2024 V9 Bobber question

[Zimmermichaels1ea]

Hello,

I've been riding my V7 850 Special for more than a year now and absolutely love it.  I've been talking it up to my son who is ready to move up from his used Honda Rebel 500.  Of course, I told him of the virtues of the V7 Special, but he has much younger tastes which leads me to the question of this post.

My son loves the look and ride of the V9 Bobber, and feels that the really big front tire adds much to the handling of the bike, especially in the corners. He said supposedly the bike is more stable when encountering tar snakes and grooved concrete pavement and other sorts of road imperfections that make my V7 Special shimmy about somewhat.  And, of course, they are tubless tires, unlike the V7 Special.

I don't know enough to confirm or deny any of the big tire assertions. 

Can any of you experienced Guzzistas shed any light on the V9 Bobber's big front tire?  Especially current V9 owners.

In the end, I can't complain about his choice....it's a Guzzi after all!

[faffi]

Feel is something personal, so if your son prefer the handling of the Bobber, there is no reason to debate it. In theory, a narrower, taller tire should be more stable over tar snakes and more neutral during cornering. However, a wire wheel will never be as rigid as a cast wheel, and can contribute to some minor wiggles or instability. Also of great importance is tire design and construction, as well as suspension action.

More factual based, a tubeless tire will lose its pressure slower if punctured, giving a potential safety advantage. And there are no spokes to adjust, or rims to true. Finally, the tire will run cooler since there is less mass and no friction between inner tube and tire carcass.

Regardless, instead of trying to use rational arguments, IMO he should buy what he want, not what theoretically is a tiny bit better or worse. The two are basically the same bike that differ primarily when it comes to their cloak. [And the pre-2020 (IIRC) V9 have arguably the best edition of the 850 engine, with more low- and midrange power than the later edition - as well as that of the V7 - at the cost of a little top-end.]

[Zimmermichaels1ea]

Excellent!  1 vote for the lad making his own decision 

I will bow out the decision along with my love of chrome and spokes.  I am glad to hear that there isn't much difference between the V7 and V9 because that means that the V9 will be such a great ride for the boy!

I still don't understand the big front tire -- I guess it's just for looks, buy my son loves that beefy aggressive look.  I do like the idea that he will be running tubeless tires, I wish my V7 had that

[faffi]

You are correct, the front tire is primarily for looks. However, 16in wheels was also the hottest thing since sliced bread for a while in racing during the early 80s, as it gave quicker turn-in. Not to forget that a huge amount of Harley Davidsons have been fitted with 16in wheels front and rear since waaay back, so it is a proven recipe. Also, if you watch and/or read test reports of the Roamer and Bobber when they were first introduced, you will find that the majority prefer the steering/handling of the Bobber over the Roamer, that has a 19in front wheel. Your son will be good

[Zimmermichaels1ea]

Thanks guys for the great advice!

The bobber my son is looking at is a 2021 Centenario edition with less than 700 miles on it.  It is virtually mint and they're asking $4,999 USD.

Which leads me to a follow-up question:  How can one tell if the ECU has the latest official Guzzi flash on it?  I thought I read somewhere that between 2021 and now, a better mapping came out from the factory.

[faffi]

Sounds like a great bike for him! As to your question, I cannot help, unfortunately.

[Kev m]

I was following this thread yesterday but didn't reply because Faffi pretty much nailed it.

Still, I'm bored this morning (KIDS FINALLY WENT BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!) and thought I'd add a comment.

I don't know why people ASSume the fat tire in the front hurts something. Maybe we all think we're professional racers.

I mean there comes a point where fat tires and other styling mods take away from performance for sure, but my limited experience suggests this is NOT THAT POINT.

The few times I rode a Bobber (it was a Bobber Sport or BS for short) I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. The bike remained in my dreams for years to come and I would still be looking for one now if it wasn't for the VS (V7 Sport).

OP I think your kid is gonna be just fine. He obviously comes from good stock and has good taste.

Tell him to enjoy and RIDE SAFE!

[TN Mark]

Both my Victory Cross bikes came from Polaris with a 130/70R18 front tire. The biggest tire that will fit under the front fender is a 160/60R18. In most cases, a rear tire is used turned ‘backwards’ up front.

On both of my Cross bikes, I installed a Bridgestone T32 rear 160/60 up front and absolutely love the result.
Aesthetically, it just ‘looks’ like it belongs there. Functionally, I’d never want to go back to the original sized front tire. The contact patch, is of course, much larger in all circumstances. Consequently, the grip is vastly improved which translates to increased confidence in all riding scenarios.

Mileage is another aspect of using a rear tire up front. 30K to 34K miles is normal. One of my Cross bikes has 17K miles on the tires and while the rear Bridgestone G704R is now worn out, the front will easily last another 17K miles.

[Moparnut72]

I wasn't going to add my 2 cents but I guess I will. A few years ago I had a Harley Slim. The Slim is a large bobber with 16" tires at both ends. They are good looking bikes but for me had issues, mainly cornering. To do any kind of a hard turn I had to hang off the bike like a MotoGP rider but to a largely less extent. I don't believe the MG will suffer from that malady.  Anyway before I swore off Harleys, I test rode a Lowrider which is not as low as the name implies but lower than most other brands. It had pretty much normal sized tires, I don't know which exactly. On the test ride I went around a clover leaf that had numerous and prominent tar snakes everywhere. It was so unnerving I wanted to get off the bike but slowed down to a crawl. To be fair the bike was a demo with a fair amount of mileage on it. To further investigate the issue I then rode my Slim over the same clover leaf with absolutely no issues. Of course I can't say if the fat tire on the Slim made it better or if the demo was the problem. But in my opinion the fat tire in the front doesn't significantly affect the handling of the bike and I wouldn't let that affect your decision to buy the MG Bobber.
kk

[Kev m]

Both my Victory Cross bikes came from Polaris with a 130/70R18 front tire. The biggest tire that will fit under the front fender is a 160/60R18. In most cases, a rear tire is used turned ‘backwards’ up front.

On both of my Cross bikes, I installed a Bridgestone T32 rear 160/60 up front and absolutely love the result.
Aesthetically, it just ‘looks’ like it belongs there. Functionally, I’d never want to go back to the original sized front tire. The contact patch, is of course, much larger in all circumstances. Consequently, the grip is vastly improved which translates to increased confidence in all riding scenarios.

Mileage is another aspect of using a rear tire up front. 30K to 34K miles is normal. One of my Cross bikes has 17K miles on the tires and while the rear Bridgestone G704R is now worn out, the front will easily last another 17K miles.

 

Yup, you reminded me of another point I was going to make.

The Bobber has a 130/90-16 front tire.

I've had that on multiple other bikes and never found a single problem cornering with any of them.

HELL, Jenn's Monster has a 120/60-17 front which isn't ALL that different.

Mopar - I think it's you man. Unless you're talking the earlier Softails and not the current monoshock frame bikes. I mean, the Slim was low and I could see it scraping a bit too much without lots of body English, the current Lowriders handle FINE. I guess tar snakes can be a little worse with a wider tire if it's wet or hot enough, but still, never really been an issue for me. * shrugs *

[Moparnut72]

The other way around. The Slim was fine the Lowrider was awful. It was a demo with 3,000 miles on it. The tire may have been worn, who knows.
kk