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Impressions Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer and Triumph Street Twin

Surrender can be profit

The fear that motorcycles would lose any acoustic life of their own with the introduction of the Euro 4 standard has fortunately not come true. Both the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer and the brand new Triumph Street Twin caress ears and souls.

Friends of motorized two-wheeled locomotion, who unreservedly pay homage to what advertising, manufacturers and sometimes politicians praise as progress – namely the eternal "more, more, more" – should please close the browser window at this point. This story is not about more, but about less. So about giving up. About doing without superfluous power, superfluous weight, superfluous equipment and electronic gadgets. In the back of your mind the question arises as to whether doing without the superfluous might even be a gain. But before it gets too philosophical, let’s give Moto Guzzi for free V9 Roamer and Triumph Street Twin first of all our hearing.

Impressions Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer and Triumph Street Twin

Surrender can be profit

Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer knows how to weave, novels have been written. This mixture of suction slurping, valve tickers and various noises from the depths of the crankcase as well as the throaty thud from the two chrome-plated mufflers can always be assigned to a Guzzi. Usually only Harleys have such a clear acoustic fingerprint.

Where the frog has the curls

Against this background, a modern parallel twin like that of the Triumph Street Twin is confronted with the accusation of acoustic randomness – but then again it is not. Almost free of mechanically induced background noise, the 899 cm³ twin with 270-degree crankshaft – i.e. exactly the same ignition interval as the Guzzi – emits a clear, deep-bass sound from the two conical stainless steel pots. You no longer need an accessory bag to massage both your soul and your trouser legs. To wrap up the acoustics issue, what you need on both bikes would be a decent horn. Because both Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer and Triumph Street Twin have sound signal generators whose pathetic beeping is simply ridiculous and whose effect is clearly inferior to a simple, powerful throttle.

Now the bike is not just about sound, and as far as the other qualities of the two bikes are concerned, the Triumph developers have to be attested that they took advantage of the advantage they had from the famous sheet of white paper at the beginning of a new development. Because with the exception of the easier handling, the higher damping reserves and the snappier or rather less blunt front brake, there is hardly a point at which the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer can show the Triumph Street Twin where the frog has the curls.

Duel between shin and cylinder

The main problem with the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer (Vagabund) is not in its driving characteristics, but in its peculiar ergonomics. The high handlebars, which are turned far back, the 800 mm low bench and the footrests arranged fairly amidships result in an idiosyncratic passive seating position that is strongly reminiscent of the unfortunate soft choppers from the late 1980s. Long-legged people like the author will involuntarily witness a constant duel between shins and cylinders, where, as so often, joy (warmth) and suffering (bruises) are close together. In addition, the shiftability of the six-speed transmission is not exactly more precise due to the necessary deflection.

The ground clearance of the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer is also low in terms of soft chopper. The footpegs and the side stand, which is mounted very far back, pull furrows in the asphalt early on. Moving at a leisurely pace, the V2 indulges in 4.4 liters from the 15-liter steel tank per 100 km, while driving quickly it is 0.9 liters more. The Triumph Street Twin treats itself to 4.0 or 4.9 liters from its twelve-liter container under the same conditions.

Even if the absolute driving performance plays only a subordinate role among the interested parties, it should be mentioned here for the sake of completeness: The Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer masters the sprint from zero to one hundred in 5.4 seconds, the Triumph Street Twin needs 5 , 2. When pulling from 60 to 100 km / h it is 5.5 to 4.9. From 100 to 140 km / h it is then 7.5 to 6.4 seconds. Sure, the Triumph is fixed. In practice, however, the Guzzi doesn’t really drive them away. And because it may be important for the regulars’ table, the following information: With Tacho 180, both end if it has to be. And if you have a little patience.

Arturo Rivas

This is what motorcycles looked like when the Sony Playstation was still called the Ravensburger game collection.

What both have in common, albeit for different reasons, is their moderate suitability for fun for two. While the very short seat of the crew spoils the fun in the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer, in the Triumph Street Twin it is the already underdamped struts that have little to oppose the combination of pillion ride and bumps. It wouldn’t look bad at the back of the street twin.

Friends of solid construction can also be friends of the Guzzi vagabond: The tank and fenders are made of steel, the side covers are even made of aluminum. In addition, elaborate small parts delight the eye of the beholder. But no rose without thorns: just as the tank cannot be locked, the hand levers cannot be adjusted. The Triumph can do both better, but its plastic content is significantly higher, even if the tank is made of steel. There is a stalemate on the info level. Both have an analog speedometer and a digital information center: both show the time, current and average consumption, and the Triumph Street Twin shows the remaining range. The Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer offers the outside temperature instead.

V9 engine in the chassis of the V7 II

Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer and Triumph Street Twin machines can be individually refined with original accessories. In addition to the high ancillary costs, the Triumph Street Twin has a base price of 8900 euros and 150 euros for the paint, i.e. the red tank, 210 euros for the tank bag and 625 euros for the side pockets. The latter are supplied with a strap so that you can shoulder your load. As shown, the Guzzi costs 9990 euros including 255 euros ancillary costs.

Time for a summary: Once again it becomes clear that neither the sound nor the driving pleasure depends on the performance. And it becomes clear that in this comparison, the Triumph Street Twin certainly has the more balanced and modern concept. But when the day comes – and it may come soon – when the Italians lift the engine of the Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer into the active, ergonomically better chassis of the V7 II, then the cards will be reshuffled, then you can’t with the V9 only better phoning, but also living nicer.

Technical data Triumph Street Twin

Arturo Rivas

Triumph Street Twin and Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer.

Here you can see an extract of the technical data. If you would like the complete measured values ​​determined by us, you can buy the article as a PDF for download.

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