Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber

29th November 2015

850cc | California | Le Mans | Review | Specs

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That's right, a factory bobber from Moto Guzzi, and possibly one of the most desperate looking bikes on the motorcycle market at the present time.

Basically, it's a V9 Roamer (see the item on the left) with black paint, fat tyres, a couple of strips of yellow & black chequer tape and ... and that's it. It isn't even bobbed (aside from maybe trimming a couple of millimetres from the mudguards). Nevertheless, the Mandello del Lario factory is comfortable (or at least willing) to call it a V9 Bobber and stick their moniker on the petrol tank.

But stuff a pistol in our mouths and demand that we tell you why we're not wedded to this bike, and we couldn't. You'd just have to pull the trigger. Maybe it's because we're big fans of the old Le Mans' and pretty much all the Californias, and feel that Guzzi has sold at least a part of its soul for this. Or maybe it's just because the Bobber looks cheap as if it just rolled out of a garden shed (but okay, it might well look much better in the flesh, as many Guzzi's do). Or maybe we just need to adjust the vertical and horizontal and get used to a new picture.

Either way, it looks like this 850 cubic centimetres of genuine Italian bobber fodder is on the way. We'll probably feel better after a lie down.

Follow the link for a bigger view of the V9 Bobber.

Specifications

Engine: 90° V-twin 4-stroke
Capacity: 853cc
Maximum power: 55hp (40kW) @ 6,250rpm
Maximum torque: 46lbs-ft (62Nm) @ 3,000rpm
Fuel system: Weber-Marelli electronic fuel injection.
Exhaust system: Stainless steel, 2-in-2 type, three-way catalytic converter with double lambda oxygen probe
Gearbox: 6-speeds with final overdrive
Final drive: Shaft
Clutch: 170mm diameter single disc with integrated flexible couplings
Frame: Steel twin tube cradle
Front suspension: 40mm fork
Rear suspension: Swinging-arm, twin shock absorber/damper with adjustable spring preload.
Brakes: Brembo with dual channel Continental ABS system
Front brake: Single 320mm stainless steel floating disc, Brembo four-piston calipers
Rear brake: Single 260mm stainless steel floating disc diameter, two-piston caliper
Wheels: Cast aluminum alloy
Front wheel: 16-inch (130/90-R16)
Rear wheel: 16-inch (150/80-R16)
Wheelbase: 58.2-inches (1,480 mm)
Length: 83.6-inches (2124mm)
Height: 43-inches (1,100mm)
Saddle height: 29.3-inches (745mm)
Kerb weight: 438lbs (199kg)
Fuel capacity: 3.3 gallons (imperial)

UPDATE: 2016 prices are around £7,500.

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