Moto Guzzi V85TT Ownership Experience | Review 

Heated grips were never part of the Centenario package (I have a 2022). Dealership mistake. Luggage racks are installed by dealership. Dealership mistake. Center rack. Also not par to the Centenario package. Dealership problem. Why ECU die? Yes makes you wonder... Not a problem I have even heard about before. Dealer is supposed to check fluid levels before delivery. None of your problems seem fundamental to the bike itself, but to the people who have worked on it.

At 28,000km on my 2021 V85tt, I have had zero issues. It has never been at a dealer for service, except to shut off the service light; I set the valve clearances, change the engine oil/filter, trans oil, final drive oil, air filter, change & balance the tires myself.. and it just goes & goes.. some oil sweat has appeared at the oil pan gasket & front engine cover gasket; and one of these gaskets took 4 months to get, so I feel your pain about the Moto Guzzi/ Piaggio supply chain. I was fortunate enough to read about the over-filling of the final drive and the under-filling of the transmission, and addressed these problems immediately. If it blows up now, I have had a good run with it 😂. This is my 4th Italian bike and my 45th motorcycle in 53 yrs of riding; I knew what to expect after having 3 Ducatis, regarding the quirkiness of Italian machines -vs- Japanese bikes. I will go for quirkiness & Italian every time over 'vanilla' motorcycles; I suppose I equate, to some extent, perfect reliability and no puzzles to solve with 'vanilla' and ultra reliable/ efficient Japanese bikes. We are all fortunate enough to have many models to choose from; I have also made purchasing mistakes over the years, and there are brands I will not buy again. Many riders have had warranty/ dealer issues with new bikes; I wonder if the answer is to buy used and to do maintenance at home? At any rate, I have never been stung by doing my own services on several new bikes, but also I have never had an issue with an ECU- which of course would require dealer assistance. It could happen to anyone of us next.

I have the same bike, in the same color, and ordered it with the same accessories (heated grips, center stand, crash bars). I think you give your dealer more credit than they deserve. I mean, it's commendable that they acknowledged some mistakes, and that they offered the grips for free (my beef with my dealer is how outrageously expensive they are). But... the failure to install a lock cylinder properly (which is something so easy to test and detect, that it's alarming they didn't), a center stand that fell off (!)... or that they thought the Centenario had heated grips (my dealership didn't have that confusion somehow, they use the same systems, isn't that weird?). My point is that I'm not surprised that the bike has mechanical issues, as it's very likely the dealer prep work hasn't been done correctly (which includes, mind you, filling and checking fluids, including transmission's). The ECU problem could or could not be the dealer's fault, but everything else is 100% on them, and they wanting to be straight for free more than a clear indicator that they know this. If I were you I would have my next service on a different place. In any case, thanks for sharing!

I’ve had 4 Moto Guzzis- the last being the Stelvio. All had to have mods done for them to work properly - all had to have their OEM coils- plug cables replaced with NGK, all except the Stelvio, needed an ECU chip upgrade, the Stelvio needed a complete replacement of the “dash” instrument unit (fried in a rain storm). But once done, the bikes were simply awesome - guzzi is guzzi. An acquired taste. Cheers.

A bad start, for sure. But from my experience, trust the bike. I've done far over 100.000 km on Moto Guzzi. Just got the V85tt, too and made more than 10.000km in two months and love it. The technical base is rock solid. Hope you can experience that, too. I wish you a great time with it.

I really appreciate your video, I’m truly sorry about your experience, I almost bought one last year, I am hoping you keep us updated on your progress with your bike, I’m really glad I found your channel

Thanks for sharing, I've had no problems in 6000km but I concur with dealing with Guzzie but I have given them slack for covid logistic issues with oil filters etc. Beautiful scenery in your video!

Thanks for sharing your experience, although I'm sure somewhat painful. I really hope you are through with all these problems that never should have occurred, especially 3 years I to production. Best of luck, and please follow up with another update in a few thousand miles, good or bad.

I loved your fair review. I hope you had all your possible problems and you will enjoy rest of your ownership.

Thanks for your honest, yet at times painful recollections of owning this bike. It must have been disappointing to have gone through this. I hope that things start to improve.

Really appreciate your candor and all the detail.

Hello; sorry to hear about your troubles; I just purchased a 2022 V 85TT Centenario really loving the bike no issues so far; just brought it in for my first service 1100 miles on it and asked that they change all the fluids rather than just the engine oil; to ensure that it came right from the factory with proper amounts. Good luck to you going forward! Thanks John

I was looking at the same bike at a dealership in Charlotte. Nice looking and good features. I hope you have better luck moving forward.

Over the past 40 years of riding 14 different bikes I've had four Guzzis...and never a problem with any of them. Two years ago I bought a V85 TT and I've had 20K miles of no issues. Yes, it did take me several months to get the tubeless rims that I ordered during the Pandemic, but beyond that little frustration, this bike is a very strong runner with no issues. Even the older Guzzis that I had years ago ran strong with very little attention to service intervals, etc.--hey, I was younger then and I didn't pay much attention to servicing beyond changing the oil. These bikes have an engineering history that goes back to tractors and farm machinery and that solid design is apparent.

wow - what a story. I appreciate how cool you are in your narration, I would be mad. I have had several Moto Guzzi's since the 80s (my first bike was a V35), and I live in Italy. I never had good experiences with MG dealers, in summary not in the least customer oriented. At least you have a good dealer I understand. True that MG has always had chronic quality problems, in the sense that many people - like me - have totally reliable bikes, but then there are those who experience failures even in simple components, or parts that are not expected to fail (eg, alloy wheels splitting in two halves...). The overfill you mention is a typical quality problem, as well as the central stand spring snapping. In addition, as you say, tracking of parts (that boils down to configuration management) is poor. I'd say that by now the "debugging" should be over, so you could trust your bike. The reviews and YT posts one finds on that model are positive, I am sure you are aware about it. I hope and wish that you will enjoy your ride. I do still enjoy my 1000SP2 that I bought new in 1985 and brought me all across Europe.

As an hobby rider for 20 years, I have learnt one thing for sure: when I loose my confidence in my bike, I immediately sell it. There is no way to carry on. This is what it is...

Hi, i had the same problem with oil from final drive, but was an easy fix, and bike is running perfectly, really love the machine, hopefully the gremlins are over for you, and after another bit of mileage, you will have faith again

Thank you for taking the time to make this review. I have been seeing only glowing reviews, and it is good to take a negative perspective into view. I am ready to get a second bike, coming from my 2016 Vstrom 650 (which I love) and 60,000 miles, I do care a lot about reliability. My choices are tiger 900, V85tt, and T700. Still making the decision, but thank you for helping with it.

At the moment i am contemplating to switch my trusty 1200 Sport for the new VT 100. Good luck to you, keep safe and have fun. Thank you for the honest report!

Wow, it seems that you got everybody's bad luck given to you!! So sorry to hear this as our bikes are like a baby to us and we don't want to see anything go wrong with them. I got a similar bike history to you, having owned small enduros like DT 200, KLR, and larger Tenere, sports bikes like GSXR 1000 k4 or Fazer 1000, 2 FJRs and so on. I am currently in love with the new Moto Guzzi Mandello and plan to purchase one. I just hope that I am blessed with good luck as I hope you are from this point on. Thanks for the honest review.

I really think you got Friday afternoon special as we have centenario as well and not a single problem with it in 6K+ miles. Love the bike ❤

Bought a V85 TT travel some 5 months ago and most of your problems, heated hand grips, paniers , etc are included on this version. Very satisfied with the bike so far as I had enough of speed and racing. However the switch from FJR 1300 to the Guzzi was a cultural chock in driving. Seems dealers in USA are not the top level, but here in Belgium my VRA dealer is top, service and friendly. Overtime you will appreciate the bike where it was made for. Keep it safe.

I too own a Centenario, and yes , the supply chain problem for parts stinks. My dealer was great, they basically ordered me Givi crash bars, as they knew it could be a while for the OEM bars. The givis are better, and look better. As a 40 year plus rider, this little Guzzi may be the best ride I have had, maybe I am just old?. I have resigned myself to the fact all maintenance, and most repairs are up to me, as my dealer is 2 hours out. The stock Dunlops are OK, but basically street tires , with a few grooves, yet i have put a few thousand miles of gravel, dirt, and road on them with varying results. I am looking at putting some 50/50 tires on this winter. Good videos, I subscribed.

Thanks for the video. I bought my V85 new and had small issues with the dealer, and sucks the closest is 3.5hrs away, but no mechanical issues. My ECU's mounting area does have one of the clips cracked, but that's the only damage. My shaft oil was filled with too much oil but never saw it leaking and replaced all the oils, fluids, valve adjustments myself at 900 miles. The valves were pretty off and spark plugs pretty black after only 900 miles so I replaced the plugs as well. My gas mileage went up a little after that. I made a video of mine with all the mods I've added and put it on my channel.

Hello from the Uk. Thanks for being honest with your report on your Guzzi . I think a lot of people have trouble with Guzzi's but just learn to live with the faults and call it character. Ride save.

Thanks for sharing, I owned my V85 now for almost 2 years along with 2 more bikes from the Piaggio Group, I am just about to post my new video as well, and spoiler alert, I came to the same conclusion. Great bikes in their own right but I just don't trust them! I can relate to your troubles and the best advice I can give is if you really like the V85, have a backup that you trust, at least that is where I am at for the moment.

Sorry to hear mate , you have had a bad run . In general terms I hear they are very reliable ( with the exception of the overfilled rear shaft ) but as you say at least the dealer had been honest about all the other stuff.

I appreciate your candid views. I bought one of the first 2020 models in the summer of 2019. It has been fine. But, in your case, I think the dealer let you down a bit even though they redeemed themselves. They have known about the overfilling for some time now. The dealer should have checked before letting you go with it and the stand issue is really unacceptable as you are experienced and know that when one of those springs pops, it can cause serious injury. As for the genuine accessories, yes, in the best of times, it can be a slow process, at this point we have not recovered from supply chain problems with covid. I hope you soldier on with it because they are really great, but if not, good luck on your next machine.

Thank you for the great video! This kind of experience that has kept me from taking the leap into the Italian bike market. Paraphrasing how Fortnine put it in the engine break in video, "the Italians are here for a good time, not a long time." There's not a great dealer network in The States for Italian brands, and then the general lack reliability/durability reputation they have garnered spooks me off stuff like Moto Guzzi and Ducati. It just sucks that nobody else, more specifically Yamaha or Honda, makes a shaft driven midsize ADV bike. As this video is over a year old, I hope you had no further issues and that you've been able to take the bike on many great trips and adventures!

Thanks for you honest review ! Im about to buy a V 85 TT and while doing research on this bike I found out that there is an issue with some sealing within the cardan drive. That my have cause the issue with the oil u talked about. A statement from Moto Guzzi says, that this sealing-problem concerns the V85 TT models built between may 2019 and september 2019.

Sorry to hear you had these problems and it definitely taints what should be the pleasure of ownership. Its good that you recognize its an issue with a particular bike, unfortunately yours, as here in the uk they get good reviews too. I would have considered one but they are too tall for my extra short legs.

Thank you very much. Indeed, that information helped me with my final decision for this bike. Thumb Upz

Great video. 😅 I like the non BS straightforward matter of fact presentation. Had similar experience with my 07 BMW 1200GT. Have 109,000 kms and it just checks all the boxes for me still. Hope you find yours. Cheers

Thank you for sharing your tenuous ownership experience with your fellow motorcyclists. I am very attracted to the V85 because it is beautiful and, per the specs, it is just what I want. However, reliability and service support are my priorities. So I'll think twice. Thanks again for a very good video.

You are 100% correct in saying your experience is an Outlier Situation... everyone everywhere, USA and globally, all the reviews, short-term and long-term both, are all total love-fests, as you pointed out. Observation Number One... the oil over-fill was a factory problem from Day One, I'm surprised the factory hadn't resolved that, and I suppose also surprised the dealer didn't confirm it. Which reminds me, I need to confirm that on my own V85TT. I have a "Guardian of the Oreos" model and so far, (still very new) I am super-happy with it. And that is based on some 45 years on motorcycles of every sort and nationality. The Guardian comes with everything already installed, except heated grips... I'd inquired as to adding heated grips, the dealer had them in stock, I saw the box, but between the grips and the labor to install he suggested an electric, heated First Gear jacket, gloves and controller might be a better option for the same money? After contemplation I chose to go that route, figuring a warm core and warm hands are better than warm hands only! They also make heated pants and sox... I don't ride in freezing temps but my hands are very sensitive to cold weather and then take forever to warm back up. They were nice enough to install the power lead for me on delivery day, no charge. Observation Number Two: If you open up the seat, you'll see that the ECU is made by Magnetti Marelli (not sure of the spelling here, the sticker covered up the whole name) but between those guys and Bosch that is the huge share of the "ECU Producer's Membership Club". Moto Guzzi does not make the part; they buy it just like everyone else does. Double-extra kudos to your dealer, cannibalizing another bike for the ECU swap was an awesome and unexpected result for you... good luck getting a car dealer to do that for you! But I think I'd call the ECU failure just a freak occurrence, upsetting yes, but you've been riding the bike ever since and have had no problems, at least none mentioned in your post. I struggled greatly on the model... Centenario, the yellow-white-red, in-your-face model, or maybe the travel? The Centenario is an awesome livery, I was set to go that route when the Guardian popped up. As my final observation, I too am in South Carolina, down here in The Dirty Myrtle. By your description of the time to the dealership I'd suggest you look to the north and an hour's less travel time, the folks there are absolutely awesome and as I mentioned they have parts in stock. You might be able to get your crash bars there, but since the heated grips are goanna be free, and installed free too, I imagine you'll wait on the shop to hook you up on that. Since I was already watching, I went ahead and did the Like and Subscribe thing and watched some of your other posts... especially thanks for all the route info included in the Views and Brews... I've ridden much of that general area but at least a few of those roads I did not recognize, I can add them to a route map for use after the mountain snow season is over!

Excellent review... Well delivered!

I appreciate your video. I bought a 2022 Guardia D'Onore and I'm about to do the first (900 mile) service on it. So far I have had nothing but positive experiences with my ownership of this beautiful bike. This model came with all the bells and whistles that I wanted except the heated grips, but the dealer had them in stock and it was easy for me to install them. My dealer is also over 3 hours away, which is not really convenient, but they have been great to deal with. Hope you have all the problems taken care of and will have a wonderful experience from here on.

Started off sounding a bit soft and whiny with a 5 minute rant about grips, but ultimately I agreed with your conclusion, thanks for sharing. I have desperately wanted a Moto Guzzi since drooling over a 1000S in bike mags in the 90’s, and the Le Mans before that, the most beautiful bikes ever made. Similar to you, the green V85 TT Centenario is both an intriguing and stunning looking bike. But I would never buy one. Why? Because you simply cannot trust a Moto Guzzi with an ECU on a long haul trip. It breaks down miles from anywhere and you’re screwed. Beautiful, but sadly not to be trusted. Japanese bikes for the win.

I am sorry you had these legitimate issues. I took mine on the Dempster highway and the bike took a thrashing without any problems. The right front fork seal got damaged but that was a common issue with many bikes in those conditions. Hope you have good luck with your bike from here on out.

A fair, measured, non-sensationalised video covering your ownership experience. Good work mate. I can see why all this stuff gave you some bad vibes.

Had a diecast Moto Guzzi toy when I was a kid in the early '70s, it had blue tank. Saw a near identical modern Moto Guzzi in the dealership recently.

I loved the ride on the v85tt 2019 but at 16000 miles it stalled at low revs. It took the dealer nearly 2 months to find the issue after "fixing" it twice. Once on a service. I traded it in for a gs and a 3 year warranty. Gear linkage and now I've more boxes

They are hard to get parts for. It seems like it takes months to get accessories and parts. Your dealership sounds like they know how to work on the bikes which is a plus. I got the taller windscreen on mine and it makes a big difference. Mine came without the top trunk when I bought it and like your grips it took months to come. I think having a good tech at Guzzi dealerships is very important. Best of luck!

I have a V7 stone, virtually the same engine (detuned) and drivetrain..4200 miles with zero issues..I absolutely love this bike, more than any cycle I’ve ever owned. Seems like most of the issues are dealer issues.

Thanks for the review that I needed to hear. Having owned two KLR’s 650s, two DL 1000 Vstroms and now sitting in my garage is a 2018 Kawasaki 1000 LT Versys with over 90,000 miles on the clock. All of these bikes have never failed me, and have been ridden to very high mileage. I was on the fence of dumping my Kawasaki, and buying the V 85TT but with your review, I wonder if I could ride the Moto Guzzi as if I have ridden all my pass bikes, I live in Southern California and there is a Moto Guzzi dealer down here. Just don’t know if I want to deal with all the headaches and hassles of owning the V 85 with such poor history of dealer support. So the big question is Moto Guzzi versus time tested Japanese bikes?? Just don’t need to be broke down, waiting for a component that could take months to get to me. Again thanks for the great review ride safe, ride, sound, keep the rubber side up.

Guzzi V7 owner here, I feel your pain. Great bikes but really poor dealer back up. My worry is also as these become more electrically biased there are a whole host of other problems. I went through 3 co2 sensors and a very expensive speedo under warranty. My Suzuki SV that I use for commuting and is really abused has been faultless, dealers great etc. MG really need to up their game if they are to aim at the premium market.

Always intrigued by MG’s good looking offerings.. always put off by the few and far between support locations (USA).

I feel your pain. My KTM 1290 SDGT had the same type of teething issues during its first year of life. 21K miles later I still look at it and ask myself: will the beast strand me today?

Definitely jinxed. I own a 2021 v85tt, co-lead this countries community of 2021+ V85TT owners (roughly 65 members) and know the Dealership and master Technician all too well... simply put not a single bike has had any issue like yours... and the fact that we live and start our climbs at 8400 ft on rough Gravel and demanding Andean Mountain roads have proven that it's the bike to own for that and 2up traveling on highways as well. As far as parts... heated Grips ONLY come on the Travel Edition... and we are still on a Global Supply Chain nightmare... so I think you'll be just fine and will truly enjoy and appreciate the bike you have.... after a messy start.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, sad to hear that it’s not so good…..I owned and used Moto Guzzi 1200Sport in the past, never faced any problems. In general it’s a good brand producing good and beautiful motorbikes, but still Italian….don’t expect Japanese or German quality (I owned also Yamaha and BMW, can compare) 😅

Honest review, appreciated. I have exactly the same bike, so far first 10.000 km no issues at all. You seem to be unlucky, the oil issue I would not see as a major failure, the positive side of it, it was overfilled not underfilled. The ECU though thats is a major failure, I would expected the dealer to clarify the root cause. Internal failure of the ECU as a result of a chip shortage maybe? A power surge can be ruled out with proper diagnostics, that might resolve your worries, a dealer has a role in that. The sales issues I would blame the dealer for, you seem to give them quite a lot of credit.

I had the stand do the same thing on a demo bike, they sorted it, nec minute, no headlights, ride abandoned, not interested thanks, left the Guzzi where it sat. Re the heated grips, sounds like ya got bitten by sales technique 101............... always say yes to the customer query. Been there got screwed too, now it's always a counter query from me. "If ya say yes and its not on it, no sale, are we clear?"............ Never had an issue since. Makes me chuckle when they squirm and offer some excuse to '"go and check" ................ hehehe. Great vid man, love the sound and camera set up styles, makes for a relaxed watch, cheers, shiny side up eh.

Thanks for sharing. And here i am willing to pull the trigger on a new MG V7, stories like this make me wonder if its worth it. Same situation as yours - dealer is at about 3hrs away from me(and its in another country). Oh how angry i would have been if this was my story. As for the exact model - got one local rider, who owned a V85TT - he decided to end it after 19 000km of use - traded it for a new Suzuki V-Strom 650 at the same dealer after his MG broke down two times in the middle of a long trip+had multiple small issues. So this makes me wonder even more. Too bad that there are so few retro bikes that are more powerful then 35kw (basically Triumphs only)

Welcome to 2022 bud

My Wife and I have a pair of 2022 v85's, Luckily apart from my wife's bike leaking from the final drive which was "checked" at the first service they have been great although my dealer experience was poor. We have done 8000 miles this Summer and now they are garaged for the winter, we will see what 2023 brings. We ride a pair of BMW GS650 through the winter, they have been problematic over the last 50,000 miles but I think now I have got to the bottom of the issues! If you do the miles, shit will happen but your experience is terrible, hopefully Guzzi will sort you out (We are in the UK and Piaggio service is shocking here as well.) Keep the faith

It might be that the factory kinks are gone and you'll have no big issue going forward. Anyway good luck those are beautiful bikes n thanks for the video

Had an Aprillia which is the same company. I had electrical gremlins and kept losing the rectifier at nearly $200 a pop. They could never track it down. I loved the way the bike rode and handled but I was used to Honda drive it, put it away and drive it some more reliability. I took a chance and bought a Triumph. The bike has been trouble free for 4 years and I joke mine is Triumph by Honda. Reliability is a must when you are going far from home. I hope you got your grips and it has been all good from here on. The thing with any Italian bike is parts and accessories. There logistics are terrible. If anything mechanically breaks you are looking at serious down time. The Italians have style and heritage for sure as well as great on road dynamics but you just can't expect Japanese brand level of quality control or parts logistics. Good luck.

I've put over 17,000 miles on my 2020 V85TT. I've had none of the issues you mention, but its unfortunate you drew a a bad one. I'll post a review as well on my channel.

Guzzi is semi famous, but when you look into it, they're a small company. Parts take forever. Corporate communications are lacking. Warranty support is glacial. That said, it sounds like you dealer service really isn't cutting it. Apologies are nice, but it would be nicer if it wasn't necessary. After my break in service, I've just done my own maintenance and documented it. It's easy, and that way I don't have to wonder what some disinterested kid did to my bike while daydreaming about moto gp for 12 bucks an hour. Hang in there man!

Contrary to you, I have an excellent experience with my V85TT. 23000 kms on the clock in less tan two years and very happy. I started riding motorbikes in 1975 and had very different driving experiences along the years on many motorbikes, Japonese and German. This Guzzi is really a pleasant bike, also for the passenger.

I have a V7. Knock on wood it’s been great. But dealership networks have always been the sore spot for Italian bikes. I’m 150 miles from the nearest dealer. I do normal maintenance myself.

The one time I had an ECU problem was with a BMW. The original one had been damaged by a previous owner messing about with the electrics, so all the accessory circuits were blown. The dealer tried to fit a new one. It took several days of them trying to get it to work before they realised that the one they had received had already been coded to another machine, so it's fortunate that the cannibalisation your dealer did, didn't have the same problem.

Hopefully you have gotten through the initial teething problems with your V85TT and you’ll have a better experience going forward.

Unlucky with the ECU? I've had one fail also(not guzzi). Wouldn't stop me buying one?

Thanks for sharing.. How is this Guzzi on the off-asphalt stuff? I don't want an ADV for single track or enduro terrain but I want to be able to ride where the pavement ends; dirt, gravel and un-maintained roads with ease. I also want to be able to ride BDRs with it.

Hopefully everything settled down with your V85 for you to enjoy it. Sounds like same dealer I had similar issues with that will never lay a hand on my Guzzi again. Great bikes unfortunately no dealers or service support here in SC.

Hopefully things will settle down and you'll be able to just enjoy it moving forward.

You can get Oxford heated grips for a few dollars as a stop gap. They're excellent. Certainly warmer than anything Yamaha can come up with.

Sounds like mostly a dealer issue, with supply chain issues. I have a 2020 and no issues. My dealer is pretty good though, AF1 racing.

Thanks for this. Back to the Japanese bikes for me.

Wow.. I'm with you. You have to trust your long-haul bike. In Oct. I was planning a solo ride down Baja to Cabo. If I didn't trust the bike I was taking, I would never attempt a ride like that. PS. I had to cancel the week before I left, wife needed neck fusion surgery.

Sounds Italian it's all custom so mods you swim up stream. I have a Concours 14 recently dropped it in my garage taking a swing at a Horse Fly had to get my neighbor to help me pick it up. Based on your comments my next bike might be a Ninja 1000sx with side cases. I don't need to drive off road and I can pick up the 1000 no problem if something happens.

I rode this bike and I plan to upload my test ride video very soon (still in November). My general feeling about this bike was positive and it seems to be well made. Sure, I heard of some problems like yours. I also had an Italian bike and it caused me problems, but... this can be with any bike these days. Somehow I switched to a Japanese machine and now I have a trouble free ride. You got my like. Keep up.

I am in the process of looking at and purchasing an adventure bike and based on your review...the Guzzi it out!!! Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole

Hey, This experience with Moto Guzzi is a bummer. I own a 2018 V7111 and at 11k have had no issues other than a faulty kill switch. You've been more than kind with the dealer. As far as the factory issues go there are no excuses for poor workmanship or poor set up. I love mine but, can understand your mixed emotions.

Sounds very frustrating... but very fairly conveyed.. well done

Nice bike, plenty of character. Hopefully a few teething issues and it will run the next 50,000 miles with no problems. When your nearest dealer is 3 hours away maybe a Japanese bike is the best option, more trouble free than Guzzi and BMW. Id forget the heated grips and ask the dealer to buy you a good pair of battery powered heated gloves.

Hi, thanks for your video. One question comes to me; why did you sell your KTM 890 Adventure to end with this Motoguzzi which is specs wise way lower, isn’it?

Sold my 5 year old 2014 Moto Guzzi California and bought a 2017 California left over. I thought it would be an sensible upgrade as the 2014 was starting to get a little long in the tooth. The new bike cost me very little after selling the '14 so money wise it was a no-brainer ... Now I'm wishing I kept the 2014 as the 2017 has been problematic. When coming to a stop the bike stalls, if it doesn't stall it'll idle around 800 rpm or so which causes the bike to shake. It'll then bounce back to around 1200 rpm or so and smooth out. I took the bike to the dealer and they put in new plugs and adjusted the valves and said everything was fine which it was for a while. Now it's doing the same thing and it's not yet due for a service. Also, when at idle people tell me they smell gas so I think the fueling is off. Again, the dealer tells me the bike is fine but I know it's not. So, I'm probably going to trade it in on a new bike but not sure if I should go with the V100 Mandello or not. Loved my 2014 California Touring and I wish I never got rid of it. I'd kinda hate to write off the brand for the one bad experience but sometimes that's all it takes.

Thank you for the "review". I had looked at that bike a year ago as a possible purchase, but it was too big/pudgy for my purposes, and there is not enough Moto Guzzi support in my area. I'm glad I passed on it for my and your reasons. However, HUGE kudos to the dealership in how they handled your bike, it's issues, and you. As a former motorcycle dealership Service Manager, I can say that dealership sounds to be top-notch.... honest, responsible, professional, accurate, and capable. There should be more like them in the world. Ride well!

I owned V7 carbon dark the bike was great.But without a designated dealership in my country there was no support.also since they they were hard to come by the price was over global pricing taking account exchange.

Experiencing similar part supply chain issues with my Tuareg 660. Dealer said their site showed heated grips and the phone interface in stock in Atlanta and should have them in a few days. Two and a half weeks later, still waiting. Dealer says the parts system just shows a picture of a truck, meaning they shipped, but they do not get tracking info so can't look into it further than that. Piaggio needs to get their dealer parts/supply system sorted. I don't blame the dealer since they can only work with what the manufacturer gives them. No mechanical issues yet after a few hundred miles and some mild off road riding.

I really appreciated your thoughtful explanation of what you have gone through with your bike. Who wouldn't be disappointed and frustrated with the same circumstances. For what it's worth I have a 2020 V85TT with almost 23,000 miles on it with absolutely no issues. I took a 5,000 mile trip that took me to NM, CO, UT, WY, MT, ID and back home to TX in the summer of 2021. I've never owned a Moto Guzzi before and was concerned with the lack of dealers in the states I would be traveling through. Luckily I had no need for one. I think I have to agree with Orange Crush that you shouldn't give up on the bike yet. I bought a new BMW R90/6 in 1977 and like you, lived 3+ hours from the dealer in Houston. Before the bike had 2k miles on it, the gearbox started making a ratcheting sound that was obviously not right. I had to truck the bike back to Houston, leave it and come back when I was told it was fixed a couple of weeks later. When I arrived I told the shop I wanted to take it for a ride and of course it was not fixed and made the sound on the test ride. I had to leave it again, drive back to LA, etc., etc. Finally it was fixed but there was some gnashing of teeth and getting Butler & Smith (the U.S. Distributor) involved. I kept that bike for 19 years and loved it and had many adventures on it. Maybe yours is fixed now and it's ready to take you anywhere . Any way whatever you decide thank you for sharing Thank goodness you hadn't posted this right before I left on my trip. I was spooked enough due to having tubed tires (what were they thinking at MG?)

I'm another outlier .. 2022 v85tt, I also have had 2 factory faults, after dealer first service I went on a 3,000km ride in Europe and halfway round found the rear brake caliper loose and one bolt missing, potentially catastrophic. Then after the big trip got a flat battery from a failed stator, currently being fixed under guarentee. Dealer issues, as well as failing to check the torque on all fixings. They filled the bike with the wrong spec oil which I had to point out to them, and remind them that all modern air-cooled engines need the highest performing correctly specc'd oil. I was riding in the hottest part and time in Europe, I suspect that major damage would have resulted with the wrong oil. It has taken quite a struggle to get the dealer to own these failures. I own 6 other bikes so am no novice, and like you really enjoy the v85. Trouble is it's uncomfortable riding with your fingers crossed. !

I ride a guzzi v7 and went to the annual Guzzifest rally for members of the Moto Guzzi club GB. There was a dealer there with various models including a V85TT. This is the national rally ,a chance to shine ,to make sales to the converted ,pushing on an open door., the dream sales event. It broke down.

I've owned a Guzzi and several other "exotics" (Piaggio MP3, Hyosung 250, and currently a Benelli 302s). What gives me the most willies is the dealer's lack of knowledge and experience when you buy one of these smaller brands. Since they don't sell a lot of bikes, they don't gain the same level of shop experience with any one model as they do with, say a Honda. So, bottom line is, you have to convince yourself to accept that risk of ownership. I rode my Guzzi V7 to Springfield, IL from eastern PA without incident, but knowing what could be in store for me if I had a major breakdown is troubling to say the least. Add to that the fact that, at least in my opinion, the level of mechanics' experience nowadays isn't what it used to be. That's a sign of the times and the sophistication of modern bikes.

I have a 2022 as well. I have not had the issues that you are. Supplier issues let alone international supplier issues is somewhat to be expected right now. The ECU is a fluke. However, what bothers me is these freaking dealers and how much they charge for freight and set up and all this other crap and not actually do their checks. I work for a dealer for about 15 years and we were very thorough about creating our own checklists for pre delivery. Some of these dealers are charging ridiculous amounts for setup and not doing it is b*******. Love my bike. But I can totally see how you would be Really frustrated

Excellent, honest review. Hope your troubles are behind you. The Piaggio group just can't seem to shake their horrible customer service/organizational reputation here in the USA. It's a shame because Moto Guzzi, Aprilia and even Vespa make a lot of bikes that I'd love to own. I was big into Ducati motorcycles for many years, but ended up leaving them for similar issues. Also got tired of feeling like my Ducati dealership was doing me a "favor" by selling me a bike. That I was a member of a very "elite group" of motorcyclists. We're all motorcyclists. At the end of the day, that's all I care about. Why did I ultimately leave Ducati? I got tired of paying first class airfare to sit in coach. Switched over to BMW/Triumph and I've had a totally different experience. Knock on wood, but haven't had a lick of trouble with either brand. Even better, the BMW/Triumph dealerships I work with value their customers. The best part...they actually return my phone calls. Failure to do so is a "deal killer" for me. Thanks again for the great review.

Sorry to hear of your poor initial experience. Givi engine guards, part # TN8202 for Moto Guzzi, $125- ×- at Revzilla. Heated grips are generic. Motorcycles do not have differentials. Once your machine is set right i will last a long time. Ive got a 2019 V7 stone, 10,000 mi and zero troubles. I know of Moto Guzzi's with over 100,000mi on em and those machines ride as good as new. It's commonly said by owners that these machines aren't really broken in until 20,000mi. These are hand made machines, by Italian craftsmen who like to toss down a glass ot two of wine at lunch on Fridays. Once your bike is set right you will be fine. Cheers

Such a shame that you've had such a bad experience. I've ridden the very same Centenario hard from new for 16,000 touring miles, often in very harsh conditions. So far, it's been the most reliable bike I've ever owned. My only issue has been a tiny oil leak in the engine casing, which they fixed by resealing the parts in an afternoon. It just shows that peoples' experiences are so reliant on the reliability of individual bikes. Hopefully it won't give you any more trouble.

Just a thought, this sounds like the Shop setup the bike and created these issue. I am not sure this was an OEM issue. I don't know your dealer, but I would look around at other who purchased from them and find out if they have had similar issue.

I was very close to picking up a V85TT. Owned a bike shop for a number of years and took care of a few of Guzzi’s. I really enjoyed their quirky nature. Was “This close” and then came across a ‘21 Tiger 900 RP with a bunch of farkle and only 6,300 miles for the price of a new V85TT. No brainer. Parts availability has always been a problem with MG’s. Hopefully Piaggio will make things better. Guzzi’s have always held a soft spot in my heart, maybe someday, but the Tiger is 5 times the bike that the V85 is. Just sayin…

Around 1981 I was visiting my one of my local bike dealerships , who still deal with many bike manufacturers and employ many people , to buy some spare parts . A new bike , a 750cc Yamaha V twin Virago ( I think it was called ) had just been prepped for its excited owner to take away . I had not seen one of these , so I waited about being a bit nosey ! So the engineer tried to start the bike , it made an effort to start and then refused to turn over . The spark plugs were removed and oil poured out of the spark plug holes . This was because the crated bike had been inverted in delivery and the oil had seeped above the pistons ..... What I am trying to show is that japanese machines can have teething problems , even if it was not the factory's fault ... probably in this case . In this happenstance the conrod's were bent by the oil not being compressible at the first start up , Whoops . ( A friend worked at the dealership , so I got the full story . Another thing , at least one Japanese manufacturer designs in faults to occur at certain mileages , so if a customer does not follow t the letter his service schedule at a proper dealers then those parts fail . My own bike at the time was designed to fail if the carb butterflies were not swapped out ... the brass butterflies would snap and disappear into the combustion chambers , wrecking pistons and valves . What a devious world we live in eh ? Thankfully I was told about this potential failure and had a chance of replacing the parts on my very second hand bike , due to me having a friend in the right place . Nasty but unfortunately true .

Sorry you were given a bit of the run around on your initial purchase. The timing of delivery of parts was a common issue due to all of the covid related. I am glad my dealer was easy and had free set up and installation of my accessories and then they delivered it to my house 170 miles away. WAs this a multi-line dealership, or MG only?

Damn! It’s always a gamble with Piaggio but I heard similar stories from KTM and BMW. You need a bike you can trust so get a different one. Considered the Tiger 900? I’m happy with that one.

I sold a 2010 DL650 VStrom and picked up a 2020 V85TT Traveler, no regrets but then I understand Guzzi ownership having owned a few since1980.

I bought two M-G's. Both had issues that should never happen. Never again.

Thanks for doing this on behalf of potential owners of the TT like myself. Buying and owning a Moto Guzzi is novel but doesn't sound like it's worth the risk. Reliability is much too important.

Great Info, just wondering why you traded your KTM 890 for the Moto Guzzi V85TT, thanks

Really sorry to hear about your negative experiences and would be feeling the same if it happened to me. I’ve owned mine for 6 weeks and 600 happy miles so far, I absolutely love it. Hope the bike can rebuild the trust you need to have.