There’s nothing quite like Moto Guzzi’s V85 TT. Launched in 2019, the old-as-the-hills Italian firm say the adventure bike is the ‘first and only in class when it comes to a classic enduro’, and they’re right – nobody else makes a retrotastic adventure bike. Comfortable, breezy to ride, grunty enough and overflowing with charisma, it’s a hard bike not to fall in lust with.
It's even harder now Guzzi have freshened up the V85 with new tech, variable timing and a smattering of other updates. The bike has the same feel-good factor as the previous version, but boasts increased comfort, desirable electronic trinkets and an improved engine. And there are more variants to choose from too: as well as the regular V85 TT (£12,000) and distance-ready V85 TT Travel (£13,300), there’s now a new V85 Strada (£11,200) with cast wheels, fewer adornments and a simple air, meaning a lower price and greater accessibility.
Guzzis have always been a bit quirky, and though dyamically accomplished this has been true of the V85. And it still is. However, with features that now meet modern rivals wheel-to-wheel, the new versions have a blend of spec and charm that make them a genuine alternative to contemporary designs like the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE (£10,999), Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro (£13,895) and new BMW F800GS (£9995).
Ride comfort was always a V85 highlight. There’s a gnarly, rippled, pock-marked section of scruffy back road on my commute that’s my handy measure of how good a bike is at absorbing crappy surfaces, and the previous V85 was the best bike to ever tackle the tarmac rodeo. And that includes semi-active showboats. Nothing’s changed with the latest version – the forks and offset monoshock still have oily damping and a pleasingly plush ride quality, while still offering support for corner-carving shenanigans.
And the V85 can carve a corner. It’s not a scalpel; the chassis hasn’t got pointy steering and lightswitch reactions, doesn’t overwhelm you with edge-of-the-tyres feedback. Instead, the Guzzi has gloriously easy, flowing handling. It pivots beneath you, rolling gracefully and easily through turns, and skipping through hairpins as readily as it rails securely through brisk, open sweeps. It feels… right.
New, lighter, cast alloy headlight brackets and a rear sunframe shave a kilo or so, with the TT’s kerb weight now 228kg or thereabout. Not a featherweight, but it carries its weight very well.
Opt for the new Strada model and it has cast wheels. These are significantly lighter, reducing unsprung mass and gyroscopic inertia, and with road-biased tyres the Strada’s handling is even lighter. It’s gloriously tossable.
For 2024 there’s a handy preload adjuster wheel on the rear shock of the TT and TT Travel variants. These two bikes also get an IMU whatsit tucked inside somewhere, meaning cornering ABS and traction control for turn-taking confidence.
Comfort is superb. The seat’s not got height adjustment and the wide-barred stance is a little different to modern adventure bikes, which place you higher and closer to the nose. But it’s a well-spaced and pleasing place to spend a long riding day. Less tiring than before as well: the screen is now adjustable (five positions, 70mm total variance) and reduces blast on your noggin by 30%, while the Travel’s taller screen deflects 50% more blast and it has new deflectors on the tank.
Same air-cooled, pushrod, overhead-valve, two-valves-per-pot, 853cc V-twin as before, accept now it has variable valve timing. Guzzi say it’s for performance. They tweaked the motor a couple of years ago, losing a bit of top-end power in favour of low-rev strength, and the new variability further improves torque at lower revs (90% of peak grunt arrives at just 3000rpm) while also restoring peak power to 79bhp. Very good. But you can’t help wonder whether Euro5+ emission regs are what drove the decision.
Either way, it’s an even friendlier and more usable engine than before. There’s plenty of bottom-end drive for easy, lazy progress, enough midrange flexibility to leave the six-speed ’box in whichever ratio you fancy when flicking down mountain roads, and just enough high-rev willingness to be exciting. The delivery’s linear and step-free, too. There are more powerful and faster bikes, certainly – but the V85’s performance is accessible, usable, and delivered cheerfully. Which sounds daft, but I know what I mean…
The clutch is light enough to make owners of 1980s Guzzis weep with joy, and the gearbox is mostly slick and easy. And the V85 sounds good too, with its pinging cooling fins, mechanical hubbub and traditional Guzzi exhaust note
There’s a decent list of features on each of the three versions, improving as the price climbs. The cast-wheel V85 Strada (£11,200) has simple ABS and traction control, new switchgear with cruise control, a 5in TFT display, and an adjustable screen.
Step up to the spoke-wheel V85 TT and you get cornering ABS and traction, an extra riding mode, handguards, and a remote rear preload adjuster. And topping the pile is the V85 Travel (£13,300) which adds a taller screen and air deflectors, panniers, heated grips and heated seat, connectivity, and yet another riding mode.
All bikes also have the rather useful 23-litre tank, suspension that’s adjustable for spring preload and rebound damping, and loads of accessories and options including luggage, crash protection, centrestand, Öhlins rear shock, tyre monitoring, and everything in between.
