GOLDEN EAGLE
Moto Guzzi’s quirky adventure V-twin has become an unlikely hit by alighting at a sweet spot between traditional and modern, large-capacity and small. We ride the V85 TT on all terrains – but mostly road – to discover what all the fuss is about
Even Moto Guzzi’s staff must have been surprised by the success of the V85 TT last year. After all, production in Mandello del Lario had been unspectacular for decades. Countless new models had come and gone without making much impact, let alone breaking sales records or approaching the status of Seventies icons like the 850 Le Mans or original California.
Then suddenly the two-wheeled world couldn’t get enough of a new bike with Guzzi’s trademark pair of air-cooled pots sticking diagonally out on each side. Show-goers had swooned over the adventure V-twin on its unveiling at EICMA in Milan; journalists had enthused at the press riding launch in Sardinia. More importantly, customers were making it a hit in the showrooms – so much so that for a while the atmospheric old factory on the banks of Lake Como couldn’t keep up with demand.
Looking over the Guzzi’s stubby perspex screen as the A5 unravels on a sunny afternoon months later, this outbreak of Italian-style TT mania seems perplexing – but at the same time entirely justified. That contradiction is apparent in many ways, not least engine performance. The V85 TT feels perfectly content at road speeds, and happy to add a
gentle burst of acceleration when required, but lacks the grunt to get my adrenaline flowing as a more powerful bike would.
Similarly the Guzzi is delivering a pleasing platform from which to watch the Leicestershire hedgerows flash by, without being high-tech or luxurious. Provided I don’t rev it too hard, the TT is throbbing along with a gentle vibration and restrained exhaust sound that anyone who’s ridden a Guzzi V-twin would recognise. It’s proving respectably quiet, roomy, comfortable and well appointed.
Although its chassis is not particularly sophisticated, I’m fine with that. The fairly long-travel suspension is soaking up all but the biggest bumps pretty well, while retaining sufficient control that when a roundabout appears I’m glad of the chance to leave my braking late, then squeeze the lever hard, tread down a few gears and crank round at an enthusiastic pace.
Sometimes I’ve been adding an extra lap just for fun, relishing the bike’s cornering ability as though its TT stood for Tourist Trophy rather than Tutto Terrano. That ‘all terrain’ designation confirms the V85 TT’s design brief as a contender in the thriving middleweight adventure category, amid competition from bikes including BMW’s F850GS and Honda’s Africa Twin. That’s timely, as is its ability to join the retro-themed scrambler ranks popularised by Ducati, Triumph and more.
If the TT gains by having a foot in both camps, it also builds on lessons that Guzzi have learned in several decades spent trying to crack the dual-purpose market, dating back to the Eighties and Nineties, when machines like the firm’s Quota 1000 were called big trailies rather than adventure bikes. More recently, the Stelvio 1200 had its merits, but failed to take a significant slice of the fast-rising adventure bike cake, and the 744cc V7 Stornello was cute but underpowered, even for a middleweight.
The V85 TT slips neatly into a gap between the two, and seems to have hit that Goldilocks spot of having just about enough of everything. It’s a product of Guzzi’s V9 family of 853cc V-twins, following the forgettable Bobber and Roamer roadsters. Its engine retains the air-cooled, pushrod-operated, two-valves-percylinder layout favoured since the Sixties, but is a complete revision.
UPDATED, BUT FAMILIAR
A long list of top-end updates including titanium inlet valves reduces weight and friction considerably, allowing an increase in peak output from 54bhp to a much more useful 79bhp. A re-designed crankshaft and conrod assembly cuts weight by almost 30 per cent, improving throttle response and reducing vibration. The lubrication system is also new, with a semi-dry sump layout that allows increased ground clearance.
The engine forms a stressed member of the purpose-built tubular steel frame, which holds upside-down forks and a diagonally mounted single shock, both from KYB. Each
end gives a generous 170mm of wheel travel, with adjustability for spring preload and rebound damping. Wheels are wire-spoked with a typical adventure bike’s 19-inch diameter front, rather than a roadster’s 17 inch or truly dirt-friendly 21 inch.
Slightly strangely, Guzzi have chosen to fit different tyres to the single-colour and two-tone TTs. This bluey-green test bike wears Metzeler’s Tourance Nexts, as do its grey or red alternatives, but the two-colour model (white plus either yellow or red), which also has a suede seat cover and red frame, comes with Michelin’s slightly chunkier Anakee Adventures.
Either way, there’s no doubt that the TT’s style is a big part of its appeal. Those twin lights, linked by the eagle-shaped daytime running light, make a beaky face with the high-level front mudguard. With its air-cooled pots jutting out seductively between the shapely fuel tank and aluminium bash-plate, the Guzzi has a streetfighter-meets-scrambler look that perfectly reflects its intended use.
That ‘just enough’ feeling held true when I threw a leg over the 830mmhigh seat and reached forward to the wide, slightly raised handlebar. The TT is big enough to feel substantial and roomy, yet at 229kg with a near-full tank it’s lighter than most big adventure bikes and low enough to be manageable for most riders. That said, it weighs more than retro-rivals including BMW’s R nineT Scrambler and Ducati’s Scrambler 1100 Sport, and is more than 20kg heavier than KTM’s 790 Adventure and Yamaha’s Ténéré 700.
It barked into life with a familiar Guzzi sideways shuffle and whir of air-cooled valve gear, if not with the pronounced lurch and rattle of old. In this and other respects it’s sort of Guzzi lite, with enough traditional Mandello character to make it interesting, but also with modern touches to appeal to riders coming from other brands. There’s a USB socket alongside the TFT screen, which is colourful if slightly small and busy; and a choice of three riding modes (Road, Rain and Off-road), which automatically change the ABS and traction control settings to suit, turning off the rear wheel anti-lock in the case of Off-road.
ROADS AND OFF-ROADS
In its modest way the engine is a gem, despite its 79-horse maximum being below the low 90s figure that many middleweights produce these days. Crucially, Guzzi’s engineers didn’t make the mistake of chasing top-end power at the expense of lower rev performance, as they initially did with the Stelvio. The TT’s power delivery is flexible and well controlled, and there’s plenty of urge through the midrange.
Guzzi say that 90 per cent of maximum torque is delivered from 3750rpm, which felt about right. From anywhere much above 3000rpm the bike rumbled forward obediently, getting increasingly enthusiastic as it approached the peak at 5000rpm. It was very much at home on twisty B-roads, accelerating at an entertaining, if not arm-straining rate as those lightened internals showed their benefit in conjunction with nicely metred fuelling.
The revised six-speed gearbox is a notable improvement on most Guzzi efforts of old, too. First went in without the traditional clonk, and the box changed very sweetly, though it’s a shame there’s no quick-shifter even as an option. The shaft final drive didn’t intrude.
TheTTalsoworkedwellonmore open roads, having sufficient grunt for easy overtakes, and cruising with
a pleasantly long-legged feel. The Guzzi would sometimes feel underpowered if loaded with a pillion and luggage; a rumoured larger capacity model would satisfy that need. For touring it does at least have an easily used cruise control.
Also helping on longer trips was its ergonomic blend of roomy, slightly leant forward riding position and usefully efficient wind protection. Being very tall I hadn’t expected too much of the screen, which isn’t height adjustable, but can be pivoted on its mount. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that in its most upright position it kept the breeze off my chest whilst generating minimal turbulence, something few bikes manage.
The hand-guards’ protection was useful too, although they could be larger and I’d regard the accessory heated grips as essential. I had no complaints about the broad seat, which I found comfortable, although its pronounced pillion step limits the rider’s ability to move around. With