First bike- Moto Guzzi V7 vs HD Street 750

[mbah]

I am looking to buy a first bike to use on my commute. My commute is approximately 40 or so miles, and involves an empty motorway for 20 or so miles then the rest on twisty desert roads.

My main dilemma has been three-fold. First, most small displacement bikes are not available in my country, unless it is 125cc or less. Most dealerships only import 'delivery bikes' with 10hp and litre bikes with 200hp. For example, it is impossible to get a Rebel 500 (or any Honda less than 1000cc) here. Second, is that I need a tad of power on my commute and riding a 125cc bike for 40 miles a day on 75 and 60 roads will be terribly tiring. Third is that the second hand market for bikes is limited, and if I order in something nobody else wants I will have a hard time selling it.

With all of the above in mind, and having visited every dealership, I am trying to figure out which bike to buy as a first bike. I have included on the road prices as keeping it relatively budget friendly is important.

1. 2015, Harley Davidson Street 750, used with 2,113 miles. £3,000 OTR. Clean bike.

2. 2015 Moto-Guzzi V7 Stone, new old stock, £6,000 OTR.

I'm leaning heavily towards the HD because £3,000 is a lot of money for me. I could stretch to the Moto-Guzzi, and money aside it is my preference, but I'd have to reign in my spending for a while in order to make up for it.

I'm a complete newbie so I would appreciate your advice. As I don't have tons of money, and the used market is limited, I don't want to buy a small displacement bike that I have to replace in a few months, as I would likely not find a buyer for a long time.

I am planning of fitting either bikes with a crash guard in case I drop the bike, as everyone says its certain I will!

Thanks for your help.

[Rogerborg]

Given your criteria, I'd go for the Harley. It's about as modern as a Harley gets, it's done its heavy depreciation, and it'll be easier to sell on - ask yourself why the Guzzi is still gathering dust after 3 years.

However, get a test ride before deciding. It's a heavy old lump, and on the early models at least there have been complete failures reported in both the front and rear brakes.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[mbah]

Thank you for your reply Rogerborg.

The only other option I did not mention was a Vulcan S, about £6,800 OTR, but the bike would have to be considerably better than the HD to justify me spending an extra £3.8k.

On price alone I seem to be leaning towards the 750. Also Harley Davidson and the Moto Guzzi dealers are the only ones willing to give me a test ride, the rest do not have these models available for test rides which is a dealbreaker for me most of the time.

Thanks again for the replies.

[RhynoCZ]

Go Japanese and never look back.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Nobby the Bastard]

Holy mother of God! The best available is a hardly or a guzzi ? What sort of backwards country do you live in?
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[mbah]

[Diggs]

Nothing wrong with a Guzzi provided you accept having to replace certain electrical components as part of the ownership 'experience'. When they run right, they are a delight to ride...
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[Rogerborg]

As long as you don't need them during the 8 week summer break in Italy?
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Diggs]

I used to replace with Jap bits - all was good once I had done so, then some dozy mare reversed over it in a van. Damn shame as I loved that bike and would gladly have one of the new generation small-engine Guzzis as a summer plaything....
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[Powderhead]

[Nobby the Bastard]

I'd be tempted to buy a euopean bike and then just ride it round on euro plates...
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[Nexus Icon]

That seems bloody cheap for the HD while the V7 is at about the price it was new, IIRC. I didn't realize Harleys plummeted in value like that.
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Greetings from Shitsville!

[Rogerborg]

It's not a proper Harley though, it's the one that's just for girls / wimps / people who don't have flashbacks to 'Nam.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[BTTD]

From what I've read the little Harley gets given reasonable reviews, almost begrudgingly it seems.
At three grand less than the Guzzi, bearing in mind it's a first bike and not your forever and ever and ever bike, I'd go for the Harley.
If you're struggling to make ends meet having bought the Guzzi and then drop it, you're going to be proper pee'd off and a bit screwed. If you drop the Harley you'll have a few spare coins to throw at it, get back on the road and on with enjoying yourself / commuting through the desert.

[Nobby the Bastard]

The only problem with the hardly....

Let me rephrase....

The biggest problem with the hardly is the throttle. For some reason giving it a big handful doesn't make the bike go any faster, all the energy goes into making a load of noise and a fuckton of vibration.

I'd go for the guzzi and accept that I'd lose some money on the deal.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[oscar777]

The 750 is nothing even close to a real Harley. It just feels cheap, it sounds like a vacuum cleaner, and doesn't pull from low rpm like you'd expect from a V-twin. I test drove the 750 street rod and then had a go on a new 1200 sportster. Night and day experience. A lot of people rag on Harleys but the truth is they've never even ride one. I almost bought that sportster, the noise and just character of the engine was great. Of course then I came to my sense and realised I'm not that old yet.

But 3k for a 750 street does sound like great value tbf. Between the two I would go for the Harley purely on value.

However, ask yourself how many months will it take before you're wishing for something else?
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Push bike with a 80cc jerry rigged 2 stroke---> CBR125R ---> GSXR600 ---> Ducati 1098SF

[oscar777]

[Powderhead]