Fixing My Stolen Moto Guzzi V7

I may have bought a stolen Moto Guzzi V7, and I’ll be honest, yes it was dirt cheap, but it’s in rough shape. So today we’re going to look at:

1. The aesthetic issues I’ve been trying to improve a little bit (“How bad does it look?”
2. The mechanical issues I’ve been trying to overcome (“How bad does it run?”)
3. How much I had to spend to get it this far (“Was it worth it?”)

I’m Adrian from YouMotorcycle, and this is the fourth video in my series comparing my Moto Guzzi V7, my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, and my Triumph Bonneville 865. 

I bought all three of these motorcycles, but I’m only going to be keeping one of them.

I have a maximum of how much I can spend buying and upgrading, so let’s see if I can fix up this Moto Guzzi V7 enough to get it through to the next round, or if it’s already a lost cause.

Aesthetic Problems & Solutions

When I went to go look at this Moto Guzzi V7, the price was only $2,000 but it was butt ugly. Someone had repainted the whole thing without bothering to even take the pieces off before painting them.

I want to make my V7 better, but I don’t want to spend a lot on new parts and a quality paint job, just in case it doesn’t make it into the next round and I end up selling it.

So what if I I just try to make the V7 look a little better, for as little money as possible? Do I have enough skill to make it look good, while keeping costs down?

There are three main aesthetic issues I want to address, here’s how I tackled them!

Problem 1: Gas tank

The spray paint is bad all over, but the gas tank is by far the worst because it has streaks everywhere from spilled gas.

Last year I made a video showing how to use chemical paint remover on a Triumph Bonneville gas tank to bring it down to bare metal. That’s exactly what I did with my Moto Guzzi tank, and then I did the final touches with some high grit sandpapers.

I also pulled the dent out of the gas tank a little bit. The temperature in my garage is only just above freezing, and my dent puller needs warm weather for my hot glue to form a solid bond, so I could only pull it so much.

Problem 2: Side Covers

The side covers were also badly spray painted and held in place by zip ties.

I quickly learned that my paint remover works great on metal in warm weather, but it works terribly on plastic in the winter time.

For the second cover I used the super fine sand paper just to scuff the blue spray paint, and my new black spray paint looks as slick as I could hope for as a first timer trying to work quickly in a cold garage. Lesson learned.

Problem 3: Front & Rear Fender

Luckily, the blue spray paint on the rear fender is totally smooth, so a light scuff and a spray paint is all it takes.

Unfortunately, the front fender blue spray paint was a mess of lines and streaks in it, so I can’t easily paint this.

Good news though! The dealership I used to work at, Studio Cycle, is now a Moto Guzzi dealer. They gave me a used black V7 fender in exchange for buying coffees and cookies for the team.

Thank you Studio Cycle for one very sweet deal. If you’re in the Greater Toronto Area and thinking about getting a Moto Guzzi you should check them out.

Mechanical Issues & Solutions

Now we need to talk about the two main mechanical issues with the bike.

Mechanical Issues: Motorcycle dies out

When I went to go buy the V7, it wasn’t just ugly, it was also hot to the touch, and that should always make you suspicious.

For those that don’t know, greasy sellers with problematic motorcycles will say “Call me when you’re twenty minutes away!” because they don’t want you to see the hell they have to go through for 15 minutes to get their pieces of junk to start and run properly before you show up.

When the V7 cooled down, I started it up but it kept wanting to die out. Every time I gave it gas it would cut out. Even though it’s fuel injected, it was running and dying like like an old, carbureted motorcycle in need of a carb clean.

Pause – All of my content is aimed at helping motorcyclists. If you want to help me out, please check out the video on YouTube and hit the Like button. It lets YouTube know others might want to see this video, and really helps me help more people in the process.

Mechanical Issues: Rust in the tank

Always Look Inside the gas tank Before you buy a motorcycle.

I must have been so distracted by the hodge-podge condition of this V7 that I didn’t notice rusting in the tank until I got home.

I decided to take the tank off and bring it to Carlo at Moto Motori. Carlo eats, sleeps, and breathes Moto Guzzi. As much as I’m happy to save money by trying (“and failing”) to do stuff myself, on some jobs I’m happy to pay to know the work is done right.

Carlo ran the acid wash through the tank twice to get it totally clean inside. He also told me that my fuel pump was swollen and ready to die so he threw in a good used one for free. He put in a new filter and a good used screen for me too. And of course he sealed the tank, which should be good again for a long time now.

Thank you to Carlo at Moto Motori, for going above and beyond. He’s a great guy to call up if you have motorcycle service needs.

Mechanical Issues: Looking ahead

Looking ahead, the rear tire will need replacing, but, I have a tire changer and wheel balancer so no big deal.

The V7 will also need an oil and filter change, brake fluid flush, and shaft drive oil change. Again, no big deal for me.

Oh, and the seat latch needs to be fixed up, and there’s a piece of the seat missing… I don’t know what I’m going to do about that yet.

BUT, if my V7 makes it to the next round of my series versus the Bonneville 865 and the Interceptor 650 I’ll probably make videos showing how to do all of that stuff. I’ll be announcing which motorcycle will be sold in my next video and which two will be staying for the next round in the series. Hit subscribe if you’re interested.

Carlo pointed out that I’m missing a seal under my gas cap. There’s a two month wait on that part, and I won’t know for sure if the work he did cleared up my fuel delivery issue or not. We’ll see!

How much I had to spend to get it this far

So what did it cost to do the aesthetic improvements, fix the mechanical issues, and buying new parts? I spent $315 USD. That brings my total price for the V7 up to $2,315.

Can I justify those that? Well, considering it’s a running 2013 Moto Guzzi V7 with only 8,000 miles, I think so.

The V7’s motor is known for being so raw, unrefined and characterful that the black paint and bare metal tank really suit it.

Yes, I know it looks like a brat motorcycle, and could use a rear tire, new fluids, etc. BUT when I bought it, the Guzzi really looked like it was stolen by a crackhead. For only $315 and some elbow grease, it’s already such a better motorcycle.

Most importantly, once warmed up, it runs PERFECTLY. The motor, the frame, the front end, the suspension, the brakes, everything on this motorcycle Still Works Perfectly.

The second most important thing is, IF the bike makes it through to the next round, I still have Over $1,300 left in my budget to spend on the Moto Guzzi for whatever future improvements I want to make.

So looking back, I’ve done one video explaining the series, one on my Interceptor 650, one on my Bonneville 865, and now one on my V7 750. That means I’ll be selling one of these three motorcycles in my next video, and continuing the series with the other two.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on which one I should sell, and which two of the three I should keep. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Check out those other three videos if you haven’t already, and subscribe if you’d like to see what I decide.

If you made it this far, thanks for hanging out with me. As always, ride safe, but have fun!