Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber & Roamer Review

Moto Guzzi has created some European Charm with its retro-inspired V9s…
Watch the video then read the full test in the free digital edition of Cycle Torque magazine! Just go to www.cycletorque.com.au where you can read it online, download a PDF or get the iOS App for the iPad or iPhone editions.
Here are the first few paragraphs of the article…
HE trend toward more and more manufacturers offering retro-style standard bikes is continuing, with Moto Guzzi now building a sweet pair of little big-bikes - although the nominal displacement of the new V9 Bobber and V9 Roamer is 900cc, they feel like middleweight roadsters.
The two bikes are almost the same, the only important differences is the front wheel, tyre and handlebars. The Bobber has a 16-inch front wheel and fat tyre combined with relatively flat ’bars, the Roamer a 19-inch wheel and conventional tyre with pull-back ’bars. The seats are also different, but it’s hard to tell - the Roamer’s is slightly thicker, but both could do with more padding - more on that later.
Both bikes share the 90-degree four-stroke two-valve air-cooled V-twin motor, instruments, suspension, transmission, rear wheel and most ancillaries. Less critical differences include tyres - the Bobber is supplied with Continentals, the Roamer with Pirellis and the colours. The Roamer is the more conservative, and is available in dark red, off white or gold, while the Bobber comes in flat black with red highlights or Grey with yellow highlights.
V-Twin power
The style of the new V9s is very retro. Get up close and you can see how it all works, with hoses and cables visible between the cylinders, which themselves poke out into the air thanks to the way the V-twin motor is positioned in the chassis.
For those new to Moto Guzzi, all its bikes for decades now have been powered by a V-twin motor which has the crank in line with the bike, so the cylinders poke out each side just in front of the rider’s knees.
Go to www.cycletorque.com.au/jul16 to read the full test

[@jamesnickel4748]

Great looking bikes and wonderful sound too!

[@sbsb4995]

gorgeous bike. very special

[@jackalster77]

Can you please review the new Moto Guzzi v7 III Anniversario?

[@danielc9441]

took a v9 roamer for a test ride on the weekend, I love the look of it and it felt stable with easy handling even at low speed. unfortunately my shins kept hitting against the protruding engine heads which was very annoying and in my opinion the footpeg positioning is a serious design flaw. it is not as powerful as one would expect from an 850 cc engine and is also missing a tacho. Maybe I will try the Griso.

[@MatchBookNotes]

Outta curiosity how tall are you?

[@nervotica7991]

Love it!

[@admiralbeez8143]

The one and only reason riders were looking forward to the launch of the V9 was to gain significantly more power and torque over the V7. But Guzzi disappoints again, How do they get so little power from almost a litre of displacement? Here’s some advice MG, put the V85 motor into the V9 bike.

[@F-tt3xv]

You have obviously not tried a V9 with the 65hp engine. Cant afford one i suppose……

[@robcig]

I wonder how they compare overall with the classic V7?. I have to admit, they are a beautiful looking machine. I'll have to wait for my Triumph to die before considering one though!

[@mikefule330]

I looked closely at the V9s before buying a V7. I had a V7 Stone and now have a V7 ii Stone. The Stone is essentially the same bike as the Classic but with styling differences and alloy wheels - less obviously "retro". When my first V7 was stolen, my wife and I considered every option including the V9 Bobber and V9 Roamer and sat on both. If pillion accommodation is important to you then the V9 is probably not a good idea. I'm 5' 7" and my wife is about 5' 2" and we're both slim, and she found her backside was only just able to fit on the pillion seat of the V9. By way of contrast, there is plenty of room on the V7 and we have done long days of touring 2 upon the V7. However, from the rider's point of view, the V9 feels a little bigger and more spacious. The problem for pillions is that the V9 seat is short. The V9 engine is not just a bored out V7. It has a number of technical differences. However, it is not much more powerful than the 7 and as I guess the bike is a tad heavier, I would expect the performance to be pretty much the same. My V7 is great for "real world" speeds - I use it for commuting including dual carriageways and urban roads as well as for pleasure riding. It will touch 100 mph but is at its best up to about 90. One thing that ought to be emphasised is the convenience of the shaft drive, especially if you use a bike all year round. You read a lot of nonsense about shaft jack, torque affecting the steering etc. It just rides like any other bike. These Guzzis are air cooled and OHV rather than OHC so they will never compare with a water cooled OHC engine. A 750 that is "only" 50 BHP sounds poor, but I think of my V7 not as a low powered 750, but as a torquey and characterful 50 BHP. I looked closely at more modern bikes such as the CB500F which has similar power and found them bland. If you have a Triumph, you will find the Guzzis featherweight in comparison. My wife and I looked at the Bonneville and the Street Twin, liked the look, but fond them unnecessarily heavy.

[@WyreForestBiker]

Better review than the review !! .. Interesting comment about feeling featherweight ,I'm a big Triumph fan but agree about the Bonny's weight , really surprised they didn't loose 20kg when the new water-cooled ones came out. Agee also about the Honda .. utterly bland to ride, a mode of transport rather than a motorcycle.

[@steedivegan4619]

stunning I just wish guzzi would pump more horses in to them

[@984francis]

If you're a good rider, get in the twisties with with a few sportbikes and shame them. Yeah, the straight line acceleration / speed is lacking but so what, bikes are for twisties, not straightlines. Get an autodrive Tesla for that.....

[@user-sw2lv3zp6o]

Nice bike. I've read they suffer from 'rear end' oil leaks. I assume we're talking about the shaft/bevel area.

[@davideccles1617]

Probably in 1921 they did, they don’t leak now!

[@984francis]

Owned and been around MGs a lot, never encountered this problem. The V50 crank seal used to fail but that was in the last century.

[@EllisBurton3339]

I had a 2007 Griso 1100 and it was absolute quality no leaks at all in any area ...the biggest issue for me was transmission slap ...attempting to feather smooth gear changes especially on the down shift in tork was a fine art ....but massively entertaining....and the position and width of the handle destroyed my wrists elbows and neck ...but apart from that a fab bike lol ...

[@bobstevens9040]

Yeah mine did

[@johnathonmorrow7346]

What's the cc on the bobber

[@cycletorquedotcom]

Both the Bobber and Roamer use the same engine - 850cc