Moto Guzzi V85 TT: on sale early June

Moto Guzzi Australia has announced the first shipment of V85 TTs are now on the water and will go on sale in early June 2019.

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The V85 TT – the acronym ‘TT’ stands for “tutto terreno” (ie all terrain) – has wire-spoked wheels, Brembo brakes, a tubular steel trellis frame, and a brand new 90-degree transverse air-cooled 850cc engine which is good for a claimed 80hp.

The monoshock connects the chassis directly to the swingarm, and Moto Guzzi says “there is generous wheel travel”.

There’s also plenty of sump protection, a high-mounted front guard, as well as an asymmetric swingarm which houses the drive shaft. The V85 TT has TFT instrumentation and an LED daytime running light. Handguards, a windshield and small rear rack complete the very well finished look.

Below is an interview with Antonio Cappellini, the Head of Product Development for the Piaggio Group, who reveals the engineering secrets behind the V85 TT.

Q. A new Guzzi engine is always a highly anticipated event, not only by the enthusiasts of the Mandello del Lario brand. How different is this 90-degree V-twin from the two-cylinder that powers the V9 and V7 III models?

A. "It derives from the V9 engine, but only in architecture and bore and stroke measurements; the analogy ends here and this can be considered an all-new powerplant... Let's start by saying that the lubrication is semi-dry crankcase and not a wet sump. We have two coaxial pumps instead of one, they are used for the delivery and to recover the lubricant. In the old V7 engine all the oil was sent to the top of the heads and less to other parts. Of course, so exposed to the air it cooled well and lowered the temperature of the hottest area, but it was not the best for general lubrication. We are so sure of the performance of this semi-dry system that we do not even have an oil cooler. With the semi-dry solution we also have the crank fully isolated from 'oil splash' .”

Q. How did you manage to increase the power up to 80hp? The V9 has 55… This is a big step forward.
A. "Everyone thinks that this engine has four valves per cylinder for this performance. In reality we have only two. It was a good result to get 100hp from an air-cooled push-rod design. However, we wanted to respect the classic technical architecture of Guzzi engines.”

Q. What is the secret to the extra power?
A. "Having a titanium intake valve. It weighs half of an analogous steel and this has allowed us to adopt a more radical geometry for the valve opening. We still used only one intake manifold, but with a throttle body of 52mm in comparison to 38mm for the more peaceful V9. In addition, the throttle is ride-by-wire, while the other has a cable-operated system. With the electronic throttle control, engine management is more finely tuned and we can better manage the drive, starting with the various mappings and the traction control system. But we did not stop here in the technical review of the V9, because the V85 has a new crankshaft, stronger connecting rods and shorter piston skirts. We have saved almost 30 per cent in weight for these internal components.

Q. The chassis is completely different from previous twin-cylinder V7 models, so much so that the engine has become an element of stiffening of the entire structure. Did you have to intervene on the platform?
A. "Yes, the crankcases are all new and more robust to give greater rigidity because I wanted a frame that would allow you to enter the curve with the same precision and solidity of our Stelvio. And I told my engineers: 'If I do not feel the tread that rubs on the asphalt I'm not happy!... We have also extended the swingarm to make the rear suspension work better and increase the driving precision on at higher speeds.”

Q. Compared to the EICMA prototype, ergonomics have been revised to better accommodate the passenger and to prevent the rider's legs from interfering with the cylinders. The V85 is born to compete with fierce rivals in the off-road sector, motorcycles that all have brilliant engines ...
A. "I assure you that this twin-cylinder will be quick and lively. We have a torque curve that expresses the maximum of its value (80Nm) at only 3400 rpm in virtually a straight line... Of course, we do not seek to compete with the 1200 multi-cylinder machines, but we can hold our own with the competitors of the same displacement. We have been working on this engine for a year and we have not finished yet, but we want to make sure that we have an engine that matches a great Guzzi. We could certainly build a liquid-cooled twin cylinder with four valves per cylinder - and we will do it - but we wanted to keep the image of a classic Guzzi at all costs.”

Q. Guzzi engines are easily recognised not only for the exhaust note but also for that sounds that accompanies the engagement of the gear.
A. "You will not hear it anymore. Using a dry clutch, and ours is, when the first gear engages, the complete disengaging of the clutch allows the whole system of the primary transmission and the gearbox to turn quickly again. The noise that is heard derives from the engagement of the selector that collides with the fast rotation of the gears. With the friction in the oil bath everything is 'softer' and the noise is lower. But we worked hard to soften, even make this sound disappear and have more silent gearshifts than the six-speed gearbox. In addition we have put a damper on the output of the gearbox due to the increased power in an effort to have an even smoother response to the final shaft transmission.”

Q. It has always been said that the increasingly stringent anti-pollution regulations would not allow the air-cooled engines to be maintained ...
A. "But this V85 is proof that you can still make a similar engine that passes the requirements of emissions without issue. It was immediately okay for the Euro 4 and is ready to adapt to the much more restrictive Euro 5. We must probably work hard on the catalysts, but with a power of 100hp there are no problems even with air cooling. And even then this is an engine that consumes very little. If you think about it this is a powerplant that doesn’t have too many components to absorb the power. It has no cooling pump, it does not have long chains or distribution belts so the rod and rocker system are the parts which consume the most power.”

Q. Has the platform been designed to grow in displacement?
A. "No. Not because it is not structured to accommodate a higher capacity, but because it is born to have a balance between performance and lightness. And that's what we are looking for from a bike in this category. "

Q. Will it be used for other models too?
A. " Yes: we are working on a road version that already today drives very, very well. And then on something else ... ".

For more information on the V85 TT, click here.