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V85 motor secrets unveiled


ScuRoo

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Wow, -KG- , what an excellent and comprehensive article! Thank you! They seem to like the TT very much.  HDPE tank (no more dreaded Nylon!) and more buzz about a "road" bike. I suppose by The Centennial . . . :mg:

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Eventual Hp figures aside for the moment...

Guzzi ought to be congratulated for achieving a tremendously light Adventure bike in comparison to what the market leader company of hardcore machinery has similarly produced.

 

This plastic exo-skeletonised, blowfly-eyed spastic mongrel comes in at 189kg

...the TT meanwhile, at 208kg with shaft - is a mere 19kg difference!

 

That’s a pretty good effort from Guzzi on Dry Weight alone.

 

Fuel range, seat comfort distance, syncopation and the sheer aesthetics are all up to the beholder but nevertheless, completely intrinsic to what Adventure travel experience each will offer.

 

A26C2EF1-8DE5-4B6D-8793-6AC10B3E67C2.jpeg

 

 

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Here’s an interesting, relevant article detailing the challenges Guzzi is surpassing (which other manufacturers have capitulated to), in extracting every ounce of potential of it’s air-cooled engineering traditions and experience with the V85.

 

“Yes, some beloved air-cooled models may come under emissions pressure, but if the engineers can’t make those engines pass, we’ll have to make do with water-cooling that hides under fake fins.”

Kevin Cameron

 

https://www.cycleworld.com/will-exhaust-emissions-limits-kill-motorcycling

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Eventual Hp figures aside for the moment...

Guzzi ought to be congratulated for achieving a tremendously light Adventure bike in comparison to what the market leader company of hardcore machinery has similarly produced.

 

This plastic exo-skeletonised, blowfly-eyed spastic mongrel comes in at 189kg

...the TT meanwhile, at 208kg with shaft - is a mere 19kg difference!

 

That’s a pretty good effort from Guzzi on Dry Weight alone.

 

Fuel range, seat comfort distance, syncopation and the sheer aesthetics are all up to the beholder but nevertheless, completely intrinsic to what Adventure travel experience each will offer.

 

attachicon.gifA26C2EF1-8DE5-4B6D-8793-6AC10B3E67C2.jpeg

 

 

 

There are two things the Italians lie about... horsepower and weight. Published numbers from the factory for either should be first laughed at and second ignored.

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That 790 KTM motor is a beast. The Duke version put down 98 hp for Roadracing World, and actually weighed just over 400 lbs full of fuel and fluids.

It gets killed in looks by the Guzzi, but that is about it.

KTM was rumored to be looking to buy Ducati, maybe they would buy Guzzi instead. That would potentially be awesome, KTM engineering and Guzzi style.....

Or would we end up with Guzzi engineering and KTM style :-(

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Rider magazine said 790 Duke did 97 horses and 411 lb on rear wheel dyno.  (approximate memory) 

 

 

That is more than enough for me, especially considering the weight.

Right, just under 100 hp at the rear wheel, that is likely 120 Guzzi hp at the crank ;-) .

And a wet weight just over 400 lbs (dry weight aka Guzzi spec weight around 372 lbs).

That thing sounds like an absolute blast to ride. The motor itself is incredibly tightly packaged, and yet it has two balance shafts, to help balance the 75 degree offset crank.

If we could get those engineers to help Guzzi design motors that could be awesome.

There are a few things that are not quite what I would want in a motorcycle, but all in all it is one of the coolest bikes out there for a reasonable amount of money (as in, aside from the Norton Commando's and the like).

I am glad Guzzi has a new motor out. It sounds like it is a step in the right direction. But it is still pretty far behind some of the other brands out there. Lucky for Guzzi they do most everything else different than the other brands and that lets them stand out even though their motor design is a bit outdated.

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I was with you GM, until you said the 790 was "for a reasonable amount of money".

$10.5k? Do you think the V85 will be less?

Heck, Kawasaki made big news by dropping the price of their 600 Ninja to just under $10k.

But it is true that KTMs aren't the cheap option. But my experience is they use quality components so that you get good value for your dollar.

Sadly, I think the last new streetbike I bought for less than $10 K was the wife's V11 sport, some 19 years ago.

But to be clear, I was trying to separate the 790 Duke from exotics like the "new" Norton Commado, and the Motus.

;-)

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That's about what my Husky 701 Enduro cost... and also the current asking price for a new 2017 Stelvio.  My local dealer has a couple unsold Stelvios, which seem like a good value compared to the anticipated "full sticker price" that the first few V85s will probably command.

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“There are two things the Italians lie about... horsepower and weight. Published numbers from the factory for either should be first laughed at and second ignored.”

 

That’s kinda a fun statement to josh around with swooshdave, that probably had some truth to it... in yonder days.

 

But do you really believe those days are still with us?

 

Why would a corporation like Piaggio deliberately leave itself legally exposed for the sake of a handful of horsepower or kilogram misstating figures? It ain’t the 70’s anymore!

 

There’s LAW’S about such behaviour now -

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