1 year Ownership of the Moto Guzzi V85TT

[@monawoka97]

The main purpose of a cat is to burn combustion residuals. It doesn't actually decrease CO2 emissions. It just makes it so everything exiting the exhaust pipe is CO2 and water vapor, nothing else. They're heavy and I hate the way they make my bike sound, but I am reluctant to take it off since my city needs all the help it can get with air quality.

[@andrewdyrda8012]

💯 correct

[@fdn0067]

I've enjoyed putting over 44,000 miles on my 2021 V85 TT. It's a pleasure to ride!

[@marbulle]

Merci pour votre retour, j'ai parcouru presque 9000kms avec la même moto et j'en suis totalement satisfait j'aime sa rondeur son confort sa sonorité ses trépidations c'est une moto vibrante et vivante je suis conquis, elle est parfaite pour le roulage en duo ou en solo, j'adore la conduire sur les petites routes dans les cols sa souplesse est un merveilleux atout comme sa manœuvrabilité. Je viens quand même de craqué et je lui ai trouvé une compagne une Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 avec laquelle je compte faire du tt un peu plus engagé en solo bien sûr 😉. Encore merci pour le partage. Grand ✌️de la Haute Savoie en France

[@andrewdyrda8012]

How is the Himalayan? Good companion for Guzzi 😊

[@jamahamies2416]

Thanks for your video. I also like my Guzzi v85 tt very much. My first summer with my 2023 Italian.And one thing which is different here in Europe and what I appreciate is that turn signals lights are small and good looking leds. One more thing that you dont have to change. Saves money and work. So, greetings from Finland.

[@ridingwithmarshall]

Thank you for enjoying it. I wish my bike came with LED blinkers because I've already bounced through a set of rear lenses. They are held in by a single screw that shatters the fragile sleeve it's in. I have LED kits, but waiting for a cold day to install them.

[@AndreiKouznetsov]

Some good observations here. I believe that most speedometers are off by around 5-6% because it leaves enough error incase the tires expand when travelling at faster speeds (meaning more circumference = covering more distance faster). Saying that, 90% of modern tires are radial where its design restricts it from expanding outwards. I guess most bike displays do that as a precaution anyway. Thanks again!

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@AndreiKouznetsov I'm not used to it. Even the Triumph R3 is off by 5mph. Go back to a Honda bike and they nail it. Good thing I didn't build our work products with those tolerances.

[@gerardhanson6545]

Is the motor vibey at any RPM or on the highway? Does the seat slope forward? How hot does the motor get when 95F to 100F + ?

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@gerardhanson6545 Seat sits flat , not forward. The engine doesn't get nearly as hot as the cat converter on warm days. That has to go, or be heat shielded. It gets to 450 degrees F. There is no right vibration, only loose vibration. The motor shakes like a Harley Sportster, but does vibrate the bars. Your hands won't fall asleep like some bikes.

[@3520Rick]

Love your sense of humor. You always give me chuckles. Hope to buy you some beers someday.

[@ridingwithmarshall]

Thank you! I used to be witty, now I'm just old.

[@shaylok11]

I liked your video, your authenticity and above all your accurate conclusions from the motorcycle. As an owner of a V85TT TRAVEL myself, and after 33,000 km on it, I enjoy riding it every time and it never lets me down. Thanks for the tip about the right box lock. Turns out there are a lot of people like me and you with an inverted tab on the lock... probably" Monday morning job"......😂

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@shaylok11 Thank you! I guess I'm not the only one with the reversed lock??? It's an easy fix with a Phillips screwdriver.

[@MD-eg5jf]

Great review !!!, after seeing your first review of MG v85TT Travel, I purchase one and I'm soo glad I did. By the way your reviews have so much caracter almost as much as a MG bike.🤣😂😂

[@ridingwithmarshall]

Thank you!!!

[@jamahamies2416]

My earley bike was Yamaha mt7 tracer and as many knows its very good, reliable bike with all means. But somehow I like to jump on MG more. You just want to eat kilometers more. Its very comfortable to ride. I myself get that Mersedes Benz feeling even when I ride in gravel roads.

[@parasinthephilippines]

There's a legacy about MG. If you walk into a Honda,triumph, Yamaha dealer they are delighted to see you and honoured for your business. With MG they consider it your honour that they've allowed you to own such a beauty.

[@robertgizinski9784]

Thanks for this video. I really like MG 850tt. It may become my first moto, I’m driving now Honda ADV 350 (maxi scooter), wich gives me lots of fun so far, but I think MG maybe my next step.

[@niallmatthews6895]

Hey Marshall, I enjoyed your review. I have a 2019 V85TT, I live in Ireland and listening to you talk about the riding on the interstate, keeping up with traffic etc - my bike is not very responsive at higher speeds and I will rarely take it on the motorway. I find it very sluggish at 80mph and it overtakes slow like a car, not like I'm used to with other bikes, my '98 R1100GS is much more responsive for example. This is my only real complaint about the bike (plus parts take forever to order from my Guzzi dealer!), wondering if your bike performs similarly? or you've heard this from other owners?

[@ridingwithmarshall]

Well, it is only an 850cc, but I have no trouble doing 80mph. Make sure the engine got mapped for your elevation. The dealer does this at First Service. Make sure you are not using the highest octane premium fuel; it's not a high compression engine, and lower octane means more power in low compression engines. At my elevation of 5000 feet, it runs great and gets excellent mileage on low octane car grade gas. No engine pinging. It's a much more responsive bike than my Honda NC700x, but it will never have the grunt of a BMW.

[@jackieandleon]

The Mistral exhaust is 100% euro 5 compatible. No need to worry about what way the wind is blowing. My V85 isn't going anywhere, the Fury is for sale though. I barely ride it anymore.

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@jackieandleon I keep toying with selling my Fury, but I've done so much to it to make it comfortable. I really want a Rocket 3 though...

[@dungspreader]

Testers very rarely mention the fuel octane which the bike requires . Some of the places that I like to visit only have " regular " 87 octane ( AKI ). Will the bike run on this without causing engine damage ?

[@ridingwithmarshall]

I run on 85 octane, no knocking. I'm at 5k feet elevation though. It's a low compression engine, use your lowest grade for maximum energy delivery and a cooler engine. Premium is for high compression engines like BMWs and KTMs.

[@dungspreader]

@@ridingwithmarshall . Thank you , that's exactly what I need to know . I'm considering changing my Tiger 1200 ( which requires premium ) but want to stay shaft drive . I'm already a Guzzi fan , but older models that I don't want to ride gravel with . Ride safe , ride far .

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@dungspreader Yep, 9-10:1 is low compression, 11 can go either way, 12 to 14:1 definitely needs premium. And Harley's. I don't know why. Maybe they just like that name "Premium".

[@lucmercierqc]

On my side mine is very sensible in hot temp. If I use regular he will be unhappy and will knock. It's written in the owner book they need high octane fuel. Example: took it out off the garage brand new, on my way home he start knocking wright away. After filing her up with premium fuel she stop.

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@lucmercierqc it's written in European Pon 91 or 95. That's not 91octane in the US. The manual doesn't translate it to American. But use whatever stops the pinging.

[@mysterybiker1717]

Ali express do a eu5 exhaust for under £200 (uk). I have fitted and works great. Did gcorse upmap also. Engine is so much happier, heat gone, no engine pinking.

[@garyduffus5755]

How’s is it for a pillion?

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@garyduffus5755 I have a friend that rode hundreds of miles with his heavy wife on the back, even ended up on a deep gravel road and got out. I haven't tried it yet though because my top case is too far forward by design. I want trucks to see my tail lights.

[@jamesfairmind2247]

Brilliant comment re CATs warming the world! Good point. Re colour, when I get my 2024 Travel the first thing I am going to do is get those panels and fender sprayed "Guzzi Red," it just happens to be the same paint code as Ferrari Rosso Corsa, (the official Italian racing red) which is PPG/DBC 908276. Total cost here in the UK will be £400 ($500) from a top guy who refinishes all my alloy wheels so I know it will be a top job.

[@nickeitsert7222]

Cats don't decrease CO2 emissions. Instead, they produce more CO2 by catalyzing carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen (objectively worse pollutants) into CO2 and water. But it seems a bit silly to crack down on arguably the greenest form of motorized personal transportation. We'd meet global climate goals immediately if everyone simply switched from cars to motorcycles. Any quality exhaust wrap should take care of that heat. Ceramic, fiberglass, or titanium fibers, held in place with stainless hose clamps rather than adhesive. The appearance isn't for everyone, though. Thanks for the review.

[@jackd1984]

going tomorrow to either buy a 23 v85 new old stock or a used 2024 yamaha MT-09... kinda random for both but coming from a harley bagger and looking for lighter but still a comfy ride

[@ridingwithmarshall]

I'm guessing the MT will be a faster bike, but change the tires on the V-85 to Shinko 705s and you can go on any road.

[@jackd1984]

@@ridingwithmarshall no so worried about the speed as much as just resale value to be honest. lol go through bikes quite quickly and coming from a harley , i need to get the weight off my tailbone. Seems here in Toronto the Moto Guzzi sits a lot longer than the yamaha . Both bikes is apples and oranges really but still 2 cool looking bikes

[@philbowl1442]

Hi, there are some people who are complaining about overheating issues and i dont have any experience with air cooling motorbikes. I am looking for small travel bike with drive shaft and it seems like this is the only bike that fits these parameters although i am really worried about cooling. So my question is, how it is with overheating, especially when you are going on a trip to like very warm Italy, where is like 35-40 °C and you get stuck on the highway or in the city ? Thanks

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@philbowl1442 I've ridden the V85TT in 95 degrees F. The engine does fine, but the cat converter will cook your ankles. It is removable though, for more money of course. I'm not afraid to ride it on hot days though. As far as at a stand still, I don't have an answer. You can feel the heat at long red lights, but I haven't been stuck in stop and go traffic for long. When I see the traffic backed up, I turn the bike around and go a longer, but less trafficked way home.

[@ccclll987]

About the speedometer: here in europe every car or bike have their speedometers "wrong" on purpose. I dont know if it's the same in the US as well, but apparently not. Here they always show you a higher number, hoping it will make you go slower.

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@ccclll987 I've found that to be true with BMW and Triumph motorcycles as well. My Dodge Challenger is spot-on, as are my Japanese motorcycles, but anything European is hardly worth looking at the speedometer for. On the Rocket 3, it's accurate up to 40mph, then I have to subtract 5 over that.

[@ccclll987]

@@ridingwithmarshall exactly, probably on the Guzzi it is the same, accurate at low speed and inaccurate at higher speed. Even my Toyota car has the speedo wrong here in europe, when you go to 130 km/h you're actually going about 120 or even a bit less. Every vehicle is set to be wrong for supposed safety benefits.

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@ccclll987 The Guzzi is off on low speeds too. It seems to only be accurate at 50mph; only one calibration point.

[@CodyAsh86]

My Yamaha T7 is consistently showing 3-5 mph faster than GPS shows

[@paulsmietanka]

Are those OEM engine guards?

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@paulsmietanka No, they are Givi. Makes getting the valve covers difficult to get off, but doable if you elevate the gas tank.

[@paulsmietanka]

@@ridingwithmarshall They looked “close” if not beefier.

[@Eibisch11]

Where have you got an tirepreassuremonitor for the V85TT, there is no to get from Moto Guzzi in Europe.

[@ridingwithmarshall]

@@Eibisch11 it came on the bike

[@GrahamNicholson56]

TPMS is listed as a Moto Guzzi option on all V85 models in Europe. Just Google "V85 TPMS" and you'll find lots of info.

[@stevesteve1965.]

They are indeed 'a happy bike'.

[@user-cl3re8xi7y]

You may have been joking, but the point of not releasing CO2 into the atmosphere is because CO2 damages the Earth's ability to cool itself.

[@tasosliovas8499]

Own a v85tt 2021 Centenario . I thought due to it's simplicity that here would be no issues . How wrong was i. Ongoing and still have an issue of surging on rpm on idle that guzzi refused acknowledge or to fix , which i believe is a crank position sensor gap that needs to be changed with the stator for the generator Then the issue with signals not working somehow water got into the circuit and fried it needed to be replaced . End bolts on my handle bar holding the crash guard decided to fall out after the first month . My most recent issue is a total wire harness change out on a 3 year old bike covered the part not labour out of warranty 1 month . Finally my center stand bolt decided to let go and nearly killed me when i was making a turn by rubbing on my tire . Blame the tech who installed it without loctite . Do i like the bike yes do i think italians know how to put a bike together no, would i buy another, sadly absolutely not . I have payments so i have no choice but to continue to make the best out of it but hopefully i can one day be smart enough and buy a Yamaha .

[@ridingwithmarshall]

I'm sorry to hear that!! I had read that they remapped the computer to get rid of the surge. Mine is a 23, so I've had no surges. No loose bolts yet!

[@lucmercierqc]

One ting is bothering me. All, the reviews about oil quantity in trans and driveshaft. every one use a precise quantity. Nobody I say nobody use the overflow holes to have the right amount. I always fill with those holes for guides. Simple. Never had any leaks at all. 34,000kms! Good old overflow holes. I think that the 19 model don't have those bolts or holes. Guzzi's are renowned to leak. Na I have one that don't leak at all. I think that early maintenance is the way to go. Used oil are loosing viscosity and get clearer and more prone to leak. Inspection of those machines is crucial. 10,000 kms oil change is not a good idea at all with 1.8 lt off oil in those kind of motors that generate that mutch heat.