MOTO GUZZI V7

Moto Guzzi V7.

The transition to a 700cc machine was an exhilarating one!
It was as if all the motorcycling stars had lined up and created an opportunity which then opened up a whole new world both socially, technically and professionally.
The Ghana Police at this time were transitioning from their fleet of Moto Guzzi motorcycles to BMW’s and so auctioned off “all things Moto Guzzi”.
Between my older brothers and their business partner and like most auctions, we came away with a collection of parts and machines that would be the envy of any motorcycle enthusiast, technician or collector.
It did not take long to “put together” the first machine, the process through which we became familiar with all the intricacies and simplicity of fine Italian design/engineering.
To this day I am still enamored by the robust design and qualities of the Moto Guzzi V700.
Coming off the production line in 1967, this shaft-driven, 703cc, air-cooled, 90-degree V-twin machine was developed for the Italian Police to replace the not-so-reliable models currently in production/use - with it’s prime qualities being good low-speed handling, reliability and a smooth ride.
… and dependable it was!
I particularly loved the engine.
The valves were push-rod activated and engine timing and ignition were gear driven directly off the crank and cam shafts. (So no noisy or messy chains to deal with)

Brakes.
In those days of drum brakes, “The Guzzi” had 4 brake shoes up front, activated by a cable directly from the front brake lever mounted on the right hand side of the handlebar.
They worked well for a bike of such heft but required a very strong pull on the braking lever to generate the necessary braking force to bring this “big boy” to a halt.
Similarly, the rear also had a drum brake, though not as efficient as the front and was rod-activated directly from the footbrake pedal.
If there was 1 thing that I really did not take a liking to about the brakes on this bike, it was the fact that the foot brake pedal was/is on the left side of the machine - which is typical of the European designs.
This is in direct opposition to other brands of machines that I learned how to ride on and had become accustomed to.

I absolutely remember what a heavy machine/beast this was and have always admired the men who rode these machines as a profession.
The ease with which they would navigate the tight streets and traffic of our city and the speed and mechanical quietness of the bikes, with which the official motorcades would whizz by.
Engines so quiet and low revving, but with enough low end power to pull away with minimal gear changing.
The Moto Guzzi V700 “dials in” just around 290 kg (638 lbs.)
As I began to ride and get accustomed to this machine, it bode well to remember its heft and weight at all times, especially in bumper to bumper traffic.
Luckily though, the seat height was low enough to plant both my feet on the ground, for if this bike tipped beyond the balance point there would be no “holding it up”.
These qualities though, are what made for an extremely stable ride at cruising and higher speeds - a dream to experience.

So the V700 became my prime mode of transportation.
Off to school each morning, hanging out at my brother’s garage/workshop each afternoon, homework done and aside, then off to the movies for the early evening show and then do it all over again the next day and the next.
That was the Chinese Martial Arts movie era.
Some of my favorites being David Chiang, Ti Lung and Fong Si Liu … just to name a few.
This was the time when Bruce Lee had splashed the screen and was fast becoming a household name - and at which time I was a “Brown belt” in Tae-kwon do, aspiring to garner my “Black belt”.
Needless to mention it was an exciting time in my life at that age.



It did not take long to begin to desire a lighter, more nimble bike.
It was becoming fatiguing for this teenaged kid to “muscle” a bike this size back and forth around town.
I was spending a lot of time commuting between school, my galavanting and home and thus many hours each day on the Guzzi.
It’s front end, though very robust left a lot to be desired.
Hanging around the workshop one Sunday during a BMW front end repair job I was working on, I was hard pressed to find a needed steering head bearing to replace the defective one I had discovered.
Rummaging through a box of assorted parts, mainly Moto Guzzi stuff, I came to find out that the steering head bearings were the same part as for the BMW and would therefore be a direct fit/replacement.
Eureka!
So that job got well and successfully wrapped up as a result.
Immediately, my mind turned to finding out if the steering stem center tube would also be a match.
Lo and behold, taking measurements off parts on hand, that specification on both models were exactly the same!
So started my customization project of replacing and modifying the front end of the Guzzi.
These were days when photography and videography were an expensive luxury and so I could not visually document all this work and excitement for posterity.
Today, I look back in my memories at all the projects I have undertaken and a constant smile claims its place on my face.
I look at folks who have had the privilege and platform of TV and the gamut of online outlets and smirk to myself seeing them do nothing that I have not done in the past, under much more challenging conditions.
But oh well, that’s how the dice have rolled.

So along the way, the Guzzi V700 got re-engineered and acquired a BMW front end that resulted in a slightly more contemporary look, with a full cluster of BMW gauges - the offset in actual reading of which I had to calculate to obtain a more accurate reading of speed and distance.
With that accomplished, the odd-looking match, or mis-match should I say, of the Guzzi’s fuel tank in relation to the nicely, newly-fitted front end, forced further re-engineering and modification.
One thing led to another and by the time it was all said and done, the whole bike had undergone a complete metamorphosis.
Along the way it acquired primarily a BMW fuel tank and Moto-Morini exhaust mufflers and lost the leg guards and floorboards.
I must admit that I particularly liked coming out of the movie theater at the end of the movie each night.
It did a lot for my ego!
LOL!
Having the privilege of parking right at the front entrance to the movie theater, there was always a large crowd that I had to wade through to get to my bike.
Most times, I would hang back and just listen to all the buzz and fuss that was being made over the bike.
Naturally, being a “one-of” it was like nothing else out there and the configuration of parts from other machines gave rise to so many theories, statements and facts from the opinionated on-lookers!
“It’s a BMW I tell you”!
“No it can’t be. It doesn’t have the protruding cylinders!”
“It looks like a Guzzi”.
“Well yeah, but look at the gas tank! That’s pure BMW!”
“But then it can’t be a Guzzi either, look at the pipes and look at the front brakes. The Guzzi’s brakes are different”!
“So what is it then?”
“It could be one of those new Suzuki models”!
“How do you know?”
The conversation and theories would abound and with a big, proud smile (and a “big head”) I would fight my way and push through the crowd, dramatically but calmly put my helmet on, get astride, fire the big perfectly-tuned V-twin engine up, pull away ever so slowly, parting the crowd of onlookers and make my way into the darkness of the night streets.
It was a very proud accomplishment - one of a few more that I undertook. The next of which was more of an assembly project of a BMW R/60.
It wasn’t but a couple of years after that when I left for Europe to begin my apprenticeship and training for my current profession and motorcycling now became derailed from the top spot of priorities in my life.