I was late into Guzzis, not acquiring my first one until 2014 ( I've had 8 others since then) a new 1200 Stelvio NTX. Lovely bikes and I'd still love one now, but they are just to tall for me. The V85 is not much lower but with 100lb less weight, much more manageable.
So, it's a tall..ish bike and weighs in at 500lb but it just doesn't feel that heavy. It's very easy to manoeuvre when pushing around, even on my gravelled drive.
It's a very simple bike and not to many gizmo's, personally I'd rather have seen dual analogue clocks than the TFT screen, but despite being fairly small it displays good clear information and is light reactive which works well.
I think looks wise it's a fantastic looking bike and I'm hoping there's going to be a roadster based on this engine.
80bhp doesn't sound a lot but it's got plenty of get up and go, it lacks that low down grunt of the big block Guzzi's but is most probably quicker up to 90mph than any of my Stelvio's where. Engine and gearbox are super smooth, no snatching and a lovely box.
I did have a problem with the clutch early on which was replaced, including flywheel, and everything has been good since.
Dual Brembo's upfront and a single to the rear make for nice progressive stopping with good feel.
Suspension is more than adequate on general road but it does get a bit choppy on the gnarly back roads.
Handling overall is very good and whilst I'm no riding god I do get a wriggle on occasionally, but I've had none of the footpeg scraping that the testers had, although I have had my suspension set one notch stiffer than they did. I don't understand why none of the journo's didn't put the suspension up a notch when they where experiencing this on the tests?
The standard screen is ok for bumbling about locally and whilst you do get some wind on your upper body, there is zero buffeting. I also have a taller screen which gives better protection from the elements but does cause some buffeting, I'll play with that in the future.
Seating position is spot on for me and I would imagine the bike will be all day comfortable. Nice wide bars and plenty of leg room, one thing I have noticed is how much easier it is to get good vision at junctions, the seating position makes it very easy to turn your head, big positive for me as I get older.
I'm still waiting for Givi to sort out the pannier frames, so I've not had the bike fully loaded yet. I was hoping to go up to Scotland on it in September, fully loaded with my camping gear, to see how it performed. I've had a short 30ml run with Jo on the back and it does markedly effect the performance.
Quality of finish looks very good but time will tell on that score, although I also have a 2006 Griso 1100 which is still in fantastic condition.
I've converted the tubed tyres to tubless using 3M 5200 sealant and 3M ultra sticky tape, and added a tyre pressure monitor. Up to now all seems well.
Overall an absolute cracking bike, and if I had to choose one out of my current bikes as a do all bike I think it would be this one.
So, it's a tall..ish bike and weighs in at 500lb but it just doesn't feel that heavy. It's very easy to manoeuvre when pushing around, even on my gravelled drive.
It's a very simple bike and not to many gizmo's, personally I'd rather have seen dual analogue clocks than the TFT screen, but despite being fairly small it displays good clear information and is light reactive which works well.
I think looks wise it's a fantastic looking bike and I'm hoping there's going to be a roadster based on this engine.
80bhp doesn't sound a lot but it's got plenty of get up and go, it lacks that low down grunt of the big block Guzzi's but is most probably quicker up to 90mph than any of my Stelvio's where. Engine and gearbox are super smooth, no snatching and a lovely box.
I did have a problem with the clutch early on which was replaced, including flywheel, and everything has been good since.
Dual Brembo's upfront and a single to the rear make for nice progressive stopping with good feel.
Suspension is more than adequate on general road but it does get a bit choppy on the gnarly back roads.
Handling overall is very good and whilst I'm no riding god I do get a wriggle on occasionally, but I've had none of the footpeg scraping that the testers had, although I have had my suspension set one notch stiffer than they did. I don't understand why none of the journo's didn't put the suspension up a notch when they where experiencing this on the tests?
The standard screen is ok for bumbling about locally and whilst you do get some wind on your upper body, there is zero buffeting. I also have a taller screen which gives better protection from the elements but does cause some buffeting, I'll play with that in the future.
Seating position is spot on for me and I would imagine the bike will be all day comfortable. Nice wide bars and plenty of leg room, one thing I have noticed is how much easier it is to get good vision at junctions, the seating position makes it very easy to turn your head, big positive for me as I get older.
I'm still waiting for Givi to sort out the pannier frames, so I've not had the bike fully loaded yet. I was hoping to go up to Scotland on it in September, fully loaded with my camping gear, to see how it performed. I've had a short 30ml run with Jo on the back and it does markedly effect the performance.
Quality of finish looks very good but time will tell on that score, although I also have a 2006 Griso 1100 which is still in fantastic condition.
I've converted the tubed tyres to tubless using 3M 5200 sealant and 3M ultra sticky tape, and added a tyre pressure monitor. Up to now all seems well.
Overall an absolute cracking bike, and if I had to choose one out of my current bikes as a do all bike I think it would be this one.