A better Bobber
Have our carefully selected bolt-ons improved Moto Guzzi’s V9?
AFTER LAST MONTH’S frenzy of spanner twirling and wrench whirling, time to put a few miles on the Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber to see if it’s all been worth it. The point all along was to make the Bobber just that little bit more rideable, rather than adding or changing parts for purely cosmetic reasons. The footrests, in truth, don’t make a blind bit of difference to the bike’s functional abilities, and I’m not entirely sure they look any better. But everything else should make a distinct difference.
The seat should be more comfortable. The screen should remove some of the wind pressure from my upper body. The rack and bag should make luggage carrying easier.
Nothing too ambitious for the shakedown ride on the completed Project Bobber: Northampton to Bath and back, making minimal use of motorways, which turns a 250-mile round trip into something closer to 300. Across to Warwick, down the A429 to Cirencester, then the A433 and A46 to Bath, then up to Chippenham on the A4 and over to Marlborough and across the North Downs to Newbury, then a pretty much straight line up the A34 to home.
Aside from the final slog, it’s a route that’s much more interesting in practice than on paper. Although it’s all A-roads, they vary from twisty country lane to multi-lane dual carriageway; from anonymous bypass to quaint market town square.
And it turns out to be a route that’s well suited to the Bobber. It’s a bike that can cruise at three-figure speeds, but would really rather not – it’s all starting to feel a bit strained and bothered, and so is the rider. It’s much happier around the national speed limit.
The real difference that the screen has brought is in enabling me to keep trucking along at 60-80mph all day, without my arms, shoulders and back taking it in turns to protest, which was the case pre-screen.
I did this trip using the replacement Comfort seat, and wasn’t entirely sure that it made any difference. Having fitted the seat and screen at the same time, I couldn’t tell which component was making the difference. I subsequently did a couple of decent-length rides with the screen in place but the original seat refitted, and it turns out that the seat, although it feels slightly different, is no more or less comfortable.
The rack remained rock-solid throughout, with no effect on ride or handling. And the bag, although very small, enabled me to use a much smaller shoulder bag for my bits and pieces than I would otherwise have been able to get away with.
Worth it? Yes, definitely in the case of the screen and rack, less so for the other components. I like the look of the screen, too, although it brings out the Bobber’s frumpy dumpiness in a way that some won’t like.
And aside from the modifications, I found that the more I rode the Bobber the more I liked it. It’s a limited bike – performance, tank range, practicality – but doesn’t pretend to be anything else. Keep the engine in its powerband and it’s friendly and responsive. The chassis and brakes are well matched to its modest output. It’s all nicely made and easy to live with – in fact, I’d go so far as to say that it’s a pleasure to clean, as that gives you a reason to fondle its elegant and nicely detailed components, from the sturdy top yoke to the handsomely crafted rear light.