Everyone I ride with is getting slow… need something that is less... erm... enthusiastic.
And less Italian in the reliability stakes 
The Thunderbird is damn nice - particularly in the Nightstorm flavour which has me drooling. With the massive fuel tank, massive mpg and comfy seating it could be a very, very nice place to do a lot of miles!
And apparently I don't have to wait for my wee boys to finish school before doing the Nordkapp......
To be fair, the V7 shouldn't be so hard on batteries, smaller engine to try and start. Which also means bump starting the thing should be a whole lot easier (last time I had to push mine half way up Wrynose Pass in the Lakes, freewhile with clutch in until I hit somewhere north of 35mph and then dump the clutch in 3rd.
Locked the back wheel but somehow it managed to move enough to get the damn motor to turn over! Just as well, it would probably still be there if it hadn't started!
If they get ridden enough that isn't going to be such a problem though, and if you live somewhere with a more amenable climate than the Lake District that would probably go in your favour too.
Or just get a spare battery and keep it on a charger in your home
They are such awesome bikes to ride though… even if I do have the urge for a large capacity cruiser at the moment....
Oh… and if they fit - Pirelli Angels. My tyre of choice! Some are going on the Griso on Tuesday in preparation for a ride up to Shetland in June!
Since Graeme uttered the word "Griso" like a strange archangel of doom I have been summonsed.
The V7 is lovely - and that is a stunning example. The motors are just superb, the shaft drive is probably second to none and they ride… oh man... they ride.
However.
The electrics are a bit shonky. The Griso eats batteries - I spend more on them last year and the year before than petrol! I think this was down to a mix of the bike being kept in a remote and deeply cold garage (in the grim north) with no power and hence no optimate. There is also limited time to ride due to munchkins.
Since moving I now have it in a garage, with power and an optimate... and also a shiny new LiFePo4 battery.
Despite my issues with batteries, fuses (I used to carry around a pocket full of assorted fuses when riding - most the gremlins have been found and remedied now) it is probably the sexiest bike on earth.
That said, I am hankering after a Victory Gunner at the moment… for those times that the Guzzi doesn't start
