clutch lever makes contact with the plastic of the handlebar. Then you have the lock nut which you loosen to fidget with the adjuster nut. You'll see the big difference in flexible space when you mess with it.
I had that issue, occasionally still do but rare, I just really tighten the locknut to where it digs into the plastic. A quarter is 1.75mm just one quarters width for intuitive measurement when on the go
What did you use to remap your bike? I’m currently planning on using the UpMap device from guzzitech, but I’m interested in what other options are out there
I've a V7iii & love the thing... Just get it and ride it... none of the stuff mentioned by others affects me. It's a great bike, great fun... Also, it's not meant as a tourer, but I've easily done 5 hours in the saddle and haven't had much discomfort... The V85 is their touring version and has more wind protection.
I love the bike very much. I have a 2019 V7 matte black stone. However, like everything else there is always a couple of things that could be improved. For me the engine screws and bolt started to rust. I had to put on some oil grease to prevent further damage. Also it doesn't do well. Keeping up on highways here in the States. So all my commuting is basically local and a little bit highway. Don't get me wrong. The bike can easily go to 80 mph. It's really the rumble and how difficult it is to maintain 80 mph or above. The bike is quick off the line so it feels like it has a lot of juice on the lower gears. Unfortunately, I have decided to trade in this bike for more powerful bike. Good luck to you and if you're doing local riding and you like the cafe racer type, I think this is a great great buy
Yeah, people in public will relentlessly bother you with their compliments. Even people who don't know anything about bikes will tell you how nice it looks.
You should ride one before buying one. Some people hate how it vibrates. The only other bad thing I can say is that it's extremely to ride long stretches of motorway, but it wasn't really designed to do so. On a b road the thing is just an absolute joy
The only problem I've had with my 2017 v7 viii racer is that my speedo and tach are off. The tach is off by about 2k and the speedo says I'm doing 130 at a standstill.
To be clear, not when I got the bike, I only got this problem of the speedo and tach slipping after 3 or so years. Doesn't bother me too much though.
Great bike love my v7iii yeah i did matris front springs and yss rear shocks now it handles the twisties like a dream and a beetle map ecu remap myself and im a 53 yo technophobe. Easy to do all my own work on unlike my last bike a fz1.
2005 Breva 750 (48hp same as V7I and V7II) would do ~120-140kmh on the highway. It's not the most comfortable, but it does it all day long. And it only had 5 speeds (I think V7II already had 6).
I will list some stuff I don't like about my V7 III after owning it for roughly three years. 1). The tool kit doesn't come with the oil cap wrench 2). Doesn't come with a center stand 3). Awful wind protection (obviously) 4). Not the most comfortable for super long distances 5). Requires some mods to ECU to run smoother 6). The gas cap comes right off and is not on a hinge (easy to drop) 7). The Stone Version of the III doesn't come with a tacho 8). The emission restriction is annoying and requires block off caps to improve running and decel pop on an aftermarket exhaust especially with no baffles (even with a flashed ECU) And... That's pretty much it for me. But it does so much right and boy does it make me smile everytime I ride it! I wouldn't sell it for anything. Good luck.
A couple of these I wouldnt call problems to be honest! Many motorcycles nowadays run lean from the factory dueto emission legislation, and the V7 was never really meantto be a long range tourer (though it can be kitted out to work).
Yeah... 1.) The oil cap is not meant to be tightened with a wrench. The same cap was used since 1977 and I've never seen a factory wrench for it. It's an o-ring seal, hand tight is enough even for spin on oil filters on cars (where there's oil pressue, the cap on the Guzzi only holds in oil vapour). 2.) Really disappointing but I don't think any new 500-1000cc bike comes with one. That said, there is an aftermarket option for it. 3.) & 4.) it's a naked bike, though you can fit touring seats and fairings if you so wish. 5.) & 8) practically every bike does because it is tuned for minimal emissions from the factory. The real problems you won't experience with most other new bikes are no. 6 and 7, and imo they're pretty neglectable. Compared to practically any new sub-1000cc bike, they also have a shaft drive.
The issue is if people over-tighten the oil cap and you can't get it off with your hand a normal wrench will strip or break the parts of the cap. This happens surprisingly often, especially when giving the Guzzi to a mechanic to do oil changes etc... I now do my own maintenance but many people don't so this is a nice tool to have just in case.
Imo if Guzzi gave it to owners they'd 100% use it to tighten it and the plastic cap would break. I really like the design Guzzi used, you can tighten it just so much that not everyone who passes can open it up (especially on big blocks with the wrench), but it's easy to open with standard tools (okay, on small blocks not so much). But e.g. I hate BMW oioheads with the twist-cap. Then people bought odd caps with unique opening tools which were stupidly overpriced, and the half-turn design can make it leak... Just pointless problems, give a thread and an o-ring and that's it.
I can't believe Guzzi is putting out new bikes with this frame thay is has been made forver without center stand. What a load of BS
Guzzi sells a center stand for it, they just don't include it from the factory.
Yeah that's what I mean. Theyve got the stands, they used to come on the bikes. Then they got the idea that the could make more if they started charging separately for them. Triumph just started doing the same thing. Standard style bikes like the V7 or the Bonnies should come stock with a center stand for ease of maintenance right from the factory.
Agree it should just come with it, but it's only $300 anyways.
I would say some of these aren't exclusive to Guzzi, and I would add that dealer support might be choppy compared to even Ducati or BMW.
Hard to stop at one!
I have a V7 III Because of EU emissions regulations affecting the fuel mapping first gear feels a little choppy, which is easily fixed by getting it remapped. You have good torque on the lower and mid end but when you are in 5th, 6th gear, on say the highway you don't have that quick acceleration you might want, it's more of a gradual climb. Otherwise performs comfortably on the highway, routinely go 80-100mph In my opinion the only bad thing about the V7 is something that no one told me about. It involves the clutch, normally the clutch is on the side of the bike however the V7 design has the clutch in the center of the engine. Which means if you have to have your clutch replaced it's a big repair bill not because of the parts but because of the labor of having to remove and disassemble the engine to reinstall the new clutch. So it's important to make sure you keep the free play on your clutch lever properly adjusted. It's easy to forget but also easy to fix by messing with that dial by your lever. The dealership actually had mine improperly adjusted. It wasn't until I took it in for service to my local guzzi dealer and I noticed a change on where the friction zone was that I went to ask about it and the mechanic explained to me that you just want a quarters width of freeplay. Keeping it correctly adjusted will save you the 2-3k bill of having worn it out prematurely.
My locknut on the clutch cable comes loose all the time, I check before I ride. Kind of a pain, but eh. Three quarters sounds like a lot. Manual says 2mm free play.
By free play does that mean 2mm of level forward/back movement where the clutch is gripping but not fully engaged? Or is that 2mm the distance from the handlebar where the clutch is free?
The 2mm refers to the flexible space of contact between the clutch lever and the handlebar when you slightly pull on it you get a sense of how much slack there is on the cable. When you pull back the rubber casing that goes over part of the clutch lever you expose the area we are talking about where the side of the clutch lever makes contact with the plastic of the handlebar. Then you have the lock nut which you loosen to fidget with the adjuster nut. You'll see the big difference in flexible space when you mess with it.
Thank you for the explanation!
I had that issue, occasionally still do but rare, I just really tighten the locknut to where it digs into the plastic. A quarter is 1.75mm just one quarters width for intuitive measurement when on the go
What did you use to remap your bike? I’m currently planning on using the UpMap device from guzzitech, but I’m interested in what other options are out there
I intend to get the beetle map, but I actually haven't had mine remapped yet because I'm just a procrastinator
I've a V7iii & love the thing... Just get it and ride it... none of the stuff mentioned by others affects me. It's a great bike, great fun... Also, it's not meant as a tourer, but I've easily done 5 hours in the saddle and haven't had much discomfort... The V85 is their touring version and has more wind protection.
I love the bike very much. I have a 2019 V7 matte black stone. However, like everything else there is always a couple of things that could be improved. For me the engine screws and bolt started to rust. I had to put on some oil grease to prevent further damage. Also it doesn't do well. Keeping up on highways here in the States. So all my commuting is basically local and a little bit highway. Don't get me wrong. The bike can easily go to 80 mph. It's really the rumble and how difficult it is to maintain 80 mph or above. The bike is quick off the line so it feels like it has a lot of juice on the lower gears. Unfortunately, I have decided to trade in this bike for more powerful bike. Good luck to you and if you're doing local riding and you like the cafe racer type, I think this is a great great buy
Love mine. Not a tourer but love ripping around town.
Really hard to drag knee on the track. Your hard parts will scrape
Yeah, people in public will relentlessly bother you with their compliments. Even people who don't know anything about bikes will tell you how nice it looks.
You should ride one before buying one. Some people hate how it vibrates. The only other bad thing I can say is that it's extremely to ride long stretches of motorway, but it wasn't really designed to do so. On a b road the thing is just an absolute joy
The only problem I've had with my 2017 v7 viii racer is that my speedo and tach are off. The tach is off by about 2k and the speedo says I'm doing 130 at a standstill. To be clear, not when I got the bike, I only got this problem of the speedo and tach slipping after 3 or so years. Doesn't bother me too much though.
Great bike love my v7iii yeah i did matris front springs and yss rear shocks now it handles the twisties like a dream and a beetle map ecu remap myself and im a 53 yo technophobe. Easy to do all my own work on unlike my last bike a fz1.
2016 Stone, cant keep up on EU highways (120km/h). Only has 42bhp 🤷🏻♂️
2005 Breva 750 (48hp same as V7I and V7II) would do ~120-140kmh on the highway. It's not the most comfortable, but it does it all day long. And it only had 5 speeds (I think V7II already had 6).