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Opinions please. V7 or V7II

I'm not so sure the extended sump is a good idea in Canada. The extra oil is always nice, but cooler temps mean that oil is not warming up in cool weather. You get condensation in the oil that doesn't burn off and a bunch of milky crap in the valve covers. The sump extenders were developed for earlier generations of V7s that would suddenly consume a bunch of oil with no warning. I haven't heard of that happening at all on newer models.
 
elkgrichard said:
Check and make sure the clutch cable is not up against the jug. Most of us have used a tie strap to make sure that cable is not up against the inside of the right jug which will melt that cable and cause the cable to fail.

Valve adjustment is easy, one beer job, intake .006, exhaust .008. Oil level like to be between the lines, if you get it up to that top line it spits oil into the airox.

Make sure they download the latest flash into the ECU. They had a better download come out sometime in 2015 I think. That newer flash helped out a great deal with cold starting.

When filling the transmission do it on the side stand because you won't be able to get 1 LITER, 1000 cc's into that transmission with it on the center stand. Make sure you put in one liter and not one quart. Heads up on that one 1 QT leaves it at a low level which is not good for fifth gear.


great batch of condensed info. did you use recommended amount of fork oil?
The rear drive I measure that out and fill, 170CC's, if you fill to the lip of that fill plug it will end up slightly over filled and spit oil out the breather.

I would purchase the extended sump which gives you about 1 quart more oil. Peace of mind type thing.

When you change the rear tire make damn sure you grease those drive shaft splines.

Buy the center stand and euro side stand, it really comes in handy.

Engine fill with extended sump is 2.5 liters or 2,500 cc's.

Change out the fuel filter using an all metal NAPA 3032. That half plastic one will eventually split open because of the ethanol in the fuel.

First service make sure you toque the head bolts. 10mm, 33 ft lbs, 8mm 23 ft lbs. After that you never need to check them again. Or so they say.

Be prepared for difficulty turning around on a ride and heading home. I don't know how many times a simple 20 mile ride turn into 150 mile ride. I still find myself making rides longer.

After owning 35 motorcycles this bike is my favorite and will always be my favorite bike.

Myself I changed the front fork oil from 10 weight to 7.5 weight and that helped it become more fluid for me anyway. 185 lbs. I found the ten weight oil for me lacked absorbing the small stuff.

You have better rear shocks on the racer then the Stone so don't know how that will work for you.

Spark plug gap .031-.035

If you want better spark plug caps, I would go with the NGK XD05F8072, plugs for those caps are NGK CR9EK4548.
Click to expand...
 
elkgrichard said:
Check and make sure the clutch cable is not up against the jug. Most of us have used a tie strap to make sure that cable is not up against the inside of the right jug which will melt that cable and cause the cable to fail.

Valve adjustment is easy, one beer job, intake .006, exhaust .008. Oil level like to be between the lines, if you get it up to that top line it spits oil into the airox.

Make sure they download the latest flash into the ECU. They had a better download come out sometime in 2015 I think. That newer flash helped out a great deal with cold starting.

When filling the transmission do it on the side stand because you won't be able to get 1 LITER, 1000 cc's into that transmission with it on the center stand. Make sure you put in one liter and not one quart. Heads up on that one 1 QT leaves it at a low level which is not good for fifth gear.

The rear drive I measure that out and fill, 170CC's, if you fill to the lip of that fill plug it will end up slightly over filled and spit oil out the breather.

I would purchase the extended sump which gives you about 1 quart more oil. Peace of mind type thing.

When you change the rear tire make damn sure you grease those drive shaft splines.

Buy the center stand and euro side stand, it really comes in handy.

Engine fill with extended sump is 2.5 liters or 2,500 cc's.

Change out the fuel filter using an all metal NAPA 3032. That half plastic one will eventually split open because of the ethanol in the fuel.

First service make sure you toque the head bolts. 10mm, 33 ft lbs, 8mm 23 ft lbs. After that you never need to check them again. Or so they say.

Be prepared for difficulty turning around on a ride and heading home. I don't know how many times a simple 20 mile ride turn into 150 mile ride. I still find myself making rides longer.

After owning 35 motorcycles this bike is my favorite and will always be my favorite bike.

Myself I changed the front fork oil from 10 weight to 7.5 weight and that helped it become more fluid for me anyway. 185 lbs. I found the ten weight oil for me lacked absorbing the small stuff.

You have better rear shocks on the racer then the Stone so don't know how that will work for you.

Spark plug gap .031-.035

If you want better spark plug caps, I would go with the NGK XD05F8072, plugs for those caps are NGK CR9EK4548.
Click to expand...

:clap: THANK YOU! :clap:

That was exactly the kind of list I was looking for. Also, thanks goes out to pokeyjoe and john zibell for their thoughts. You know, it's funny because some of the things listed above explains some of the issues I had with my Nevada which at the time I had aptly named The Widowmaker!
 
On the front fork oil fill......I just put back the exact amount I sucked out, with one of those small oil pumps from Harbor Freight tools. Best five bucks ever spent.
 
pokeyjoe said:
I'm not so sure the extended sump is a good idea in Canada. The extra oil is always nice, but cooler temps mean that oil is not warming up in cool weather. You get condensation in the oil that doesn't burn off and a bunch of milky crap in the valve covers. The sump extenders were developed for earlier generations of V7s that would suddenly consume a bunch of oil with no warning. I haven't heard of that happening at all on newer models.
Click to expand...

Good call on that, didn't think about the weather up there. No sense in making milk shakes.
 
elkgrichard said:
Don't depend on that rubber insulator, it will slide out of position, ask me how I know.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's better to use a nylon zip tie looped around the cable and hooked onto one of the two hooks attached to the frame top tube, which MG has provided apparently just for this use, but then didn't actually use them (go figure). The problem seems to have been sorted out on the V7II's, where the cable is routed differently and isn't likely to rest against the cylinder.
 
Why did it take so long for them to figure out how to route the clutch cable. They need a phone number complaint line at that company so that these little things can get fixed before they release the bikes.

You buy one of these bikes and you end up with a laundry list of stuff to fix before you even venture off the farm.
 
elkgrichard said:
Why did it take so long for them to figure out how to route the clutch cable....
Click to expand...
Maybe they wanted to wait until they came out with the 6-sp gearbox, which has a different position where the cable actuates the clutch lever, and that may also explain why they waited so long to route the cable at the handlebar end so there's no sharp right angle to cause binding and premature breaking.
 
elkgrichard said:
Don't depend on that rubber insulator, it will slide out of position, ask me how I know.
Click to expand...
I looked at it and didn't notice the loops and the rubber sleeve didn't slide. but to be safe I was going to zip tie it but saw the 2 ground straps on the CC and decided to run it behind them. good thing I did they were all corroded. hard to believe on a brand new 2015. I cleaned them up and applied Vaseline them and put the clutch cable behind. works fine and should never hit.
 
Well the original question was about a choice on V7 or V7ii, so here's my input, for what it's worth!
I had an old 750T and loved it, so always fancied a V7 when they came out but didn't get one for various reasons. Test rode a couple and liked them. Then I went to a dealer to look at a V7 Racer, pre-owned, for £6500.
While I was there I test rode a V7ii, and couldn't believe the difference. I think it's mainly due to the 6 speed box, but the V7ii feels much quicker and more responsive. Higher speed cruising feels more relaxed, although my Bonneville only has 5 speeds, which has never been a problem. I'm not implying that 5 speed boxes can't cruise at the same speeds, but the 6th gear does help quite a bit, despite only being slightly improved on the ratio.
I didn't really want the ABS / TC as I thought it would just be more gizmos to go wrong, but I've been reassured by Guzzi's reliability reputation. In the end I opted for a brand new V7ii Racer for £6995, only £495 more expensive than the second hand V7. The fact that they hold their resale value is reassuring too.
I don't think your good lady will be disappointed with either model, but I can definitely recommend the V7ii. I feel that it's definitely an improvement on an already great bike, and that's no bad thing!
Hope this helps with your decision.
Jenko.
 
This sounds similar to what I see with some cars. Example: My wife has a BMW X3 with the 300HP turbo engine. Old-ish school BMW "go for the performance". However, many new customers to the brand are opting for the smaller features with more techie-packages. I say you should then buy a Lexus. I get it, they need to expand their customer base.

My V7 is so much more refined than my V11 that it is almost non-Guzzi like. To smooth. I imagine the V7II is that much more. The brand can now attract a broader range of buyers in theory than those of us liking the freight train feel. So if my wife was thinking of riding I would encourage the brand I love with all the features found on larger bike companies and have her go for the v7II. Me, I can't imagine or want anything smoother in the gear-box. My regular V7 is already too smooth! ;)
 
Bob Ponticelli said:
This sounds similar to what I see with some cars. Example: My wife has a BMW X3 with the 300HP turbo engine. Old-ish school BMW "go for the performance". However, many new customers to the brand are opting for the smaller features with more techie-packages. I say you should then buy a Lexus. I get it, they need to expand their customer base.

My V7 is so much more refined than my V11 that it is almost non-Guzzi like. To smooth. I imagine the V7II is that much more. The brand can now attract a broader range of buyers in theory than those of us liking the freight train feel. So if my wife was thinking of riding I would encourage the brand I love with all the features found on larger bike companies and have her go for the v7II. Me, I can't imagine or want anything smoother in the gear-box. My regular V7 is already too smooth! ;)
Click to expand...

While I agree with you about the techie stuff on bikes and cars, I think that Guzzi have managed to keep it to a minimum on the V7ii. ABS and TC are compulsory in many countries now, so they have to be fitted on new bikes. No argument. However, I don't think that the V7ii can be described as "smooth" or non-Guzzi. It rocks from side to side if you blip the throttle, if you pull from low revs you can feel the cylinders thudding. It feels just like my old 750T from many years ago.
The gearbox on the V7ii is fine. No false neutrals, and when you select a gear, you get one. Not sure what else you can expect from a properly functioning box?
I know what you mean about being too refined though, which is why I never upgraded my BMW R1150R to a 1200. They feel like 2 different brands of bike. The 1200 doesn't feel like a boxer engine at all, which kind of defeats the object.
I have had similar discussions with Meriden Bonneville owners, when they inform me in superior tones that my Hinckley Bonneville isn't a real Triumph. Well, I like to ride mine, not spend days in the garage fixing leaks and carbs. Don't get me wrong, I understand that they love their own bikes and like the "character" and authenticity but there's no need to denigrate my choice of bike. I don't think there is so much snobbery among the Guzzi fraternity, and I'm not implying that Bob comes under that category here either.
I think it's simply a case of buy the most modern and new bike you can afford for your other half. If that means the V7, then it's still a fine bike and will still be enjoyable. If you are the type of owner that has a lot of marque knowledge and plenty of mechanical know how, as many people on this forum have, then an older type of Guzzi does have a definite appeal.
Waffle over!
It would be interesting to find out what bike the guy bought for his other half.
Jenko.
 
I haven't yet, she currently rides a '15 F700GS which she loves, she just wants a second bike. She did ride my Griso this weekend and complained that the seat is to wide for her but liked the way it rode. Believe it or not she is looking hard at a Ural Gear up w/2wd.
 
Clayton Sietsema said:
I haven't yet, she currently rides a '15 F700GS which she loves, she just wants a second bike. She did ride my Griso this weekend and complained that the seat is to wide for her but liked the way it rode. Believe it or not she is looking hard at a Ural Gear up w/2wd.
Click to expand...

Congratulations on having a woman who likes something a little different! I think that if she likes the retro style, and she obviously does if she is considering a Ural, then she'd like the V7 / V7ii.
Good luck to her, whichever she chooses.
Jenko.
 
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