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Basic V7 performance upgrades?

T

tierndog

Just got it firing!
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
1
I'm thinking about getting a V7, and, like most bikes off the showroom floor, it would be horribly underpowered out the door. My general rule of thumb is that the horsepower should be about 10% of the displacement in cc's, so a 750 should generate HP in the 70's, not the 43 or whatever the stock V7 makes.

In the Harley world they talk about paying the "Harley tax", which is the list of standard performance upgrades you need to make in order for your brand-new Harley to have reasonable power. What does the "Guzzi tax" consist of? I assume that right off the bat you need to improve the air intake and exhaust flow; what's the most common way to do this (by that I mean, what are the most common air-cleaner & exhaust replacements)? Is 70 HP a reasonable expectation for a two-valve push-rod 750 Guzzi? What else should be done to a stock Guzzi to bring it up to snuff? Suspension? Electrics?
 
Buy an 1100, it would be far cheaper than trying to extract more power from your V7. you can get modest gains, but not much more, the 2 valve heron heads do not lend themselves to much hotrodding. Having said that, test ride a V7, you will be suprised at how nice they are.
 
Hi Mike, welcome to the Forum. 70 hp at the crank or wheel? If its at the wheel, it's nearly impossible. The 1100 engines barely make 70 rwhp. You are dealing with old engine technology that started life as a V35/350cc. That said, with an air-box mod, Power Commander and free-flow pipes, someone here got ~55 rwhp. The other weak link IMO is certainly suspension, followed by brakes & rim selection/tires. You're talking thousands of US$'s to do these improvement, but it sure would be a fun ride.

As Jon states above, if you're looking for power & handling, buy an 1100 2V, or if rumors come to light... there's some serious hinting to a V9C in the works, based on the 940cc Bellagio. Now that will be a runner.
 
tierndog said:
My general rule of thumb is that the horsepower should be about 10% of the displacement in cc's, so a 750 should generate HP in the 70's, not the 43 or whatever the stock V7 makes.
Click to expand...

Which particularly barmy voice from cloud-cuckoo-land invented that? Oh? You did. Sorry. I'll go away now.

Pete.
 
When I test rode my 750 Breva before buying it, I rode it back to back with a Suzuki GS500 and found them reasonably similar in a lot of respects, with the Guzzi being generally more tractable and rideable, despite having a bit more vibration.

I don't regard my bike as being similar to a 750cc Japanese sports bike. In weight and feel, it's more of a mid sizer, a 400 or 500.

About increasing the performance - If high performance is important, there are faster bikes for the money - and some of them are Italian :D Why start from behind? Even if it must be a Guzzi, by the time you spend the cash making a small one go faster, you could get a big one that's already faster and you won't have issues with insurance or warranty.

I like my Breva because it fits what I wanted from the bike. Despite being fuel injected, I can fix most things myself. I ride it to work everyday and it uses little fuel, doesn't have a chain to lube and it uses tyres that are inexpensive. It came with premium luggage so I can tour on it. My wife and I go for rides on it on the weekend and enjoy every trip. In this state of speed cameras and double demerit points, it has enoguh power for me to have fun but without putting my licence at risk. Something I couldn't say about the GPz900R I used to have.
 
tierndog said:
I'm thinking about getting a V7, and, like most bikes off the showroom floor, it would be horribly underpowered out the door. My general rule of thumb is that the horsepower should be about 10% of the displacement in cc's, so a 750 should generate HP in the 70's, not the 43 or whatever the stock V7 makes.
Click to expand...
I am not trying to slam you or your rule, but I feel compelled to point out a shortcoming in it. It does not take into account differences in engine configuration. Yeah, a liquid cooled 4 valve per cylinder twin might nail that power output on the head. An in-line 4 can seriously stomp it into the ground (modern 600cc sportbikes have over 100 at the rear wheel). But a 2 valve per cylinder air cooled push rod motor is not going to be able to acheive that, whether it is a 750 or an 1100. The 4 valve per cylinder Guzzi come close to you standard, but a 2 valver would be hard pressed to acheive that without spending more money on the motor then you spent on the rest of the bike.
If you are interested in one, ride it and see what you think. You can get power up to the mid 50's with the basic mods as Todd pointed out. And you may find that that is all it needs.
 
Before you apply your general rule of thumb, go test ride a V7C, and ride it like you stole it :mrgreen: I believe you will be amazed what this so called under powered bike will do. :eek: :shock: Straight out of the box as they say :D

Bill
 
It has often been said, and rightly so, that it is more fun to ride a slow bike fast then a fast bike slow.
 
The basic qualities that make a Guzzi desirable have little to do with power.
That is why they are targeted by the mature guy who has done some mileage , on the road and in life, and can appreciate what is good and important on a metal horse.
If you are not there, get something else or you will be unhappy with the Guzzi and it won't be her fault.

There are plenty other bikes around, better bikes if measured by hard facts and numbers.
But is magazine supermodel any good to be a life partner when she always has a long face and no curves to caress?
 
GuzziMoto said:
It has often been said, and rightly so, that it is more fun to ride a slow bike fast then a fast bike slow.
Click to expand...

I love riding our 750 Breva and I'd have a V7 in a heartbeat (if the money fell from the sky :lol:) so it's not really about figures on paper, out there in the world they do a good job.

Of course my 1200Sport is much faster (but it was 3 times the price of the 2nd-hand 750 and 4x more for insurance) While it's not even at modern bike power levels last weekend she gave me an awesome day doing ~600km in 5 hours with me eager to get back in the saddle after each fuel stop. 2 days earlier we both did the trip in about 8 hours (shorter range on the 750 and the other half like to have a break to eat :D )

Both our Guzzi's were the least powerful on paper, and most expensive, out of the other bikes we considered buying. So definitely test ride one, if it's for you you won't want to give it back :)
 
Buy the bigger Grisco!,The V7 well is just perfect,good looks,well mannered,and smooth docile seamless power. Is enough to get you in trouble with the local law dog. Want a crouch rocket go bigger! Ciao!!
 
I agree with GT-RX, the suspension is more of a limitation than power.

I've got a set of Mistrals, which I guess add a few HP (in my opinion I've lost a little at the bottom), but that aside, I can't even use the 48bhp on my 30 mile journey to work on English roads without the suspension holding me back (bucking, bouncing, even tankslappers). It's probably okay if you use it as a commuter/cruiser but I think it's a great little lightweight that can be hussled a bit more.

I agree that it performs better than expected, but it's definitely worth sorting the suspension first.

I'd like to know what the suggested air-box mods are ?

Chris
(v7 classic)
 
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