2019 MOTO GUZZI V85TT
FIRST REVIEW
P86
with a 2.50 x 19-inch front wheel,
and 4.25 x 17-inch rear. Wire
wheels are fitted as standard with
alloy rims, but both the 110/80
and 150/70 tires must carry
tubes. Tubeless rims would have
been much more costly.
The V85TT's all-new 84 x
77mm OHV 90º transverse V-
twin motor produces a claimed
80bhp/59kW at 7750 rpm,
alongside 80Nm of torque at
5000 rpm. But Moto Guzzi claims
that 90% of that torque is avail-
able at just 3750 rpm, and the
ultra-flat torque curve on the
dyno chart backs that up. At the
other end of the rev scale the
limiter is set at 7800 rpm, making
this engine the most eager-revving
of Guzzi's family of OHV motors,
despite being a two-valve design
(also chosen to be in keeping with
the model's traditional focus and
retro-inspired styling, says project
leader Diego Arioli) rather than
a four-valver. That's because of
Piaggio's team of engineers, led by
Roberto Calò, who designed the
engine at their hi-tech R&D center
and wanted to deliver a smooth
and ultra-flexible power unit that
was more responsive than previ-
ous such Moto Guzzi engines, with
(Left) A cantilever rear monoshock
and a Kayaba 41mm fork, both
adjustable for spring preload and
rebound damping, handle suspension
duty. (Below right) The air/oil-cooled
two-valve pushrod small-block engine
measuring 84 x 77mm for 853cc,
delivers 80 bhp at 7750 rpm, and
peak torque of 80Nm at 5000 rpm.
Stylish V85TT has
heaps of personality
presented the
traditional Moto Guzzi
way, with plenty of
attention to detail.
of five colors, with the three
so-called Urban single tints of
blue, grey and red, each with a
black frame, retailing for approxi-
mately $12,800 and all fitted with
tarmac-friendly Metzeler Tour-
ance Next tires. An extra $200-
plus is needed for the so-called
Evocative two-tone red/yellow
and red-white versions each with
a red-painted frame, which have
a different and much classier-
looking seat fabric (though both
shape and height are the same),
and carry slightly more off-road-
focused Michelin Anakee Adven-
ture rubber. Both variants come
