V9 Review Thread. Merged Threadfest

[DaSwami]

It doesn't have to be larger and taller than the V7.

Correct.  But I would LIKE a larger/taller bike.  I'm 6'4' 285.  What's wrong with a wish list?

[kevdog3019]

Correct.  But I would LIKE a larger/taller bike.  I'm 6'4' 285.  What's wrong with a wish list?

Sorry... you confused me by stating it was great in its current configuration for you, then added the next text about it being bigger as a V9. I get what you're saying.

[bpreynolds]

Bigger does not always mean better.  I think the vast majority of us on this board concur with this.  There are a lot of reasons for why this specific increase would not, in theory, result in any annoying changes; rather, seems like most would be small gains here and there only.  That being said, I totally get where Deswami is coming from per se.  I think.  I've owned bikes and scoots from Vespas to 1200s and nothing, I mean nothing fit me like the V7 Stone's state of tune right out of the box for my specific riding.  Around town it was just charming.  On the highway parked at 80, it was smoother than just about any bike ever owned, even bikes with twice the horsepower, and much moreso pleasurable for me to ride at those speeds (65-80) than my current Griso whose engine tells me at that speed or below that it basically would like to go a bit faster    It is almost a mystery to me how the small block could be so enjoyable at those highway speeds when it's top end was only about 15mph more than this.  This has more to do with my riding than the bike but if they did something to mess with that then yeah, I get was Swami is saying.  I miss that little Stone.

[oldbike54]

 So why did you sell such a perfect motorbike Bipper ?

 Dusty

[bpreynolds]

So why did you sell such a perfect motorbike Bipper ?

 Dusty

Well duh.  Dusty.  It's a Griso.

[oldbike54]

Well duh.  Dusty.  It's a Griso.

 So you are a horsepower junkie after all 

 Dusty

[kevdog3019]

I doubt you're going to find something around 17% increase in hp to behave that much differently than the sedate 750. I put 15% more into my 650 and it only feels bigger and stronger, but didn't lose its charm. I don't think this 850 is going to say "wring my neck you woosy bastard", but I bet when you do it feels better than the 750. If you had both bikes sitting next to one another dressed equal and priced nearly the same, you can't tell me you wouldn't go for the 850 over 750! 

[keener]

So you are a horsepower junkie after all 

 Dusty

power corrupts and makes you smile

[bpreynolds]

So you are a horsepower junkie after all 

 Dusty

  I would say I'm more of a bike junkie, moving from one to the next for a fix.  I now have 2" peg lowers on the G and Rox risers so it will go pretty much down the block or around the world, but if I had to choose a bike for the next state over, I'd suspect the V7 would still be my pick over any bike I can think of that has graced my garage or I have even ridden.  I will own a V7/V9 again in the future.  It really was the best bike for me and my riding I have ever owned.

[O]

I know this is an imperfect comparison, but Moto Guzzi getting rid of the V7 (and by that I mean a retro pure standard with a 5.7 gallon tank, not a particular motor size) is like Ford getting rid of the F150.  Both the V7 and the F150 are each company's best selling vehicles.

For Guzzi, the V7 is 50% of their sales. 

From a business perspective, it makes zero sense to get rid of your biggest seller.  Thus, the 850 motor will have to be put into the V7.  Even if Roamer and Bobber sales eclipse the previous sales records of the V7 (not likely) it still wouldn't make sense to leave the V7 money on the table. 

I would bet my current V7 that sometime in the near future, it will have a near identical stablemate, save for the extra 109cc.

[JeffOlson]

Why not make the V9 the new V7? They have the same basic frame. Why not create all the beloved V7 variants using the new V9 motor and transmission, along with the Roamer and Bobber if they sell well?

Triumph is not going to keep producing the old air-cooled Modern Classics. They are replacing them entirely even though they have accounted for a large portion of their sales. MG could do the same by essentially upgrading the motor and transmission again (as they have just done with the V9) and calling it the V7 III.

[rocker59]

From a business perspective, it makes zero sense to get rid of your biggest seller.  Thus, the 850 motor will have to be put into the V7.   

Why not make the V9 the new V7? They have the same basic frame. Why not create all the beloved V7 variants using the new V9 motor and transmission, along with the Roamer and Bobber if they sell well?
 

It is destiny.

[kevdog3019]

Why not make the V9 the new V7? They have the same basic frame. Why not create all the beloved V7 variants using the new V9 motor and transmission, along with the Roamer and Bobber if they sell well?

The V7II model came about because of the V9.  The V9 is the mate to that transmission.  It is destiny.  Say goodbye my little friend. 

[bpreynolds]

Rider review.  Not as over the top positive as the Cycle World one, but still quite favorable.  I'm not a tech/gadget guy but I'm intrigued by the multimedia options. 
http://ridermagazine.com/2016/03/24/2017-moto-guzzi-v9-roamer-and-v9-bobber-first-ride-review/

Motorcyclist Review. Kinda meh.  Keeps emphasizing it's not friendly for women  or new riders.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/first-ride-review-2017-moto-guzzi-v9-roamer

[rocker59]

Motorcyclist Review. Kinda meh.  Keeps emphasizing it's not friendly for women  :undecided:or new riders.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/first-ride-review-2017-moto-guzzi-v9-roamer

SHORT gal, sitting way up on the front of the seat.  Weird...

If she'd relax those arms and scoot back a bit, the cylinders wouldn't be in her knees...   



It really wasn't fair to the bike that she kept mentioning "average female height", but neglected to mention her own, which appears to be something less than "average".

Here is an average guy on the bike, and knees not even close to the cylinders...



This is the Guzzi tester on the prototype:



(journalism is dead)

[JeffOlson]

^ Yep. She needs to sit back and relax.

Also, that stock seat is not a two-person seat, so scoot back. It is really a one-person seat, especially if one is an average-sized American.

[rocker59]

  that stock seat is not a two-person seat, so scoot back. It is really a one-person seat, especially if one is an average-sized American.

Yep.  It's a 1.5 seat.

[oldbike54]

Yep.  It's a 1.5 seat.

 Seems that .5 seat was inevitable , we have been told for years the average American family consists of 2,5 members 

 Dusty

[Xlratr]

SHORT gal, sitting way up on the front of the seat.  Weird .

Yes, but ... there's just something about a girl on a motorcycle! 

[bad Chad]

Maybe she likes the vibes up there???  You dinks only think from your own perspective!  The world is a whole lot bigger than you!

[kingoffleece]

Good grief.  Seems like every mainstream American motorcycle mag scribe has to say things like "..the lager front tire made turn in slightly slower" and on and on and on.  Or their may be too much torque for newer riders or some such nonsense.  Yikes.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Yes, but ... there's just something about a girl on a motorcycle! 

Yep. Made me fall in lust with a Lario..

[kevdog3019]

Yep. Made me fall in lust with a Lario..

Sweet Melissa!

[kevdog3019]

SHORT gal, sitting way up on the front of the seat.  Weird...

If she'd relax those arms and scoot back a bit, the cylinders wouldn't be in her knees...   



It really wasn't fair to the bike that she kept mentioning "average female height", but neglected to mention her own, which appears to be something less than "average".

Here is an average guy on the bike, and knees not even close to the cylinders...



This is the Guzzi tester on the prototype:



(journalism is dead)

Holy moly Batman that's playing it tight.  Looks like me on a tricycle with elbows at my sides.  Maybe she thought those were knee rests until she found two holes in her jeans after the ride.  "Wondered why my knees were warm..."  she says

[Moto]

Here's an excellent video review of the Roamer, in Italian but with English translations. (I looked but couldn't find it posted in several threads.)

http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/1178789-moto-guzzi-v9-roamer-riding-in-mandello/

Excellent because you can hear the motor (bella!), see the suspension in action (not so good), even see the vibrating handlebar at start-up. The motor appears to be torquey and not peaky.

Interestingly, there is a "guzzirent.it" sticker on the tank -- the Agostini rental operation's logo. Sign me up!

It's a heartbreaking video, too, in that all the beauty of Lake Como is on shameless display on a beautiful sunny day.

Enjoy.

Moto

[Adan]

Doesn't look good, how the front end reacts to bumps, even in a straight iine.  Well, if I was buying a V7, I'd be budgeting for a suspension upgrade front and back.  Why should the V9 be any different.

[Kev m]

Doesn't look good, how the front end reacts to bumps, even in a straight iine.  Well, if I was buying a V7, I'd be budgeting for a suspension upgrade front and back.  Why should the V9 be any different.

Doesn't look any different from the V7 in that aspect.... <shrugs>

[JeffOlson]

^ Nice review!

How I wish my riding was on almost-deserted roads around Lake Como and not bumper-to-bumper freeway crawling interspersed with brief moments of joy...

The V9 looks really nice, and it sounds great in that video.

As for the suspension, I would have to try it myself. I am, I dare say, "sturdier" than the average young Italian male. I imagine my weight would do much to beat those springs into submission. Who knows how the V9 would then handle dips and bumps in the road?

[omega1987]

I like the idea of a V9 standard, I like it a lot   

I love my Breva 750 and for me its almost the perfect bike, the V7II with its larger tank and superior gearbox is my perfect bike but both bikes are too similar to warrant the upgrade whereas a V9 standard may temp me.

I am concerned that the redesigned heads will be less fuel efficient than the 750's Heron heads though as I've been impressed with my bike's MPG.

In some ways it'd be nice to see the V7 Stone kept on as a budget entry into Guzzi ownership but I doubt that'd be possible as manufacturing costs would probably be similar to the V9 

[bpreynolds]

Back to something Kev M mentioned earlier about Todd working on a whole V7 version of the Bobber/Roamer.  Since it is the same frame, it does make me wonder just how much work - not much? a lot? - it would take to get a V7 tank on one of the new bikes.