Moto Guzzi V85TT

Discussions and updates on your new bike, your new build, your wishes, wants and desires
User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

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.

Image
User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

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!
User avatar
weeksy
Site Admin
Posts: 23421
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 12:08 pm
Has thanked: 5451 times
Been thanked: 13087 times

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.
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 14203
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 539 times
Been thanked: 7530 times

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.
User avatar
Yorick
Posts: 16737
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:20 pm
Location: Paradise
Has thanked: 10265 times
Been thanked: 6886 times

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.
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11234
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4124 times

Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

I saw one in Sainsburys petrol station a couple of weeks ago, looked nice.
Honda Owner
User avatar
Horse
Posts: 11553
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:30 am
Location: Always sunny southern England
Has thanked: 6191 times
Been thanked: 5087 times

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 . . .
Even bland can be a type of character :wave:
Scootabout
Posts: 582
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:41 pm
Has thanked: 479 times
Been thanked: 310 times

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?
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 14203
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 539 times
Been thanked: 7530 times

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.
User avatar
Horse
Posts: 11553
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:30 am
Location: Always sunny southern England
Has thanked: 6191 times
Been thanked: 5087 times

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.
Even bland can be a type of character :wave:
User avatar
ogri
Posts: 463
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 4:11 pm
Location: Wymering
Has thanked: 1036 times
Been thanked: 224 times

Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by ogri »

Reviews i looked at yesterday stated that the tyres are tubeless?
Ignorance is bliss
User avatar
Taipan
Posts: 13948
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:48 pm
Location: Essex Riviera!
Has thanked: 15955 times
Been thanked: 10248 times

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.
User avatar
Taipan
Posts: 13948
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:48 pm
Location: Essex Riviera!
Has thanked: 15955 times
Been thanked: 10248 times

Re: Moto Guzzi V85TT

Post by Taipan »

User avatar
Yorick
Posts: 16737
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:20 pm
Location: Paradise
Has thanked: 10265 times
Been thanked: 6886 times

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 :)
User avatar
Horse
Posts: 11553
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:30 am
Location: Always sunny southern England
Has thanked: 6191 times
Been thanked: 5087 times

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.
Even bland can be a type of character :wave:
The Spin Doctor
Posts: 4096
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:17 pm
Has thanked: 2635 times
Been thanked: 1523 times

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.
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." Henry David Thoreau
www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills www.survivalskillsridertraining.co.uk www.facebook.com/survivalskills
User avatar
Rockburner
Posts: 4376
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:06 am
Location: Hiding in your blind spot
Has thanked: 7817 times
Been thanked: 2528 times

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.
non quod, sed quomodo
User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

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?
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 14203
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 539 times
Been thanked: 7530 times

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.
User avatar
G.P
Posts: 1944
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire
Has thanked: 2029 times
Been thanked: 1310 times

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..