V7 II vs III

[Cblais19]

Redux! I’ve seen a couple of these threads floating around here now, and was wondering what the consensus was now that we’re nearly 2 years into the III’s run. In VA I can find a III Special for ~$8.5k, but my test ride confirmed that I’d need to sink at least $1k into the suspension (which Todd gave me some great recommendations on today), and then I’d want to add H&B racks for the topcase I have + engine bars and other things.

Or I can do a fly and ride to pick up a 2016 V7 II Stone (double gauges!) with the suspension already given a mild upgrade, and all the H&B parts already installed plus side cases for the low price of $6k. I don’t really care that the Stone is uglier then the gorgeous new Blue speciale I was looking at, since my dream color is purple anyway.

So is the drivetrain upgrade worth the nearly $4k premium over a good used example at this point?

Thanks!

 

[Stradagene]

Redux! I’ve seen a couple of these threads floating around here now, and was wondering what the consensus was now that we’re nearly 2 years into the III’s run. In VA I can find a III Special for ~$8.5k, but my test ride confirmed that I’d need to sink at least $1k into the suspension (which Todd gave me some great recommendations on today), and then I’d want to add H&B racks for the topcase I have + engine bars and other things.

Or I can do a fly and ride to pick up a 2016 V7 II Stone (double gauges!) with the suspension already given a mild upgrade, and all the H&B parts already installed plus side cases for the low price of $6k. I don’t really care that the Stone is uglier then the gorgeous new Blue speciale I was looking at, since my dream color is purple anyway.

So is the drivetrain upgrade worth the nearly $4k premium over a good used example at this point?

Thanks!

If the suspension upgrades on the V7II are only "mild upgrades", they might not add any real value.
You don't want to get stuck riding around with less-than-great upgrades just because they're nominally upgrades and because they came with the bike.

The hemi-heads on the V7 III are absolutely worth the investment ~ assuming you plan on doing nothing to the drive train.
OTOH The V7 II is a better platform from which to invest in a 4V-820 big bore set up.
(There is also an 820 kit [w/o new heads] for the V7 II - as well as one for the V7 III)

 

[roadscum]

Many improvements were made to Generation III frame and motor. You'll want to read this article, then you can make you make an informed decision:

www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/moto-guzzi/2017-moto-guzzi-v7-iii-stone-review.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Motorcycle.com_weekly&utm_source=Motorcycle.com20170824

Paul

 

[Godfrey]

While there's nothing wrong with the V7II series bikes, the improvements to the frame and engine on the V7III completely overwhelmed any cost considerations for me.

The suspension, wheels, and tires upgrade I then had done to the V7III Racer increased the price of the bike by half, but it now handles and rides like a motorcycle in that price class ought to handle, at least!, so I am perfectly happy with what I've spent. The additional increment spent on exhaust and ECU tuning, as well as the other little details (shorty levers, bar end mirrors, Dart fly screen, etc) has also returned exactly the value, performance, and pleasure that I was hoping for.

Not cheap, but The Good Stuff rarely is.

 

[Cblais19]

Thanks for the feedback folks. I guess I can also look around for a leftover 17 racer - I’ve seen your very positive posts on yours, and then I’d just have to deal with the forks.

 

[Richard Ducati]

As a relatively new owner of a '14 V7 special, I'd personally wait for the right V7 III to come down the pipe. I bought my bike inexpensively & with only 1150 miles on the clock, but after only adding another 500 miles to that total I'm pretty sure I should have waited for the latest rendition of this classic. Don't get me wrong, its a great city bike for me and I will likely do some longer trips on it...but its frankly uninspiring compared to my thruxton and will certainly get used a whole lot less after getting the triumph back on the road. At the time of purchase I was bike-less and looking at wasted months of precious riding season, so I pulled the trigger rather than waiting for a V7 III Special to materialize.

I know I can squeeze more out of the girl, but I'd have preferred to have started with the newer mill and its 10 to 20% power increase over the heron head bikes as a basis for those changes. As it now stands, I'll be lucky if my '14 will get to the point where it rivals the out-of-the-box power of the V7III machines. Which is just fine, but it rings a bit less enthusiastically when compared to what *could* have been...

Regards,

-- Rich