model: 750 V7 Sport - 1972

country: UK

frame number: VK12870

engine number: n/a

name: John Dyer

email:

notes: "Here are the old pictures of my bike in the late 70's. They're not much good apart from for a laugh. One pic is fairly soon after the change from green to red and the other two are after packing up following a rock concert! I wonder what happened to young Sonia??

I'm John Dyer and live in West Wales. I have a 1972, V7 sport, frame no VK12870, which I bought in Ipswich, where I grew up, in March 1978. It has a UK reg number NNH 694P as it was imported by someone in the RAF in 1976. I was told it was originally sold in Germany. When I bought the bike it was in Lime Green with a black frame.

The markings on the tank were the red and white transfers. The replacements I found for the rebuild broke up because of age. It had a black two-into-one exhaust system and a 750S seat. The bike had very heavy use for three years, as it was my only transport, once I sold my RD400. The paint rubbed off the tank, my knees polished the back of the rocker covers (I am 6'4") and the exhaust fell to bits. By the end of 1980 the bike was metal flake red with a twin headlight Dresda endurance style fairing and a T3 exhaust system. At one time there was a one off fibreglass tank/seat cover but this was destroyed in an accident in Belgium.

At this time I had got married and the bike was used very little. Eventually one day the oil light came on. Chrome had flaked from the cylinder bores and got into all the bearing surfaces. The bike was dismantled in 1981 and it remained that way till 2001. I had moved house twice with the bike packed in boxes but kept everything. Unfortunately some engine parts were water damaged when in storage and I now really need a complete engine.

My interests then moved on to car restorations. Anyway, I was off work for a time last year and decided to take a look at what was there. The frame has been refinished, the fuel tank and tool boxes repainted black for now. An 850 engine has been fitted till I can do better and the wife made a new seat cover for the 750S seat - she did better than some professional jobs I've seen. The front forks have been completely rebuilt and only the sliders remain from before. Some chroming has been done and I stripped and replaced the crackle finish on the yokes and lamp brackets. I managed to find a new and original light switch and have done a complete rewire. The old speedo was dodgy and read in KPH (showing 98066KM before it broke) but I found a second hand one. Now to bring you up to date. The bike is now on the road and in use. The furthest I've been is a 120mile round trip to a Guzzi club meeting and it is taking me some time to get my nerve back after all these years, but I'm getting there and enjoying > myself."Here are some pics of the bike today."

Another case of loyal long term ownership - great 70s photos is that a record for the
most gear packed onto a V7 Sport??!!- Adam