Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer | Welcome to the Asylum

In March of 2019 I took supply of my Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer a leftover 2017 mannequin within the coloration dubbed “Giallo Solare” (photo voltaic yellow) for years now I’ve wished a Guzzi however have by no means purchased one. Fact be instructed I actually wished an outdated Eldorado, Ambassador and even one of many outdated 850T fashions, however for some causes the celebrities by no means aligned accurately for that to occur.

That’s appropriate, my path to proudly owning a Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer started with me drooling over a used Honda CTX1300. To be trustworthy with you there are occasions once I want I had the Honda however this isn’t on account of high quality or reliability points. For some motive my spouse who’s normally an agreeable soul put her foot down and insisted that I used to be not going to spend that a lot cash on a used motorbike, particularly one she had by no means heard me point out earlier than. Her phrases have been, “should you’re going to do that why don’t you get one thing you’ve all the time wished.”

These have been the 2 bikes that I used to be contemplating and in all honesty the selection actually got here down which one was probably the most uncommon. Each the Triumph Avenue Twin and the Guzzi V9 have been properly regarded by most reviewers. The engine sizes are comparable, each are thought-about retro requirements and each of them are “tuned for torque.” I’ve all the time regarded the tuned for torque assertion as bullshit advertising doublespeak for we minimize the horsepower and we hope you don’t discover, however now that I’ve ridden the Guzzi  I actually prefer it. Peak torque is available in manner down low within the rpm vary and it actually pulls like a freight practice as much as the redline. It’s actually not quick just like the screaming Japanese fours that I used to be used to, nevertheless it feels much more highly effective than it’s. Why would I decide the Roamer over the V9 Bobber? As a result of I like the brilliant colours and chrome look. It screams 1970’s whereas the Bobber with its fats tires on each ends and matte paint say modern-day hipster. Nothing fallacious with that should you prefer it however I’m an eccentric outdated fart and that is an eccentric gentleman’s motorbike. Plenty of folks assume it’s a restoration and are shocked to search out out that it’s practically new.

There have been no sellers in my house state of South Carolina on the time once I bought this one on Ebay, from a vendor in Wisconsin. Delivery was dealt with by Haulbikes.com and charges have been cheap. One factor I’ll point out is that transport firms like this can not come right down to the cul de sac in your neighborhood you’ll must make preparations to fulfill them someplace with a big sufficient car parking zone to get the tractor trailer parked off the street in order that your bike may be unloaded safely.

What turned out to be the most important downside is the truth that I made a decision, as an alternative of paying money for it, that I’d let the vendor do financing for me. Sadly their house state of Wisconsin requires the dealerships to ship all titles on to the financial institution. Sadly the financial institution turned out to be extremely incompetent and wouldn’t assist me to get the bike registered for the street in S.C. Lastly after 2 months of not having the ability to register my new bike I went forward & paid off the mortgage, even then it took a grievance to the BBB to lastly get my title despatched to me. For those who determine to go surfing to buy a car I recommend paying money up entrance, or if you really want financing that you just receive it in your house state to keep away from registration issues.

Amongst  Guzzista the seems of the V9 sequence are polarizing with the overwhelming majority preferring the sportier seems of the V7 lineup. Most people then again thinks this bike is attractive, particularly the non-riding folks and even those that have ridden motorbike however have by no means heard of Moto Guzzi. The styling is what I might name cruising normal. The form of the tank kind of resembles the outdated 850 T3 of the 70s however is smaller in proportion to the remainder of the motorbike than the T3 tank is. The standard of the match and end of the seen elements is beautiful. The yellow paint has a heavy orange tint to it that seems golden in dim gentle.

The scale and weight of this bike are good to me with a moist weight of roughly 440 lbs (200 kg) the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer could be very simple to deal with at low speeds in parking tons and garages. Regardless of its comparatively gentle weight for a midsize fashionable motorbike the Roamer could be very immune to the consequences of crosswinds and rainstorms. My expertise with new bikes is extraordinarily restricted however in comparison with all of the outdated stuff I’ve ridden the V9 could be very confidence inspiring when the rain begins. It’s a very gentle mannered motorbike this mixed with traction management and Brembo anti-lock brakes give you a steady planted really feel when the street will get a bit of moist.

All of the Ricky racer boys who write for the magazines weren’t enamored with the dealing with and I perceive, if I have been driving round on all the most recent crotch rockets I might in all probability really feel the identical manner. I used to be utilizing a modified 1980 Honda CB650 as my important every day rider and the dealing with and braking of the Roamer are a lot better than any classic bike or cruiser that I’ve ever ridden. That being stated the little Japanese 650cc 4 banger will smoke the 850cc V-twin simply in each acceleration and prime pace, it’s not even shut. Velocity is just not what this bike is about although, it’s about having a classic motorbike expertise with out the classic motorbike complications. Lots of people on the assorted Guzzi boards really helpful dropping the triple clamps down on the forks by 20mm to quicken up the steering so I attempted it at it did appear to assist as soon as I put some respectable shocks on the rear & lifted the rear again up. One very spectacular specification of the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer is that within the proprietor’s guide, most carrying load is listed at 925.94 lbs (420 kg) for rider passenger & baggage. This was partially accountable for me selecting this motorbike and for my delusion that I might at the least modify it right into a usable middleweight touring machine. Don’t snicker my spouse & I routinely experience 2-300 miles a day on our Honda Helix CN250 scooter, so absolutely it needs to be potential on an 850cc motorbike proper?

The dealing with was actually good to me even with the 100% inventory suspension so long as you have been on clean pavement that’s. The entrance finish appeared okay with respectable journey & rebound however the rear suspension was extremely harsh. I lastly set the preload on the lowest setting potential however all this did was to decrease the rear of the bike sufficient to negate the advantages of decreasing the entrance finish for faster steering. It could nonetheless beat the residing shit out of you even over gentle bumps. I have no idea in regards to the newest fashions however should you purchase an earlier mannequin like I did it’s best to go forward & funds for a brand new set of shocks instantly. I bought a set of Ikon shock absorbers and I’m very pleased with them. This smoothed out the experience over bumps and truly improved the dealing with and allowed me to set the preload again to its most setting, elevating the rear of the bike again as much as the place I prefer it. Earlier than I modified the shocks my spouse truly refused to experience on the Roamer in any respect as a result of intense ache she felt even over seemingly small bumps and potholes.

For those who want vendor assist for fundamental upkeep this won’t be the bike for you until you occur to reside close to a vendor. I’d need to drive 3 or 4 hours to achieve a vendor, however I can do all of my very own oil adjustments, valve changes and repairs myself. Apart from needing some software program & a set of cables to attach your laptop computer to diagnose the gasoline injection that is an especially simple motorbike to work on. The gasoline injection isn’t that sophisticated both simply be a part of the Wild Goose Chase discussion board and seek for Guzzidiag software program, it’s easy sufficient an outdated fart like me can use it. If worst involves worst customized builder Craig Rodsmith has confirmed which you could make it run with carburetors.

I want the gasoline tank have been a bit of larger however that’s a minor niggle, the low gasoline gentle comes on once you’ve used 2.5 gallons out of the 4 gallon tank. That is roughly 150 miles and also you’ll in all probability be prepared for a break by then.

The unique manufacturing facility seats on these bikes are devices of torture. It’s virtually like once they have been finalizing the design somebody plopped an affordable outdated plastic Eighties skateboard deck on prime of the body and stated that appears cool, we’ll simply add 6mm value of padding and canopy it with Naugahyde and now we have us a seat. It actually does look cool nevertheless it’s an terrible place to sit down for greater than 10 minutes and it’s manner too brief for 2 up driving even when your passenger is a tiny 108 lb. wisp of an individual like mine is. My pre-purchase analysis had warned me in regards to the seat earlier than I purchased the bike however I used to be nonetheless caught off guard by how unhealthy it was in actual life. I’m now operating the Moto Guzzi two piece, two up consolation seat which is rather more snug. Too unhealthy that isn’t actually adequate, even the accent seat is simply a 150 mile seat at greatest as our final 300 mile in sooner or later journey proved to us. If I preserve this bike for much longer I’ll strive a Corbin seat. Corbin doesn’t actually listing a seat for the Roamer however they do have one for the V9 Bobber and the manufacturing facility seats are interchangeable so I don’t see why an aftermarket seat for one wouldn’t work on the opposite.

It seems good, it sounds good too, and even with the inventory pipes I might sit within the storage and take heed to it idle for hours. The small gasoline tank that so many complain about, permits the engine to take its place because the rightful star of the present. A man at a gasoline station as soon as commented, “it seems like its all motor!”  I agree it does have a really muscular look and sound for a 55 hp v-twin. Now that I’ve obtained the suspension sorted out to my liking nothing beats driving round on the again roads with it. The engine actually is the best factor about this motorbike. The six pace gear field could be very clean additionally and properly matched to the engine. For those who’re placing round on the town between 30-45 mph simply put it in fourth and go away it there, bombing round out within the nation between 45 and 60 fifth gear is the one to be in. I received’t even put it in sixth gear at lower than 60 mph. You don’t achieve something however a bit of extra vibration on the handlebars, gasoline mileage stays the identical and also you’re not within the meat of the engines torque curve should you want sudden acceleration for some motive. Torque is very large and acceleration is a lot better than the spec sheets would point out.

Sadly I purchased the fallacious motorbike. So far as I can inform this can by no means be a cushty 2 -300 miles a day motorbike with out some main modifications. We simply experience the Helix if our vacation spot is greater than an hour away. I suppose I ought to have purchased a touring bike however I actually hate huge heavy bikes and would hand over driving if that was all that was out there. Plus I do know from expertise that you are able to do very lengthy rides on smaller bikes.

So what do I do with it now? With the beforehand talked about seat & shock mods the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer is a prime notch commuter bike. You need a bike night time consideration getter that handles decently on the again roads, a bar hopper or simply one thing to experience round domestically? That is the bike for you and I’m having fun with it in all of those roles aside from bar hopping as a result of I don’t go to bars.

Again in March of 2020 Mrs. Psyco & I took the Roamer on a 300 mile sooner or later journey. The primary half wasn’t too unhealthy however although we had a break for a few hours the experience house took its toll on us. Across the 225 mile mark my decrease extremities have been numb and I knew that neither certainly one of us would be capable to transfer once we obtained house. At this level I made a decision that this pile of shit was occurring Ebay the minute I obtained house however then it saved our life.

We have been buzzing down S.C.  Freeway 34 between Newberry and Camden S.C.  at 6o mph or so, following behind a giant black bro-dozer Chevy pickup, when instantly the motive force made a sudden proper flip right into a driveway after which with out warning threw it into reverse and backed out in entrance of me with out wanting. There was no time to cease earlier than hitting the massive 4 door mall terrain car that had instantly blocked each lanes of the two lane street we have been on. Fortuitously there was no oncoming visitors, street indicators or mail bins within the space so I twisted the throttle some extra, banked exhausting to the left and was in a position to safely cross the rear bumper of this truck on the shoulder on the other facet of the street from the place I began. Fortunately no nasty surprises have been lurking within the grass on the shoulder & I used to be in a position to decelerate and safely merge again onto the street. After we stopped to regular our nerves my spouse swore that she might really feel the trailer hitch brush her pants leg as we glided by. Thanks be to God that we didn’t get harm that day. That was additionally once I determined to maintain the Guzzi a short while longer. If we had been on another bike in my assortment, particularly the scooter we’d have been hamburger caught to the facet of that bro-dozer.

Even so it was about 2 weeks earlier than I obtained again on it and even washed it (we ran by a number of miles of crimson clay mud within the rain). It took some time after that for the sensitivity to the vibration by the seat to go away however finally it did.

As soon as the nation and my funds get better from the coronavirus pandemic and the silly mindless outbreak of violence that’s occurring, I’ll throw a number of extra {dollars} at it and attempt to make it extra snug in order that I can do with it what I purchased it for which is to have the ability to experience 3-6 hours a day. If that fails I’ll get some loud pipes, an upgraded gasoline injection map and customise the hell out of it. If it may well’t be a street bike I’ll flip it right into a present bike.

Would I promote it? Perhaps however money is just not actually what I would like, barter is extra of my type there are 2 very particular trades that I’d make for it and each would should be straight up barter with no money altering arms;

UPDATE 2022 I wound up promoting this motorbike & used the money to purchase one thing else.

1: a 1995-1996 Jaguar XJS 2+2 convertible in good driving situation. 4.0 6 cylinder engine.  Coloration is unimportant and needing some beauty work is okay so long as all electrical and prime elements are purposeful and I can drive it house from wherever you might be.

2: I’d undoubtedly be prepared to commerce for a pleasant wanting able to experience Honda CTX1300 ideally with a passenger backrest or prime trunk put in.

Hope you all have an ideal day!