All Tests – Tests Moto Guzzi V7 Stone, Special and Racer: authentic! – Moto Guzzi V7: the beautiful of Mandello

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Moto Guzzi V7 Stone, Special and Racer tests: authentic !

All Tests - Tests Moto Guzzi V7 Stone, Special and Racer: authentic! - Moto Guzzi V7: the beautiful of Mandello

A true monument in the history of Moto Guzzi – even motorcycles at all! -, the V7 range is getting a makeover. Improved if not transformed, the V7 Stone, Special and Racer 2012 rely on their authenticity to seduce. Testing.

Moto Guzzi V7: the beauty of Mandello

For many, motorcycle journalist is a privileged profession. And if our profession imposes an often underestimated amount of labor under conditions which are not always easy, certain experiences lived in the exercise of our functions have indeed what to largely confirm this opinion. !

Among these experiences is certainly the test of the new Moto Guzzi V7 in the neighboring countryside Mandello del Lario (Italy), the small village of Lombardy where the transalpine eagle landed in 1921. Because if to enter the Moto factory Guzzi is already a moment of rare intensity, then lounging around Lake Como in V7 is undoubtedly a famous privilege !

For a "Guzzist", riding on the handlebars of this icon near the brand’s seat is undoubtedly as exhilarating as cruising a Fat Boy in Milwaukee for a "Harleyist", to make the three-legged snore of a Speed ​​Trip ‘ in the vicinity of Hinckley for a "Triumphist", or to circulate around Borgo Panigale in Mostro for a "Ducatiste". In short, it’s an unforgettable moment !

Iconic motorcycle with a busy career (the first prototype shot in 1964, three years before its arrival on the market), the Moto Guzzi V7 has an undeniable heritage and cachet that give it real legitimacy among fans of retro motorcycles. And given the current craze for this type of motorcycles, the Italian manufacturer decided to dust off its myth in 2012…

An (almost) brand new engine

If the lines remain identical to the previous models, the 2012 V7 is now available in three significantly different versions: the V7 Stone – an entry level available in black or white with stick rims -, the V7 Special – a more opulent version available in red and white or black and yellow biton – and the V7 Racer – a sublime Cafe Racer whose frame is dyed red. The V7 Classic and the V7 Cafè Classic therefore bow out.

The most visible change is cosmetic: the plastic tank is abandoned in favor of a metal element, more qualitative to the sight and to the touch and of larger capacity (22 liters). In general, Moto Guzzi has made visible efforts to improve the finish: the use of aluminum on the pedals and on the new cylinder head covers is the perfect example, as is the more discreet integration of the electrical network..

A few small details continue to annoy, however, such as the jumble of cables and hoses around the steering column, above the brake pedal and the alternator. In addition, the fact that the support for the new rear indicators is plastic rather than metal – just like the pretty rear optics and the covers placed above the injection – will certainly bristle the hair of the purists….

The four-piston Brembo caliper and its braided hose, the long chrome mufflers and the cardan shaft with hollowed-out shapes still producing their small effect, Moto Guzzi has renewed them as they are. Likewise, the 40mm Marzocchi fork and shock absorbers (Bitubo on the Racer and Sachs on the Stone and Special) are identical to the previous models, but their settings have been revised for more efficiency..

V7 engine: what changes in 2012

"200 pieces"would have been changed on the 90 ° V-twin of the V7. Now in" Y "shape, the single intake body (as on the Honda NC 700s) is managed by a Magneti Marelli MIU3G unit. This technical choice Unprecedented at Moto Guzzi would improve low revs, while the adoption of more efficient pistons, new spark plugs, a completely redesigned air box and combustion chamber boost power and torque. 744 cc with longitudinal crankshaft thus claims 50 hp at 6200 rpm and 60 Nm at 2800 rpm, compared to 49 hp at 6800 rpm and 58.2 Nm at 3200 rpm previously. also due to the increase in the compression ratio which goes from 9.2 to 10.2: 1. Finally, the 5-speed gearbox has been revised at the level of its selection for more precision and speed.

All three built around a double-cradle steel chassis with contained measurements, the V7 Stone, Special and Racer are powered by the same engine: a 90 ° twin-cylinder 744 cc air-cooled. Externally, except for its more rounded fins and cylinder head covers stamped "Moto Guzzi" in bas-relief, this good old v-twin looks identical. But inside it’s a whole different story, since 70% of its components are new (read box opposite).

More efficient (50 hp and 60 Nm of torque, i.e. one horse and 1.8 Nm of torque better), it would also be more fuel efficient and less polluting by 12% thanks to its better fuel efficiency and the adoption of two lambda probes. The block also benefits from a lower weight to tow: from the top of its 179 kg ("with fluids and without petrol", specifies the technical sheet), the new V7 would indeed have lost"five kilos", says Moto Guzzi.

This weight saving would directly benefit the handling of the three V7s, since it is mainly concentrated at the level of the wheels: the use of new aluminum rims made it possible to gain 1.4 kg at the front and 0.9 kg at the back. Or, according to the learned calculations of the Italian manufacturer, respectively "30% less inertia at the front"and"20%" in back.

Here is what makes you want to lean a little closer on the wheels of 18 inches at the front and 17 at the rear: if the black six-spoke rims equipped with the angled valves of the V7 Stone do not cause Particular stir, the superb spoke elements connected by a beautiful aluminum hub of the V7 Special and V7 Racer flatter the retina much more !

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