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2016–2020 · Retro Classic · Buyer's Guide
Pure Style, Italian Soul
The V9 Bobber is built around an 853 cc air-cooled 90° V-twin sitting across the frame, 55 hp and 46 lb-ft, six speeds and shaft drive. Nothing in that layout is chasing numbers. It gives the bike its own rhythm, and Moto Guzzi wrapped it in the most style-led package in the V9 family: fat 16-inch rubber front and rear, thick fork legs, a low 30.9 in seat, dark surfaces almost everywhere. The modern part stays out of sight. ABS and traction control are standard, there's a USB port, and none of it shouts for attention. Design leads here, and it leads convincingly.
It ages the way simple machinery does. Air cooling, shaft final drive, and a chassis with very little to fiddle with mean fewer things asking for money over a decade, and running costs stay modest. This is a bike for the rider who wants to own the object as much as ride it, someone who picks routes by scenery rather than by miles per day. The honest caveat is that 55 hp and a 4.0 gal tank set the terms. Long interstate stints and loaded two-up touring are not what this one was drawn for, and no amount of goodwill changes that.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 55 hp (40 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 46 lb-ft (62 Nm) |
| Displacement | 853 cc |
| Engine | 90° V-twinMotorcycles With V-Twin Engines → |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | ShaftMotorcycles With Shaft Drive → |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 320 mm |
| Front tire | 130/90-16 |
| Rear tire | 150/80-16 |
| Wheelbase | 58.5 in (1485 mm) |
| Seat height | 30.9 in (785 mm) |
| Wet weight | 439 lb (199 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.0 gal (15 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Safety
Over the years I've collected what V9 Bobber owners say in paddock conversations, at club nights, over coffee after a ride, and in the messages riders send me directly. The pattern is clear. Praise for the engine and the handling is broad and consistent, while the complaints are scattered and mostly about details of daily use.
The engine comes up first. Owners describe it pulling hard straight off idle, with a rustic thump and an exhaust note that makes an ordinary errand feel like an outing. Riders also consistently say it flicks through twisty roads and stays easy to handle at walking pace, which surprises people who expect a cruiser. Several add that it suits less experienced riders without ever feeling dull.
Each of these gripes comes from a single owner, not from riders as a group. One finds the pegs touch down early in corners. Another says sixth gear feels more like fifth, with the engine buzzing on long highway stints until it gets tiring. Owners who miss a fuel gauge point out there isn't even a low-fuel light, only the trip meter and the reserve tap. One rider also reports free play building up at the clutch lever, which needs frequent adjustment and takes the precision out of the feel.
ABS brake hose chafing and fluid leak
The front ABS brake hose may rub against the engine secondary air system connection, potentially causing a fluid leak and reduced braking performance. Piaggio issued a recall to secure the hose and replace any damaged ones.
Weak battery from new
Some bikes left the factory with a battery that failed prematurely, often within the first year. Replacement under warranty was typically straightforward.
Final drive oil leak
A small number of owners have noted oil weeping from the final drive vent, which may require replacement of the vent cap to resolve.
Where this Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the V9 Bobber is actually built for.
Small towns, old routes, no hurry: this bike is aimed straight at you. Plan around the 4.0 gal tank and pack light, because nothing for luggage comes from the factory.
Made for Park Loop Road · Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
You get the sound, the looks and the individuality at Sturgis or Daytona, and you will not be riding what everyone else rode in on. What you don't get is bulk or long-haul kit.
Made for Florida State Road A1A · Black Hills · Main Street, Daytona Beach
Hill Country works on this bike if the point is the roll and the stop at the end of it. With 55 hp and a style-first chassis, it will not chase friends riding for pace.
Made for Texas Hill Country · Texas Hill Country BDR-X · Twisted Sisters
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2019–2020
Italian Attitude, Factory Trim
Roughly $1,500 pricier used than this bike at 6 yr
Successor · 2021
A Centennial Worth The Wait
Competitor · 2019–2020
Factory Custom, Built Right
Roughly $3,400 pricier used than this bike at 6 yr
Competitor · 2018–2020
Factory Custom, Zero Apologies
Roughly $7,300 pricier used than this bike at 6 yr
Competitor · 2015–2024
Legendary Name, Real Legs
Roughly $3,300 pricier used than this bike at 6 yr
Same Platform · 2022–2025
Italian Soul, Low Slung
Similar Character · 2021–2024
Purist Retro, Italian Soul
Compare it with every bike that shares the same spec or equipment.