Impressions of the V7 Sport

I purchased my V7 Sport in 1973, it was from the second production run having the black frame with the red tank. It was the first V7 Sport in this configuration delivered in the USA west of the Mississippi river.

It was a wonderful bike as delivered but that didn't keep me from futzing with it. It went through a series of incarnations. Having a red frame, black frame and finally a silver frame, with red tank. The first mechanical changes were the polishing of the ports, higher lift cam, special valve springs and retainers.

Carburettors were changed out and finally I used the round slide Delortos from a Ducati Sport which worked the best with the cam and port configuration. I tried various exhaust set ups but I found using the stock exhaust with gutted stock mufflers, to which I had made a custom baffle gave the best all round power band. The final change of significance was the change to the close ratio five speed with the square cut gears. The howl of the close ratio was almost louder than the exhaust, it was an auditory gourmet feast for the ears.

I converted it to disk brakes when they became available, then ended up changing it back as when the four leading shoe brake was properly set up and with a good compound worked as well as the disks and looked infinitely better on the bike. The disks were good for people who did not tinker but looked like rusty scrap most of the time. They also did not have the feed back of a well set up four leading shoe, but then again the disks were idiot proof. I just didn't like the looks and that was in the end the deciding factor.

The bike handled like it was glued to the pavement, once when leaned over near the limit in a fast sweeper I hit a squirrel who ran out and just stopped at the worst possible place. The first thought was "this is going to cost a pile of money to repair", the bike popped up in the air moved over a couple of feet, came down in a slide and then recovered. My heart took much longer to return to normal, but it instilled an even deeper love in the bike for me. During the early to mid 70s I had nearly everything that was current and

Italian: Moto Morini, Moto Guzzi, Ducati, MV Augusta and Laverda. It helped being a dealer (in Eugene Oregon), but there was never a bike that stirred my soul like my V7 Sport. One of my dear friends named Gregory M had one that paralleled my V7 throughout its various incarnations, and even after he quit riding he keep it for 20 years or so as he couldn't bear to part with it. The V7 Sport seems to steal the heart of everyone who took the plunge.

This story like others has an end. I sold the bike in Eugene, Oregon and then moved abroad to Switzerland for 20 years. I always look back though with fond memories and the hope that one day, now that I am back Stateside, I will find my old sweetheart and be able to buy her back. I follow the ads in the various publications and keep looking, hope springs eternal as it is said.

J J Durrmeyer, email: durrmeyer at yahoo.co.uk