2013 V7 Stone Vs. 2012 V7 Racer

[pokeyjoe]

I drove up to the dealer in Thousand Oaks and took the new Stone for a 20 mile ride. Right afterwards, I hopped on my bike and drove the same route. Here are my impressions.

Engine: I didn’t get a chance to try it cold, so I can’t comment on it being cold-blooded. I don’t think there is much difference in power, however, that being said, it certainly feels like it. The throttle now has a very distinct on-off feel. Anyone that’s ever ridden a high-strung liter bike will know the sensation. It’s not snatchy, but that’s the general idea. The new bikes have a different fueling system and ECU (Marelli MIU). I believe that improved fueling is what causes the bike to have any more power at all, minimal as it may be. I could not detect any appreciable differences between the two bikes when rolling on the throttle at various RPMs. All that said, my bike does have a richer fuel map than stock (only mod).

Transmission: Some have said that the new bikes have an improved shift mechanism or something. I found there to be no difference, however, since my Racer has rearsets, maybe the new levers are better than the old levers on the non-Racers. Finding first from neutral is just as much fun and Guzzi-like as ever.

Fuel tank: There has been a lot of speculation as to just how MG made it bigger. It’s pretty simple, really. It’s taller. Put the bikes side by side and it’s quite noticeable.

Exhaust: Some have said that the exhaust on the new bikes was louder or sounded better or something. It’s exactly the same.

Summary: Out-of-the-box, the 2013 is a much nicer ride. I needed a richer fuel map and a thousand miles to get my 2012 to perform as well as the 2013 with just 55 miles. The Stone will probably just get better and better as the miles roll on. Would I rather have a 2013? Well, it would have to be a Racer (I find my clip-ons and rearsets to be much more comfortable) and I’m not very fond of the chrome tank on the new Racers. Todd can probably get my performance on par with the new bikes with a PC and Auto-tune, but he may already have something in mind for the new bikes as well. I’ll just never catch up, but I’m OK with that.

Thanks to Nick at the Vespa Thousand Oaks store for letting me have some fun.

 

[mgv7racer]

Thanks for your review. Love your line: Finding first from neutral is just as much fun and Guzzi-like as ever.

 

[Carl Allison]

I traded my 2011 V7 Café last week for a 2013 V7 Racer. I finally got to put about 60 miles on it today. Aside from the much better rear suspension on the Racer, they're the same - but they're not. The new engine runs stronger down low and seems to be at its smoothest between 4200-5000 rpm. Everything is marginally better so it's evolution, not revolution. I do have problems with the new gearbox though, it seems to not be able to find the gear cog or something going from 2nd to 3rd. I tightened the clutch cable a tad this evening and hopefully, that will alleviate that problem. Another problem associated with shifting was the position of the gear lever which was simply too high to allow good foot action. It took removing all of the rod length to get the lever down where it's useful. If that isn't enough, one of the stop nuts may have to be removed. Mechanically of course, the two bikes are very, very similar. The two V7's differ mainly by the execution of paint and other body details. It's more like having two cars of the same make but one has leather seats and better paint. If asked if the trade-up was worthwhile, I can only say that it is entirely an individual choice but the major difference would boil down to the larger gas tank for me and the engine that now looks like an engine and not the air compressor I used to have out in the garage.

 

[pokeyjoe]

Another problem associated with shifting was the position of the gear lever which was simply too high to allow good foot action. It took removing all of the rod length to get the lever down where it's useful. If that isn't enough, one of the stop nuts may have to be removed.

One end of that rod connects on the frame end to a short lever mounted to a splined shaft. Infinite adjustments there. I found the lever to but much too high as well. I found neutral every time I was looking for second.

 

[Carl Allison]

Another problem associated with shifting was the position of the gear lever which was simply too high to allow good foot action. It took removing all of the rod length to get the lever down where it's useful. If that isn't enough, one of the stop nuts may have to be removed.

One end of that rod connects on the frame end to a short lever mounted to a splined shaft. Infinite adjustments there. I found the lever to but much too high as well. I found neutral every time I was looking for second.

Yeah, I know that but yanking one nut off of an assembly that can't rotate anywhere is simpler. The first "performance" mod I made to my 97 Sport 1100i was to lower the shift lever to a more useable position. Considering this seems to be the normal production position for MG dhift levers, Luigi's left foot must be way different than American left feet.

 

[pokeyjoe]

Considering this seems to be the normal production position for MG dhift levers, Luigi's left foot must be way different than American left feet.

Ever driven an Italian car? I you adjust the seat for your reach to the pedals, you can't reach the steering wheel. Apes, maybe?

 

[Carl Allison]

Considering this seems to be the normal production position for MG dhift levers, Luigi's left foot must be way different than American left feet.

Ever driven an Italian car? I you adjust the seat for your reach to the pedals, you can't reach the steering wheel. Apes, maybe?

Two Fiat 2300s coupes and a Fiat 850 Spyder. I stay away from Italian cars now. German ones as well.

 

[mgv7racer]

Mine was way to high as well. There's a way to "fine tune" the shifter, it but it wasn't enough. I have to adjust the linkages. BTW, I know what you mean about Italian cars, I have a '95 164 as a daily driver.