Moto Guzzi V85 Strada Review
Also V85 TT and V85 TT Travel
By Rennie Scaysbrook
Moto Guzzi’s individualistic approach to motorcycle design is one of the glories of the international motorcycle industry. A couple of weeks ago, we tested the all-new Stelvio, a grand sports-touring motorcycle that has firmly placed Moto Guzzi back in the minds of sporty long-distance riders worldwide. The Stelvio is a genuinely good new motorcycle, but what of the other “new” Moto Guzzi for 2024?
Enter the V85. Moto Guzzi’s mid-size adventure-touring motorcycle isn’t a ground-up redo compared to the 2023 version, but it’s different enough that Moto Guzzi saw fit for us to take one for a strap in Spain.
The V85, originally released in 2019, has now spawned into three models for 2024—the sporty V85 Strada, the already-present V85 TT, and the V85 TT Travel.
The Strada comes with lighter cast-aluminium wheels, a manually adjustable windscreen, a USB socket, three riding modes (Sport, Road and Rain), Dunlop Trailmax rubber, minimal provision for a passenger with no grab handles, a smaller windscreen, and no bash plate.
The TT and Travel take things up a few notches with a remote pre-load adjuster on the shock. The front and rear rebound and pre-load adjustment is the same for all models in the line-up. The V85 TT gains an extra riding mode (Off-Road), Cornering ABS and Traction Control via the optional IMU, Michelin Anakee tyres, aluminium bash plate, passenger grab-handles, hand guards, and an electronic screen, while the Travel gets the Moto Guzzi MIA electronics to Bluetooth your phone to the bike, and extra mode (Custom), heated grips and seat, and panniers.
Weight gains steadily as you go up the range, with the Strada’s claimed wet number at 226 kg with a full 23L of juice, 230kg for the TT, and a hefty increase to 243 kg for the Travel.
What the bikes all share is the new short block, 853cc engine, now equipped with variable valve-timing. Moto Guzzi is claiming an improved 80hp at 7750 rpm and 83Nm of torque at 5100 rpm, all of which reaches the rear wheel by the only shaft drive in the road/ADV mid-size category.
The variable valve timing uses six steel balls that move over inclined tracks that can advance or delay the valve timing depending on the revs you’re riding at (up to 14-degree crank angle timing), which helps enhance both low-down torque and high-rpm performance.
New knock sensors have also been fitted to provide better spark advance control and to help the motor pass ever-tightening Euro5+ emissions regulations. And they also help the motor safely produce acceptable performance when using crappy quality fuels.
The result is a motor that produces a stout 90 per cent of its available torque at 3500 rpm, a difference of about 10 per cent over the 2023 model. The six-speed gearbox does not have a quick-shifter and uses a dry clutch.
Chassis-wise, there’s not a lot to separate the three models. Each bike runs a seat height of 830mm, 41mm conventionally-adjusted forks that house rebound and pre-load adjustment (the same for the side-mounted shock, although only the V85 TT and Travel get the remote pre-load adjuster as standard. It’s an option on the Strada).
Brembo monobloc four-piston brakes up front clamp 320mm discs, and a two-piston caliper out back bites a 260mm disc. About the most significant change is the wheels – cast alloys on the Strada and tubeless spoked aluminium units on the TT and Travel, with those Michelins on the TT, and Dunlops on Travel and Strada.
On the road…
I could sit here and tell you the ride experiences between all three V85s are vastly different, but that would be untrue, because they’re not.
The 853cc motor is a delightful thing to experience, but it’s not little—at least in a physical sense. Those fat cylinders sticking out either side let the rider know they’re in for a different experience, but those who remember the extreme side-to-side sway of a Guzzi might be left a little disappointed. Much of that unique character has been tuned out, but in its place there’s lots of low-down torque that almost rewards lazy riding, yet punishes those rev jockeys who want to hear the twin roar.
Click it into fifth gear and you’ll be amazed how the motor pulls from really low (1500 rpm-ish) without getting all snatchy and throwing a tantrum as it climbs the revs. Between 3000 and 6000rpm is where the engine truly shines. You can hang out here for days, letting the drive flow freely from gearbox to driveshaft in a relaxing, laid-back Italian kind of way. If you want to get a bit sportier, I’d suggest jumping on a Stelvio. If you want to sit back and cruise in Mandello Del Lario style, the V85 is your steed.
The biggest difference is in comfort and handling, and much of that is down to weight. Compared to the 2023-and-before V85s, the seat angle has been slightly altered, with the rider sitting a touch further back. This also gives those riders with longer legs a bit more space. Hopefully, touching your knees on the backs of the cylinder heads will be a thing of the past.
My first hit out for this test was an hour on the Strada, the tarmac-friendlier of the bunch, and a little more up my alley. It’s also the lightest at a claimed 226kg, a number that’s still up there for a “mid-size” sport touring/ADV machine, but the Strada has an agility that will surprise even the fussiest of Guzzatisti.
No weight on the back in terms of travel necessities, especially when compared to the fully-loaded V85 TT Travel, allows the Strada to flick its way through mountain passes superbly quickly and with more style than something like a F 900 GS. Each machine runs the same 170mm of wheel-travel regardless of its designation, and the ride on the Strada is comfortable enough despite the screen being a little shorter and offering only three positions instead of five.
I spent the majority of my time on the V85 TT, so this is where and where I played around the most with the electronics. Sport mode is almost too direct in its torque application. Road mode is where the best performance is housed, where you get nearly all the torque but without it dumping the performance to the tyre abruptly.
A slight play around with the Engine Brake (MGFM) map between maximum and standard intervention had me firmly on the side of the standard map. The maximum engine braking map is too much for the V85 and begins to unload the back a little under heavy braking at higher rpm.
Again, for the smoothest ride, it’s best to just cruise and freewheel into the corners.
Moto Guzzi has used the same switchgear as many of the motorcycles in the Piaggio house and they don’t inspire a lot of admiration. They’re probably the blandest part of the bike, which is a bit of a shame, given the rest is so over-the-top Italian.
The ride quality on the V85 TT is superb. Yes, you don’t get full adjustment in the suspension, but on-road comfort is never an issue. Nor is the braking performance from the Brembo four-piston calipers. Cornering ABS on the TT and TT Travel mean you can really hammer the system and know you’ve got a decent level of back-up from the six-axis IMU. You can add this feature as an accessory on the Strada, depending on how safety-conscious you are.
Unlike the higher-spec Stelvio, there’s no radar system available for any of the three V85s, so no radar-adaptive cruise control or blind-spot detection. The basic cruise control on the TT and TT Travel works fine, but don’t be surprised if the model is fitted with a radar in the coming couple of years.
The interesting thought that keeps popping up when I’m writing this test is you probably don’t need me to tell you if you want one of the three V85s or not. Moto Guzzi is just not the type of brand you need convincing to buy simply because they are so different and quirky. BMW owners used to be like that with their air-head flat-twins, but those things have gotten so good of late that they’ve lost a lot of strangeness, and so little of what made them special.
The V85s will not be everyone’s cup of grappa. They’re too weird and too distinct for that. But they are really good bikes that inspire brand loyalty almost on the level of their four-wheel neighbours to the south dressed in red. And although the V85s have indeed been refined quite handsomely in 2024, they still retain that character Guzzatisti around the world live for.
We believe the final specifications, in regards to options and standard kit for the Australian market, are still being nutted out. Moto Guzzi dealers expect to see the machines land on our shores around August, 2024.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT/Strada/V85 TT Specifications
| V85 Strada | V85 TT | V85 TT Travel | |
| Engine | 853 ccTransversal 90° V-Twin, two valves per cylinder with variable timing (titanium intake valves), air cooled with Ride by Wire | ||
| Bore and stroke | 84 x 77 mm | ||
| Compression ratio | 10.5:1 | ||
| Max. power | 80 Hp @ 7.750 rpm | ||
| Max. torque | 83 Nm @ 5.100 rpm | ||
| Final drive | Shaft drive | ||
| Clutch | Dry clutch mechanically operated | ||
| Gearbox | 6 speed | ||
| Frame | Tubular steel trellis frame | ||
| Front Suspension | Ø41 mm USD fork with adjustable preload and rebound damping. 170 mm wheel travel | ||
| Rear Suspension | Lateral monoshock with adjustable preload and rebound damping. 170 mm wheel travel. | Lateral monoshock with remote spring preload and rebound adjustability. 170 mm wheel travel. | |
| Front brake | Twin Ø320 mm floating discs, 4-piston Brembo monobloc radial calipers. | Twin Ø320 mm floating discs, 4-piston Brembo monobloc radial calipers. Cornering ABS. | |
| Rear brake | Single Ø260 mm disc, 2-piston caliper. | Single Ø260 mm disc, 2-piston caliper. Cornering ABS. | |
| Front wheel | Cast aluminium, 19” x 2.5” | Cross spoked, 19” x 2.5” – Tubeless | |
| Rear wheel | Cast aluminium, 17” x 4.25″ | Cross spoked, 17” x 4.25“ – Tubeless | |
| Front tyre | 110/80 19 – TPMS Ready | ||
| Rear tyre | 150/70 17 – TPMS Ready | ||
| Instrument | Full colour 5″ TFT instrument | ||
| Seat height | 830 mm | ||
| Fuel tank capacity | 23 l | ||
| Dry weight | 205 Kg | 209 Kg | 211 Kg (without panniers) |
| Wet weight | 226 Kg | 230 Kg | 243 Kg |
| Emissions compliance | Euro 5+ | ||
| Consumption | 4,9 L/100 Km | ||
| C02 Emissions | 119 g/Km | ||
| Service intervals | 10.000 Km/12 months, whichever comes first | ||
| Standard Features | |||
| Features | Full LED headlight with DRL, LED indicators, ABS and TractionControl, Cruise Control, 3 Riding Modes, Full colour TFT instrument, USB socket, manually adjustable windscreen, low front mudguard | Full LED headlight with DRL, LED indicators, Cornering ABS and Traction Control, Cruise Control, 4 Riding Modes, Full colour TFT instrument, USB socket, manually adjustable windscreen, aluminum skid plate, hand guards. | Full LED headlight with DRL, LED indicators, Cornering ABS and Traction Control, Cruise Control, 5 Riding Modes, Full colour TFTinstrument, USB socket, manually adjustable Touring windscreen,air deflectors, aluminum skid plate, hand guards, Moto Guzzi MIA, Urban panniers, heated grips, heated rider seat. |
Moto Guzzi V85 Images
