V85TT reflections after 4000 miles

wessie said:
It's odd that they still have the bike but have not listed it as stock. Service bod told me they want to tart it up before listing it but it's costing them money sitting there, ageing and depreciating in value.
Click to expand...
Yes its out the back not even on the showroom floor not sure why its a great bike
 
Thanks for the write up wessie a couple of chums have the older version of the V85 and swear by them. On the old ones mickey mouse ears and a Givi screen seems to have sorted the noise/buffeting. Good to see the new models come pre-sorted. Hope your Zumo 390 continues to operate. I have a 340 and 390 and replaced the screen on the 390 last year. They are the best of all worlds with a zumo (except for screen fidelity) in that they use the new maps but old routing algorithm and have a 3.5mm jack if you want wired sound but can also do bluetooth.
 
I've done 2 in the last week both in for head bearings . 18k mls ish on both .
took the 2nd one for an MOT , used my further away station , so i get some m/way and little lanes and some A road action .
i think i can see one in my future . just will need to dispose of a couple first.
and i get the "baby 1150gs " bit too.
 
I've owned my 2021 Centenario for nearly four years, done 26k miles....ridden to Greece in 2022, Romania in 2024 and riding to the Baltic states and Scandinavia this summer. The bike has been excellent with no issues - as far as I'm concerned this is going to be a keeper.
 
wessie said:
I have ridden over 3000 miles on the V85 since it had the first service on 6 May. Most of those in Spain on the Figure of 8 reported elsewhere. Update as requested by @gren_t

The bike and I seem to be getting on well. Nothing has broken on the bike and it has used no oil in that time. It coped better with the 40C heatwave in Spain better than I did. Yes, it gets hot but it is not as unpleasant as I had worried about, having had horrible experiences with a Triumph explorer and a S1000XR in very hot conditions. It seems remarkably fuel efficient, aided by my very relaxed touring through the mountains gawping at the views and circumnavigating the bovine, equine and cervine chicanes. Over 60mpg reported. The 23 litre tank defaults to 255 miles after a fill up but that number usually creeps up for a while unless you give it some serious stick.
OE tyres have had to cope with a wide temperature variation, from 7C in the first few mornings in Cantabria to 40C as I rode towards Cordoba. I have also had a few storms to ride through and wet grip seems okay. 4 days (2 in UK, 2 in Spain when unwell with a cold) on motorways have not squared them off. Plenty of tread left on the Dunlop Trailmax Meridian to give them a recommendation. Tyre pressures have remained fine so the tubeless & spoked wheels work well.
Luggage: it works and has been waterproof. I like that you have a keyed lock and the back-up of the sprung loaded clamps that force the clamshell together to make the watertight seal. They small one over the exhaust is big enough to take my CPAP bag with space for spare gloves and I put some soiled clothing in there on the way back. The larger one will take my Neotec 2 helmet, or on this trip, a 35 Litre bag full of spare clothes, puncture kit, jump starter, tyre pump, tools etc. Also a bit of space for more gloves. There only seems to be a small gap between the small pannier and the exhaust but this must be adequate as nothing melted.
Screen: works well at most speeds, although it seems to set up a weird harmonic at around 50mph that my helmet picks up, so I try to avoid that small speed range where it happens. Otherwise fairly quiet at other speeds until you get to 70mph when the noise increases, which seems to be from around the sides of the screen not the top as a Puig deflector on top made little difference. The air seems to hit my chest and then cause turbulence at the base of my helmet leading to the noise.
Engine: it is lovely as you would hope from a v twin. On the way home I rode with a little more urgency to get as many miles done as it was not raining. I left the M5 at Gloucester and rode up to Welshpool on familiar A and B roads. It really likes to hustle along, although overtakes need a little more planning compared to the R1200RS with 125bhp on tap. It makes some nice noises as the revs rise. No oil used.
Handling: with wide bars and forgiving suspension it is an easy bike to ride. It seems to stick to a line and does not get it knickers in a twist of the road is bumpy, Rather a good thing considering the state of the roads in the Burgos district and Andalusia. I was so glad to get back to Cantabria for the last few days. I'm starting to relearn using the rear brake more (last 4 bikes had linked brakes). Especially on tight, downhill hairpins, using the rear brake makes steering a lot easier as you reduce the load on the relatively soft forks.
Comfort: overall very happy. I changed bikes as the RS crouch made my right hip hurt after an hour. I was no longer enjoying riding. No such problem on the V85. The seat is fine for quite some time. I start to shift about at 150 miles and by 200 my arse aches. At 250 I am really glad to get off. Fortunately, I had few days of this length on the trip. The bike does get very warm as you would expect of an air/oil cooled bike especially when you are over 30C. With feet on pegs, you do not get too much directed at you. What I did notice is dropping your feet off the pegs to stretch a bit means your ankles are then getting blasted with hot air from the exhaust. It's a habit I developed to cope with the hip pain, I must try to stop doing it now! I have a universal, mesh seat pad I might try as I used on the RS.
Fuel: in the UK it gets 95E10 from wherever. Often Tesco but sometimes one of the mostly Texaco stations we have around here in villages. In Spain I only saw E5 in 95 or 98 octane flavours. I only used the 95 without worrying about the brand so it got Shell, Repsol and mostly brands you never heard of from the increasing number of discounters. I cannot say I have noticed any difference in performance between E10, E5 or any brand.
Accessories: I have added the Givi Monokey topbox plate and use my trusty E45 box, bought in 1996. Also a SW-Motech Pro Daypack Tank Bag. It's a nice bag but with the zip undone to expand it, the bag flops about a bit. Also added a Thunderbox power unit, connected to a switch live so it is on with the ignition, not just the engine running. This has a lead attached that gives me a 12V cig socket on the bars (a loose fly lead). I can use the socket to power my Zumo 390 (attached to the bars by a RAM U clamp) or my tyre pump (hence wanting it live with the ignition not engine).

View attachment 417124

In the Sierra de Gredos at 30C with snow topped mountains on the horizon
Click to expand...
My reflections after 24,500 Miles on a 22 plate. Im 3rd owner bought at 19,000 miles. I love the bike, esepcially the handling, and the engine once warmed up. Less happy about a limp mode episode earlier this year resulting in a throttle sensor failure needing new heated grips as apparently they are integrated. 2.5 hours of labour to calibrate the new throttle sensor in. Deardons did the work and all seems well now. So £450 to sort!! Also had to replace the side stand sensor which eventually failed me and I replaced myself. Ive had My GS for 17 years and 115,000 miles and apart from a new clutch at 70k, its been very solid mechanically. I love my V85 but need my confidence in its reliability renewed.
 
I think the shop saw you coming with that amount of time to re-fit heated grips. I did my own recently - same problem as you but my own stupid fault as I’d left the full power lance on the power washer and directed straight at the switchgear.

It’s a straightforward job to remove and refit the grips, albeit the tank does need to be dislodged slightly to get at the screws that hold a cover on the RHS of the headstock. It took me less than 2 hours to swap and I was working it out as I went. An experienced person should do it in less than hour. And a like for like swap doesn’t need recalibration. Mine works just fine without anyway. I understood the recalibration was only needed going from non-heated to heated or vice versa as their circumferences are different.
 
I'm in Jim Allan dealership just now getting my V100 Stelvio service. ..

Had a V85TT for 2 years, but swapped for the Stelvio a year ago...

Some great deals on Guzzi and a really nice used V85TT with only 1000 miles. Jim's a fab dealer for Guzzi
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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