Bisons V85TT impressions

[Bison]

Hello Folks,
For those of you considering taking the plunge, and also for those of you who have, it has been suggested I give some impressions of my new TT.
First off, it's brilliant!, I'm very impressed by the finish, and it's a great ride, so user friendly and easy to control, and it feels much lighter than it actually is. I've fitted a Multistrada touratec aluminium top box, donated by a friend who now has a V4, it was pretty easy to adapt, and is very useful. An Aprilia Capo Nord front mudguard with a fender extender was fitted before I rode it for the first time, that makes a great job of keeping the muck accumulation on the front of the engine down, even though the looks are challenging. I've also fitted a Guzzi travel model front windshield. I did a couple of hundred miles with that fitted on Thursday, and although it's not as good as the Norge screen, I didn't find the buffeting and noise to be too intrusive, and the protection is much better than the stock little tinted screen. I have bought a cheapo screen spoiler which I'll fit and experiment with to see if it improves things by any measure.  I have dropped the forks by three rings, about 13mm or 1/2", that for me has made the whole bike just that bit more easy to handle, and although I do detect it steering into corners slightly quicker, the change is tiny, and for me has been well worthwhile. For the record I'm around 163lbs (73KG) and 5' 10", inside leg 32".  I'm on the balls of my feet with my heels maybe 3/4" from flat on the ground. I experimented with removing the rubbers under the seat, and although it certainly made a difference, I was concerned it may cause chaffing on the frame paint, so refitted them. My only other addition is my power take off cable for my heated jacket, this is Scotland after all! It was very windy on Thursday, and the bike performed pretty well considering the blustery conditions, certainly as stable as the Norge.
One thing that the Norge beats it in hands down, is cleaning, the Norge is spotless in 1/4 of the time!, and it's down to spoked wheels V three spoke alloys!.
I probably won't fit pannier bags at the moment, the top box should suffice. I may invest it Capo Nord hand guards as the originals work quite well, but are on the small side, I believe a spacer of some sort is required?, anyone done this?.
Thanks,
Alan.

[Huzo]

Do you not like the front guard Bison ? I have one on mine and thought it looked ok.


Oh….and did you mean you RAISED the forks ?

[blu guzz]

thanks for the great write up.  i got one of the first ones in the states and have been very satisfied with it.  it has just enough guzzi character but otherwise is totally easy to live with. i hope the mandello gives the same combination of character and practicality in the same measure.

[brother dave]

Great write up Bison!  I’ve had mine for 14 months. Over 10k miles. It is my go to bike. Great for touring, day trips, twisties, and some tame dirt. My wife loves the seat and it’s the only bike she will go 2 up riding. I got the Madstad 22 inch screen. It is adjustable and once I got it dialed in I am very happy. Still get a little wind noise coming in from the sides but no pressure or buffeting. Ride on man…

[Bison]

Hehe, yep, dropped the forks through the yokes, or dropped the yokes over the forks more like
I don't think the mudguard looks bad really, I just prefer the looks without it, but practicality takes over from looks.
I fitted my little windscreen deflector today but didn't manage out for a ride,  I started "The Shadow of the Wind" last night, picked it up this afternoon and couldn't put it down until I had finished it!
Tomorrow is going to be a nice day seemingly, going to reach 9C, so I'll get out I hope.
Alan.

[Cam3512]

I don’t like the “2 fender look”, and opted for this on mine.  Does the same job but is less obtrusive.

[Sykestone8886]

I did the same thing Cam did, seems to work good and I like the looks of it.

[twowheeladdict]

Maybe because my bike is black, but the tire hugging fender is not that noticeable.  I was hoping to buy a sticker set for it, but the artist hasn't put one out for my bike. 

[KiowaEagle]

I did the same thing Cam did, seems to work good and I like the looks of it.

Me three! 

[egschade]

Here's what I did on my bike. Cheapo rear splash shield modded to work on the front.

[JJ]

Good write up, Bison!

I like everything about the new V85TT except it's too tall for me.  At 5'8", I will not own any bike that I cannot put both feet FLAT on the ground...but that's just me, and my personal preference.   

"Tippy Toes" a 500-600 pound motorcycle on is not recommended for one's advanced years, (IMHO).

[Clifton]

.... I may invest it Capo Nord hand guards as the originals work quite well, but are on the small side, I believe a spacer of some sort is required?, anyone done this?.
Thanks,
Alan.

Alan glad you're enjoying your new V85, it's really a pleasant and versatile motorcycle.

I put Caponord hand guards on mine but don't recall needing to add a spacer? I had to enlarge a hole, maybe where the mirror stem bolt goes through, but that's all I remember doing. They do offer better protection for your hands from wind and rain. I was fine with the low shield in Summer and touring screen in Spring and Fall but last week I added a deflector to the top and I think it improves the coverage and cleans the airflow somewhat..

[blu guzz]

Givi makes a bolt on hand guar extender that fits right overtop of the factory ones and extends the protection upward several inches.  It is smoked plastic and blends right in with the flat black paint of the factory guards.  It pops right on with removal of a screw, 2 min. work.  Would pop right off for hot weather riding.

[Cam3512]

Givi makes a bolt on hand guar extender that fits right overtop of the factory ones and extends the protection upward several inches.  It is smoked plastic and blends right in with the flat black paint of the factory guards.  It pops right on with removal of a screw, 2 min. work.  Would pop right off for hot weather riding.

Can you please post a link for those Givi extenders?

[blu guzz]

https://giviusa.com/collections/v85-tt-19  try this link, they are currently $106.

[Kiwi_Roy]

I have noticed a bunch of topics that seem to want a specific reply, if I hit the reply button I can type anything in there so I will be doing that from now on, I may not be doing the right thing but any response is better than none
put on whatever fender turns you're crank.

[egschade]

Givi makes a bolt on hand guar extender that fits right overtop of the factory ones and extends the protection upward several inches.  It is smoked plastic and blends right in with the flat black paint of the factory guards.  It pops right on with removal of a screw, 2 min. work.  Would pop right off for hot weather riding.

Have them on my bike and they do make a difference. My hands are noticeably warmer with reduced wind blast. Didn't bother removing them in the summer as enough air still gets through so a summer glove is still comfy for me.