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What makes a motorcycle good?
This isn’t a trick question. I’m genuinely curious what you think defines the “good-ness” of a motorcycle. Is it speed? Style? Price? Reliability? Comfort? Character? No bike in recent memory has made me think about this question more than the Moto Guzzi V85 TT. And if I had realized it was going to give me a two-wheeled existential crisis, perhaps I wouldn’t have volunteered to take it on a 1,500-mile road trip around California and Arizona. But the trip, and its collateral damage, is done now.
The V85 TT was introduced as a new model back in 2019 and received a few minor tweaks for 2021. There are two additional ride modes (Sport and Custom), the spoked wheels are now tubeless (rejoice!), and Moto Guzzi says the 853 cc, 90-degree V-twin has revised cam timing, with tweaks to the ECU to make slightly more low and midrange power. I can also confirm that the 2021 model has a new and improved gear position indicator — though, for some reason, it wasn’t widely publicized. According to the Piaggio rep I asked, “There is a dedicated gear changing sensor on the gear box for MY21, whereas MY20 V85 relied on rpm and wheel speed to calculate the gear, thus requiring an engaged clutch.” On top of all that, the Travel edition we have comes standard with a touring windscreen, side panniers, auxiliary LED lights, and heated grips. Toss in the factory center stand for $147 and the as-tested MSRP for this Italian stallion comes out around $13,500.
When I pitched Editor Lance on taking the bike to Arizona and writing a second-look review, I almost immediately regretted it. I had ridden the bike around the office a few times and was pretty sure I picked up what the Guzzi was putting down. It’s not slow, but it’s not fast. It’s not light, but it’s not wildly heavy. And even at $12,990 for the base model it’s not exactly cheap, but it’s not insanely expensive either. An Italian V-Strom? Does anyone want one of those? In any case, Lance approved the idea quicker than I could retract it so my fate was sealed — I would be riding the bike for the next week as I visited family for the holidays and I would have to figure out something to say. Pity the fool who doesn’t deliver their assignment to Lance “The Rock” Oliver.
California to Arizona
My primary concern for the first leg of the trip — a 400-mile slog from L.A. to Phoenix — was unsurprisingly, comfort. The windscreen, while large, has limited adjustability and requires tools to make any changes. So, if the wind hit my six-foot frame in the wrong place while I was riding, in the wrong place it would probably stay. I also thought the bike’s design was beautiful, which is usually a bad sign for function. Riding position, seat cushion, vibration — it was hard to imagine these being a priority for the folks in Mandello who were busy putting an eagle outline in the bike’s daytime running lights. Only one way to find out.
The first sign that I had misjudged the V85 TT came when I finally broke through L.A. traffic and had a clear stretch of interstate ahead. As my speed increased and the miles dropped away, I kept wondering when I would start to feel uncomfortable. Any minute now, surely. But by the time midnight rolled around and I had been in the saddle for almost six hours, both bike and body still felt great.
The wind protection, it turns out, is excellent. There was minimal buffeting around my head but enough airflow that the cockpit didn’t turn into a vacuum. The seat was holding up nicely, and with luggage strapped to the rear rack, I had a nice backrest, too. All of this was made even better by the fact that I was riding along at 80 mph, averaging nearly 50 mpg, and had six gallons of fuel to work with — meaning the Guzzi swallowed up the trip in just a couple of bites.
The only two letdowns during my midnight run across the desert were the heated grips and cruise control. The former don’t get warm enough (I could barely feel them through my cold-weather gloves) and the latter flashes a green icon on the dash every time cruise is activated, but not engaged. I lost count of the number of times I thought my blinker was flashing, only to see another blinking green light reminding me that CRUISE. CONTROL. IS. READY.
Chilly hands and annoying lights be damned, I made it to my parents’ place in one piece — just a few hours before the sun would creep back over the horizon. And while I expected to arrive with a looming dread for the ride back to California, I went to bed that night with a smile on my face, half dreaming of what it would be like to ride the V85 around the world now that we’d conquered the mighty Interstate 10.
Arizona
For the next couple days, the bike served as my runabout for tackling errands around the sprawl of North Phoenix and for visiting family up in Prescott Valley. I was pleased to find that my neck, butt, and wrists all felt fine, with no obvious fatigue from the seven hours of riding the night before. But in the harsh light of day, I started to notice some flaws in the V85 experience.
Neutral, for example, is somewhere between difficult and impossible to find — especially when the bike is cold. The brakes don’t have much bite. The engine and exhaust radiate a not-insignificant amount of heat. The “Sport” ride mode felt neither especially sporty nor particularly relevant for an adventure bike making a claimed 75 horsepower and weighing 557 pounds. And the menu buttons are subpar in both feel and function. These are the exact types of flaws that have kept me from enjoying a number of cruisers over the years, the sort of thing I have often thought as being inexcusable.
So, why was I having so much fun on the Guzzi?
The easy answer is to whip out some quality-compensating code words: character, charm, charisma, un certo non so che. And, fair enough, the V85 does have character. But, so do those aforementioned cruisers. What truly separates this bike from its characterful brethren is that it also has something decidedly less sexy: practicality.
The throttle response is direct and smooth. The bike’s luggage works great. The turning radius is outstanding. Handling is direct and the suspension is compliant. Overall, the bike is inspiringly predictable and whether it’s navigating traffic, buzzing up a state highway, or soaking up potholes, the V85 just does.
Arizona to California
By the time I headed back to California, the two-wheeled existential crisis was in full bloom. On paper, there’s a long list of machines that are better than a V85 TT Travel. A Triumph Tiger, a Yamaha Tracer, a Kawasaki Versys, a Suzuki V-Strom. Not only are those bikes priced and equipped similarly, but many benefit from more power, less weight, better technology, and larger dealer networks. Why then, when I thought long and hard about which bike I would choose if all those options were in my garage, did I keep coming back to the V85?
I found my answer just outside Palm Desert with traffic backed up for miles in both directions. Despite the gridlock, I was making good time thanks to polite drivers and a wide berth for lane filtering. But after doing this for 20 or 30 minutes, I found my way to the shoulder of the road and came to a stop. There, on the north side of the Interstate, a dirt road caught my eye. It meandered into the hillside and disappeared in the distance — though where exactly in the distance, I had no idea. And in that moment I had a simple choice: continue on I-10 where traffic would soon break and I would get home quickly or take a chance on a dirt road, knowing full well it could mean getting lost, breaking down, or otherwise getting home later than I wanted.
I took the dirt road.
In the end, I think that’s what makes a good motorcycle. A machine that moves you as much as it transports you. A machine that encourages you to take the long way home but can still help out if you take the long way too far. If you want speed and efficiency, take the freeway. If you want fun and adventure, take the dirt road. Take a V85 TT. It really is a good motorcycle.
| 2021 Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel | |
|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $13,390 |
| Engine | 853 cc, air-cooled, four-valve, 90-degree V-twin |
|
Transmission, final drive |
Six-speed, shaft |
| Claimed horsepower | 75 @ 7,500 rpm |
| Claimed torque | 60 foot-pounds @ 5,000 rpm |
| Frame | Steel tubular |
| Front suspension | 41 mm inverted fork, adjustable for preload, rebound damping; 6.7 inches of travel |
| Rear suspension | Single shock adjustable for preload and rebound damping; 6.7 inches of travel |
| Front brake | Dual Brembo four-piston calipers, 320 mm discs with ABS |
| Rear brake | Brembo two-piston caliper, 260 mm disc with ABS |
| Rake, trail | 28.0 degrees, 5.0 inches |
| Wheelbase | 60.2 inches |
| Seat height | 32.6 inches |
| Fuel capacity | 6.0 gallons |
| Tires | Michelin Anakee Adventure, 110/80R19 front, 150/70R17 rear |
| Claimed weight | 507 pounds |
| Available | Now |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| More info | motoguzzi.com |
