Ownership Verified: BlaRo's Moto Gutsy

BlaRo

Little Nudger
Joined
Aug 18, 2005
Messages
18,173
Location
Brooklyn
Car(s)
Moto Guzzi V7 Special, Saab 900 Turbo
Jeez, I bought this thing what, back in May? Consider this the longest and laziest time to pass in creating an ownership thread.

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Anyway, this is my 2013 Moto Guzzi V7 Special. It's a hoot. Torquey, loud, rough around the edges. Open up the throttle and it sounds like molasses being poured on a lion. I mostly use it for getting to work, and it's perfect around town. Nice and light, with a natural seating position. It also looks cool, too.

I've put a crash bar on it (which saved it, twice :blink:) and a fender eliminator. That's about it.

These pictures are from when I rode to Pebble Beach last August and put 1,200 miles on it. 14 hours on a bike, then 10 hours back, with two guys on retro thumpers...funny enough, this has been the most reliable motorized machine I've ever owned -- I have nearly 2,500 miles on it and it never misses a beat.

Having a warranty helps, too.
 
Nice looking bake, Blike!

Don't forget the proof pic tho!

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Very nice! Does the cylinder placement ever get in the road of your knees at all?

Never, the riding position is very natural. I've never bumped my knees on there, and I'm pretty short to begin with.

There's a joke that Moto Guzzi and BMW cylinders are like women's breasts -- but the BMW's are saggy in comparison. Only the Italians could come up with a joke like that.
 
Is that the Guzzitech fender eliminator?

I love the two tone.
 
I recommend the new ECU flash from MG. The difference between a cold start is night and day. Before I had to warm the bike for a minute or two before trusting my hand off the clutch on the way out of my parking garage. Now it's good to go after half a minute.
 
Purdie. Guy near me has the V7 California. Sounds nice but looks like a truck missing two wheels.
 
I recommend the new ECU flash from MG. The difference between a cold start is night and day. Before I had to warm the bike for a minute or two before trusting my hand off the clutch on the way out of my parking garage. Now it's good to go after half a minute.

How new is the new flash? In the mornings it takes a minute, but after sitting for 9 hours at work it's far more ready to go.
 
I'm not sure on when the flash was pushed out. When I got the bike back they only mentioned it was reflashed. Since you live in L.A. I am guessing the daily temperature is five million degrees which helps things out for your bike.
 
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I'm not sure on when the flash was pushed out. When I got the bike back they only mentioned it was reflashed. Since you live in L.A. I am guessing the daily temperature is five million degrees which helps things out for your bike.

80 degrees this weekend!

Course, I'll be in NYC for a wedding, where I'll die in a blizzard.

- - - Updated - - -

Other notes about this bike:

Warm-up is critical, as argatoga said. When the bike is cold the thing will absolutely refuse to shift up and out of 1st. It's rock solid. The gearbox also sucks in general: it falls out of gear when shifting from neutral, and feels like it's in a constant state of breakage.

I've been told this is a shaft drive thing. I've also been told this is an Italian thing.

But jokes aside, the bike is rock solid. I get around 45mpg on it, filling up at 150 miles at most, though I once eked out 200 miles. I may have done a lot of gentle, rolling stops. Sometimes it doesn't like to start the first try, so I have to put the kickstand up, then down, then it works. The switch might be an issue there. This morning I rode to work and the neutral light didn't turn on, so it might be in gear? Who knows? :dunno:
 
i love the way this bike looks. i was never a fan of racers or naked bikes, and everything else just seemed wrong on a street... but this looks just right!

Course, I'll be in NYC for a wedding, where I'll die in a blizzard.

sooo... just in case you die in that blizzard...
 
80 degrees this weekend!
Warm-up is critical, as argatoga said. When the bike is cold the thing will absolutely refuse to shift up and out of 1st. It's rock solid. The gearbox also sucks in general: it falls out of gear when shifting from neutral, and feels like it's in a constant state of breakage.

I've been told this is a shaft drive thing. I've also been told this is an Italian thing.

But jokes aside, the bike is rock solid. I get around 45mpg on it, filling up at 150 miles at most, though I once eked out 200 miles. I may have done a lot of gentle, rolling stops. Sometimes it doesn't like to start the first try, so I have to put the kickstand up, then down, then it works. The switch might be an issue there. This morning I rode to work and the neutral light didn't turn on, so it might be in gear? Who knows? :dunno:

I had an annoying issue with starting and the kickstand too. I'd hit it back and forth with my foot a couple times to get it to start. This was particularly fun when I accidentally hit the shut off switch in the middle of traffic once. I haven't had this issue in awhile (but then my bike has been to the shop a couple times thanks to inattentive cagers).

I've found the falling out of gear problem is alleviated if you kick it up like a MAN. I'm guessing this is why they are using a new 6 speed now.

My gearbox was flawless in my shaft driven CX500 so I'm thinking the MG's problems are more of an Italian thing.

Remember, perfection is the absence of character. :p
 
Fun fact: it is a good idea to regularly tighten the header bolts, otherwise expect a sudden intake leak on your commute home.
 
What is so fun about that fact? :p
 
Fun fact: it is a good idea to regularly tighten the header bolts, otherwise expect a sudden intake leak on your commute home.

I had mine tightened at 600 miles, or whatever the manual said, or at least 100 miles after that.

It's at 2,500 miles right now. I should probably take care of it, somehow.

Ehh, fuck it. It's the most reliable motor vehicle I've ever owned. I'd ride it on an Iron Butt rally if I could. Hell yeah.
 
And then, this happened.

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The story: I was lane-splitting and a Corolla swerved into a parking space and knocked me over at about 15 miles per hour. My right knee is scratched up, but I was ok. I even rode the bike back to my workplace.

Damage so far seems to be purely cosmetic:

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Right footpeg broke off, already have one on order

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Mirror sheared right off, I'm not even angry, I'm just impressed

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You can't replace just the plastic housing, you have to buy the entire gauge cluster, which is...$500 :lol:

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(this part really got to me :x)

Totaled up all the parts I'll have to replace, and I will get back to the driver who is willing to pay out of pocket.
 
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