V9 after 550 Miles, now 2,500 miles, 3,300 miles, 4,800 miles and DONE

[mjptexas]

I'm starting another post so you don't have to slog through the extended biology lesson embedded in my original thread.  To recap, it started like this:




I took a V9 Roamer for a 30 minute ride today.  I have to say I was impressed with the bike.  The extra oomph vs. the V7 is very noticeable.  Fit & finish is terrific.  Hardly any plastic on the bike - even the side panels are metal.

The ergonomics worked for me.  Not a lot different than my Cali Custom.  Foot peg placement is very similar to the mid control placement on a Harley Sportster.

The Roamer seemed to be very similar to the 2011 Triumph Bonneville I used to own, and it seems to address the shortcomings I've found in my V7.  Don't know if there is one in my future or not....

I bought one, and after 550 miles, including a 250 mile ride Saturday, I'm ready to share some observations:





The only modification I've made is removing the grab strap from the seat.  I took it off so I had more room to move around on the seat without sitting on the strap.  While we're talking about the seat I will say that it was tolerable for the 250 miles I rode yesterday, no numbness or butt burn.  Moto Guzzi obviously thinks this is a '2-up' seat.  However, you really better like your pillion, and, they better be a size 6 or smaller or they won't fit. Even then the ride will be cozy to say the least.

The bike fits me perfectly.  The riding position is very similar to my Cali Custom.  Today I did 50 miles on the Cali confirm that observation.  After a full day on the V9 I didn't have any unusual aches or pains.  It's a comfortable bike to ride.

Performance is reasonable.  I'm still breaking it in so I haven't experienced what it will do above 5,000 rpm.  I'll stand by my original comments that the performance is noticeably better than that of the V7.  I rode a significant number of miles at 70 mph+ with no issues whatsoever.  I did a few miles at 80-85 mph with the only issue being the wind blast.  I have no clue how fast it will go, but do know it will hit 100 mph ;).  The V9 is stable at higher speeds.  Throttle response is smooth with no noticeable flat spots or surges.  It pulls straight away from cold starts, not demonstrating the cold bloodedness I experienced with the V7.

The transmission shifts smoothly and isn't notchy.  Sixth gear seems to be a true overdrive as the V9 runs quite nicely in 5th gear at 70-75 mph.

The brakes feel pretty good considering you only have a single disk up front.  I've haven't gotten in a situation where I've experienced the ABS.

Mileage during my ride ranged from 47 mpg to 49 mpg.  I should be able to go 160-170 miles on a tank before I need to worry about filling up.

The suspension seems to be a cut above the stock suspension on the V7.  I'll probably make some changes, but I'll wait until I have a couple thousand miles on the bike.

Handling has been a pleasant surprise.  It's more stable than the V7, although turn in may be a bit slower, probably attributable to the 19 inch front wheel.  It took a little work, but I did manage to drag both foot pegs.  Handling would benefit from some suspension work, especially on the front.

I didn't think much of the switch gear when I first saw it:






But after living with it for a couple of weeks I've decided it's ok.  I like the way MG has changed the MODE switch so you move it up and down to change modes instead of right and left like it was on the original 1400s.  On my Cali I'm still continually hitting the Mode switch instead of the turn signals.

Fit and finish is as good as anything on the market today.  MG has given this real attention on its newest lines (1400s & V9s).  The fenders and side covers are steel.  There are no large plastic surfaces on the bike.  You can get a feel for MG's attention to detail by looking at the foot controls:





where can i upload photos


This is typical of the bike's finish.

Also note that there is room to move the foot controls farther to the rear should MG decide to build a more sporting version of the V9.

I know some people don't like the tank shape but it finally occurred to me why MG did this:




The shape lifts the tank off of the engine, exposing those beautiful jugs sticking out on each side.  MG is show-casing the engine, which is something Harley has always done.



web photo hosting


Some Niggles
There are a small handful of things that I'll bitch about.

I really don't understand why they deleted the tach.  If MG wanted a single gauge they could have taken the same approach Harley did with the Roadster and had an analog tach with a digital speedometer.  Oh wait, didn't MG already do that on the 1400s? There is a programmable shift indicator that flashes a red light at the specified RPM.

While we're on the subject of the gauges for some reason someone decided that one of the two trip meters should reset after the bike sits for twelve hours.  This is a 'feature'.  Go figure.

And one RANT:
Not about the bike, but about the Owner's manual.  It's printed in 4 languages which makes it much thicker than it needs to be.  I can live with the 4 language version, but for some reason MG switched from English to Italian about halfway through the manual.  There is NO ENGLISH for some key parts, like service schedule and specifications.  I'm hoping I can get a revised manual at some point in time.

I'll do another update at about 1,200 miles.  By then I'll have the first service under my belt, will have the bike broken in and my first accessories installed on the bike (windscreen & luggage rack).

[Huzo]

Sounds very good so far. Only thing I'd say is, determine what oil's in the drive train ( engine, gearbox and final drive) and INSIST ON WHATEVER OIL Roper says. If they won't put it in, change it. My Norge has NEVER had anything but Motul of correct spec, and while there might be other stuff as good or maybe better, mine is silky @ 110,000. Good luck, happy days !!

[Kev m]

Great angle on that shot about the tank. Showcasing or not to me a real benefit is going to be the tons of access you have to the jug/head/valve cover for even simple service.

Thanks for sharing all that.

[redrider]

Nice review for a nice bike. Still a bit too cruiser style for me though. (There is a lot of lumpiness up high and forward of the seat/tank junction to my eye.)

[rocker59]

Moto Guzzi obviously thinks this is a '2-up' seat.  However, you really better like your pillion, and, they better be a size 6 or smaller or they won't fit. Even then the ride will be cozy to say the least.
 

I don't think they do...

It's a "1.5" seat. 

If you want roomier pillion accommodation, there is a solo+pillion seat available as an accessory.

[Travlr]

'17 V9 Roamer
'16 XL1200 Roadster
'15 Monster 821
'14 Cali Custom
'04 Ballabio
'14 Vespa GTS300 Super

You've got some interesting bikes in the stable to compare the V9 to.

1. Is it similar to the Sportster?

2.  How does it handle compared to the Monster and Ballabio?

3. I love the Cal 14, but it's really BIG.  Could the V9 be an option?  Or are they too different?

Mike

[Groover]

Good review. I'm really liking the V9 and what people do with them. I follow Moto Guzzi on Instagram, and seems the V9 in one flavor or another gets posted a lot. I do wish it had more of a Convert/G5 2-up seat..  That one looks perfect for 1-up though. The tank has grown on my, and I really like it now. Especially the top view when they have a good decal or graphic.

[leafman60]

I took a ride on the Roamer when first introduced and I liked it. 

For me, it's more of a quasi cruiser/standard.

I like that motor.  Hoping for a V9 Stornello.

.

[kidsmoke]

If you want roomier pillion accommodation, there is a solo+pillion seat available as an accessory.

Pics? Links?

[rocker59]

Pics? Links?

The V9 Roamer was seen on the EICMA 2016 podium in touring guise with leather bags, a large windshield, and most notably a solo/pillion touring seat.

I haven't seen any other info on those accessories, so it may take you spending some time Googling.

[mjptexas]

'17 V9 Roamer
'16 XL1200 Roadster
'15 Monster 821
'14 Cali Custom
'04 Ballabio
'14 Vespa GTS300 Super

You've got some interesting bikes in the stable to compare the V9 to.

1. Is it similar to the Sportster?

2.  How does it handle compared to the Monster and Ballabio?

3. I love the Cal 14, but it's really BIG.  Could the V9 be an option?  Or are they too different?

Mike

1.  There are similarities to the Sportster: performance is comparable, riding position is much more relaxed on the V9 than my Roadster, handling is similar although the Sporty doesn't have quite as much cornering clearance, suspension on the Roadster is much better, and both are enjoyable rides.

2. Not in the same league with either. 
90 hp big block Guzzis are beasts by comparison.  The Ballabio is sneaky fast and corners much better.  What they do have in common is that free revving torquey V twin motor.

The Monster is a completely different animal.  I've changed the bars and seat on my Monster so it's a lot more comfortable to ride than the stock setup.  I've commented in a number of forums over the last couple of years that the 821 Monster may be the best all around motorcycle I've ever owned.  It's fast, runs on rails through the corners, gets great gas mileage and is reasonably comfortable. 

3. Interesting comment.  I find the Cali to be a great long range bike.  It's fast, comfortable and has electronic speed control. At some point a 700 lb bike will be more than I want to push around.  I had originally hoped that I could turn my V7 Special into a lightweight tourer.  The V7 had all the right attributes, but just didn't 'feel right', which is why it's gone and the V9 has replaced it in the garage.  The V9's seating position is very similar to the Cali and works great for me. I may consider putting C-Bow bag mounts on it in the future which would help it become a lightweight touring bike.  Sometime in the next few months I'll do a couple of 500 mile days on the bike.  After that I'll assess its suitability as a lightweight tourer. 

[Adan]

Thanks and keep the reports coming.  Good to hear that a 250 mile day isn't punishing.  Also good to confirmation of the mpg's. 

What sort of roads were you on?  Any real twisties?

[Moto]

The V9 Roamer was seen on the EICMA 2016 podium in touring guise with leather bags, a large windshield, and most notably a solo/pillion touring seat.

I haven't seen any other info on those accessories, so it may take you spending some time Googling.

Those items are:

2S000737 - Comfort rider's seat
2S000738 - Comfort passenger seat

pdf download here: v9.motoguzzi.com/en/doc/guzzi-v9-accessories.pdf

[mjptexas]

What sort of roads were you on?  Any real twisties?

There's a road not far from my house that I take for my regular 'attitude adjustment' ride.  it has 20-30 turns in 6 miles, with 6 or 8 marked as 15 mph.  I've been down it  couple of times with the V9.  A Ducati it's not, but it handles the turns well.  Trail brakes nicely and has the torque to pull strongly out of the corners.  I'll see how well it behaves itself after it's broken in.

[rboe]

Damn. Sounds like a good bike.

I do prefer two gauges up front though so I may wait for a model that does that. It's very annoying on my 650L, kinda annoying on the Griso and the CB spoils me. :D

[neilmentz]

Those items are:

2S000737 - Comfort rider's seat
2S000738 - Comfort passenger seat

pdf download here: v9.motoguzzi.com/en/doc/guzzi-v9-accessories.pdf

"real" seats coming in future :
http://www.mcnews.com.au/2017-moto-guzzi-v9-bobber-roamer/

[LowRyter]

thanks for the write up Mike   

That's a fun little road IIRC. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks and keep the reports coming.  Good to hear that a 250 mile day isn't punishing.  Also good to confirmation of the mpg's. 

What sort of roads were you on?  Any real twisties?

It's a nice enough bike, but twisties are not it's forte. I demoed one at the Oregon nationals last year. Followed a high zoot Beemer out of town, and tried to keep him in sight heading south. Those of you that have been there know what kind of road it is. I "could" keep him in sight until the road started going up the mountain. There just wasn't enough power, and started falling back on the straights. <shrug>
I thought it did remarkably well considering that:
You are forced into a "cruiser" riding position. You don't get much front end feedback that way.
Your knees won't be able to touch the tank. Again, loss of feel, feedback, and you can't get your weight properly forward for better handling.
I hated not having a tach. Finally, I just ignored the flashing red light. <shrug> Didn't hit the rev limiter, so assumed I wasn't hurting it. The engine felt very much like the aero engine.. maybe not as powerful, but much more refined.
Just the same, it was comfortable and controllable within it's limits. Twisties are not what it is designed for.
Tom (in the hat) looks on..
1-20160624_113145 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr

[kevdog3019]

It's a nice enough bike, but twisties are not it's forte. I demoed one at the Oregon nationals last year. Followed a high zoot Beemer out of town, and tried to keep him in sight heading south. Those of you that have been there know what kind of road it is. I "could" keep him in sight until the road started going up the mountain. There just wasn't enough power, and started falling back on the straights. <shrug>
I thought it did remarkably well considering that:
You are forced into a "cruiser" riding position. You don't get much front end feedback that way.
Your knees won't be able to touch the tank. Again, loss of feel, feedback, and you can't get your weight properly forward for better handling.
I hated not having a tach. Finally, I just ignored the flashing red light. <shrug> Didn't hit the rev limiter, so assumed I wasn't hurting it. The engine felt very much like the aero engine.. maybe not as powerful, but much more refined.
Just the same, it was comfortable and controllable within it's limits. Twisties are not what it is designed for.
Tom (in the hat) looks on..
1-20160624_113145 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr

Blasphemy on the "cruiser" reference you old fuddy duddy you. You'll catch hell for saying that word around these parts. You even said the pegs were out front like a cruiser. You're in hot water now!!!

[Beerman]

Looks great. I'm very tempted ( agree with you about the tach). Did you look at any of the 'new' Triumph range?

Beerman

[ohiorider]

Nice writeup .... nice bike!   Thanks, MJP.

Bob

[Joe A.]

The V9 Roamer was seen on the EICMA 2016 podium in touring guise with leather bags, a large windshield, and most notably a solo/pillion touring seat.

I haven't seen any other info on those accessories, so it may take you spending some time Googling.

Looks good except for that hat box on the tank!

[mjptexas]

I found my original thread and fixed the Photofckt problem. 

Here's the link to the last comments I had on the V9.

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=92408.msg1458812#msg1458812

So here's what's happened since the last post.  First, I've put about 500 miles on the V9 with no issues.

Had enough of the stock windscreen.  Replaced this:



with this:



The DART flyscreen did the trick.  Keeps some air off of my chest without creating significant turbulence around my helmet.

Next I repositioned the footpegs with the OEM package. 
Left side before and after:






Right side before and after:





This moves your feet back about 2 inches and up 1 inch.  Positioning is now closer to that of a Griso, but not quite as sporty.  My knees no longer bump the jugs.

And finally, I swapped out the stock bar and risers with a Rizoma tapered bar and riser.  Here's a couple of shots of the original bars:







And here are some shots with the Rizoma setup:







The riding position now has more forward lean with very slight weight on my wrists.  It is now closer to that of a Griso than a stock V9.  Yesterday was the first time I've had a chance to do significant miles after making the changes.  I rode a 110 miles on highways and back roads.  Needless to say, this V9 now feels like a completely different bike.  Riding position was comfortable for me.  IHMO, you can better control the bike through curves with the new foot position and the new bars. 

The new riding position does exacerbate the shortcomings of the suspension.  I have to do something with the forks, and then something with the shocks.  I plan to ride it a bit more before making any more changes, but so far so good.

[Chuck in Indiana]

So, how did you fix the photoblockit problem?

[mjptexas]

So, how did you fix the photoblockit problem?

Chuck,

I did it the hard way.  I only had one or two threads I was concerned about so I went back and modified the thread, reposting the pictures using the current, approved approach.

Didn't have a lot of options, because in a fit of anger I deleted my Photofckt account. 

[mjptexas]

I've had a chance to spend some more time on the V9 this month.

Here's some pictures from yesterday's 280 mile jaunt around Central Texas:









The electrical gremlin has not resurfaced, which is good.

I am still getting used to the new riding position resulting from the foot-peg and handlebar changes.  Overall I'm pretty happy with the changes.  My wrists were a little sore yesterday, but I was out riding for 7 hours, so I'm not terribly concerned.  I haven't been riding as much as I normally do so that may be a contributing factor.  Interestingly, the stock seat remains tolerable on long rides.  I will reaffirm that the modifications completely change the way the bike feels, in a good way. 

I saw an average of 50 mpg on the ride, with a considerable number of miles clocked at 75-80 mph.

[mjptexas]

After 16 months and 4,800 miles the V9 Roamer has been culled from the herd.  I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not a small block guy.  At my age if you don't love riding a particular bike then there's no sense owning it.  Such was the case with the V9 Roamer.

There were some things about the V9 Roamer that I really did like.  The drivetrain was great.  It produced more than adequate power, had great low end torque and made insane mileage.  The worst mileage I ever saw was 50 mpg, and that was after flogging it like a rented mule.  I regularly saw 52-55 mpg, computed with a calculator as the display is consistently 3-4 mpg optimistic.  Fit and finish on the bike is as good as you are going to see anywhere.  This seems to be a trend with Guzzi which I think is great news.  I know a lot of people were put off by the looks of the bike, but IMHO it really does look a lot better in person than it does in any picture.

So what didn't I like?  The way it handled.  Although it was better than my V7 it still didn't feel 'right'.  I had almost convinced myself that I could fix the problem with a major suspension upgrade, but I felt there may be something more basic that a suspension upgrade wouldn't address, most likely the current frame configuration.

While I was at the dealer today having a new tire mounted John made me an offer I couldn't refuse on his last 2017 Griso.  He now has a nicely broken in and accessorized V9 Roamer,  and I have a black and silver Griso in my garage.  If Guzzi gets around to modernizing the small block frame I may give the smallblock another try.  Like I said, I really do feel the drivetrain is a gem.  But until then....

[fotoguzzi]

SCORE!

[fotoguzzi]

So what didn't I like?  The way it handled. 

Found your problem on the MG specs page:


Front Tire (Full Spec)     Pirelli� 100/90R 19

[PJPR01]

Yes...another Griso added to the fold!  Let's see pics of this new Silver/Black Mo sheen!!

Have to agree that the front tire size on the V9 has always been a little odd, but how hard would it be to actually just put a smaller rim on it?