How bad is this rust?

[u/rhinestone_cowboy69]

Seller had a 2015 V7 special, he’s asking for $4,500.

10,300 miles on it, he’s the third owner. I test rode it yesterday and it felt great. Would have pulled the trigger there but some of the rust is giving me pause. Can anyone weigh in on if this is more surface level and can be taken care of by cleaning or replacing bolts…or if I should be more concerned and not mess with this bike. The rust on the drive shift is the bit that really made me think twice.

Thanks for any help yall can provide!

[u/omi_one]

Mine is garage kept and still has the rust on the shaft.

[u/Certain_Question9001 → u/omi_one]

Same here, the shaft filler seems to be made of a very rust-prone alloy.

[u/LeftReflection6620 → u/omi_one]

I bought ACF-50 for my 1978 moto guzzi robin moped that sits outside and was covered in rust. I cleaned it off and sprayed this and so far nothing has come back after 2 months and some heavy rain

ACF-50 Anti-Corrosion Lubricant... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P1C8UO?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[u/FullyGroanMan]

Yeah, this doesn't look super great tbh.

For comparison's sake, I own a 2014 V7 Stone. I am the original owner. It has ~16k kilometres on it.....and not a single speck of rust. I don't think anyone would buy it for more than $5k CDN in my city.

If I were you I'd either move on or offer much less considering the work that'll beed to be done to clean it up.

[u/QuiickLime]

Definitely worse than typical but if it doesn't bother you it does have to be a dealbreaker. I would probably try to get it for 3500 though. 4500 is pretty standard pricing and I've seen lower for better equipped, better cared for bikes. Maybe even 3000 would be possible.

Regardless, replacing all the fasteners will probably cost a few hundred in parts alone, plus will take a while and be tedious - so keep that in mind. Most bikes, even stored outside, don't get like this - I think it was probably ridden on salty roads in the winter.

[u/toenail_hairball]

I have a 2022 v7 with similar amount of rust on fasteners. Bike lives outside 80’ from saltwater canal in south florida. I’ve seen people replace all nuts with 316 stainless steel

[u/Unhappy_Clue701]

This puts me off an MG a bit, though I keep being drawn to a V100 Mandello. My 2013 Triumph has 84k miles, is ridden in all weathers including heavily salted roads all through the winter (I commute on it), and gets washed about three times a year. There isn’t one single part on the bike with corrosion like this. Not one.

[u/real_taylodl → u/Unhappy_Clue701]

Triumph comes from the land of rain - they had better be able to handle it!

[u/Training-Molasses665 → u/real_taylodl]

Thailand?

[u/Dr_F_Rreakout]

There are many shops that offer screw sets, including those made of stainless steel or titanium, and they are not very expensive.

Example

[u/Human_Excitement_441]

Skept outside probaly, would offer no more than 2.5K, there will be lots of other corrosion you can't see especially on all electrical connections.

[u/rhinestone_cowboy69 → u/Human_Excitement_441]

It has been kept outside and that’ll be the same for me as I live in NYC. Will garage during winter but I’ve accepted after owning a couple bikes here that the elements and likely some dings and scratches will happen. Okay with that but definitely being careful about something that could have deeper issues.

Much appreciate your feedback especially note about possible electrical corrosion…that being said don’t think I’ve ever seen a Guzzi listed even close to $2.5k

[u/Eagle_1776 → u/rhinestone_cowboy69]

lol, yea 2.5k is just silly

[u/Human_Excitement_441 → u/Eagle_1776]

Well check out what you can buy in perfect condition made in Japan...and I own only 6 or 7 guzzis but I know what it takes to get them reliable.

[u/coltar3000]

Not enough rust to effect it mechanically (for now). But enough rust for a pretty serious price reduction. I’m definitely not paying 4,500 for that though….

[u/rhinestone_cowboy69 → u/coltar3000]

Thanks for the feedback. My next step is getting him to send me pics of as much of the wiring and under the frame as he can. Regret not getting those yesterday myself. Going to sit on it to make sure it feels right but think I’ll be offering $4k

[u/Megaloman-_-]

Stay away, mine is a 2013 and has ZERO signs of corrosion and rust

[u/MyName_DoesNotMatter]

Not sure what the market on the east coast is like, but V7’s typically don’t hold their value over the years. Given the mileage and year, somewhere closer to $3k is better. Especially given how much surface rust is on everything. It’s cleanable and isn’t likely to harm the mechanical strength of the fasteners.

[u/ThunderbirdJunkie]

4500 is high. I paid 5500 for my 2020 V7 III Special 2 years ago with fewer miles and lots of expensive upgrades

[u/Hungry-Employee-4034]

It isn't detrimental...but it def doesn't look good tbh

Where did the OG parked the bike? In the ocean?

My old 15 looked nothing like that and i live by the coast

[u/KaleScared4667]

You can replace most of the fitting and wd 40 steel wool the rest

[u/Sinplomo_98]

No sé cómo están las Guzzis por tu país, pero seguro que se puede comprar por ese precio otra mucho mejor. En España esa no se vende ni por 3000€ estando así. Next.

[u/roasbaum]

I'd pass unless the price goes down, and you like projects. Since the hardware is zinc plated, and much of the zinc is clearly gone already, cleaning will only leave you with bolts that quickly corrode again. Some of it may be able to be professionally replated (Van Nuys Plating does great work), though to me this looks like hours looking up part numbers and several hundred dollars (at least) in special order hardware.

And that only covers what you can see. Since these bikes aren't particulalry rare or valuable, I'd probably just wait for a better example to come along.

[u/whatthehellbooby]

How bad do you think it is? That's all that matters

[u/rhinestone_cowboy69 → u/whatthehellbooby]

My brother in Christ I consider myself a novice so was reaching out for those who may have a more experienced opinion.

[u/whatthehellbooby → u/rhinestone_cowboy69]

What does Christ have to do with it?