V7 C-S Suspension Thread

[Peter Andrews]

Per what I wrote previously, I am measuring points on the swingarm to frame, not the actual shock (which is 390 eye to eye yes)

Thanks Todd, As a matter of interest, do any of the list of shocks you sell have increased travel v's the OEM for the Classics?
Obviously, quality is better than quantity re travel but a little extra can't hurt in moderation.

 

[GTM®]

Thanks Todd, As a matter of interest, do any of the list of shocks you sell have increased travel v's the OEM for the Classics?
Obviously, quality is better than quantity re travel but a little extra can't hurt in moderation.

Yes, almost all of what I sell offers more travel than stock, and I recommend longer lengths as well; Most all have a ride height option.

 

[Peter Andrews]

Thanks Todd, now to work out a viable plan to get shocks to the Cook Islands (where I work)and then on to New Zealand (where the bike is)..... I might have to come State side....
P

 

[Peter Andrews]

I guess most of us, most of the time, don't need compression damping adjustment with good quality shocks. From what I understand, non piggyback shocks are usually adequate if correctly set up for rider weight and riding style therefore you wouldn't miss the added expense of compression damping adjustment.
What about if a rider rides both Solo and with a pillion regularly and with it a correspondingly large change in payload?
As well as adjusting preload for the extra weight, does increasing compression damping via a piggyback style shock offer any major advantage over the simpler shock with rebound only adjustment? Does this make it worth the added expense and should I spend the extra money if I am planning to carry a pillion regularly? Thanks everyone in advance, P

 

[RedHawk47]

What is the suspension travel on a 2016 V7II Stone?
The Owners Manual says 137mm Front & 85mm Rear
The web site says 130mm Front and 111mm Rear
I wonder if the V7II manual was not updated from V7 spec?
I'm trying to set preload using static/rider sag as a percent of travel.

BTW, the rear travel on the Racer is less, perhaps because of the different shock.

 

[GTM®]

Always go with the web info. It tends to be more up to date than recycled manuals.
The Racer Bitubo shocks have FAR less travel than the Stone/Classic Ollé shocks.

 

[RedHawk47]

What is the suspension travel on a 2016 V7II Stone?
The Owners Manual says 137mm Front & 85mm Rear
The web site says 130mm Front and 111mm Rear
I wonder if the V7II manual was not updated from V7 spec?
I'm trying to set preload using static/rider sag as a percent of travel.

I found the answer for the rear shock, which was my main concern, on the Italian Moto Guzzi website.
Rear wheel travel is 111mm. Measured to vertical direction.
Rear shock travel is 85mm. Measured in line with the shock.

It also follows that Front wheel travel is 130mm, measured vertical.
Front shock travel is 137mm, measured in line with the shock.

Dan

 

[Yodastien]

SO i have a question how do the new K-tech razor units compare with the race tech and Matris Piggyback units?

 

[GTM®]

SO i have a question how do the new K-tech razor units compare with the race tech and Matris Piggyback units?

K-Techs are pretty soft and compliant, more what you think a street shock should be.
Matris' are a more set up like a German car, firm yet plush. Not the best for sharp edged bump absorption, so if you ride bumpy back roads they may not be best, but they are incredibly well made.
RTs are in between the two; They are mostly a dirt bike suspension company, so their design intentions are plush street, as I've spec'ed them to be... very good across the board.
And I now have the Ohlins in/on to test this weekend (pic below and link to more info). More as I have it.

 

[Krachenvogel]

I just installed an upgraded suspension on my 2016 V7 Stone this weekend. Based on my riding style (commuting, occasional light touring, and general ridin' around, but nothing too overly "spirited"), Todd suggested the K-Tech Razor shocks paired with the Mupo fork upgrade:

https://www.guzzitech.com/store/product/mupo-v7-v7ii-full-fork-kit/
https://www.guzzitech.com/store/product/k-tech-v7-em-twin-shocks/

I dropped in the Mupo kit without dismounting the forks or fully draining the oil, using a magnetic telescoping grabber tool to extract the old springs. I attempted to pull out the original pistons with my magnet, but they didn't come out (apparently they are too securely seated in the fork), so I just inserted the new Mupo valves with the magnetic tool as far as they would go down the tubes. It was difficult to tell if I had the valves fully seated in the pistons, but since I had the same amount spacer showing over the top of the fork on both sides, and reasoning that the odds were low of inserting both pieces identically "wrong," I went ahead and buttoned up the forks. In the end, the forks felt fine, so I'm assuming the valves found their way into the correct position. My oil level ended up very close to the 135mm recommended in the Mupo instructions, so I left it alone.

I went for a short ride after installation, and the bike feels much better. We have some pretty nasty potholed and frost-heaved roads here in Wisconsin, but I didn't feel as many nasty jolts as I did on the OEM setup, and more importantly, the bike felt more planted and less squirrely on irregular road surfaces. I sometimes ride with luggage, so the easier preload adjustment on the K-Tech shocks will be nice to have. I'm looking forward to some better weather and the chance to venture out farther and flog it around a little more than I could today.

 

[Neville]

I have a 2016 V7 II Racer with Kaifa forks. I've got Mupo valves on their way to me from Italy. I weigh 162lbs in gear so in the right weight range for the stock springs. When I fit the Mupo emulators should I change the oil to 7.5wt or 5wt AWE, or is that only required for lighter riders trying to improve the fork action with the stock internals?

 

[Krachenvogel]

I just kept the stock oil in my forks (which I believe is 10wt?) when I added the Mupo kit, and it seemed to work fine on my test ride. I'm about 180# geared-up, so your experience may be different.

 

[Bob Ponticelli]

Just wanted a quick post/update. Got these installed and completed a quick 30 - mile ride around town. This is the first fork kit I have tried so I really can't compare this to other kits on a V7 or any other bikes.

I can say that there is a marked difference between this and stock fork setup on my 2014 V7. I would describe it as being a firm-plush feel rather than the more jarring feeling you have with the stock set-up allowing me to feel even more secure riding my slow bike even a bit faster......may be this isn't a good thing. For those that ride mountain bikes it is also a similar feeling to riding back roads with a hard-tail verses full suspension. Typically you can ride faster as you do not need to slow your pedaling when hitting bumps to absorb the impact.

I weigh about 160 with jacket. The air is currently set to 64 pounds which is maybe just above the mid-point of the range. I will experiment with different settings over time. The front tires are supposed to be off the ground when adjusting.

I can only imagine that "larger" riders would experience even a more noticeable difference over stock and even at my weight it is quite substantial.

Is this worth the money? They are expensive but if you have the $$$ I think this is a worthy upgrade.

The exact kit I installed was this one..............I discussed the different kits with Todd and based on my riding conditions and style this seemed to be the best fit for me.

 

[GTM®]

Thanks for posting Bob. Always tough to get reviews posted here. If you could copy/paste it on the Store page as well, would be much appreciated.
I merged your post with the V7 Suspension thread here.

 

[Stradagene]

SO i have a question how do the new K-tech razor units compare with the race tech and Matris Piggyback units?

I just picked up my bike with a new suspension set-up from Todd. I have a '13 V7R that I've been riding with the OEM racer suspension (Kaifa forks and BiTubo Shocks), and weighing-in at 145# geared-up, I am about 10 lbs lighter than the target weight for the factory set-up. I've always thought that the V7R was 'charming', but in my experience it was common that it could also be frightening at times. A patch of rough road on a fast corner could make things 'interesting'... and perhaps not as charming as I originally contrived.

This afternoon I rolled out of Todd's shop with a set of custom-built K-Tech V7 Razor IV Piggyback shocks on the rear and the Matris V7 F15K Full Fork Cartridge Kit on the front.

Whatever Moto Guzzi was thinking with the V7 has always been a bit of an enigma to me. The bike is charismatic like nothing else! And what it leaves to be desired is easily dismissed because it has just so much character! But it does leave some things to be desired.

My original plan after picking up the bike was to ride the 30 miles from Todd's shop to my home in Pasadena while throwing in a few extra miles and taking the scenic route. If done right you can throw in a good number of twisties along the way by routing your way back through the Hollywood Hills. You'll increase the trip by 10 miles but you can make 27 of those mile through some serious turns for a bit of fun! Well... that's what I did to get a feel for the new suspension, and let's just say that that wasn't enough! After dropping 41 miles on the new suspension, I found myself back home in Pasadena, made myself a double espresso and then threw another 128 miles on the odometer! The bike was amazing! Simply amazing.

In general Todd has found the K-Tech shocks to be a bit more plush than the Matris or RaceTech offerings, but before I placed my order we talked about the type of suspension package I was interested in. I definitely wanted something firm and responsive ~ by analogy, something along the lines of a European sportscar suspension. Most of the riding that I do is under 250 miles a day and includes as much terrain and curves as possible, so I wasn't concerned about plush suspension for comfort over the long haul. At the same time, I don't ride like I'm on a Japanese sports bike, but I did want something that would give a lot of feedback and convey some confidence about what the tires are doing. Todd casually mentioned that the piggyback K-Techs were significantly firmer out-of-the-box than the standard K-Techs and that the K-Tech engineers had mentioned that they could be built even firmer - akin to the type of suspension that I would get from RaceTech or Matris. That made it a "go" for me! And although I've not directly compared the K-Tech piggybacks to the offerings by RaceTech or Matris, I can unequivocally say that whatever they did was awesome.

With the new set-up, front and rear, (as has been said by others) it was almost like being on an entirely new bike. From simply riding it I wouldn't have even recognized it as the same bike that I had dropped off (had I not thrown down the cash to make the changes ). And although I've only ridden the bike with the new set up for one afternoon, I can easily say that I no longer found myself regularly and periodically struggling to keep the bike in line and on track as I encountered our typical less-than-ideal road conditions. Instead, at some point, perhaps 120 miles into my ride, I realized, "Oh wow... I'm just 'thinking' this bike through these turns and it's doing what I want. No wonder I'm having so much fun!! I'm not struggling to pull it back in line and wondering where it is!" It was easy to put169 miles on the bike - 119 of those being serious twisties! (I ended up taking a jaunt up to Crystal Lake/Mt. Baldy, then along the Glendora Ridge Rd to Mt Baldy Village [and then back!] and then down the Glendora Mountain Hwy) . And had I started earlier in the day I would have kept riding!

BTW - If anyone does ride the Glendora Ridge Rd. (and it's definitely worth it!) be careful up there!! There's no marked centerline, and there are definitely a number of cowboys on the road. For the most part I endeavored to stay well to the right on those corners that are more-or-less blind (which with the new suspension I could now easily do), and on at least three occasions it was a good thing I had: On one occasion (and unfortunately not the closest near-miss) a pack of sports bikes was badly cutting the turn (with the bikes behind the lead having even less of an opportunity to clear the line than the lead bike), and on a subsequent two occasions it was a car that decided to take it's liberty with which side they decided to drive on. Nevertheless, a totally fabulous road!

 

[GTM®]

Not much else to add or say other than thanks for the purchase. Correct suspension set up makes for one of the most magical experiences one can have with any wheeled vehicle. Stock suspension is barely adequate, and when it comes to the Bitubo Racer shocks, they are sub-standard for most riders.
You didn't mention getting the sag #'s correct and balancing the damping that I did when you arrived... this is paramount for the magic carpet ride you have. Throwing parts on out of the box and not taking the time to set them up properly is detrimental unless you are extremely lucky with the suspension company. Balancing damping front to rear is also critical.
Take the time for those reading this, or pay someone to do it that has the proper knowledge. Happy to be of help.

 

[Neville]

I just kept the stock oil in my forks (which I believe is 10wt?) when I added the Mupo kit, and it seemed to work fine on my test ride. I'm about 180# geared-up, so your experience may be different.

Thanks, fitted my Mupo kit last night, all went in OK. I managed to fit the plastic sealing strips around the valve body that others have mentioned having difficulty with. I used some very thin clear plastic sheet from a vacuum formed packaging insert as a liner on the the top threaded part of the fork tube, to make it smoother and eliminate the sharp edged step at the end of the threads, along the lines of using a piston ring compressor.
My forks needed topping up, as the original air gap was 200mm. As the volume required was small I used some 7.5 SAE oil I had in the garage to get the job done. Tonight I'll drop the forks in the yokes by 10mm. Hopefully get a test ride in tomorrow.

 

[Stradagene]

You didn't mention getting the sag #'s correct and balancing the damping that I did when you arrived... this is paramount for the magic carpet ride you have. Throwing parts on out of the box and not taking the time to set them up properly is detrimental unless you are extremely lucky with the suspension company. Balancing damping front to rear is also critical.
Take the time for those reading this, or pay someone to do it that has the proper knowledge. Happy to be of help.

This is true. Todd spent a good 15-20 min measuring and setting the damping and balance!!

 

[Bob Ponticelli]

Whatever Moto Guzzi was thinking with the V7 has always been a bit of an enigma to me. The bike is charismatic like nothing else! And what it leaves to be desired is easily dismissed because it has just so much character! But it does leave some things to be desired.

Actually I think MG hit it right. They made the bike as inexpensive as possible as they have issues selling bikes as it is. Many folks are fine with the stock suspension. Perhaps due to their size and riding style, etc.

For folks like us that want to tweak it to make it better we can afford to do so. I paid $8K for mine (new MY14 v7r ) delivered in 2015 and I don't mind adding things like a sump extender, suspension pipes etc because I paid what I did. I can only guess that folks like Todd prefer them sell more and at a low price-point so folks like us can "play".

 

[Scott Smith]

Matris V7 F15K Full Fork Cartridge Kit

Matris Full Cartridge Kit for your V7 Mk I-III & 850 E5 We have our own GTM Spec for AUS & USA Riders - EXCLUSIVE ONLY HERE. A drop-in kit (no cutting or modifications need) for your '09-12 Marzocchi forks or 13'~current Kaifa forked V7 models (ALL). Sprung and valved to order to your weight and...

gtmotocycles.com

my goal was not to drop the wheel and forks. I have the springs for a +200 lbs. rider.

I have a new noise since the install. Sounds like spring rattle to me? Is my mind playing tricks on me "it's not a coincident" when I made a change to the bike.

1-removed the stock caps
2-removed upper washer
3-removed metal sleeve
4-removed spring
5-removed lower washer

6-Dropped in the new spring with part "A" flow regulator (blind) (since fluid was only thing visible down the tube)
7-Did not add or change fluid
8-added the new sleeves
9-installed preload caps

I took them for a ride. - I had to add preload. Ride again. Add more preload.
I'm adjusted to four bars exposed.
I have a fork zip tie that is sliding to the same stock setup measured location? leads me to believe it's a fluid adjustment at this point moving forward.
Seems to still be bottoming out. Is the amount of fluid a bump stop that can help?
If I add fluid to test - how much fluid in small increments? Again to prevent removing the forks.

or Should I just pull it all. empty the tubes to visually verify flow regulator is seated properly in both legs?
Add 440 new fork fluid @ 20 weight to help with 205 lbs. with gear?