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(04-18-2017, 09:06 PM)VAslim16_imp Wrote: (04-18-2017, 08:41 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: Here is my .02 .... warning this might ramble a bit, but it's 5:30 am and I can't sleep lol
I have not ridden the V7 in it's current form but I have ridden it's predecessor the Breva 750. Thought I wanted one until I test rode it, then I wondered where the power and brakes were. People tell me that is all the power you need. People on CBR 250s also tell me thats all the power you need. I needed more. I needed more than my Cb750 Nighthawk had. I needed more than my 790 Bonneville had. I love the power and power delivery of my CB1100. I tell people the CB1100 has all the power you need but some people feel IT is underpowered, so that's all relative I guess. My last non touring bike before my CB was a 125 HP Yamaha FZ-1. That had more power than I could use lol
People that own Guzzis tend to really like them, and of course as you can tell around here people really like their CB's as well. Motorcyclists tend to be rather transient, so they tend to love their current bikes until they get the lust for something new.
Some people love what is refered to as charachter... I call it qwerkyness... or as I describe charachter... " they like the thought that their bike might not make it home that day. They don't mind if it leaves a puddle of oil when parked. They don't mind if it shakes or vibrates, or if it might not start. Bikes with dodgy electrics, and iffy reliabilty records." That somehow gets translated to mean " charachter". My son has a bike with character. A Ducati Monster. That charachter has been brought home on a trailer and to the dealer more than once. Heck more than three times lol. Yep it's cool when it's running, but not when he is sitting on the side of the road waiting for me to bring the trailer again.
For Guzzi's, owners become endeared with the rocking of the Guzzi at idle, and the fact that you don't see many of them on the road, and the unique cylinder layout. Do yourself a favor and go to the Guzzi forums and see what people are saying about the Goose. I did recently, and was shocked how many had serious issues with low mileage bikes. Electrical problems, poor transmissions, some barely making it home from the dealership when new. But hey, they have "charachter". Most Guzzi's I assume are reliable enough I suppose. There are people that tour on them I have read, although I have never seen one on the road. Which brings up another issue for bikes with charachter.. Dealer network. Seems the bikes with the most charachter have the thinnest dealer network. Like my son's Ducati which requires a 2 hour each way trailer ride each time it needs anything. Something to consider.
The CB is of course not fault free. We have had several around the world with idle issues. A couple with poor rear brake performance, but that's about it. I can't recall in 4 years one on this forum having to be trailered home except for one that was crashed. Can't recall any having motor or transmission issues. Can barely recall one needing a valve adjustment, or a chain adjustment. Maybe 1 or 2 that had an issue that required using the warranty. The vast majority of us sailed through the warranty period without ever needing it. Yep they lack charachter but make up for that with Swiss watch like precision and efficiency. I for one appreciate that. Great fit and finish, large dealer network. That gives me piece of mind. I have no fear that when I leave in the morning I will be pulling into my garage or into a hotel parking lot at the end of a days ride on my own, and that it is going to start again tomorrow when I do it all over again.
See told you this might ramble lol. I need another cup of tea.
Great stuff. Thank you ferret!
Great stuff. Thank you ferret!
Copy that
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Slim. I'll add a little more to the discussion as a 2013 V7R owner AND having a CB sitting next to it in the garage. The Guzzi provides ABSOLUTELY no performance or mechanical/reliability advantage over the CB (except maybe the the shaft drive that negates dealing with a chain). For me the Guzzi was an emotional purchase. The chrome tank, the red frame, the classic café stance of bikes I grew up with. I saw it/ I bought it. While I REALLY like the CB I LOVE the Guzzi (have written this on the site before). It's just hard to explain. Although the CB is superior in all performance areas, what the Guzzi does and how it FEELS while riding it is more than enough for me personally.
The Guzzi is a 2013 bought new and now has 7006 babied miles on it. My dealer folded up shop about a year ago. The rear running lights don't work (but brakes/license plate and blinkers do). It's slowly leaking some type of oil around the rear drum. I've checked all the fluids and can't trace it down. After I get back from Europe in Sept I plan to ship it to Harpers Moto Guzzi in Missouri for an overhaul and to have a number of issues addressed i.e. new tires/front fork cartridges installed/ routine maint/oil sump installed etc. After that it will only see the road on Sat/Sundays on short jaunts over the mt's and to coffee shops. BTW, I'm 6 foot and the bike fits me nicely in the Racer configuration. And one last thing. After early issues are resolved on Guzzi's, routine maint is a breeze. It's not uncommon for the motors to turn 75K-100K miles without anything else being required.
Post script added: Considering what CB's listed for new when they were first rolled out It should be possible to pick up a well maintained version of both the CB and a V7 Stone for under that price, or even in the 8.5 to $9K range. Why make yourself choose if that's an option.
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(04-18-2017, 10:46 PM)Frulk_imp Wrote: Slim. I'll add a little more to the discussion as a 2013 V7R owner AND having a CB sitting next to it in the garage. The Guzzi provides ABSOLUTELY no performance or mechanical/reliability advantage over the CB (except maybe the the shaft drive that negates dealing with a chain). For me the Guzzi was an emotional purchase. The chrome tank, the red frame, the classic café stance of bikes I grew up with. I saw it/ I bought it. While I REALLY like the CB I LOVE the Guzzi (have written this on the site before). It's just hard to explain. Although the CB is superior in all performance areas, what the Guzzi does and how it FEELS while riding it is more than enough for me personally.
The Guzzi is a 2013 bought new and now has 7006 babied miles on it. My dealer folded up shop about a year ago. The rear running lights don't work (but brakes/license plate and blinkers do). It's slowly leaking some type of oil around the rear drum. I've checked all the fluids and can't trace it down. After I get back from Europe in Sept I plan to ship it to Harpers Moto Guzzi in Missouri for an overhaul and to have a number of issues addressed i.e. new tires/front fork cartridges installed/ routine maint/oil sump installed etc. After that it will only see the road on Sat/Sundays on short jaunts over the mt's and to coffee shops. BTW, I'm 6 foot and the bike fits me nicely in the Racer configuration. And one last thing. After early issues are resolved on Guzzi's, routine maint is a breeze. It's not uncommon for the motors to turn 75K-100K miles without anything else being required.
Post script added: Considering what CB's listed for new when they were first rolled out It should be possible to pick up a well maintained version of both the CB and a V7 Stone for under that price, or even in the 8.5 to $9K range. Why make yourself choose if that's an option.
Thanks Frulk. Yeah I am reading on other forums and notice some hit and miss with the bikes in terms of issues. I would not have a dealer near me so if anything major goes wrong I would SOL. The CB is really nice but I think I get what you mean with the LOVE  . I would not be able to buy and keep both. I have a zx14r and would sell that if/when I chose one.
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(04-18-2017, 08:41 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: Here is my .02 .... warning this might ramble a bit, but it's 5:30 am and I can't sleep lol
I have not ridden the V7 in it's current form but I have ridden it's predecessor the Breva 750. Thought I wanted one until I test rode it, then I wondered where the power and brakes were. People tell me that is all the power you need. People on CBR 250s also tell me thats all the power you need. I needed more. I needed more than my Cb750 Nighthawk had. I needed more than my 790 Bonneville had. I love the power and power delivery of my CB1100. I tell people the CB1100 has all the power you need but some people feel IT is underpowered, so that's all relative I guess. My last non touring bike before my CB was a 125 HP Yamaha FZ-1. That had more power than I could use lol
People that own Guzzis tend to really like them, and of course as you can tell around here people really like their CB's as well. Motorcyclists tend to be rather transient, so they tend to love their current bikes until they get the lust for something new.
Some people love what is refered to as charachter... I call it qwerkyness... or as I describe charachter... " they like the thought that their bike might not make it home that day. They don't mind if it leaves a puddle of oil when parked. They don't mind if it shakes or vibrates, or if it might not start. Bikes with dodgy electrics, and iffy reliabilty records." That somehow gets translated to mean " charachter". My son has a bike with character. A Ducati Monster. That charachter has been brought home on a trailer and to the dealer more than once. Heck more than three times lol. Yep it's cool when it's running, but not when he is sitting on the side of the road waiting for me to bring the trailer again.
For Guzzi's, owners become endeared with the rocking of the Guzzi at idle, and the fact that you don't see many of them on the road, and the unique cylinder layout. Do yourself a favor and go to the Guzzi forums and see what people are saying about the Goose. I did recently, and was shocked how many had serious issues with low mileage bikes. Electrical problems, poor transmissions, some barely making it home from the dealership when new. But hey, they have "charachter". Most Guzzi's I assume are reliable enough I suppose. There are people that tour on them I have read, although I have never seen one on the road. Which brings up another issue for bikes with charachter.. Dealer network. Seems the bikes with the most charachter have the thinnest dealer network. Like my son's Ducati which requires a 2 hour each way trailer ride each time it needs anything. Something to consider.
The CB is of course not fault free. We have had several around the world with idle issues. A couple with poor rear brake performance, but that's about it. I can't recall in 4 years one on this forum having to be trailered home except for one that was crashed. Can't recall any having motor or transmission issues. Can barely recall one needing a valve adjustment, or a chain adjustment. Maybe 1 or 2 that had an issue that required using the warranty. The vast majority of us sailed through the warranty period without ever needing it. Yep they lack charachter but make up for that with Swiss watch like precision and efficiency. I for one appreciate that. Great fit and finish, large dealer network. That gives me piece of mind. I have no fear that when I leave in the morning I will be pulling into my garage or into a hotel parking lot at the end of a days ride on my own, and that it is going to start again tomorrow when I do it all over again.
See told you this might ramble lol. I need another cup of tea.
I lost a fortune by a Ducati. That cured my lust for character.
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Now I remember the reason that I chose the CB1100...I couldn't decide between the two, went back and forth, had my list of + for each. Then I thought "better buy the CB now" because the '14 was the last year the bike was sold in the U.S. I thought I wouldn't get a chance at a new one...maybe even its resale value down the line would stay high as a result (Ha-h-ha!). I didn't know that there were bunches of the '14 standard "out there" in warehouses.
I bought the '14 on Jan 2 of '16. My reasoning was that if I didn't like it, I could sell and buy the V7. Half a year later they decide to import the CB1100 '17s. Oh well, now I'm wrong on two accounts--resale value are not good, and '17s are available, and....nada! All that doesn't matter because the bike is fine and I'll keep it--it looks great, runs great, fun for short rides and I know I can make it work for long trips. Besides, my friend lets me take around town trips on the V7 whenever I want as a favor for helping out with learning Spanish : )
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Don't beat yourself up over resale values. Nothing this side of a Brough, Crocker, Vincent, Britten, or ancient Harley or Indian is going to markedly appreciate in value, or even hold its value. Japan Inc. can crank out new bikes faster than we can buy them, so naturally, values will drop over time. Just ride it and enjoy it!
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(04-19-2017, 01:32 AM)LongRanger_imp Wrote: Don't beat yourself up over resale values. Nothing this side of a Brough, Crocker, Vincent, Britten, or ancient Harley or Indian is going to markedly appreciate in value, or even hold its value. Japan Inc. can crank out new bikes faster than we can buy them, so naturally, values will drop over time. Just ride it and enjoy it!
Yep! Already there. : )
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Buying a zero-mile motorcycle, from a dealer, that is available because it didn't sell well...with resale in mind.
There are easier ways to talk yourself into a CB1100.
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My brother paid $7008 plus state sales tax for his 2014 standard in Florida. Best price I've seen on a new CB1100.
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Just a few numbers:
V7II
1hp per 8.75 lbs
1 ft lb torque per 9.55 lbs
CB1100
1hp per 6.16 lbs
1 ft lb torque per 7.95 lbs
Regardless, the way the power is delivered is markedly different to me. The CB1100 is buttery smooth, very linear and seems to need to build up or gather its speed. The V7II, when you twist the throttle, wants to pull my wrists off, the torque is on tap down low and the engine revs very freely.
I'm with Frulk, I like my CB and it is my bike for when I have a "need for speed" or I want a more relaxed, carefree riding experience. But I love the V7II and it brings out the hooligan in me
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