Moto Guzzi V85TT
Off to a slippy start, but now on the up
Nathan has been accessorising the adventurous Mato Guzzi with some Luggage.
It's been a turbulent month with the Moto Guzzi V85TT, with few miles covered due to what I suspected was a leak from the final drive. I'd been out on the bike one winter's day, the bike caked in dirt due to a lack of a proper mudguard. The bike was cleaned thoroughly before parking it in the garage and a few days later a shallow build up of what looked and felt like oil appeared at the bottom of the rear rim, on the shaft drive side.
There has been a recall on the V85TT's final drive due to leaking - with a second seal added as a safeguard - so my immediate suspicion was an issue with this. The supplying dealer confirmed the recall work had been done before delivery, but with them located over 250 miles away I called my nearest dealer down in Exeter to get it booked in. The perils of long-distance purchasing.
It took a few weeks to squeeze me in, during which time the order from an online supplier for a front mudguard from the
Caponord Rally was cancelled (by them) due to their inability to supply the part. The mudguard is a common modification, with every V85TT owner in the land trying to get hold of one as it bolts straight on and gives much better splatter protection than the stock high level mudguard. Pyramid Plastics here in the UK are working on their own version, which should hopefully arrive soon. Come summer it won't be so much of an issue.
PUZZLED MINDS
Having dropped the bike off at the dealer in Exeter, a few days passed before I got a call to say that they couldn't find a leak on the bike. Instead, they wondered if it was cleaning product or something else that I'd put on the bike as they found an oily substance on the engine fins as well. It was a mystery. All I'd used was WD40 and SDOC's alternative to ACFSO,both of which feel very different to oil.
The bike was collected, and we concluded that all I could do was give it a good deep clean and see what happens. I did just that, cleaning it with SDOC 100, and then taking it out for a ride along the North Devon coast. I got back, had a look at the wheel and there was no oil anywhere, nor the next morning. So, the 'oil' in the rim and on the engine fins remains a mystery that possibly was something that either I'd sprayed on or was on the bike from the factory. It was just good to have
the bike back and be out using it. It's a lovely bike to ride and covers ground quickly. I'd call it a GS1200-lite.
Coronavirus notwithstanding, the plan now for the Guzzi is to take it across America in the summer, guiding a group of 13 other riders, all on UK bikes being air-freighted into New York. To be honest, it was this planned trip that had made me so anxious to get to the bottom of the possible oil leak. You need to feel confident that your bike is up to the job, and now I do.
LUGGAGE FOR AN ITALIAN MULE
For the US trip I'll need panniers, and with a set of Frozen Grey coloured Bumot Defender Evos sat in the garage that had previously been fitted to a V-Strom IOOOXTth, at was the most obvious solution. There was a bit of a delay as the Bulgarian pannier manufacturer worked on the prototype of the frames for the V85TT, with a set finally shipped over via their official UK importer, the Adventure Bike Shop in
Sudbury.
I've used many different panniers over the years and have always been impressed with the Bumots. The panniers themselves are very sturdy, with a good quick-release system and a usable amount of space, even in the smaller sizes that I had. The lid is hinged with two straps on the inside of it, making it the perfect place for storing shoes and other clunky items.
There's also an optional built-in toolbox, offering a handy lockable cubby hole for puncture repair kits and pumps, etc. For me, the most important marker of a good set of panniers are the frames. If they've been designed well, they should keep the boxes nice and tight to the bike to reduce overall pannier width. Panniers wider than the bars are no good in my opinion, and Bumot seem to go to a lot of effort with their pannier frames to achieve this, using a cut-out design on the exhaust side, with these a 31/35-litre configuration. You do lose some loading capacity with this set up, but again, it helps keep the panniers nice and tight. Price for the set, including the optional tool kit, was £1059, which is about the same as the factory panniers, but these are undoubtedly a much sturdier set.
Fitting was easy, about an hour's job, bolting into the two luggage rack mounts on either side of the bike, with additional spacers and longer bolts supplied in the kit.
A third strut then bolts to the pillion peg hangers, with a cross brace at the back that does require the number plate to sit on spacers to allow it room to clear the cross brace.
A 40-litre Lomo dry bag on the rear rack, and it's pretty much ready for America. The next job is to get it up to 800 miles for the first service, then see how it goes on a tour of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way in the Spring, again, coronavirus notwithstanding. Hopefully by the time you read this it'll all have blown over and we'll be pretty much back to normal. Fingers crossed.