Moto Guzzi V7 III Carbon, Milano & Rough test

Menus

• A neo-retro range which now goes to 6 models
• V2, 744 cm3, 52 hp at 6200 rpm, 60 Nm at 4900 rpm, 193 kilos dry, from € 8,999
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Engine and transmission
• In the city
• On motorways and main roads
• On departmental
• Part-cycle
• Brakes
• Comfort and duo
• Consumption & autonomy
• Conclusion
• Moto Guzzi V7 III Carbon, Milano & Rough video test

A neo-retro range which now goes to 6 models

V2, 744 cm3, 52 hp at 6200 rpm, 60 Nm at 4900 rpm, 193 kilos dry, from € 8,999

Please note: we are not here to talk simply about motorcycles, but to rectify the course of history; limit that we will not decide definitively on the constitutional problem between the egg and the hen. We are not going to debate bolts, washers and meter-kilo of torque: no, what interests us in this article is that this is about divine justice. We are like that, at Le Repaire, we know how to commit to noble causes and do real investigative journalism from the Pulitzerian, Bernard de la Villardière style (at least!).

What you have in front of you has a simple mission, but essential for the future of humanity: to make up for an injustice. Because within the rich Moto Guzzi range, the V7s have it all. While the era values ​​nostalgia and neo-retro, V7s don’t have to push themselves to be trendy. As heir to a great lineage, they are genuine and legitimate. They are logical. Their contained size and ease of driving make them accessible to all and each passing day, through their modest performance, they are more in tune with the ambient security hypocrisy. In this journey, the V7s are obvious, quite simply.

However, we think what we want, but the results, if they seem to satisfy the Moto Guzzi staff to whom we ask the question, are perhaps not up to the potential. Judge for yourself: we are in the Mandello del Lario factory, on the shores of Lake Como (Italy), where production has not stopped since 1921. At the height of his glory, Guzzi was releasing 700 motorcycles a day. Now, with a workforce of 120 people at best, they release 700 motorcycles … per month. Which works, magic of the rule of three and I do that to you in a ladle, 9000 motorcycles a year. In France, 830 motorcycles were sold in 2017, including around 600 V7 III. When we see that Royal Enfield is doing a third better with a single mono 500 in its range, it begs the question.

Moto Guzzi V7 III Carbon

And questions, the Moto Guzzi staff also ask (fortunately, because they are still paid for that, when you think about it). Because they found that, with the customization trend coming, about 60% of V7 customers drew on the rich catalog (200 accessories) to make a custom motorcycle, a beard in the hair and hope to cover Moto Heroes. Very good, but that’s still 40% of people who are too respectful of the safety hole to have the idea of ​​touching a screwdriver, which does not prevent them from liking stylish motorcycles..

Moto Guzzi V7 III Milano

Suddenly, in addition to the V7 III Stone, Special and Racer, already tested on the Den and which remain in the catalog, Moto Guzzi is launching three other super stylish versions this year: the Rough, the Milano and the Carbon. Will they help boost sales figures? Suspense !

Moto Guzzi V7 III Rough

Discovery

It is with a certain subtlety that Moto Guzzi, at a lower cost, manages to give a distinct personality to its three new machines. It does not affect much: paint, saddle, side covers, wheels, exhaust and some finishing details and voila..

Among the triplet, the Rough is the most, say, versatile. We are not going to talk about "scrambling", because that would ignite a little, since the overall geometry is identical to that of the others. But it is mainly distinguished by its spoked wheels and its mixed pneumatic mounting, Pirelli MT-60.

The Rough is equipped with spoke rims

In contrast, the Milano is the most “classy”. Milan being the capital of fashion, the Milano has a fairly deep matte gray paint, chrome fenders and exhausts, as well as a more complete dashboard, with a tachometer..

La Milano stands out for its painting

Rev counter that we would have imagined to find also on the Carbon, inspirations, let’s say it, but always with quotation marks, "sporty", with its front brake caliper and especially its cylinder heads testa rossa like the Ferrari of the same name , its carbon mudguards and side shields, its black accents everywhere and its limited production of 1921 copies, a figure that we do not have to explain to you if you read this article carefully from the beginning..

The red cylinder heads of the Carbon

On the price side, we are at € 8,999 for the Rough, € 9,299 for the Milano and € 9,949 for the Carbon. If it is too expensive for you, know however that the Stone, which remains in the catalog, is displayed 8,549 €. Of course, all these motorcycles can be clamped to comply with the legislation specific to the A2 license..

In the saddle

The V7 IIIs are basically small bikes, which is a plus if you’re of, say, measured build. But even large sausages (yours truly, for example), can fit on board without ending up with crimson shins. It will be recalled that crimson is a pretty color obtained by the alliance of blue (due to the first impact against the cylinders) and red (thanks to the cooking, hot engine). However, it is not !

The fork of the V7 III

Suddenly, with a saddle at 770 mm high, an upright riding position, natural ergonomics, controls that fall well to hand, everything is fine and the V7 III is to be recommended to all, beginners, young girls in bloom. , stylish city dwellers and nostalgic grandpas.

The saddle of the V7 III Milano

It’s hard to recommend one version over the other here: don’t be fooled by the Rough’s handlebar bar, as they have strictly identical riding positions..

If the handlebars change, the riding position remains the same

Once on board, the only difference lies in the more complete instrument panel of the Milano, with its tachometer. The others have a small digital window that provides a maximum of information, clock, average consumption, average speed, driving time, gear engaged … There is also a traction control that can be adjusted via the button " mode "to the right stalk.

The Milano is also adorned with a tachometer

Engine and transmission

No modification here compared to what we already know about the V7 III, appeared in 2017, coming after the "modern" V7 of 2008.

The engine on the Carbon

So we have this famous V-twin facing the road. An engine appeared for the first time at Moto Guzzi in 1960 and it was then, let’s launch one of these famous sections "learn lots of crazy fun things to then go shine in society thanks to the Biker Den" on … a scooter.

The engine on the Milano

In this configuration, the mechanics develop 52 horsepower at 6200 rpm and a nice little torque of 60 Nm at 4900 rpm. Transmission is via a six-speed gearbox and cardan shaft.

The engine on the Rough

We talked about traction control and that will be the only electronic goodie. No driving modes, no up & down shifter, no cruise control. At the same time, is it necessary ?

In the city

Some comings and goings in the towns of Mandello del Lario and Lecco during this test. Sufficient to appreciate the compactness of the motorcycle and its good turning radius. At low speed, the front axle shows a very slight heaviness, but this is probably due to the Pirelli Sport Demon front tire, because the Rough, paved differently, has less of this character trait. Engine side, some vibrations at low speed, but they are fully part of the authentic character of this machine which is just as much. The box is soft and the engine is flexible, accepting to hold a small 2200 rpm in fourth on the boulevards at 50 km / h, in complete safety.

Moto Guzzi V7 III Carbon review

On motorways and main roads

Are you sure ? Not that the V7 III can’t do it, but that’s not where it will thrive. At 130 km / h in the last gear, we are at around 5000 rpm and the little twin purrs nicely. But the lack of protection, the compact size, the upright driving position and the saddle that quickly becomes hard under the man encourage him to change his route. Now you do as you want…

If the mechanics adapt to the highway, the lack of protection and comfort encourage you to change your route

On departmental

This Moto Guzzi triplet has one virtue: to make you rediscover the joys of the ride, which in this safe universe towards which we are heading, is a real quality. With it, the pleasure is completely decoupled from the speed and the engine speed. The V7 III, Rough, Milano and Carbon have this incredible talent to give you the banana at legal speed, or even, let’s be zealous, even less quickly. In absolute terms, we drag ourselves around and we are super happy to drag ourselves along. At 90 km / h in sixth gear, the little twin purrs with happiness at a placid 3200 rpm cruising.

The V7 III Milano on the road

The V2 delivers, with joy, its torque from the lowest revs. In addition, it is communicative: we indeed feel vibrations in the footrests and in the saddle, the butt wriggles, the gimbal effects cause the rear to rise when accelerating. Old school? Yes ! Authentic ? As well ! Appreciable? Certainly !

The V7 III Rough on the road

Otherwise, between the three models, is it white cap and white cap? Not quite, because, against all expectations, it is the Rough version, equipped with the Pirelli MT-60 studded tires, which proves more lively in curves. The others require a little more work, but remain manageable despite everything.

The V7 III Carbon on the road

Suddenly, we feel a real pleasure at a pace of stroll. Obviously, the atavism of the motorcycle tester requires, when we go up the pace, we quickly see the limits of the cycle part. Damping without grace and limited ground clearance (it is quickly put on the crutch, left side), the V7 III is not designed to win road rallies and we can not blame it. She doesn’t lie, thanks to marketing positioning and communication based on lifestyle images, she is there, as in the 70s. Suddenly, you have to force her a little on the handlebars, to turn, but the pleasure remains. appointment.

Part-cycle

Milano, Rough, Carbon: no major modifications compared to the V7 IIIs that we already know. So, apart from the different tires (Pirelli MT-60 on the Rough against mediocre Pirelli Sport Demon on the other two), no differences to report. For the rest, we are in the presence of a classic double cradle steel frame, with an 18-inch wheel at the front (100/90 roadway) and a 17-inch rear (130/80 roadway) . The suspensions (130 mm travel in front and a small 93 mm behind) are not adjustable.

The cycle part of the motorcycle remains unchanged

Brakes

In the same way that red cylinder heads don’t make you go faster, red calipers don’t brake better. Suddenly, the Carbon does not do better than its colleagues of the day. However, considering the power and performance, the Brembo caliper up front (4 pistons on a single 320mm disc) does the job well, aided by a 260mm rear disc clamped by a 2 piston caliper..

Carbon front brake

In short, nothing to end, following a hazardous trajectory, in aquatic depths and being eaten by a giant tuna. Those who follow will point out that the tuna is the steak of the sea and that Como is a lake, thank you.

Comfort and duo

We are a bit on an “old-fashioned” motorcycle: upright driving position, template contained. All is well, even if we quickly realize that the saddles (they are different on each of our three versions) are a little hard in the long run and that the shocks are basic and rough in rebound in all cases. In short, it does, but it’s not great either.

The saddle of the V7 III Carbon

Otherwise, in the big field of the life of the motorcycle journalist, poor lonesome cowboy if there is one, we said to ourselves that for once, we were going to nab some chicks. Admittedly, it had to be of a contained template, because the V7 III remains a small motorcycle, but the saddle is finally quite welcoming, the footrests are quite low and the grab handle is quite generous. In this context, we had targeted an Italian Geraldine, a little brunette who had that je ne sais quoi that allowed her to go from beauty to charm..

Testing the V7 III on the shores of Lake Cфme

Unfortunately: around Lake Como, there are a number of beautiful mansions, one of which is pastel pink with direct access to the lake, which is owned by Georges Cloney. And my Geraldine, as in the Loto, preferred to wait on the low side, that luck gives her the right ticket. Caramba, still missed !

Consumption & autonomy

The tank does not seem gigantic, but it is still 21 liters. However, it is squeezed well between the legs. Suddenly, with an average consumption, on the on-board computer, which was displayed at 4.9 l / 100, we can imagine going for the 400 kilometers of autonomy..

It takes about 400 km of autonomy

Conclusion

The time is so centered on the return to the values ​​of yesteryear that these three new V7 III are very current! Afterwards, making the choice between the Rough, the Milano and the Carbon will be more a question of aesthetic affinity, because from a technical or dynamic point of view, only the tires and the rims of the Rough make the difference, giving it ” elsewhere a great agility.

When we do the accounts, with a range that goes suspiciously from 8,500 to nearly 10,000 euros, we say to ourselves that the V7 range can only speak to bikers with a bit of motorcycle culture sprinkled with a zest of nostalgia and a layer of benevolence towards this historic brand. Because, in this price range, there is also a Kawasaki Z 900 or a Yamaha MT-09, with in both cases technological content and unrelated power levels. Admittedly, it is not the same target.

In fact, the new V7 III add to the range from Guzzi. Looks, stylish, they do the job and more than that, even, because they are endearing and downright fun to drive. It’s up to you to see which version suits you best. For my part, it was the Carbon at the start, then the Milano eventually gained the upper hand, thanks to its style / price / performance ratio. They are strong, these Italians…

Moto Guzzi V7 III Carbon, Milano & Rough test

Strong points

• Authenticity
• The choice in the range
• Sensations and motor character
• Ease of handling
• A2 license possible

Weak points

• Firm comfort (saddle & suspensions)
• Attack behavior (even if it’s not made for that)
• Basic cushioning at the back
• High price

Moto Guzzi V7 III technical sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: a good hundred kilometers around Mandello del Lario and Lake Como, mainly the small mountain road and a bit of town too
• Motorcycle mileage: 1000 km
• Problem encountered: the GPS of the rental car (a Citroën C4 Grand Picasso), totally strawberries and which almost lost us many times between Milan Malpensa airport and the Guzzi factory in Mandello del Lario…

Competition: Harley-Davidson Street 750, Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor, Triumph Street Twin…

Moto Guzzi V7 III Carbon, Milano & Rough video test

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