Guzzi’s low-tech world
Moto Guzzi might be the thirdoldest motorcycle-maker in the world in terms of its 95 years of continuous manufacturing, but it remains a low-volume niche brand that struggles to achieve annual production numbers that stretch to five figures.
So when market-changing events like the Euro 4-emission rules that will be enforced next year come along, Guzzi must adopt a make-do-with-what-we’vegot approach rather than implement a big-bucks high-tech engineering strategy.
It’s something similar to the things our farmers and lifestylers do with number-eight wire, yet it has achieved a surprisingly agreeable result in the new V9 Roamer model sampled here.
No radiators, coolant pumps, or unsightly hoses and clamps were used to make sure the V9 could comply with Euro 4. Guzzi has long embraced the transverse air-cooled V-twin as its preferred engine format for the way it sites the cylinders and heads out in the oncoming breeze, giving it the opportunity to meet the new regs without resorting to liquidcooling.
The caveat is that the new 853cc engine powering the two new V9 models – the Roamer and the Bobber – had to generate little more horsepower, and therefore little extra heat, than the 744cc unit of the V7 range upon which it is based. This order was followed by the V9’s development engineers to the letter, and the new 853cc V-twin makes just 55bhp at its 6250rpm peak – 13 less horses than the bigger-blocked 844cc V-twin of the Moto Guzzi Bellagio cruiser developed at 7000rpm last decade.
While I hesitate to call the grunt generatedpotent, it sure is omnipresent, and this accessibility helps the V9 deliver a pleasant and relaxed riding dynamic.