V9 Video Review posted today at Visordown

[Penderic]

http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-first-rides/moto-guzzi-v9-video-review/31292.html

 

[leafman60]

They describe the power from the 850 is "lacking." I can't argue with that.

However, they can't resist the temptation to go on about how the bike twist sideways when revved.  They go on to say this effect makes the bike unsettled when negotiating a curve. Baloney.

[JeffOlson]

"Like a mate who has had one too many..." Still, not a horrible review.

In any event, I don't care. I like the V9--a lot--and I am hoping they sell like hotcakes, to hipsters and old codgers alike.

[bad Chad]

Am I just numb to this torque steer this guy refers too?  I have never even noticed what he's referring to at any speed.

[JeffOlson]

I have never noticed any torque steer. I have only noticed the bike moving sideways at a standstill. Once up and rolling, there is no torque steer!

[Lcarlson]

I have never noticed any torque steer. I have only noticed the bike moving sideways at a standstill. Once up and rolling, there is no torque steer!

Exactly: "torque steer" does not exist. Bikes with longitudinal crankshafts rock to the right at standstill; as soon as they're moving beyond a couple of mph, the stability imposed by gyroscopic precession makes this effect insignificant.

[oldbike54]

 I do remember watching a friend's Ambo twitch to the right after a gear change under fairly hard acceleration . Never noticed it when riding it , only if I was riding along behind . The press claimed the same thing about boxer twins also , never felt that either .

 Dusty

[guzzisteve]

It ain't your Daddy's LM3 !!

[cwiseman]

This guy makes me think of the quote "you can't fix stupid" also I wonder how many miles he spent on the bike.
A few miles on a Guzzi won't make a person "get it" but a few hundred or thousand will!

Having the pleasure of putting a very few miles on the V9 it is a pleasant amount of power and plenty for real world riding

[Moto]

I do remember watching a friend's Ambo twitch to the right after a gear change under fairly hard acceleration . Never noticed it when riding it , only if I was riding along behind . The press claimed the same thing about boxer twins also , never felt that either .

 Dusty

Yes, now that you mention it I remember feeling the same reaction. Thinking back, it was when I was experimenting with clutchless upshifting on my Griso. You can feel the torque reaction that way. The new box is slick enough to allow this, unlike my old T3's transmission.

I just did to find out if it would work. I know that this is not something anyone sensible would be doing, and I've given it up. Maybe the magazine testers do it. I have a friend with a Triumph who encourages this sort of thing....

Moto

[MiLD GRiSO]

Where are the red Roamers? There were some images showing dark red body in the first minute of the video and a brochure once.

[leafman60]

I have, on very few occasions over the years, mostly on BMW boxers, felt a torque-induced sideways nod while underway.  This was when I mistakenly dropped too many gears down and popped the clutch that caused an abrupt bump-spin of the engine.

As a practical matter, the transversely-mounted twins have not caused stability problems for me on the road.  Good grief.

[vstevens]

For the life of me, I don't see how the test riders can criticize the front tire grip as much as they did.  It's a new bike they have never ridden, brand new tires, it was raining in the video, so wet pavement should signal caution, and those are some of the tightest switchbacks I've seen anywhere.  Unrealistic expectations, I'd say. 

[omega1987]

1:30 "WARNING: contains graphic images of hipsters that some viewers may find disturbing" 

I must say as someone who sports a beard and loves the current line up of Guzzies, this Hipster movement is starting to annoy me greatly... luckily my Breva looks too modern for me to be accused of being one... although maybe I'm just being ironic riding a bike that looks more modern than its modern counterpart which would put me firmly back in Hipster territory 

[Moto]

I'm missing the joke this time.

Fixed it. Sorry. My sense of humor was sleep-deprived last night.

Moto

[Kev m]

Fixed it. Sorry. My sense of humor was sleep-deprived last night.

Moto

Ha ha, there was no need and no problem on my part. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't pissed you off about something... RIDE SAFE

[Moto]

For the life of me, I don't see how the test riders can criticize the front tire grip as much as they did.  It's a new bike they have never ridden, brand new tires, it was raining in the video, so wet pavement should signal caution, and those are some of the tightest switchbacks I've seen anywhere.  Unrealistic expectations, I'd say.

That's the same circuit that poisoned my impression of the Sport 1200.

[oldbike54]

1:30 "WARNING: contains graphic images of hipsters that some viewers may find disturbing" 

I must say as someone who sports a beard and loves the current line up of Guzzies, this Hipster movement is starting to annoy me greatly... luckily my Breva looks too modern for me to be accused of being one... although maybe I'm just being ironic riding a bike that looks more modern than its modern counterpart which would put me firmly back in Hipster territory 

 So is you or ain't you a hipster ?  Meh , most hipsters aren't all that different from beatniks, who begat the hippies , so on and so forth . Wait , is that ironic ?

 Dusty

[JeffOlson]

I have a beard, but it is short and gray, and what hair I have left is short and gray, so thankfully I would never be called a hipster--but I do like the retro movement in motorcycles and wearing boots (but no skinny jeans or skinny anything), and I do live in Prius-granola land...

[twowings]

I have too much grey in my beard...I'm an OLDSTER....*creak*

[grahn@talktalk.net]

I was surprised how small the Bobber was when I saw it in the flesh. Alongside a V7 it was smaller and the standing guzzi phots make it look normal size. Are 6ft guys going to look dorks on this? The price seems high �8100 over here,  it can be A2 licence compliant, but my son says its to small. Maybe being that closer to the ground will make you feel more vunerable and ride better. So if they don't sell maybe the demo bikes will be more affordable.

[rocker59]

I was surprised how small the Bobber was when I saw it in the flesh. Alongside a V7 it was smaller and the standing guzzi phots make it look normal size. Are 6ft guys going to look dorks on this? The price seems high �8100 over here,  it can be A2 licence compliant, but my son says its to small. Maybe being that closer to the ground will make you feel more vunerable and ride better. So if they don't sell maybe the demo bikes will be more affordable.

What do you mean "smaller"?

The V7 and V9 are built on the same frame and their dimensions are very close.  Wheelbase/Seat Height/etc...

[grahn@talktalk.net]

I saw the Bobber parked next to a new mock army type V7 with high arrow pipe black luggage rack green tank, wire wheels. The V7 looked slightly physically bigger higher seat.

[Kev m]

Low seat heights can give the illusion of smaller overall size...

[omega1987]

So is you or ain't you a hipster ?  Meh , most hipsters aren't all that different from beatniks, who begat the hippies , so on and so forth . Wait , is that ironic ?

 Dusty

Well I dress unfashionably but not in an ironic sense so probably not.

The attributes of retro bikes that appeals to me are east of maintenance, few brittle plastics and ergonomics.

[Ion66]

For the life of me, I don't see how the test riders can criticize the front tire grip as much as they did.  It's a new bike they have never ridden, brand new tires, it was raining in the video, so wet pavement should signal caution, and those are some of the tightest switchbacks I've seen anywhere.  Unrealistic expectations, I'd say.

I did find a couple of You Tube road tests of the bike that made the same criticism of the vague front end. I wonder if the bikes tested around the factory area were pre-production models?

[Adan]

Given the front tire choices and fork components that are probably about on par with the V7, I'd be surprised if the front end wasn't a little vague.  It's hard to know, reading a review like this, whether Simon Greenacre is just commenting on the obvious (i.e., that the V9 is a long way from being a sport bike), or whether he's noticing something seriously wrong with the design. 

If you're just reviewing the literature, it's good to have a reference point, someone who has written a lot so you can gauge their baseline metrics.  Kevin Ash was one such reliable reference point.  Nowadays for me I'd say it's Kevin Duke at Motorcycle.com.  And he was pretty impressed with the V9!  Said nothing about a wobbly front end.

[JeffOlson]

Here is a great review of the V9:
http://www.cycleworld.com/2016/03/21/2017-moto-guzzi-v9-roamer-and-v9-bobber-cruiser-motorcycle-review-first-ride

"If you can ride a motorcycle, you will feel instantly instinctively at home on this motorcycle, no excuses offered."

"There are plenty of motorcycles with larger engines that don’t provide the happy low-rpm usability of this power plant, which never complains at any combination of engine speed and throttle opening."

"The riding position on each bike is a relaxed, sit-up position on a damn comfortable one-piece seat..."

"At any speed, or even stopped, these bikes carry their weight low, as evidenced by the uniquely exaggerated lean angle the side-stand provides, and how a female on the press ride still found the bikes easy to stand upright. On the roadway, the machines maintained this low-weight feel without giving any unwanted sensation of over-tipping into curves."

"At idle, like all Moto Guzzi engines, the V9 has a pleasant side-to-side beat. Yet, once the rpms are at riding speed, the beat smooths right out and there is no distracting vibration in any gear at any speed at any rpm, beyond what one might expect from having an internal-combustion Otto-cycle device between your legs."

"The EFI is as smoothly responsive as any, providing predictable acceleration at all settings and throughout modulations of the throttle, meaning that the V9 is smooth in and out of curves, and on and off and back on the throttle."

"Though the V9s have only a single 320mm front disc and a four-piston caliper, braking was far better than adequate, easy to modulate, and providing predictable feedback."

"Though the V9s are tuned for a soft ride, neither bike ever bottomed out the rear shocks, even on the harshest pot holes. With these simple shocks Moto Guzzi has nailed what some other bikes from other companies (priced twice as much) have failed at."

"Overall, either V9 is a totally fine motorcycle worth considering if you’re looking for a friendly, reliable, comfortable, all-around fun bike. It’s in the class of retro-ish twins of maximum all-around use and fun. Against any competition, the V9s are far worthy of consideration. They excel in ease of usability, rideability, reliability (assuming that since they’re Moto Guzzis), and for just plain getting the job done with character."

[MiLD GRiSO]

Where are the red Roamers? There were some images showing dark red body in the first minute of the video and a brochure once.

Rosso Rubino
euro only

[twowings]

" After riding these, one has to wonder why so few of us own a Moto Guzzi."

That says it all, right there...