Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => CB350/400 => Topic started by: Mikep328 on August 19, 2025, 08:19:18 AM
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HI all, I am looking at a companion for my 400F and am interested in a Moto Guzzi V7. Does anyone here have experience with the V7? I realize this is not Honda related but I'd rather ask folks I "know" than watch any more of the endless reviews on line extolling its "character." I have never ridden one and many of the things lauded as "character" seem to me to be "annoying." Anyone here with experience?
I can understand if a moderator removes this as not Honda related...
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HI all, I am looking at a companion for my 400F and am interested in a Moto Guzzi V7.
Mind you don't end up with something like these to find homes for! ;) ;D
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There are quite a few Guzzis in my local classic bike club, including V7s.
The owners swear by them, a real brand loyalty. They seem heavy and a bit clunky compared to modern bikes but they must have something that owners love.
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Thanks! "heavy and clunky" would make them an absolute "NO WAY!" for me. I can't think of any phrases that would make a motorcycle less appealing!
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I would say the same about a BMW boxer and I see you have 2 of those! 🤣 Don't listen to me, go and have a test ride on one. That's the only way to find out if it's for you.
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Okie Hume of Classic Bike Guide Magazine has one and absolutely loves it calling it the bargain of the century.
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Some parts are very difficult to get and italian chrome is iffy, they have the torque reaction like the BMW and i found one uncomfortable, but that was in 76
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Some parts are very difficult to get and italian chrome is iffy, they have the torque reaction like the BMW and i found one uncomfortable, but that was in 76
I agree with you there Bryan. I have a Moto Morini and some spares are very difficult to obtain. My Jota is the same, some parts are virtually impossible to get these days and if you can find them especially things like fuel tanks , seats or headlights they cost an arm and a leg. To be fair to Guzzi though the Morini and Laverda factories closed a long long time ago.
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I don't have the opportunity to ride one anywhere nearby. I've been offered a '21 V7 Special with 6000 miles that looks nearly new for a decent price. Definitely a pretty bike. I guess could buy it and, if I don't care for it, sell it like the 3 previous owners have done! ;)
All of the (many) videos I have watched show it being shifted rather slowly and deliberately. If it really requires that, I wouldn't like it. But the videos may be misleading. Heck, all the videos of the CB400F show a similar reluctance to push the bike - none of them show a rider winding out the 400F to redline and popping it into the next gear. I'm not expecting a V7 to act the same way but I don't want to feel like I'm on a tractor.
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I don't have the opportunity to ride one anywhere nearby. I've been offered a '21 V7 Special with 6000 miles that looks nearly new for a decent price. Definitely a pretty bike. I guess could buy it and, if I don't care for it, sell it like the 3 previous owners have done! ;)
All of the (many) videos I have watched show it being shifted rather slowly and deliberately. If it really requires that, I wouldn't like it. But the videos may be misleading. Heck, all the videos of the CB400F show a similar reluctance to push the bike - none of them show a rider winding out the 400F to redline and popping it into the next gear. I'm not expecting a V7 to act the same way but I don't want to feel like I'm on a tractor.
A bit left field but have you tried a Royal Enfield Interceptor? Great bikes, as quick as the Guzzi and plenty around. They put a smile on your face when you ride them and you can do an awful lot to them to make it yours. Put a Fuel-X and a pair of TEC pipes on it and they are just fantastic. I wouldn't be without mine now.
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Thanks Dave, I've ridden an interceptor and really liked it - nice bike! This Guzzi interest is a personal feeling that "I should own one at least once!" I did the same with a Harley some years ago; I didn't care for it and sold it less than 6 months later. This might be the same and, similarly, does not involve any common sense!
Speaking of common sense - I own the two BMWs and don't really like BMWs very much!!! People are strange...
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Oh I like the R9T especially the sport one in the racing colours. Apparently the riding position is a bit radical but luverly looking bike 👍.
I have a mate who have a Guzzi Le Mans MK1 in large bits under his workbench, been there for at least 25 years, I've begged him to sell it to me but nope 🙁.
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If I was going for a Moto Guzzi I think I would have to go for something I had shortlisted in the past. The 1982 V50 Monza.
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If I was going for a Moto Guzzi I think I would have to go for something I had shortlisted in the past. The 1982 V50 Monza.
Good choice George 👍
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I always liked the V50, I suspect like the 400 they are more comfy if you are the height of an average Italian back in the day.
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I always liked the V50, I suspect like the 400 they are more comfy if you are the height of an average Italian back in the day.
What I found remarkable about the Honda CX500 was that they could also build a longitudinally opposed V twin of 500cc with a shaft and make it about twice as big as a Moto Guzzi V50 :o
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One thing i really didnt like about Guzzi is the oil filter is INSIDE the sump
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"One thing i really didnt like about Guzzi is the oil filter is INSIDE the sump"
Guess I'll be learning about these sort of "quirks!" I agreed to purchase the '21 V7 Special. I hope the electrics are better than my experience with two Ducatis!
Re that:
I had a 900SS that I really liked but after a several hour ride where I was caught in heavy rain - I had constant electrical issues of one sort or another until I sold the bike to a shop. My wife's 2015 Duc Diavel had its fuel level sensor replaced twice by the Duck dealer. The third time the sensor failed , the dealer said, "It's a problem..." and suggested installing a "bypass" plug that essentially shut off the fuel sensing circuit and using mileage to determine when to refuel. Just like my 400F only without a "reserve" position on a fuel petcock!
That third time she ran out of fuel with the gauge showing a bit over 1/4 tank. She opted to wait on the side of a lonely road in the Texas Hill Country with the bike while I rode 12 miles to the nearest station, bought a 2 gallon gas can - filled it, rode back. She was not amused.
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Those sort of problems are not exclusive to Italian bikes. My mate has a BMW K1200s and the fuel level sensor went on that. It cost an absolute fortune to replace and took the dealer a lot of time to get it to work and calibrate it. It's a common fault with that bike, apparently.
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Owned an 850 LeMans for a number of years and loved it.
Gearboxes need positive shifts, and once you are used to it, they are fine. Don;t rush the shifts until you get the feel for the gearbox.
Electrics are probably a LOT better now than they used to be. Mine had a few 'quirks' ... like the kill switch power was seperate to the starter button....which took power direct from teh battery. This meant you can crank it with the kill switch off. The Japanese don;t do that....
It also had no plastic shields between power feeds and the handlebars, so when the killswitch shed a wire, it shorted the battery to earth.
Oh, and the starter motors were legendary for sticking. Got so I could strip, clean and reassemble the thing in less than 15 minutes.
But I loved that bike.
Until some utter moron drove into the back of me and wrote it off. I was stopped in traffic....he was gawping at some young lady in lycra cycling shorts.
Would I buy a modern V7? Possibly. They are derived from the old V50 base, and the build quality and QC looks a lot better than of old. Not powerful, and they look faster than they go, so get bought by 'that' sort of rider, who probably gets bored with it quickly and sells it on. But for an everyday modern classic for pottering about on, I think they do well.
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"and they look faster than they go, so get bought by 'that' sort of rider, who probably gets bored with it quickly and sells it on'
Yeah - could be why the one I'm purchasing has had 3 owners in less than 4 years!! I'll be the 4th and who knows, maybe the fifth will be coming along soon! I THINK I'll like it a lot but only time will tell...
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Picked up the '21 V7 Special today and rode the 94 miles home mostly in the rain! Never rode or ever sat on a Guzzi previously. It's an interesting motorcycle and about as opposite from the CB400F as it is possible to be. I think the V7 is the perfect bike when my wife is with me on her bike (Honda 750) but for solo rides I prefer the CB400.
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The thing with any Italian bike is stick with it. You will develop a love hate relationship and inevitable electrical issues. But once there sorted there great.
I have owned my aprilia for 22 years. Yes it goes wrong and parts are hard to get but I will never part with it
.every journey is an adventure
My Guzzi IV had for around 10 years all that has really needed to make it reliable was a direct feed from the alternator to the battery to fix the well know Italian issue that makes electricity disappear.