Moto Guzzi V85TT

Discussions and updates on your new bike, your new build, your wishes, wants and desires
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G.P
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by G.P »

I love these. If it wasn't for the fact that that I've got a 1200 Monster, I@d be really keen as its far more practical. The Ducati motor is a Drug though.

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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by G.P »

Just noticed that no bike pic is immunie to the wheely bin! I hadn't noticed next doors in the pic in the past!
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by weeksy »

Harry wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 1:25 pm I must look at these at least once a day.

What I can't get past though, is I think about loading it up with luggage and going on a bit of a tour, then I think about the practicalities and wonder if I might be better loading the Landrover up and doing a tour in that....and it always seems to take more sense going in the Landrover, it's fun to drive, more comfortable than a bike, more room, more practical and I won't get soaked if it rains.

So it would be the bike equivalent of a Chelsea Tractor, I'd do the odd run on it now and then.
So probably not worth it.
BUt it's a completely different type of trip though isn't it ? It's like a package holiday or self catering, they're essentially the same but totally different. I don't see an adventure in a Landrover as being anything like as much fun myself.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by KungFooBob »

They're tiny.

Probably smallest of all the middle weight ADV style bikes, yet they look massive in pictures.

Small block Guzzi motor like my V7, but with a few more cc's and horses. They've been building them essentially the same for decades, so they're pretty bomb proof.

I think the build quality on my V7 is excellent, which goes much against the stereo type I had in my head. So I'd expect the V85 to be pretty well built too.

The single colour bikes don't look great in real life, you'd deffo want one of the two-tone ones.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Yorick »

Harry wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:06 pm One of the things that everyone raves about on the V85tt is the quality of finish.
And there are reports around now on YouTube with people reporting over 10k miles without incident.
10k is hardly anything to get excited about.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

I saw one in Sainsburys petrol station a couple of weeks ago, looked nice.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Horse »

Yorick wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:07 pm
Harry wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:06 pm One of the things that everyone raves about on the V85tt is the quality of finish.
And there are reports around now on YouTube with people reporting over 10k miles without incident.
10k is hardly anything to get excited about.
My V50 had rust on the frame from new . . .
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Scootabout »

Almost everything I've read about the bike is good. But I can't quite decide how much the tubed tyres matter. They seem to add risk, and probably at least inconvenience, if you get a puncture, compared to tubeless. But I'm not sure how much. Can any tubed tyre users enlighten?
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by KungFooBob »

Both my current bikes have tubed tyres, I don't worry too much.

Several years ago I had a Transalp 700 with tubed tyres. I got a puncture. It was the first bike I'd had in ages that had tubes, assumed tyreweld would work... nope. It went home on the back of a two truck.

I had a Tiger 800XC, that had tubed tyres, never had a puncture, however lots of owners convert wheels to run tubeless. Most wheels that require tubes don't have a safety bead, so if it goes down fast, there's a chance of the tyre popping off the rim.

You can make traditional spoked wheels tubeless using a special tapes and sealants to close up the spoke holes in the rims, the recommendation is only to do it on the rear because of the lack of safety bead, but the general consensus is that front punctures are very rare compared to rear wheel punctures.

If money is no object you can purchase aftermarket rims to fit to the OEM hubs, but they aint cheap.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Horse »

Seems ridiculous to increase potential grief like that when the tubeless / spoked solution has been known for years, with a different spoke attachment to the rim.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by ogri »

Reviews i looked at yesterday stated that the tyres are tubeless?
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Taipan »

Realistically, how many punctures do you ever get? I've been riding on the road for about 40 years and probably had 10 puncture tops? Its certainly not be enough of an issue for me to not buy a bike, even though I'd much prefer tubeless just in case. That said I got a puncture on the front of my XT660R. Took the wheel off, pulled out the nail, broke one side of the bead, pulled out the bit of the tube with the hole in, patched it and put it back. Probably quicker than when I remove a tubeless tyre to put a mushroom in.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Taipan »

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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Yorick »

Anyone had one of these or know anything about them ?

A good pal of mine is thinking about buying one :)

But test rides aren't available here, so he's looking for some first hand knowledge.

TIA :)
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Horse »

Taipan wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2020 10:56 am Realistically, how many punctures do you ever get? I've been riding on the road for about 40 years and probably had 10 puncture tops?
I've only AFAIR had two. But it's not the number of them, but the way they can happen. A tubeless tyre will often seal around a foreign object, releasing air gradually. But poke a hole in a tube it'll more than likely deflate immediately. I've had that happen. On a motorway. That ended with me and the bike both bouncing.

FWIW the other puncture was from a balance weight that a tyre fitter left between the tyre and tube. Luckily for me, that gradually chafed a small hole, leading to a flat. Also on a motorway.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by The Spin Doctor »

Taipan wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2020 10:56 am Realistically, how many punctures do you ever get? I've been riding on the road for about 40 years and probably had 10 puncture tops?
It really depends where you ride. I only had a couple when I was back in Kent but now I'm in London again, I've had 4 in the last two years, including one in a brand-new tyre I'd fitted 10 days earlier to replace the almost worn out one that punctured. There's a lot of roof conversions going on round here, and the roofing nails end up in the road.

Record was 3 in two days, although that was back in the 80s when I was a courier.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Rockburner »

Saw one in Scotland last week, looked good in the metal, and was the only bike I saw being ridden "enthusiastically" all week.

The rest were lots of GSs and tourers pootling along obviously sweating in full waterproofs.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by G.P »

Harry wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:02 am
There is loads of stuff now on YouTube from owners that have had them for a year and they really rate them.
Yep, I've chatted with a couple of owners and they really rate them, you wouldn't expect anything else really but they'd clocked good miles and were really enthusiast,
Depends what the prospective new owner is going to use it for?
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by KungFooBob »

Indeedy, performance wise it seems to sit somewhere above the 650 V-strom, but below the Africa Twin.
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Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by G.P »

I've considered it as an alternative commuting mule to my TIger 800 but since I've been WFH since Feb, its not really a requirement!
what's not to like about them air cooled, shaft drive, comfy, look great etc..