2017 V7 III Special - Beginner Upgrade Questions

[Alec Goldstein]

Hey All - its my first time posting here! I have been a Moto Guzzi enthusiast for longer than I have been a rider, and I have only been an MG enthusiast for about 6 months, so please excuse me if my questions seem obvious.

After getting my license I purchased a 2017 V7 III Special which I have really been enjoying. I have about 2,000 miles on it now, and I think I'd like to customize it a bit.

Two things I had on the top my mind:
- Does anyone have good/bad experience with the Moto Guzzi Multimedia Platform? The guys at my dealer really couldn't tell me much about it.

- Does anyone have a recommendation for a good cold air intake that is compatible with the V7III? I was also thinking about just upgrading my air filter and holding off on installing a new intake.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

 

[john zibell]

I can't address the multimedia platform, but I will say that if you change the intake system, you will need to modify the map. If you want to do anything like that I recommend you contact Todd (who owns this website) direct. Easiest way is to use the contact button in the store area.

 

[Mayakovski]

- Does anyone have good/bad experience with the Moto Guzzi Multimedia Platform? The guys at my dealer really couldn't tell me much about it.

If you search around this and other forums you will find mostly negative reviews and comments. Seems to be costly, unreliable and really does not add much to the riding experience.

 

[Godfrey]

I know nothing about multimedia stuff with respect to motorcycles. No interest on my part. ;-)

Regards the intake: That would be the LAST thing I worked on if I was looking to improve performance of my V7III. It would likely produce no improvements at all until after you attended to the other things:

- GT remapped ECU, even with everything else stock
- remove/plug the evaporative emissions system junk.
- improved mufflers/exhaust system (with updated ECU map for it)
- remove the secondary air intake system (to eliminate popping and spitting) with the GT SAS kit.
- improved front suspension
- improved tires
- improved rear suspension.

See the online Store tab above for proven options.

Only then, if I were looking for more engine power, I'd look into modifications to engine and intake system.

Good luck.

 

[Mayakovski]

I have to agree with Godfrey. Below is what I did on my Anniversario. It's like a whole new motorcycle. Such an improvement.

- GT remapped ECU
- remove/plug the evaporative emissions system junk.
- remove the secondary air intake system (to eliminate popping and spitting) GT SAS Kit

 

[roadscum]

I believe the best bang for the buck is to upgrade the suspension front and rear for a better handling, more comfortable, and safer ride. Race Tech emulators in thee front and Wilbers shocks in the rear didnthe trick for me. Added Conti R A 3's to kick handling up a notch.

On my V7 Special, gen III, I see no need to change the ECU mapping, I have no fueling issues or throttle response issue and it runs great with the OEM exhaust or the Minstrals exhaust. My money is better spent on gasoline.

I've set my Special up for touring with Hepco Becker panniers, a dart windscreen, and heated grips. It's now perfect for my needs..... damn I luv this bike!

Paul

 

[Mayakovski]

On my V7 Special, gen III, I see no need to change the ECU mapping, I have no fueling issues or throttle response issue and it runs great with the OEM exhaust or the Minstrals exhaust. My money is better spent on gasoline.

Clearly you have never ridden a V7 III that has had been flashed by Todd. Trust me, your bike may seem like it runs great now with no fueling or throttle issues, but once you try a remapped V7 III you will see how amazing the bike can truly be.

 

[Godfrey]

I believe the best bang for the buck is to upgrade the suspension front and rear for a better handling, more comfortable, and safer ride. Race Tech emulators in thee front and Wilbers shocks in the rear didnthe trick for me. Added Conti R A 3's to kick handling up a notch.

On my V7 Special, gen III, I see no need to change the ECU mapping, I have no fueling issues or throttle response issue and it runs great with the OEM exhaust or the Minstrals exhaust. My money is better spent on gasoline.

I've set my Special up for touring with Hepco Becker panniers, a dart windscreen, and heated grips. It's now perfect for my needs..... damn I luv this bike!

Paul

Different strokes ...
Racer ran well straight off the showroom floor so I know what you mean. However, the EVAP problem came close to damaging the fuel tank from vacuum build up and I wanted a little bit more exhaust note. The GT-Rx ECU Tool and a remap helped even with no other changes, netted big gains when I fitted the Agostinits again, and removing the SAS cleaned up the running sans catcons.

Suspension, wheels, and tires were the larger and in most ways more important changes I made, of course. Racer now writes and handles inkeeping with its heritage. Sounds good, runs the way I wanted, etc.

My days as a long haul motocyclist are likely mostly behind me. I don't need to reserve thousands of dollars for fuel anymore, and a tank bag and small bag strapped to the back of the seat carry enough for my needs. How the bike runs, sounds, and handles are more important for my enjoyment.

 

[dududuckling]

Clearly you have never ridden a V7 III that has had been flashed by Todd. Trust me, your bike may seem like it runs great now with no fueling or throttle issues, but once you try a remapped V7 III you will see how amazing the bike can truly be.

Been thinking about the GT ECU update for a while now... quick noob question: If I don't like the remap or for whatever reason would like to go back to the stock OEM mapping, is this an option? Or is it a one-way street?

Like the above, I'd spend on: Engine guards > 2-2 SS > GT ECU Map

I thought about the Multimedia Platform, but I would rather look at the scenery when I ride and use the phone for GPS if need be. Knowing lean angle and rpm/thermometer is fun, but I'd be looking at the exit when leaning around the corner

 

[Godfrey]

Been thinking about the GT ECU update for a while now... quick noob question: If I don't like the remap or for whatever reason would like to go back to the stock OEM mapping, is this an option? Or is it a one-way street? ...

Because the ECU programming is VIN-locked to your specific motorcycle, the process of obtaining a new map requires that you first download a copy of the OEM map into the ECU Tool, output it to a file on your computer, and send that to GT. The file is modified with the new parameters for the ECU and emailed back to you, you upload it into the ECU Tool, and then install it into the ECU. At the end, the ECU Tool has both your OEM map and the customized map (actually up to four or five customized maps, I forget the specifics), and you can choose to install whichever of them into your ECU at any time.

So there are no issues with going back to the stock map if you should happen to want or need to. The likelihood that you might want to is pretty low, IMO: the bike should just run even better than it does stock.

 

[dududuckling]

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[roadscum]

Clearly you have never ridden a V7 III that has had been flashed by Todd. Trust me, your bike may seem like it runs great now with no fueling or throttle issues, but once you try a remapped V7 III you will see how amazing the bike can truly be.

Your are corret, I have not. I'm ompletely satisfied with the OEM tune on the V7 gen III.

Been riding for almost most 55 years, 20+ k miles/year in retirement, owned 45+ different motorcycle, some of those were remapped, some with PC's. My '09 1200 Sport had a map from Todd and his PC+. it ran well. My point is know what I expect from a motor and the EOM ECU meets my expectation, it' as simple as that.

I'm interest to know what you find "amazing" that was result of the reflash??

Paul

 

[Mayakovski]

I'm interest to know what you find "amazing" that was result of the reflash??
Paul

Glad to hear you are happy with the bike, the V7 III is really a fantastic machine.

After I flashed the ECU using Todd's tool I found the following:

Much smoother throttle response
Less popping on deceleration
More power
Smoother deceleration
Smoother shifting
Deeper exhaust note
Smoother idle
Better cool weather starting and quicker starting in general

Maya

 

[roadscum]

Glad to hear you are happy with the bike, the V7 III is really a fantastic machine.

After I flashed the ECU using Todd's tool I found the following:

Much smoother throttle response
Less popping on deceleration
More power
Smoother deceleration
Smoother shifting
Deeper exhaust note
Smoother idle
Better cool weather starting and quicker starting in general

Maya

None of those are an issue for me on my V7 Special. Minor popping on deceleration with the after market exhaust just adds a little character, I like it. As for more power, my R1200R and GSA have that in spades, if it was power I wanted I would have bought a different bike, one with more power. That's not why I bought my V7. Never had a cool weather starting issue, not likely in Florida, didn't have a problem when I took delivery last fall in Ct.. Didn't realize the gen III's had this issue, haven't heard of it before. Anyone else here have a cold start issue with their gen III?

Could it be I just got a good one out of the box.... dunno?????

Glad you got your bike squared away to your liking. Is it a gen III?

Maybe you got a motor from the same batch as alvis's 1st motor??? Here, post #29 : https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/v7iii-blown-engine.18958/page-2

Paul

 

[Mayakovski]

None of those are an issue for me on my V7 Special.

None of them were issues for me, the bike ran beautifully right from the dealership door. At least as good as bikes from other brands. Pretty much perfection. It's just that after the flash it runs even better. Call it perfection +1.

It's a 2017 V7 III Anniversario.

 

[JACoH]

14,000 miles on my V7 III, in 15 months, with Todd's reflash, no starting issues in summer, winter, spring or fall.

 

[avlis]

Only starting issue I had with engine #1 was a flashing oil pressure light for a few seconds after cold start.

 

[roadscum]

None of them were issues for me, the bike ran beautifully right from the dealership door. At least as good as bikes from other brands. Pretty much perfection. It's just that after the flash it runs even better. Call it perfection +1.

It's a 2017 V7 III Anniversario.

My theory is if it ain't broke it doesn't need fix'n. I'll spend those $$$ on gas and collect more miles of smiles.

Did you have issues with starting in cold weather? I want to know if this is a situation I may encounter on an excursion into colder territory.

Paul

 

[Mayakovski]

Did you have issues with starting in cold weather? I want to know if this is a situation I may encounter on an excursion into colder territory.
Paul

So far nope, starts beautifully, just turns over a bit quicker after the flash.
Maya

 

[roadscum]

So far nope, starts beautifully, just turns over a bit quicker after the flash.
Maya

Ahhhh, I get it now. Thanks for the clarification.

Paul