MOTO GUZZI V9 ROAMER & BOBBER
FIRST RIDE
P94
whereas the Roamer steered
very predictably, with good feed-
back from the skinny front Pirelli,
thanks to its bun-sized front
Continental tire you couldn't say
the same about the Bobber. This
has a flatter, lower handlebar that
asks you to lean slightly further
forward, making for a more ag-
gressive stance in keeping with
its looks. But that aggression is
all show, not go, for the simple
reason that it's quite impossible
to tell what the front tire is doing
in a turn, because the deep side-
walls completely dial out any front
end response. So you just hope
for the best in laying the Bob-
ber into a bend, and make sure
you're no longer squeezing the
front brake lever as you do so,
using the rear brake almost ex-
clusively to slow you down in best
American V-twin cruiser mode. It
also under-steered repeatedly on
me in tight hairpin turns—though
I'll admit that could be because I
was reluctant put too much trust
in the fat front tire that's for sure
a triumph of style over substance.
The Roamer by contrast deliv-
ers both of those, and felt easy
and predictable to ride. As well
as the grippy Pirelli front tire,
the single front disc was prob-
ably a factor in that, because of
the reduced unsprung weight
and lesser gyroscopic forces it
delivers compared to a twin disc
front end, while at the same time
providing quite sufficient bite to
slow a 438-pound fully fueled
motorcycle into successive
downhill hairpins without any
sign of brake fade. It was also
noticeable too that the Kayaba
fork's damping settings gave
good ride quality in absorbing
road shock on the Roamer, but
were not nearly as compliant on
the Bobber, presumably thanks
to the fatter but also heavier front
tire. Pirellis are renowned for
being the lightest volume pro-
duction tires in the marketplace,
so the Continentals would be
likely to start with that handicap
in relation to the non-adjustable
fork, even before the extra
weight of the 16-inch front came
into the equation to compromise
the damping. But on both bikes
the reduced rear-wheel travel
compared to, say, the Triumph
Street Twin with an identical KYB
suspension package, meant that
Two very similar bikes with
distinctive styling.
