The story is I fancied something less bland than my Tiger 800XC. The Tiger was a very competent bike, but it didn't really excel in any one area, it just had no soul.
I'd recently purchased a Royal Enfield Bullet 500 EFI and loved it, it was just quirky and characterful, I was riding it all the time, the Tiger wasn't getting a look in, the problem was the Bullet was a bit slow, it's kind of like a really torquey 125.
So the search was on for a 'characterful' bike that I would want to ride and could handle a bit of distance and overtakes.
Via-Moto in Sheffield had a V7, I liked the idea of a small capacity V-Twin, I used to love my Bros 20 odd years ago. A deal was done and my 2014 Tiger with 5,000 miles on the clock was exchanged for a 2015 V7 II Special with 2,500 miles.
The ride home took in the Sheffield Parkway, it's a proper bumpy MF, my spine was taking a hammering, other than that it all felt good.
Took the wife out the next day, she hated it. The grab rails were too low, the suspension was kicking her out of the seat. That afternoon I had a good look at the rear shocks, they were aftermarket Hagon Nitro's, but the previous owner had set the pre-load to minimum and the damping/compression to the lowest setting!
I wound everything up a bit and suddenly the handling got a shed load better and the spine was only taking a beating from the larger potholes and bumps... the next day LOCKDOWN. I'd only managed 120 miles on the bike, it was SORN'ed.
June 1st... some lockdown restrictions are lifted, I tax the Guzzi and since then I've got the mileage up to just over 3,500. 1000 miles in just under 3 months. I've not done that type of mileage on a bike for years.
Bad Points...
The suspension still isn't right, with the rider sag set there's no static sag and it still bottoms out over medium bumps. Next payday I'll probably invest in some heavier springs.
When the engine is cold the fuelling is a bit dodgy, it's got a black box fitted that is supposed to sort it, so I hate to think how bad it would be without it.
The clutch doesn't have much in the way of feel, it's a single plate dry clutch, just like a car.
The MC leaks a tiny amount of DOT4 out of a little vent in the top cover, the tinternet says they all do that and the cover off an older model will fix it... at £35!
I've once had it push a small amount of gearbox oil out of the vent one the top of the motor, it's only happened once, on a very warm day after it had been thrashed, so I'll let it off.
Good points...
The paint, the chrome all the stuff you touch or look at feels premium.
Shaft drive, why have I never had a bike with a shaft before... they're the future I tell you!
No lube everywhere, no adjustment and no chain noise!
On a smoothish road it handles greats, chicken strips are gone, I'm worrying about grounding the lowish pipes out, it's loads lighter than a T00 and it's even lighter than the 650 Enfield.
The motor is great, below 4k it's a lumpy, clanky, rattly air cooled twin valve, pushrod motor... character
Above 4k it turns into a turbine, smooths right out, keep it spinning between 4 and 6k and you can make real progress, taking it over 6k to the 7.5k redline is pointless, the power drops right off.
It's got Brembo brakes with ABS, the front caliper is the same four piston caliper fitted to most older Ducati's and there's braided lines as stock, one or two finger braking is the norm now.
The speedo and rev counter have a clock and an air temp gauge, nice!
Future plans....
If the wife ever gets a job I might spend a few quid on it, it needs the rear springs. I quite fancy putting some loud pipes on it, Mistrals seem to be the pipe of choice, but they're a bit spendy.
There's a kit that does away with the rear mudguard, that combined with a humped sports seat. would look good, but then it would need clip-on's to look the part and I love the current ergos.
I need to buy a tourer at some point for a trip next summer, I'm enjoying the Guzzi experience so much I might just get a Stelvio.
I should try and get a test ride one day. I think I'd like one as a second bike as I still want something sporty so can't see it happening anytime soon, but maybe one day.
