ADVENTURE: MOTO GUZZI V85TT CLASSIC ADVENTURE LAUNCH
With the Adventure market being the largest growing market, nearly everywhere in the world, it’s no surprise that yet another manufacturer has boarded the train to Adventure town. Yes, Moto Guzzi have a history of adventure-type bikes, but the new V85TT has put them in the hunt for real this time.
Now if you are thinking that the V85TT might seem a little out of place here on The Dirt… I can see where you are coming from. It’s probably about as far towards the road spectrum as we would likely venture. But the fact is that Moto Guzzi brand this bike as their new Classic Enduro/Adventure bike and for good reason.
The term classic comes from its look, design and heritage. You don’t see any Moto Guzzi’s with aerodynamic fairings, high output 4-cylinder engines, or pretty much anything else you might find on your typical Japanese road racer. It is a classic style that Guzzi strive to maintain, while utilising technology from now, in a balancing act that will please the pure Moto Guzzi fans, and attract some outsiders. Then the obvious Enduro/Adventure side of the bike comes to fruition in its design and ability off the tarmac.
The dashboard is state of the art with a fancy TFT display that can connect to your phone as well as many other things.
The chassis and swingarm set up is designed around the engine with the rear shock located to one side instead of in the centre, to allow the exhaust to snake up the left.
The shock and forks are slightly adjustable. Enough to help with going two-up anyway.
Important for off-road use, the three different modes of engine delivery have separate parameters when it comes to ABS, responsiveness and Traction control. in Off-Road mode you can completely switch off the ABS.
While we are out with injury and were unable to ride the new V85TT, we teamed up with Mat from www.onthrottle.co.nz, who was invited to the World Launch in Thailand, to get his thoughts on the bike.
“Rider ergonomics are superb, with the bike designed to be able to fit 95% of the population according to Moto Guzzi, with room to tailor it further via three optional comfort seats. The seat itself is, in fact, one of the most comfortable seats I’ve found myself perched upon recently. I’d be comfortable in saying the bike would be all-day comfortable.
With its 19-inch front wheel, the bike is easy to flick from corner to corner with confidence while the engine – while down on power when compared to some of its contemporaries – offers enough power to have a really enjoyable riding experience.”
“I found the key to keeping the ride 'spirited' was to keep the engine revving above 4500rpm to get the most out of it, as below 4000rpm the bike is very mellow and more characteristic of a traditional Guzzi. It doesn't hurt that the 90-degree V-twin sounds great when revving out to the 7000rpm redline either...
On more adventurous surfaces, the V85 TT proved to be surprisingly competent. The more mellow character of the engine lends itself to chugging along in the dirt with 90% of its 80Nm of peak torque reached at 3750rpm.”
“In fact, the more mellow character of the engine lends itself to chugging along in the dirt. Engaging Off-Road mode – which disables rear ABS and modifies the traction control to allow more slip before intervention – we then set off away from the sure-footedness of pavement towards the Plai Phu hot spring, which not only featured the equivalent of farm tracks but also required crossing a river to reach.
On the tracks and loose dirt near the hot spring, the V85 TT was far more sure footed and approachable than I expected. Even with its 23-litre fuel tank sitting above the engine, the bike didn't feel top heavy and was easily controlled using just the basics of off-road technique.
Priced in New Zealand from $19,990, Moto Guzzi’s all-new V85 TT is the first motorcycle to be marketed as a combination of the classic and adventure motorcycle markets, with the TT in the name standing for Tuto Terreno (Italian for All Terrain) Moto Guzzi has also coined the phrase of Classic Enduro to describe the latest segment in the motorcycle world.”
Mat - onthrottle.co.nz
The Moto Guzzi V85TT woudl be a little something different for the weekend Adventurer rider. The classic styling will appeal to probably the older generation, while all the bells and whistles inside the machine might tug on the technological strings of the always changing millennial. One thing is for sure - the Adventure market continues to grow.
Special thanks to Mat @ On Throttle for his rider thoughts on the bike. Visit www.onthrottle.co.nz for lots more reviews, especially if you are more road orientated. He was also the only NZ Journo invited to the world launch of Harley’s new electric bike. If you that that kinda stuff.