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Polished tank on V7 III Racer??

U

usedtobefast

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Hey guys. So they uncrated my 2017 V7 III Racer and it has a polished tank instead of the normal Satin Silver finish for this model. Not a chrome either, it is polished silver.

There aren't any 2017s with a polished silver tank that I know of. So not sure how this happened.

It seems the 2015 Racer tank is chrome, so not that.

So maybe they made 1000 tanks for 1000 Racers, then damaged a tank, looked around, and they had this polished silver tank sitting around?

Is this normal-ish for Moto Guzzi? Should I just roll with it?
 
Picture(s)? The tank is steel, so it either has some coating or chrome, or it will rust in short order. As long as they stand behind the finish, and you like it, roll with it... otherwise ask for another bike. Something is off.
 
The question is, do you like it? If you do, it will be a unique 2017 V7III Racer, a speciality item (as if any of them are anything but unique... :)). Nothing wrong with that, if you like the way it looks.

I believe the tanks on all the V7s series are interchangeable so you can always swap it for a different one.

(Even though I'm not a particular fan of the chrome or shiny bright metal tank style, I do think it looks rather nice on the V7x Racers.)
 
Wish I knew the story. While I guess it is Guzzi cool to have a one off tank on my bike, it just seems super strange that no other V7 has that tank on any model. So where did it even come from?

Maybe a production shortage? They didn't get all the Satin Silver tanks so they just came up with this one? Do I get a 1 out of 1 plaque on the triple clamp? :)

I have not seen it. The bike is 2 hrs away being setup, I pick it up Sat AM.

I guess if I went into a dealer and there was a "normal" Racer and this Racer, I'd take the normal one. This particular dealer only has this Racer, no others to pick from.
 
usedtobefast said:
What Moto Guzzi has this type of tank? That's the mystery to me.
Click to expand...
Sorry to say, plastic over the motor, rag in the tank, and the red eagle missing... those are all pointing to work done once uncrated. I suspect it came scratched or equiv. Again, steel tank (not aluminum), so that will most likely tarnish or rust in short order. I would not accept it personally, and honestly would request another bike.
 
I asked about the missing red eagle ... Sales guy said that gets added as part of setup, they have it, and it will be on the tank. Is that accurate? Does not seem like dealer PDI to put the tank emblem on.

In a case like this, would Moto Guzzi send out the correct Satin Silver tank? (for free)

I'm thinking ... go see the bike, if I like the tank, take the bike ... if I don't like the tank, ask dealer/MG to get me the correct tank but still buy the bike and ride it until the correct tank shows up. Or would the dealer & MG say it is what it is, take it or leave it?

Thanks for the help!
 
Hmm. I'm not getting a great feeling out of this story, Dave. I agree with Todd ... too many oddities, something happened.

I doubt the dealer's going to want to let you take the bike and ride it while a replacement tank comes in. That just doesn't make much sense from a dealer's standpoint. They're left, then, with a used tank, a one off ... what are they going to do with that? Unless Moto Guzzi takes it back, and there's a whole bunch of cost even in that.

(If the tank is stainless steel, it won't rust, and the same if it were polished aluminum. In any case, it almost certainly ought to at least have a clear coat on it if its OEM from the manufacturer... I don't know anyone equipping OEM bikes with polished aluminum tanks as standard production any more. Of course, if it IS polished aluminum, then it's really something special. But ... too many oddities... I'm leery.)

I'd hike back over to the other guys and see what they could give you the one they have as bottom dollar after you tell them this story. Aside from which, you've already ridden their bike ... you know it specifically already, and liked it ... and in my experience, every Moto Guzzi, regardless of being the same model, is pretty much a unique machine. Racers probably more so since they don't make as many of them, just like the original V7 Sport and all the later LeMans models. This is why I was so delighted to get the test ride on the bike that was being offered for sale, not on a demo fleet machine.

Ah, the joys of low production Italian vehicles. Some day I'll tell you the tale of my Lamborghini 350GT... :D

usw,
G
 
usedtobefast said:
I asked about the missing red eagle ... Sales guy said that gets added as part of setup, they have it, and it will be on the tank. Is that accurate? Does not seem like dealer PDI to put the tank emblem on.
Click to expand...
Absolutely 100% no. That would be a nightmare. Even replacement tanks come out of the box with them on. I would suggest to the dealer to come clean with you.
 
I'll call them Friday and try to speak to the Sales Manager. Sales guy is saying they got it in the crate from MG, opened it up, and that's the tank that was on it. So any odd stuff happened while the crate was in MG's hands or in the factory. And really no way to know what the heck happened.

But I just can't come up with a good scenario. Say the Factory damaged the Satin Silver tank. Why would they go find some one off tank, put it on the bike, and ship it? A tank that isn't on any other MG. Say they didn't get enough of the Satin Silver tanks, again, just grab something laying around the factory and ship it out? Doesn't make sense.

Is it possible to polish the stock Satin Silver tank? Maybe they spilled something on the tank, ruined the finish, and then polished the heck out of it so it would look nice.

This is a lot different from buying a Ducati Monster! :)
 
No better time for this emoticon then now... :banghead:
As I said, and my speculation (though with a strong feeling to say), the tank either arrived damaged or was damaged in the shop. The tank was stripped of the coating (I believe it's a matte clear paint or matte powder-coat), and the raw steel tank was polished to what you posted. Clearly the red eagle was removed, and the motor covered as they didn't even bother to pull the tank from the bike to do it. Only head-scratcher is the sticker on top, but those are a bear to remove.
There is NO WAY the tank left the factory like this.
 
David,

I think the dealer is at fault, not whether it is a Ducati Monster or a Moto Guzzi Racer. Moto Guzzi would NOT have shipped a bike in that state, and if something happened in transit, well, then the dealer should have Moto Guzzi or the transport company take care of it completely, or refuse shipment and return it.

I don't get a good feeling out of what you're saying they've told you ... doesn't make sense.

You told me in a PM that they'd given you a deal on this bike that was a whole lot lower price than the least the other guys could sell it for. Well, that says that they're selling it below cost ... the MSRP on these bikes is $9,990; I doubt they make more than $1200 on it if they sell at MSRP. That's a 12% dealer markup ... On some Japanese brands the markup is as high as 16%, but I suspect that 12% is generous on Moto Guzzis. If they're selling it for much less than $9200 then, (before PDI, tax, licensing, shipping, etc) something is fishy because at $9200 they're only making about maybe $300-400 on it.

Between the price and the oddities, something is fishy. Basically, the old adage holds here: "If the price is too good to be true, it probably is too good to be honest." I'd refuse delivery and take my money elsewhere at this point.

G
 
So let's say the dealership messed up the tank. Don't they have insurance for that kind of thing? Or maybe it is just easier to polish the tank, and discount the bike than mess with an insurance claim. And how would they have messed it up? Maybe topping off brake fluid and spilled it all over the tank?

But theoretically the bike was in a crate until today. So why did they discount it in advance of opening up the crate?

This is better than a TMC mystery! :)

I'll see what I find out Friday with the Sales Manager.
 
That's what I mean: The story you're being told doesn't gel, the oddities of what's in the crate (or not) against what you're being told make me pretty queasy about doing business with these folks. That the bike is not stock is obvious. How did it get that way? Why? etc. needs to be answered honestly and up front.
 
Welcome to Guzzi!
It isn't uncommon for the factory to grab something off the shelf and send it on down the line when they run out of the right parts. or go grap reject parts to keep the line running.
that being said I suspect the dealer bought this unit as a scratch and dent. Or it was shipped in from a dealer that went belly up and this is how it showed up. Either way they got a deal and that's why you did.
Make them change it and the fuel filter out for the right one and get it in writing. Or go elsewhere.
 
Ok, bought the bike! Added pics over in the VIN thread (and linked 1 pic below).

Info I do have about this shinny tank Racer ...
- It was shipped in July 2017 to this dealer. It did not go to any other dealer before this one.
- It was not a scratch and dent auction or sale from MG or other dealer to this dealer, it was ordered/shipped/received just like any other bike from MG.
- The tank is covered by the 2 year warranty if I ever have any issues with it
- They still claim they opened up the crate on Thursday 1/25 and there it was with a shinny tank
- They still claim they didn't make it shinny. They did clean the bike up as part of setup/PDI.

So I figured, what the heck, I'll go check it out. Drove the 2 hours to the dealer, I looked it over, looked very nice to me, totally consistent look, not like some area was polished shinier than some other area. And actually, I liked it better than the official Satin Silver. So if someone was going to own this 2017 Shiny Tank Racer, it might as well be me! :)

racer-1-jpg.14210
 
When all is said and done, if you're happy with it and it's well sorted, it's a great bike. Looks a beauty in that photo! You've got something special ... now get riding it and get it broken in so you can play. :D
 
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