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V7 Cafe handling woes

4

4321aldo

Just got it firing!
Joined
Apr 6, 2010
Messages
4
Hi all.
A mate of mine bought one of these a couple of months ago (new) and although he likes it a lot, he's finding that the front end is vague and is prone to getting into a tankslapper if he hits the wrong sort of a bump at anything over 60mph. Sometimes lock to lock. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem and if you have any clues on how to rectify it? It has standard Metzeler tyres - correct pressures - the steering head bearings feel good (as you would expect on a new bike) - the rear spring has been backed off, so it's not transferring unwanted forces to the front end (he only weighs 65kg). We were thinking of lightening the fork oil or trying a different tyre. Anyway, any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Hal
 
Something isn't right! :unsure:

I've not ridden a V7 copy cat series but my Monza and V65GT have the same frame and they never behave like that.

Tyres are an unlikely issue and I've not used those. BT45's, Dunlop 501's and Avon Road Riders all do OK with slight variances.

All I can suggest is to check all the basics:

Wheel bearings
Swing arm bearings
Steering head bearings once again.
Wheel trueness
Spoke tensions
Shockers including front dampers if that series has them.
All frame bolts are tight, including the battery tray.
Front forks for trueness and lack of stiction.

Just a few suggestions but something is wrong somewhere. I ride the Monza reasonably hard and if I ever hit a bump at speed its head just gives a tiny shudder before sorting itself out and carrying on. Its all over before I have time to react.
 
Thanks...and I tend to agree about the tyres. We were thinking that a BT45 might improve things, but it shouldn't be necessary and may only be masking a deeper problem.
 
It's only two months old and should still be under warranty. Let the dealer sort it, there's plainly something very wrong. V7s shouldn't tank slap.
 
He's a pretty light fellow. The suspension is likely the culprit. Are the shocks adjustable for preload? If not, the dealer will be of little help. Best to spend a few $'s with a suspension guy to have him look/set it properly, or give you better direction for a fix. This is of course assuming that the bike is mechanically sound otherwise.
 
Can't say my V7 Classic shows any handling problems you describe. I have mainly used it on B roads which are not the best surfaced or maintained and the handling is quite safe. I think first it might be worth checking both rear dampers are on equal preload, but it could also be that the front fork damping oil is incorrect. In any case it's dangerous so probably best to have the dealer check it out.
 
It probably depends what you're used to? It's entirely possible that what a Monza owner describes as "tiny shudder before sorting itself out", would be "a huge slapper, damn near spat me off" if it happened to a CBR rider :D

My V7C shakes and wobbles, and has slapped a bit, a couple of times. I rather assumed that this was normal, and in fact the likes of Honda haven't entirely wasted the last 40 years of development.

I enjoy it. Do I need to ask my doctor to review the medication? :woohoo:
 
Your friend is light, but not absurdly light. I've got a V7 Classic, and I'm 162 lbs. The bike is fine up to 95 mph. How about having someone heavier ride it just to rule out rider weight as an issue?

Joe
 
As above.

And; I don't like Laserteks. They're the only tires which has caused shimmy to my Breva.
 
I've never had an issues with the front end on mine either. The back end has been a little squirrely at times, but I'm pretty sure it's the lazertech.
 
We'll run a spanner over it , check the steering head bearings, then see what and how much fork oil is in it. It will be a simple fix, I know - but it's nice to hear that it's not usual. Thanks for all your advice and help, and I'll let you know what we find.
All the best.
Hal
 
Hi, I had similar problems, the worst of which was a nasty tank slapper. Answer : The forks had bottomed out. Put a cable tie on and see how must travel you're using. I changed the springs and it's much better but not perfect. The standard spring rate is way too low for anything other than cruising.

The damping isn't great either but thats a little more difficult to sort out. Guzzi-tech sell cartridge emulators that apparently work well. A few people on here say that their progressive springs are better; I think the overall spring rate is higher than standard.
 
Hi, I think the first thing to say is that I'm in the UK and we have some cr*ppy roads.

I've also read another post on here effectively saying the same thing. I'm not sure of my exact numbers here (I have them at home), but I think the standard springs are something like 0.6kg/mm, I had mine replaced with 0.8's which are more typical for general road use a bike of this weight . The 0.6's are probably okay for cruising or smotth roads.

Just stick a cable tie on the fork as it's pretty easy to work out how much travel you're using.
 
Ok. Where I am in the US the roads are good and smooth, so I haven't had your problems. In some cities the potholes are bad, and some country roads are dirt and can be rough, but I avoid both the city and the dirt roads.

I've found that on dirt roads the bike feels unstable, even at low speed. I blame the tires for this, which are the stock Metzler Lasertechs.
 
Hi, I changed mine to pirelli demon sports, same as the clubman/v7 racer.
 
That's a difficult one to answer as I've changed so much now; tyres, fork springs/oil-15wt , rear shocks, 17' front wheel, dropped forks through clamps.

Let me know what you think when you get a pair.
 
I was loaned one of these for the day last summer when my Breva went in for a service at Moto Strada. I had a craking day out in the yorkshire Dales on it and experienced the exact same thing, I whacked it over a small rise at about 60mph and got a slapper, nearly pooed mesen as I was about to go into a hard left... and coincidentally I'm 65Kg too!

Todd is bang on the money, it's the rear shock set up, I backed off the preload and all was well. A very nice bike indeed.
 

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