It's hard to believe that the V7III Racer has been in my hands just three weeks. Three weeks of extreme busyness as well. But it's true, and I'm already up to 650 miles on it. Coming home from dinner last evening on the freeway, after wiggling through a ton of surface streets to get to the restaurant two hours before, it struck me again how similar this bike is to my LeMans V and 850T.
Like both of those, it can bimble and dawdle along on crappy streets in crappy traffic without any problems. Excellent balance, a very forgiving engine, and a beautiful, clean, consistent clutch make it happen. But where it really shines is when I get on the freeway, or a fast wiggly road with lots of corners, and let it roll along: the engine bounces up into its real power range and the gears are perfectly spaced for aggressive charging as well as steady, relaxed, high-speed cruising. There's just enough room for legs, arms, and butt that I can move around comfortably and securely. The seat doesn't hurt me, the wind pressure seems to disappear, and the engine just talks back saying, "Go! Let me GO!" Crappy pavement barely perturbs the stability, the ride is firm—well-controlled without harshness, the brakes are sure and effective, and it turns easily with no drama or twitchiness.
How do those folks at Moto Guzzi get the balance of their machines so right? I don't know, but I'm glad they do.
Like both of those, it can bimble and dawdle along on crappy streets in crappy traffic without any problems. Excellent balance, a very forgiving engine, and a beautiful, clean, consistent clutch make it happen. But where it really shines is when I get on the freeway, or a fast wiggly road with lots of corners, and let it roll along: the engine bounces up into its real power range and the gears are perfectly spaced for aggressive charging as well as steady, relaxed, high-speed cruising. There's just enough room for legs, arms, and butt that I can move around comfortably and securely. The seat doesn't hurt me, the wind pressure seems to disappear, and the engine just talks back saying, "Go! Let me GO!" Crappy pavement barely perturbs the stability, the ride is firm—well-controlled without harshness, the brakes are sure and effective, and it turns easily with no drama or twitchiness.
How do those folks at Moto Guzzi get the balance of their machines so right? I don't know, but I'm glad they do.