That is a pretty bike, Dave. Your V7 sounds like my Bonneville... the one bike I just never get tired of. I've bought and sold other bikes in my stable, the most recent going from a BMW to my CB, but I have never considered selling the Bonneville. It's not fast, it doesn't do any one thing particularly well, but it's comfortable and has never had a mechanical hiccup whatsoever. It just takes me to work and back, humming away.
On paper, the V7 sounds like my dream bike - shaft drive, easy access to engine maintenance, looks great. My Bonneville is at the minimum threshold of what I'd consider adequate for power - sure, it will go 80 all day, but it's happier at 65, but in traffic, I'm not thinking of how fast I can go. I've just never considered a Guzzi. Anything I ever read about it said it didn't have enough power, and until just recently, there wasn't a dealer near me. And frankly, the new showroom in town looks pretty, but I don't give it long, especially if the market turns just the least bit sour.
All this talking about V7s got me searching Craig's this morning as I was waking up. Seems there are just as many recent, sub-2000 mile Guzzis out there as there are Bonnevilles. I think it might be because both bikes are pretty, and conjure up images of cruising up to a coffee house on one, and standing back as people admire it. It's the image that sells, and it becomes a passionate impulse buy, rather than a logical purchase to perform a task, like touring or commuting. "I've always wanted a motorcycle, and this one looks really cool."
Two years later, when it's taking up room in the garage, and the wife complains that he never rides it, off it goes, to the next owner who scores a deal. A guy like me, who bought my two year old Bonneville with 800 miles on it, while the guys wife stood behind us, arms crossed, hoping I'd buy this useless object that was taking up space.
