Weird Noises all about

[Sean_Kelly]

Hello everyone!

First off, thank you for hosting this forum, it was a valuable resource in helping me finalize my decision to buy a new bike. This Tuesday I was finally able to get everything together and ride away from the dealer on a 2016 V7 II Stone!

One of the things that initially made me hesitant about buying the bike was all the seemingly unnecessary noises that I could hear from the motor at low RPMs during the test ride. I thought to myself, maybe it's just the fuel injectors and I'm not used to them (previous bike: 1980 CX500), or maybe it's just been abused since it was the demo model. So I did some shopping around and noticed the same noises from the Triumph T100, not as noticeable, but if you lean your head down to the side of the bike you can hear it resounding in the engine area. So that actually helped me decide on the V7, if a new bike was going to make weird noises no matter what, I was certainly going to go with the shaft driven, lighter, and better motor stance, Moto Guzzi.

So I bought the bike and it actually makes less odd noises then the demo did (maybe it's just because I know this one is mine now), but I have been noticing that the transmission seems to make a Chcka, chcka, chcka sound when the bike is just sitting in neutral with the clutch lever disengaged. The sound goes away when I pull the clutch lever in. Is this normal for this bike or did my dealer screw up the clutch adjustment / fluid level maybe? They didn't even tighten one of the mirrors all the way, so I certainly see it as a possibility. It is also pretty vocal about going into gears, but I figure this is because everything is newer and not worn out like my old bike. Should I be concerned or is it just another common noise?

Thanks guys.

 

[john zibell]

The noise in neutral is not uncommon. The gearbox is a constant mesh and a few of the shift dogs may be touching occasionally. Once you squeeze in the clutch, the input shaft stops rotating so the noise goes away. I would recommend checking all fluid levels. I never trust the PDI performed by dealers.

 

[Vagrant]

also it's an air cooled engine. inherently nosier than a water cooled. make sure you tighten the exhaust bolts at the head every 300-500 miles for a while.

 

[GTM®]

The sound goes away when I pull the clutch lever in. Is this normal for this bike or did my dealer screw up the clutch adjustment / fluid level maybe?

Sean, welcome to the GT and Guzzi Famiglia. What dealer did the bike come from?
The clutch is a "dry" clutch, so no fluid, just a simple cable adjust. I would highly recommend bringing it by my shop in Orange for it's first service as a minimum... it is uber-critical. Use the Service tab above to book in, in advance.
As stated above, the V7 engine is largely a motor designed in the 70's, though (sort of) modernized, most of the sounds are just inherent with the motor and bike. Don't stress about it, just try to ride and enjoy it.
Hope to meet you in Orange one day soon.

Also hope you'll also add your info to the Registry page here; https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/v7-registry-picture-thread-add-your-bike.9108/

 

[Sean_Kelly]

The noise in neutral is not uncommon. The gearbox is a constant mesh and a few of the shift dogs may be touching occasionally. Once you squeeze in the clutch, the input shaft stops rotating so the noise goes away. I would recommend checking all fluid levels. I never trust the PDI performed by dealers.

Thanks for the response John, I will definitely check the fluids just to be on the safe side.

also it's an air cooled engine. inherently nosier than a water cooled. make sure you tighten the exhaust bolts at the head every 300-500 miles for a while.

I never thought about the water-cooling making it quieter, although I've only ridden the CX for the past 3 years so that would make sense. Thanks for the tip!

Sean, welcome to the GT and Guzzi Famiglia. What dealer did the bike come from?
The clutch is a "dry" clutch, so no fluid, just a simple cable adjust. I would highly recommend bringing it by my shop in Orange for it's first service as a minimum... it is uber-critical. Use the Service tab above to book in, in advance.
As stated above, the V7 engine is largely a motor designed in the 70's, though (sort of) modernized, most of the sounds are just inherent with the motor and bike. Don't stress about it, just try to ride and enjoy it.
Hope to meet you in Orange one day soon.

Also hope you'll also add your info to the Registry page here; https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/v7-registry-picture-thread-add-your-bike.9108/

Thanks for the welcoming Todd! I was definitely planning on taking it in to your shop for the first service. Getting pretty close there already! (350 miles). I will eventually be looking into that ECU reflash as well once finances permit it.

I picked up the bike in Brea, Southern California Motorcycles, they just started carrying Guzzi this year I believe.

Glad to hear it's most likely common noises and not anything out of the ordinary.

 

[BenRCMC]

Thanks for the response John, I will definitely check the fluids just to be on the safe side.



I never thought about the water-cooling making it quieter, although I've only ridden the CX for the past 3 years so that would make sense. Thanks for the tip!



Thanks for the welcoming Todd! I was definitely planning on taking it in to your shop for the first service. Getting pretty close there already! (350 miles). I will eventually be looking into that ECU reflash as well once finances permit it.

I picked up the bike in Brea, Southern California Motorcycles, they just started carrying Guzzi this year I believe.

Glad to hear it's most likely common noises and not anything out of the ordinary.

Well done mate! I too had a CX500 before selling it to get my V7. Needless to say even though I built the CX into a great looking bike and learnt so so much from the process I really do prefer the V7 haha.

I love the "chukkachukkachukka" noise that the dry clutch makes in neutral. It's subtle (especially compared to a Ducati) but it's become one of my favourite noises on the bike. As Todd said, don't stress, just ride the damn thing and you'll be fine! The noise when you change gear definitely varies with age and also bike to bike. My V7 changing gear sounds totally different to my brother's V7 and also completely different to my friend's V7. So again, not something to worry about =) Just as long as you get the initial break-in service done by a pro like Todd you'll have miles and miles/kilometres and kilometres of fun.