V7 Stone

[Remy]

I thought I had my perfect bike in my Suzuki Gladius, my first big bike and it was pretty much perfect for me in all ways apart from it's weight, which to my short frame and arthritic hands was always a bit of a struggle and prime candidate for dropping (which I did more times than I care to mention ). Anyway Gladis always survived without much of a scratch apart from several broken brake levers and her exhaust as megawatt will testify . But she did not look after me quite so well either - last year while crossing a very slippery ford she decided she would go off on a course of her own depositing me on a rock and falling onto my leg for good measure, breaking both bones. Mind you I did get a ride to hospital in an Air Ambulance flown by a rather dishy pilot! It also resulted in Gladis being written off and me not being able to walk properly for about 6 months.

I was not put off riding though and used this time to decide what bike I would get next. I limped into several showrooms via my crutches wondering when and if I would ever be able to support the weight of a bike with my right leg, looked at loads of bikes but nothing really took my fancy, until I saw a picture of a V7 Stone. I've never been one for classics/retros but I absolutely loved the look of this one, and went off to A&D Denbigh to have a look at one in the flesh. It was even better than in the pic and the fact that my feet were about 4 ins off the floor and I couldn't even get it off the side stand did not deter me! I was told that it could be lowered via the shocks and that the (very wide) seat could be sculpted, but the dealers wouldn't be moved on price. It was rather more than I wanted to pay but at home I saw a Guzzi dealer in Yorkshire had them on offer for £633 less, an offer I decided I couldn't refuse so I impulsively put a deposit down without even a test ride. I figured if I really hated it and wanted to resell I wouldn't be too much out of pocket with the discount.

The bike arrived in November 2013 and had new lower shocks put on and the seat half it's foam cut away which doesn't make it the most comfortable, but I could at least tiptoe! It wasn't registered till March 2014 as I wasn't fit enough to ride over winter (and wouldn't anyway). Come March I made my first very tentative journey on it, and to say it is a very different beastie is an understatement! The thing about Guzzis (not that I know much about any bikes but assume it's peculiar to them due to their configuration of transverse cylinder heads) is that they vibrate a bit. Well, a lot. This was something I was not sure I would cope with or whether my arthritic fingers would be made worse by this phenomenon. I decided I would give it a season to see if I ended up loving or hating it.

Update after first service (600m).

There were a few niggling things initially such as stickiness from 1st to 2nd gear and a bit of an erratic ride at slow speeds. I went on the Bike4Life rideout in April and had to do loads of very slow riding, I was fighting with it a lot of the time and had awful backache the next day - but think this was more due to being tense, as I've not had backache since. The gear changes have improved but the lurching is probably due to recent EU emissions regulations along with the fly-by-wire throttle being very sensitive. I may invest in a fuel compensator for this. I've got more used to the vibey ride although on my last ride out my left foot was a bit numb! I will have to look into whether I can find some different footpegs or something to absorb the vibrations. It feels lighter than the Gladius (because it is) and is very stable and agile around bends. It has loads of torque and I'm beginning to quite enjoy the agricultural feel of it, the slight twisting when you start the engine makes it feel almost alive and you really know you are riding a bike - this certainly wouldn't be to everyone's tastes but it gives the bike an unmistakeable character that modern Jap bikes don't have. I love the sound of the engine but love v-twins anyway. I do feel I'm looking for some extra HP every now and again but tbh it goes as fast as I want it to with my normal riding and I'm not one to fly around the countryside at warp speed, I like to enjoy the scenery! It has a huge 22 litre tank which gives a good range, fuel consumption is approx 60mpg.

I'll have more of an idea whether it's going to stay or not at the end of the season, but let's say at the moment it's growing on me

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/greydales/Motorbikes/P1020513_zpsaf03f7b0.jpg

[asmith]

There were a few niggling things initially such as stickiness from 1st to 2nd gear and a bit of an erratic ride at slow speeds. I went on the Bike4Life rideout in April and had to do loads of very slow riding, I was fighting with it a lot of the time and had awful backache the next day - but think this was more due to being tense, as I've not had backache since. The gear changes have improved but the lurching is probably due to recent EU emissions regulations along with the fly-by-wire throttle being very sensitive. I may invest in a fuel compensator for this. I've got more used to the vibey ride although on my last ride out my left foot was a bit numb! I will have to look into whether I can find some different footpegs or something to absorb the vibrations. It feels lighter than the Gladius (because it is) and is very stable and agile around bends. It has loads of torque and I'm beginning to quite enjoy the agricultural feel of it, the slight twisting when you start the engine makes it feel almost alive and you really know you are riding a bike - this certainly wouldn't be to everyone's tastes but it gives the bike an unmistakeable character that modern Jap bikes don't have. I love the sound of the engine but love v-twins anyway. I do feel I'm looking for some extra HP every now and again but tbh it goes as fast as I want it to with my normal riding and I'm not one to fly around the countryside at warp speed, I like to enjoy the scenery! It has a huge 22 litre tank which gives a good range, fuel consumption is approx 60mpg.

I'll have more of an idea whether it's going to stay or not at the end of the season, but let's say at the moment it's growing on me

 

I used to own a V7 Racer, which is what you have with some fancy clothes.

These are great bikes, but I would advise you to leave the engine management well alone.

You're never going to squeeze any more meaningful power out of the engine, and you could end up spoiling it.

Where you can make a huge improvement to the sound, is by fitting a decent end can.

A couple of years ago I went to Mandello Del Lario and visited the Guzzi museum.

When I came out I saw a V7 go past making the most glorious sound.

I saw him parking up and rushed over to have a look.

It was fitted with an Agostini silencer that looked as beautiful as it sounded.

They are expensive but transform the feel and sound of the bike.

It's a bolt on with no modification necessary.

Not that long ago, no one really paid much attention to them, but in recent years Guzzi's have become cool, which could have a lot to do with the vintage / retro craze that seems to be sweeping through biking at the moment.