BEWARE OF ETHANOL

First generation V7s have a plastic fuel tank. Unfortunately the bike’s introduction coincided with ethanol making its way into petrol, which caused cracks in the fuel tank’s paint and, worse, made the tank swell up. This made it awkward to refit the tank after a service and caused fuel pipes to come away from the tank’s fuel filters, obviously causing the V-twin to cut out. If you’re looking at a series I model, check that it has the modified fuel filters that feature a larger tulip on the end and prevent the clamp from coming undone. Better still, find a bike with a metal tank from a series II or III model – they’re easy to change over and decent secondhand ones start at around £300.