In this paper we compute the 3-primary $v_1$-periodic homotopy groups
of the
exceptional Lie group $E_7$. This represents the next stage in the
author's
goal of calculating the $v_1$-periodic
homotopy groups of all compact simple Lie
groups (at least when localized at an odd prime).
Most of the work goes into calculating the
unstable Novikov spectral sequence of $\Omega E_7/Sp(2)$. Showing that
this
spectral sequence converges to the $v_1$-periodic
homotopy groups in this case
utilizes recent results of Bousfield and Bendersky-Thompson.