The V7’s engine is a sweet heart! The V100S is too, but the V7 for an ancient push rod hemi-head air cooled engine is above it’s pay grade. The dual Arrow exhausts have a rumble that the V7 can’t cash moving in an all out power challenge, not that it is slow. The V7’s snotty idle does scare the V100S that has a placid idle but screams like a 1969 GTO 442 to red-line mad at the world. The V7’s has a turbine like transmission whir that advances over the engine’s intoxicating idle rumble at speed. It sound way cool and is a nice “listen” on long rides. Find the gear to stick it in a 4,000-4,500 RM zone and it is really smooth and nets 52-54 MPG.
But yes, the V7’s heat is really well managed. The BMW R100RT and the V100S secretly try to cook you when you stop, and keep you wishing for sub 80’s riding. The V7? Doesn’t matter really, the bike doesn’t torture me over the weather.
Yes, once it is settled-in, I’ll look at fork spring. The old joke about suspension is the back always has to follow the front so make sure that’s going where you want to! Get the front done first.
My problem, so far looking, is bikes aren’t made for light people. They start at 165 LBS and up. When I stick 25 pounds on the back of the V100S (saddle bags) it transforms itself into, “Oh, THIS is what it is supposed to be!”.
So we have that problem to get around. A good set of proper wound progressive fork springs would be the right upgrade for like $300.00.
That was a fun read Galen. Thanks much for sharing your experience. Good on Guzzi to get the right and very different tune on the V7.
The difference in heat management is interesting. Looking at them I wouldn’t have thought there’d be much difference.
OMG it is night and day. I got off the V7 and jumped on the V100S to evaluate the suspensions and WHEW, this V100S is HOT when it is 88 F out. Need to keep it moving. I never once even thought about heat on the V7, it just doesn’t call itself out. 80 F or lower the V100S is good, except stopped. Higher than that and your feet feel the heat. I bought Dianese Goretex calf high (CE class 2 height) boots to INSULATE my feet from that heat around my feet.
The BMW R100RT would envelope you behind that big fairing and it STAYED with you even moving a good while, and never went to ambient. It was awful above 70 F. That bike loved cold weather, but I didn’t.
I can’t do the cafe racer crouch. But, I did remove the ROX one-inch riser and set-back that was making the V100S steer so weird, with a moment arm pull that was unnatural. If the bars steering axis is in front of, or behind the natural axis there will be an “arc” that is worse the more you move the bars foreward or back. Even 0.5 inch was enough to drive me nuts.
Once removed the steering went back to neutral. I may try a mild 1.0" RISE, no set back, and see what that does. My old motocross back likes to sit upright. I would never recommend moving the steering from the natural neutral axis based on my experience.
That small foreward bar offset in the picture below is all it took to make the steering “wonky”, a technical term that influences how much fun you can have.
I’m pretty much going to go with the cartridge forks from Matris, the F15K fork kit. This gives me more room to use damping to get the ride decent as well as the springs. Looks like the best choice I have for this bike and not go too wild.
The rear shocks are Japanese KYB’s with variable wound springs, foreward mounted, so not too bad. Like the V100S, have the pre load all the way light or the shocks may as well be made by Carter Lumber for my weight.
I’ll wait until I get the center stand mounted. For now I’m waiting for the bing plate for the exhaust for the center stand to retract against, different than the stock exhaust. This will let me get the front wheel and all that jazz off.
I need to run the tank near dry too, to mount the heated grips and wiring. I’ve wrestled with a full gas tank before…no more of that! But a level and stable bike is needed before I do anything.
Interesting. Fortunately for me they’d figured out heat management with the 1150RT. My ‘04 would get uncomfortably warm at a stop in NC summers, but cooled off as soon as you got going.
The absolute worst bike I had for heat was an ‘05 Ducati ST3. Low speed fuel injector mapping was also miserable. But I suppose it might be said of any Duc that they weren’t happy unless being thrashed.
I put heated Oxford touring PRO grips (the new design) on the V7 850 model ten. Those fall days when it is peaking 55 F at 1:00 PM and it gets colder as the ride ends near 4:00 PM the grips are a great addition. Unlike now, where it gets warmer through the day, you go the other way in the fall/winter. The Oxfords get WARM, unlike the V100S that just get, well, sort of warm even on high.
The grips have an internal controller and a thermister that regulates the two grip power to keep the temp the same between them. I used a 12V solenoid and hooked that to a switched with the key 12V power to open and close the GROUND. Power is still directly of the battery. The grips can be used across the battery, but you depend on the controller to always “disconnect” when they sense the battery voltage drops to 12V. Alternator is “off” so the bike must be “off” and they auto shut-off.If that fails, though? I don’t trust it. The solenoid is normally OPEN so if it fails the battery isn’t in jeopardy. The grips won’t work but you won’t be stuck, either.
Oh yes, what we always called hippo hand guards work wonders. Still air space around the hands helps a ton. But yep, you can ride with cold feet or about anything to a degree but cold frozen finger…no way. I don’t ride so cold I need those, maybe 50 F and up is my limit for having any fun.
I re-bent my brake lever so it won’t impact my armored gloved fingers with two finger braking. I don’t like the lever being incumbered in trave and not allowing full brake pressure until the ani-lock kicks in. Why leave brake performance on the table because the lever is the wrong shape?
The lever shape isn’t the problem now. I took out the dog bone some and it works fine. The problem is that the brake levers are coated in a NYLON derivitive plastic that is pretty damn tough. Invariably when you bend the lever in a vise with a persuading bar, the that coating gets cracked. Those dges catch your gloves. No big deal, remove it yes? Easier said that done.
I tried to peel it off. Easy, yes? Get an edge and peel away. Nope, it is adhered far too well in my case. Easy, burn it off! Nope, Propane torched nylon still refues to give up. I ended up using sandpaper and a set of drill mounted metal polishing pads! That worked as long as you worked at it. I did get another brake lever off E-bay for a just in case kind of thing so I’m not afraid of trying crazy stuff that might ruin it.
Anyone remove the nylon top coat on old vintage bikes where it turns an ugly black yellow color for example? I did it the hard way, someone knows the easy way. Easiest is if you don’t even need to mess with it. In my case, the lever is just not shaped right.
I use basic leather gloves, so I’ve never experienced this, and have no clue how the nylon is bonded to the aluminum. Does BJC use a hot pot thing to strip insulation that might soften it? I’m lazy and probably would have cut off/filed the interfering knuckles. @Elk how does the racing world deal with this?
I have never had to deal with it. Nylon is pretty much impervious to nearly everything but for UV. Mechanical removal seems the most likely to succeed.
Yep, sandpaper and polishing pads on a drill. NYLON is great until the UV turns it brown and ugly over time. Not a fan. Rather have an anodized finish. But, I got what I got and re-shaping the lever works great, except that nylon got scared in the process. The lever looks pretty cool polished bare aluminum. Won’t be hard to re-polish if it gets oxidized ugly. No adjustable levers for this series BREMPO lower end master cylinder, looked for that.
The NYLON edges catched with leather armored gloves. And I’m not removing the glove’s part the nylon caught on. So off went all the nylon.
I just wondered if there is an easier way. Soak it in paint remover? I doubt that will work, Nylon is super resistant to aromatic hydrocarbons. And, why it is used where it is on automotive wiring.
OK, V7 is looking near finished. I need the Matris F15 cartridge forks on order, but thats it on the major stuff. May get a USB charger. I’ll need the center stand to do the front end. Waiting for a part on that too. Oxford heated grips and the 12V solenoid to switch the power with the key are in. Grips heat really well, I recommend that brand.
The GIVI touring screen is OK for a naked bike fitment. The AMZON deflector at the top gets most of the stuff over your hear. Not a barn door touring fairing but it gets it done.
I just got the Ohlins shocks this afternoon. Put about 120 miles on them. Too stiff right now. I set the pre-load as light as it can go and still poor sag (not enough). Damping compression and rebound are set to 2 clicks, instead of 5 clicks right now. Shaft travel looks to be 65% based on the tell tale dust ring on the shock shaft. I’ll get 500+ miles on them before I really do anything else.
The yellow is kind of, well, Ohlins yellow. I put another red MOTO GUZZI transfer onto the rims oppoosite the one already on there. This adds more RED to the back of the bike and tones down the shock spring. I didn’t like the all black shock option, too dark. I’d rather error on more colorful. It isn’t the worst thing a yellow shock has been put on.
