Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer review, test ride

Let the clutch out and you can instantly feel the 55hp of power and 62Nm of torque. The peak torque kicks in early at 3,000rpm, so there is an actual surge forward from idle. It’s not a ridiculously fast engine, but it gets the job done; this should be ideal for short blasts around the city in traffic. The 6-speed gearbox is a bit strange, though. It feels smooth and precise on the up-shift, but down-shifts are a bit clunky. The shaft drive to the rear wheel makes the Roamer quite responsive to throttle inputs.

The Roamer’s initial turn-in feels slightly sluggish thanks to the large 19-inch front rim. But once you really get into the corner, it feels planted and stable, and actually encourages you to lean deeper into it. The 40mm traditional, telescopic front forks soak up bumps quite well, but feedback leaves a little more to be desired. The adjustable twin-shock absorbers at the rear do feel a bit stiff. They manage to soak up high-speed bumps a lot better than low-speed ones, sending them straight up your spine. The ABS-equipped 320mm steel, floating disc at the front, and the 260mm steel disc at the rear coupled with the Pirelli Sport Demon tyres do an excellent job of bringing the Roamer to a halt.

Moto Guzzi has succeeded in making a rather rider-friendly motorcycle that isn’t all that refined; since it’s got the look of cruisers of the 1970s, maybe Moto Guzzi wanted to keep the feel of that around as well. The V9 Roamer stays true to looking like the Italian exotic that it’s supposed to be. It does everything a motorcycle is supposed to without any drama, but isn’t particularly excellent at something specifically. And the CBU price tag is equally exotic as well. With an asking price of Rs 13.60 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai), this middleweight cruiser is propelled into the price range of larger-displacement, more powerful cruisers. It happens to be even costlier than the Harley Davidson Street Bob and the Indian Scout. But if you figure you’d like to look as cool as ever and have the bragging rights of owning an exotic Italian motorcycle, the V9 Roamer could be your daily dose of nostalgia.