Hi,

I'm planning a 3-4 weeks trip to Romania, Bulgaria and parts of the balcan in July/Aug 2012 with my gf.
We wanna go 2-up on my Moto Guzzi V7 Classic. No camping intended, we'll try to keep the package tight in two HB cases, a tankbag and a small waterproof roll on the back.

We've done a couple of day- and weekend trips so far and have always been amazed of how comfortable the V7C is still after long hours in the saddle.

The bike is quite new with acutally about 5k km on the clock and there haven't been any major issues with it so far except some loose screws at the bends from those lovely Guzzi 90°-V2-vibrations.

As we're 2-up, I'd wanna keep the ballast as low as possible.
I would be happy to read some tips and hints on which spare parts and tools are essential to take in you opinion.
I'm not a big mechanic myself, so any special tools to de-mount the engine on the road side do not need to be on top of the list.
Oil changes and maintenance has been done recently and I'll have a pre-start check with my dealer right before we leave.

What I thought to take so far would include:
- the factory toolset
- screwdriver, allen keys in given sizes, wrenches in given sizes, claw, cable ties, Gaffa-tape
- 2 spare spark plugs
- flat tire repair kit (none specific chosen yet, I'm thankful for tips! The tires are the regular Metzeler tubeless)

Thanks for your help in advance,
many greetings from Berlin

Ed

Hi Ed, I think the Guzzi V7 Classic will run faultlessly over the distance you intend to do. With any Guzzi I'd take two spark plugs and two plug caps with a tool to remove the plug. When the bike's a bit older I'd carry spare clutch and throttle cables too. Some coloured cellophane can be used to patch a broken indicator or rear light lens and spare brake and clutch levers would be a good idea with tools to remove them. Other than a spare ignition key, that's it. Lindsay.

Hi Linzi,

thanks for your quick reply!

I'm pretty optimistic that the bike will do it's job, I was just fearing, there's some sort of hidden predetermined breaking point on these models, that I was not aware of up to now ;-)

Thought about taking a clutch and throttle cable with me, too, as the clutch cable needs re-adjustment already now every 500 km or so. Seems to be a bit weak. Got that on my list. The colour cellophane is a good and handy idea. Got it also.

Thanks and a safe ride!
Ed.

An interesting bike and it would be interesting to hear how you get on with your trip.

In addition to your list, which is pretty good I think, I would carry a set of spare bulbs for the common lights on the V7 (especially if you expect to ride at night). Also, I tend to carry a light weight tow rope; one that can tow the weight of a bike, not a car etc - it can be just about any bit of strong cord and it folds up small and light.
Yes, I have also carried a tubeless puncture repair kit, but I have used this only on a car wheel; it worked fine and I expect any decent quality manufacturers' product would work OK.

__________________
Dave

You may also want to replace all the tools in the standard toolkit with identical-sized, good quality equivilents - no manufacturer spends a lot on providing these tool kits and I have many bent, snapped, sheared or rounded Guzzi tools!
Also, I'm guessing your V7 is one of the newer small-blocks and not the venerable "white rhino" from the 1960s? If so, that's quite a "compact" bike to go two-up riding - which is not to say it can't be done with some forethought.
Keep the weight in panniers as low as possible, as narrow as possible and as far forward as possible; a small tankbag for lightweight items is also a good idea.
And if you haven't already got one, a bluetooth intercom system will allow you to point out interesting things, discuss where to stop for lunch, answer the phone and hear the GPS...
Have a great time!

Thanks a lot for your hints, guys!

I'll keep those tips in mind.

The machine is a new model, not the one from the 60ies. There's a lot of discussion going on about if it's strong enough for two people, but we both are not from the skinny kind (together something about 140 kgs) and we never had any trouble with the machine's power or handling or seating comfort while riding 2-up, though I felt the rear shocks might need some adjustment before finally heading off.

I'll keep you updated and will try to write a small trip report while on the road.