New Guzzi V85 looks good.

Arsey said:

Of course it wouldn’t . I was simply stating surprise that wrinkleyowlie thought the gear change to be very slick whereas MCN kid thought it the opposite .

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The MCN kid is bound to think that.....along with most bike mag chimps.
They're fed a diet of Jap bikes, and mostly sport type Jap bikes....all of which have geared clutches turning at least twice crank speed....hence they're used to grabbing gears quickly, bam, bam, bam.
The crank mounted clutch on the Guzzi, just like in Airhead and Oilhead BMWs, needs a subtler and ever so more deliberate change than that.....just a bit more compassion and understanding.
If the chimps and kids from the magazines actually used the bike, lived with it and went away for several days on it, they would most likely learn to understand the bike.
Always read these thrash tests with a bucket of salt, never mind a pinch of it, and never take the words of a journo as totally accurate gospel.....you're only reading an opinion anyway.

Rushy said:

Me too

Well I managed to engineer it that I was working in the Brierley Hill area today so that I could pop into QB Motorcycles to see if they had one in the showroom. I managed to get there around 5pm to find a distinct lack of any Moto Guzzi’s and a hell of a lot of Royal Enfields....it seems that they gave up the Moto Guzzi franchise altogether last year

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That'l be your guardian angel doing her best to guard your wallet

Andres

Outtomunch said:

That'l be your guardian angel doing her best to guard your wallet

Andres

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He needs a guardian angel for that!

So, I had an hour on the bike this morning ...

Positives

It's a Guzzi! Solid and grunty: for me, rarely if ever taking a pillion, the power was adequate. I did one overtake of an HGV (not wanting to overstress the engine) and the torque was well placed in the mid range as you would expect on a twin. I ddnt explore very high speeds: i rode mainly on A and twisty B roads. One up touring would be no bother.

Handling and braking fine. The latter smooth and progressive. It feels tall. Not a bike for nip and tuck with sports bikes on a circuit but it would hold its own on non Mway roads over a distance.

Petrol consumption appeared to be in the mid 50s.

Riding position first class and controls easy to use.


Not so positives.

I would need the bigger screen. Wind roar was a pain at higher speeds. (Plugs were worn)
Seat was too firm. A fleece or similar would probably sort that.
Suspension was set up too firm for my taste. I'd need to explore the range of adjustments before buying.probably
Throttle was a bit too sensitive. Maybe it was the firm suspension? On one occasion, I lost revs and thought there was an issue but no, it was the wobbly fly by wire. I think! All was well anyway.

Price for the bike with touring set up is 12k. Ok, not huge compared to a new BM boxer but still leaving quite a few bawbees to find on top of the RT trade in. So time for some serious thought.

test ride today

By popular request, a review of my test ride on the Moto Guzzi V85TT. Bike from Blade in Swindon who charge £10 for insurance which has a £250 excess.
The bike is the premium model with multi-colour "Ronald McDonald" with Michelin Anakee tyres. It looks really nice with good quality materials and the yellow paint scheme is not too offensive. It is the only bike in stock so far so can't compare with other colours.
Switch gear is easy to use but different to every other make I have ridden so takes a bit of getting used to. Clutch is very light. Gear changes are precise but you need to be gentle with the clutch or it will snatch - a characteristic of the Guzzi I believe due to the way it is engineered.
The LED lights are very bright - the bike was brought around from the back and I looked straight at the eagle logo and felt my retinas evaporating just from the DRLs.
Screen is colour LED and you can pair it with a phone. Supposedly adjusts the brightness depending on weather. There were times I looked at the speedo and just had a reflection.
Mirrors are very good. They only vibrate when stationary with the engine running. Vibes are well balance when on the move.
You need to give it plenty of revs when pulling away. You can short shift but the motor seems to like being revved. Using the gears to slow down, approaching a roundabout or tight corner, is undramatic as long as you remember to use the clutch. I am too spoilt by autoblipping, down the box quickshifters.
The engine noise is disappointing but the performance is sprightly considering only 80bhp. I was probably doing 60-70 from Cirencester to Bibury where I would be doing over 80 on the XR.
The worst thing is the screen. 60-70 felt fast enough on A roads due to the racket. 80+ even for the short distance from Ciren to Swindon on the A419 was tiresome. I would add a Puig spoiler or similar.
The best thing is the handling. This was a huge surprise, especially on the Anakee tyres. The speed of the steering is just lovely. It takes so little effort to initiate a turn. On the A435 from Seven Springs to Ciren there are some fast sweepers and it tracks a line really well. Most ADV bikes need plenty of countersteering to stop them drifting wide.
As you would expect, on single track, bumpy roads the bike comes into its own. The road from Bibury through Ablington back to the A429 has steep hills, gravel and bumpy straights. No dramas and 60-70 across the bumpy straights was easy going.
I reset the fastest speed trip on the way back. It read 113mph. You get disco LEDs around the display when you go over the recommended revs for running in. Orange then red. I saw them quite a bit. The bike only had 180 miles on the clock at the start and 250 afterwards. It took quite a while to get to that speed on the private road. A R1200GS appeared in my mirror in Barnsley as I was behind traffic. As we left the 30 limit he had no trouble disappearing with his 50% more bhp.
Cruise control works well. Switch is thumb operated. I prefer the index finger tab on the BMWs. At least it is on the left unlike my Explorer.
Seat was okay on the 60 odd miles. Firm support. I could just get both feet on the floor with my 31" inseam. Peg position okay, didn't scrape. My right hip did complain a bit. A slightly canted forward position seems to suit it better. Very well balanced a low speed and I was confidently filtering through traffic on my way back into Swindon.
It's a very nice bike and looks so much nicer than the KTM 790 (I sat on one, they have a demo) but ultimately, it's not nice enough to make me change either of the BMWs.

Rushy said:

Me too

Well I managed to engineer it that I was working in the Brierley Hill area today so that I could pop into QB Motorcycles to see if they had one in the showroom. I managed to get there around 5pm to find a distinct lack of any Moto Guzzi’s and a hell of a lot of Royal Enfields....it seems that they gave up the Moto Guzzi franchise altogether last year

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Yeah, having registered ages ago on the Guzzi website, I've been waiting for a test ride invite from QB, as being my closest dealer, but found out that now it's 3DMoto Italia in Kingswinford. They're existing Ducati and MV dealers.

The salesman told me (might be bullshit but I don't think so) that Guzzi sold about 20 bikes last year in the Birmingham area! I suspect they'll sell a few more this year?I went down there last week and they had just got 3 Yellow/White V85s in stock, inc one demo. He phoned me the next day to confirm they were taking bookings for test rides from 1st April. He's also been on the Sardinia launch and was happy to gas about it for a good 20 minutes, mind you I was the only one in there!

As an ex 1200 Sport, Stelvio and Cagiva Elefant owner, if they can't sell me one there's no hope . Having said that, I'm trying to hold out for a second hand one and just got myself a cheap 1200 Griso to stave off the Guzzilust!!

Outtomunch said:

That'l be your guardian angel doing her best to guard your wallet

Andres

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I need one that turns up every night when I’ve gone to sleep & fills it

wavey_davey said:

Yeah, having registered ages ago on the Guzzi website, I've been waiting for a test ride invite from QB, as being my closest dealer, but found out that now it's 3DMoto Italia in Kingswinford. They're existing Ducati and MV dealers.

!!

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Aaaah that’s interesting . They gave up the Ducati franchise over a year ago and became MVAugusta West Midlands but I didn’t know they had taken on MG too. Was the salesman called Nathan ?

DMC Ducati near me in Stoke are opening a branch in the West Midlands soon ( Worcester ) to fill the gap.

Enjoy your test ride

Not a nice man

wavey_davey said:

Yeah, having registered ages ago on the Guzzi website, I've been waiting for a test ride invite from QB, as being my closest dealer, but found out that now it's 3DMoto Italia in Kingswinford. They're existing Ducati and MV dealers.

The salesman told me (might be bullshit but I don't think so) that Guzzi sold about 20 bikes last year in the Birmingham area! I suspect they'll sell a few more this year?I went down there last week and they had just got 3 Yellow/White V85s in stock, inc one demo. He phoned me the next day to confirm they were taking bookings for test rides from 1st April. He's also been on the Sardinia launch and was happy to gas about it for a good 20 minutes, mind you I was the only one in there!

As an ex 1200 Sport, Stelvio and Cagiva Elefant owner, if they can't sell me one there's no hope . Having said that, I'm trying to hold out for a second hand one and just got myself a cheap 1200 Griso to stave off the Guzzilust!!

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I too, was very interested in the new MG until i read that QB bikes had relinquished their dealership, I live 5 minutes away from the Kingswinford dealers, formally known as Wolverhampton Ducati, my experience is the owners a complete arse and many locals chose to travel to Coventry or Sheffield for Ducati, rather than deal with him, he lost the franchise but still holds the service and repairs on Ducati for a couple of years, good luck with that one then and i read with interest the reviews on the V85

bobsnew said:

I too, was very interested in the new MG until i read that QB bikes had relinquished their dealership, I live 5 minutes away from the Kingswinford dealers, formally known as Wolverhampton Ducati, my experience is the owners a complete arse and many locals chose to travel to Coventry or Sheffield for Ducati, rather than deal with him, he lost the franchise but still holds the service and repairs on Ducati for a couple of years, good luck with that one then and i read with interest the reviews on the V85

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Yes salesman is called Nathan.

I don't think he's the owner, though no idea in reality?!

Readspeed scooters in Stourport are also listed as a Guzzi dealer, but I got a mail (eventually!) from Guzzi today with a link to a list of dealers with V85 demos, and they're not on it? Not sure how a Guzzi dealer can expect to survive with their hottest property NOT on the demo list?

Interestingly I was speaking to a long time guzzi owner in Worcester the other day, he said Steffords (another quite small family dealership, with a good reputation) lost the Guzzi franchise because Piaggio wanted them to invest heavily in a slick showroom etc.

Piaggio are a bit damned if they do (lose some old time dealers) and damned if they don't (be a bit more aggressive in establishing bigger "destination" dealers), even if I'd rather buy from a smaller, enthusiastic shop? I don't give a flying feck for potted plants and coffee machines, vs a mechanic who knows them, but it hasn't done BMW (and Triumph I guess) any harm!

Nathan told me that Piaggio insisted 3DMoto Italia take on Piaggio scooters as well as Guzzi (and Aprilia). Aprilia, I suspect, are an even harder sell than Guzzi these days. I actually read the Piaggio Group Annual report a year or so back, and it was fairly clear Aprilia were doing even worse than Guzzi!

I'm quite lucky in that A&D in North Wales aren't that far from me, and with better roads nearby.

wavey_davey said:

I'm quite lucky in that A&D in North Wales aren't that far from me, and with better roads nearby.

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Not that lucky I'm afraid. I found 3 new V7s' hidden at the back, one 2nd Guzzi and no V85 demo bike until next month. Plus, it looks like average speed cameras might be going up over the moors road.

wavey_davey said:

Yes salesman is called Nathan.

I don't think he's the owner, though no idea in reality?!

Readspeed scooters in Stourport are also listed as a Guzzi dealer, but I got a mail (eventually!) from Guzzi today with a link to a list of dealers with V85 demos, and they're not on it? Not sure how a Guzzi dealer can expect to survive with their hottest property NOT on the demo list?

Interestingly I was speaking to a long time guzzi owner in Worcester the other day, he said Steffords (another quite small family dealership, with a good reputation) lost the Guzzi franchise because Piaggio wanted them to invest heavily in a slick showroom etc.

y.

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Nathan’s a pretty decent guy, i dealt with him when he worked elsewhere . I’ve never met the owner so I can’t comment . I’ve visisted Streffords a view times and they were proper, it was shame when they gave up the franchise. Readespeed would just be Piaggio / Vespa not Guzzi . Let us know how you get on with the test ride

boxer said:

Not that lucky I'm afraid. I found 3 new V7s' hidden at the back, one 2nd Guzzi and no V85 demo bike until next month. Plus, it looks like average speed cameras might be going up over the moors road.

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Yep it was A&D I called as I had to go to North Wales on Thursday and was hoping to see the V85 but they told me it would be sometime next month before they got one . I thought the average speed cameras were already up and runnning? They are between Llangdegla and Corwen .

It’s a great looking bike. I too fancy another guzzi. But wouldn’t part with my Crosstourer for one.
Quick question.

Stands.
See some pictures with a centre stand and no side stand. Other pictures. Side stand no centre stand.
Can you have both on the same bike?

Nick Marshall said:

It’s a great looking bike. I too fancy another guzzi. But wouldn’t part with my Crosstourer for one.
Quick question.

Stands.
See some pictures with a centre stand and no side stand. Other pictures. Side stand no centre stand.
Can you have both on the same bike?

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That’s my dilemma Nick , the Crosstourer would have to go

I thought you’d sold your Crosstourer ?

I too was wondering about the centre stand because hardly any bikes have them. It appears to be an optional extra according to this video I found .


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Md8EhwWpYUw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Arsey said:

Ground clearance seems very limiting especially on right handers. On the vid around 4/5 minutes he scrapes the right peg numerous times without pushing it much and not much lean . Shame .

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Good honest review

Rushy said:

That’s my dilemma Nick , the Crosstourer would have to go

I thought you’d sold your Crosstourer ?

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I did sell it.
Spent a month looking for something to replace it with. It seems only people that have owned a Crosstourer know how good they are.
Found a nicer one. Half the milage. Year younger. Slightly better condition. Same colours plus the Honda spots.
So had to have it.

Think the new guzzi looks good in the pictures. But I still like bikes with weight and power. Guzzi with luggage and some bling is going to be around £12,500. Personally think that’s too much.

Nick Marshall said:

I did sell it.
Spent a month looking for something to replace it with. It seems only people that have owned a Crosstourer know how good they are.
Found a nicer one. Half the milage. Year younger. Slightly better condition. Same colours plus the Honda spots.
So had to have it.

Think the new guzzi looks good in the pictures. But I still like bikes with weight and power. Guzzi with luggage and some bling is going to be around £12,500. Personally think that’s too much.

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Weight and power.


Triumph make some good heavy bikes. The old ones are bargains..

Arsey said:

Weight and power.


Triumph make some good heavy bikes. The old ones are bargains..

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Ha ha. See what you did there. Hopefully that will be gone today.

Nick Marshall said:

Ha ha. See what you did there. Hopefully that will be gone today.

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Excellent . Just what the doctor ordered !

What an utterly charming and viceless bike. I had an hour on one this morning from Midland Scooters in Nottingham and it was lovely. Gearbox was a dream (after a Ducati), and the only negative I could think of was that the screen on the dash was a little small, and that the power was modest, but lots of bottom end grunt. I think the rev warning lights are set lower until the run service as they came on quite quickly, but other than that it really was a lovely bike. Cruise control as well !

This one didnt have heated grips fitted, but the cylinder heads are in the perfect position at traffic lights .

I have a real problem with screens with almost every 'adventure' styled bike I have tried, but this one (with the short screen) seemed pretty good with a little more noise, but no buffeting.

RBW.