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V7 III stone vs special decision

M

Micadu

Just got it firing!
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
Messages
12
Location
Romania, EU
Hi I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I am from Romania and I don't have a MG yet, but thinking of buying one (not having a dealer in the same country does not help, but I am determined :) ).

So I have a few questions that I would need help with. I am sorry if these would belong to another area. @Admin please move as appropriate.

- I've been reading reviews and spec sheets and I cannot determine if there is any difference between Stone and Special from a technical perspective. So styling, tachometer and wheels aside, is there any technical difference?
- As I don't have a dealer in my country I might end up flying in Italy and buying a MG from a dealer there(with EU it is rather easy). And then ride it back home some 1200 miles. That would be a starter story... Am I crazy? What kind of "new buy" checks would you recommend to do with the dealer so I increase my chances of getting home on the guzzi, and not riding a platform?
- I have been reading (on advrider mostly) about a lot of problems with MGs... also new ones but not IIIs. Any info on the V7 III reliability and info if QC department got their act together?
- Currently I have a DL650, which is 10 years old and has 100k km on it. I would like to by the MG for the styling but I wouldn't want just to ride in town. Is this bike touring capable with some modifications(not interested in fast, but rather reliable)

Hopping to be a MG owner soon, cheers from the other side of the planet :).
 
Cheers Micadu, welcome to the GT Forum & Famiglia. Determination is a good trait to have to be a Guzzi owner.
Ignore most of what you read on the internet about Guzzis (maybe aside from this website), and I'd say you are not crazy, no. New Guzzis, when setup properly, can go extremely far distances brand new out of the box. My V7 III Stone rental did ~5600 km as its first real trip. I would say buy from Agostini and take a tour of the factory while you're there in town.
There is only cosmetic differences between the Stone and Special as you note, nothing else.
Hope that helps some, and I'd say, buy one! The new hemi-head V7 III is very very good.
 
Hi Todd,
thanks for such a quick reply. As I am new to all this I want to make sure I understand correctly. When you are saying buy from Agostini are you referring to this site? ecommerce.agostinimandello.com/ ?
 
Yes, they are just down the street from the factory.
 
I was at the Moto Guzzi 75th Raduno in 1996 and visited the Agostini shop. Like a fantasy land of fantastic Moto Guzzi bits..

My personal experience has been mostly with older big block Guzzis from the ‘70s and ‘80s. They had their amusing niggles which I sorted out to my satisfaction, but were fundamentally beautiful, solid pieces of machinery. I put many, many miles on my sportified 850T and ‘89 LeMans V. The small block generation bikes then were roundly criticized by many, but when it came down that two of my friend bought them and maintained them properly, well, they just ran and ran much like the big blocks I owned.

I’m going to buy the V7III now. The only bit of the bike that I have any question about is the ECU ... mostly because I’m pretty new to ECU managed motorcycles. I started a thread asking about that specifically.
 
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Good on you, get that V7 III. I love mine, now with 4000 miles since July. Just get the GT-Rx flash tool and ride it.
 
Welcome Micadu. Bear in mind that you usually only hear from owners in forums when they have problems. Who knows how many trouble-free MGs are out there for each one who asks for help in a forum? Plenty I'd guess. Like all Latin machines they have their quirks, but that's part of the joy of owning something the rest of the world doesn't even know exists. You'll love it!
 
I drove to the dealership today and took the V7III Racer for a test drive. I get about a quarter of a mile away and this deja vu overwhelms me: aside from the revvier, smaller flywheel effect motor, this bike feels like the identical twin of the sportified 850T that I built in 1995. I mean, *identical* ... same noises, same lovely, fluid, sweet power band, same low seat, rearset pegs, legroom, reach and position to the bars. I felt absolutely at home on it immediately.

I rode back to the dealership about 10 km later.
"How'd it go?" said the salesman.
"Well, there's a big problem," I said.
"Oh No, what happened?"
"Well, the Problem is that my bike is here in your showroom." I grinned.
He laughed out loud. "I take it that you want it."
"Uh huh. You bastard." I paid for it twenty minutes later after a flurry of paperwork. "I'll be up to get it tomorrow morning."
He smiled.

I'm going to really REALLY enjoy this bike. And ride the heck out of it. That sportified 850T was the bike that I found I loved the most of all the bikes I've owned. Now I have it back, updated and all modernized but for all intents and purposes the same bike.

And even prettier. I think I'm in love! :inlove:
 
I have just under 5000 miles on my 2017 V7 Special, and have not experienced one problem with it so far.

Between my wife and myself, we've owned about eighty motorcycles of all kinds over the years, and currently have five, and I must say that regardless of cost and power, I would rate my blue Special in my top five favorite machines just based on it's overall 'fun factor' and classy appearance. They 'only' have 52hp, but they make such good use of it with nearly perfect gear ratios and impressive mid-range torque characteristics, that unless you're drag racing things you shouldn't be, they are more than adequate, and just a lot of fun to ride.
IMG 20170928 183705446 HDR
 
I suggest, that if you have the time, you ride the bike around Italy for 600 miles or so and have the first service done. Oil changes, etc. On the V7 and V7II it included torqueing the head bolts and adjusting the valves.
If you cannot do that, 1200 miles of gentle riding should be OK.

Hepco-Becker makes racks and bags that fit, work well, and look good - making it a reasonable touring bike - that is my experience. Some wind protection is desirable also.

Dan
 
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