New V85 TT Owner....Am I In The Right Place?

[Paultergeist]

Greetings,

My name is Paul, and I just purchased a V85 TT.  This is my first Moto Guzzi, and the third motorcycle I have owned.  I just got done reading the Owner's Manual (man, that is some tiny print), and I see a lot of questions forming in my mind.  One initial question -- maybe a slightly dumb one:  Is this the appropriate forum and section for new-owner questions?  I just wanted to ask before I trespass on to -- perhaps -- a forum more intended for classic restorations, etc.

I tried the "Search" function, but it kept searching the web (like Google), not searching the forum threads/posts as I had hoped.

Apologies if this if the wrong place for these sort of questions; I'll appreciate any useful direction/guidance.

Cheers.

[Guzzistajohn]

You're in the right place. A V85 owner will come along soon. I just don't happen to be one of them. Welcome aboard and Happy New Year!

[Dave Swanson]

Oh ya!  You are in the right place.  Welcome to the forum!

[pete mcgee]

Welcome.
Dont worry the V85 crowd and quite a few others will happily answer your queries.
Ask away, you have questions some here might have answers.
Enjoy

[bad Chad]

Welcome and congratulations on a way cool motorcycle!

[Solorider73]

What is your question other than being the right forum?  I've got a V85TT ADV as do several others on the forum.

[jrt]

I'd say here and ADVrider would be the places to ask questions and post observations. 

[Huzo]

There are a few good threads here regarding the V85.
V85 merged threadfest will more than get you started and there are a few others that deal in modifications, user “tests” and mechanical assistance.
I will bump the best one for you, so it’s near the top..
Huzo.

[Huzo]

I'd say here and ADVrider would be the places to ask questions and post observations.

That should be true and possibly is, but here at least you will be treated with respect..(relatively speaking..)
Also, we’ll be requiring some shots..(in the photographic sense)

[guzzi4me]

Yes you are at the BEST place for  Guzzi info and advice.

Welcome to the madness that is Moto Guzzi..abandon hope all ye who enter here!!!!

Ride safe and often..

Jeff

Pm me if I can be of help...

[skippy]

Welcome aboard! You are certainly in the right place. Ask away or check out some of the other threads. Glad to have you in the community and congratulations on your new bike.

Skippy

[usedtobefast]

I tried the "Search" function, but it kept searching the web (like Google), not searching the forum threads/posts as I had hoped.

The Search function does kick off a google search of the wildguzzi website ... but that should work well ... and only searches this site.

So if you do a search on     oil leak     you will get many hits and uses some google most relevant first for the results.

A search like      V85 seat height    gives some pretty relevant results. 

[Bulldog9]

Yep, this is an all things Guzzi forum, and is often like a bunch of guys standing around a campfire shooting the bull after 3 too many beers (or bourbon).

ADV has a very active V85 thread.

Welcome to the forum and the madness, we can't wait to see what your second Guzzi will be. They get into your blood and have such a variety of platforms, one is just not enough.....

[Huzo]

Feel free to respond if the mood takes you Paultergeist...

[Paultergeist]

Everyone,

Thank you very much for the warm welcome; I am delighted to join the community.

Huzo, a special thanks to you for sharing the V85 mods link with me.  I am very interested in a cat delete, and I will probably be asking if I can pick your brain in more depth when that time arrives for me.

I have just returned from my second ride on my V85 TT (this is my third day of actual ownership).  I am really enjoying the bike, and it is a vastly different riding experience from my previous ride (a 125 cc Honda Grom).  While this is only the third motorcycle I have actually owned, this is probably the first time I have had the experience of -- dare I say -- kind of "falling for" a motorcycle.  I had heard others describe the sentiment before, but I never really gave it much thought.  I had been shopping for my next bike -- I knew it was going to be a mid-size adventure bike -- and I had narrowed down the field to a number of candidates: BMW GS 750, Triumph Tiger, Honda CB500X, Suzuki V-Strom, etc.....all of these bikes have their own attributes and drawbacks, and all are fine machines.  I was, however, looking at this next motorcycle purchase with an un-impassioned eye......comparing data and specifications, and evaluating in terms of price, features, my riding objectives, and such matters.  Any of those bikes would have probably met the objectives, but I just was not really in love with any of them.  And then......I started looking at the Moto Guzzi V85......and the more I looked, the more enchanted I became with the bike.....the look, the colors, the way it fit me, the logic and simplicity of that engine....and so.....well, here I am now.

Shifting metaphorical gears, I will ask here about any particular break-in recommendations.  The Owner's Manual advocates for fairly gentle riding (engine revs kept below 4500 RPM) for the first 1500 km.  While I have briefly exceeded that by a small margin before I knew any better, I am keeping the revs pretty gentle and variable.  But......what about the oil?  In the past, I have always changed the oil at the pretty much the earliest opportunity -- being unsure of the quality of the oil initially in the crankcase -- with the best quality oil I could find for the break-in.  I asked the dealer about this, and the reply was that Moto Guzzi shipped the engine with oil AREADY in the engine.  This struck me as bit odd, as I had always assumed part of dealer prep involved putting all of the fluids into a new vehicle, but maybe...?  I am just wondering if there is any real benefit in changing the oil early on -- well before the recommended initial service interval? 

I am just trying to take care of this machine as best I can.  Thanks for any good advice.

[Paultergeist]

Just so you all have a visual image.....

[Huzo]

Good stuff Paultergeist.
The break in procedure is often spruiked by new owners. Pete Roper who is an ex member here, is extremely well regarded by 99% of those who know him and is sometimes ignored, but usually not more than once.
His advice like most in the know, is to keep the oil at the recommended level but not necessarily at the “high” mark.
Do not ask the engine to work hard below about 3,000 rpm and just ride it sensibly.
I use Motul in the engine and Penrite 80/90 in the gearbox and bevels.
I have always changed the oils at 10,000 k intervals and always will, my Norge is close to 200,000 and runs perfectly with no top ups between changes.
I will do the same for the ‘85.
The main thing is, if you encounter an issue, ask on the forum first and you will soon learn who to listen to.
Anything that is said here that is not soundly based, will be discovered and dragged out onto the bench.
Enjoy your new ride and ask as many questions as you can.
Our moderators will not allow you to be belittled, but once you are known there can and will be some fun exchanges.
Very nice choice of livery too....

[skippy]

Oh boy. Paul inadvertently started an oil thread. This is one of the odd things about this forum. If you ask twenty of us our opinion about oil you are going to get at least twenty five different answers.
So I will offer my two cents on the question. I wouldn't worry about it. Change the oil when it is recommended to do so with the oil recommended by the manufacture. Moto Guzzi has an interest in in your bikes reliability and performance. They have gone through a lot of effort and analysis to spec out a specific interval for changing the oil and a specific oil to use. Moto Guzzi is going to be Conservative with the initial "first service" giving the break in oil enough time to do its job and then get swapped out before is circulates any longer than necessary. Moto Guzzi wants you to be a satisfied customer who feels that you are getting good performance and reliability out of you new purchase.
So I would recommend following the break-in instructions per the manual as well as the intervals for service with the fluids specified by the manufacture. I know it is tough keeping the revs down for the first 900 miles but do the best you can.
Now for an oil related observation from my V85. Mine being identical to yours except I have the red and white paint scheme. Once you are done with the break-in period and are capable of going over 75 mph you will want to keep an eye on your motor oil level. I have noticed that my bike does seem to consume a bit of oil when I spend considerable time riding around 80 mph. Not ridiculous amounts of oil, about 200 ml after a 3 day, 900 mile trip with 700 mile being droning along at 80 mph.
Another observation. When checking motor oil level, be sure the bike is level. I freaked myself out when I saw my empty sight glass at a fuel stop. (I always fill up on the center-stand). I made a be-line to a bike shop to get some oil and checked it again and it was low. Shop didn't have the oil I needed so I went ahead and rode home. I again glance at the sight glass while my bike is on the center-stand in the drive way and I can just barely see oil at the bottom of the glass. I move the bike to the garage where the floor is closer to level and put her up on the center-stand and all was well. I am a little stupefied by how sensitive the sight glass is.
I don't know if you have a center-stand but if you don't I recommend you get one and have the dealer install it. It is a chore to do your self.

Skippy       

[j.davis]

Book says to check the oil hot after a short ride, not running stationary.

[travelingbyguzzi]

Paul, as a newbie, it is your duty to arrange a small rally/campout in your part of the world for the travelers. Next summer would be nice.

[inditx]

Welcome!
I don't own a V85 but have owned several of our beloved Guzzi’s!
Enjoy and ask away.
inditx

[Paultergeist]

Paul, as a newbie, it is your duty to arrange a small rally/campout in your part of the world for the travelers. Next summer would be nice.

I'll see what i can do......I am sure that the wife will be thrilled to hear that we might have guests!   

[Huzo]

I'll see what i can do......I am sure that the wife will be thrilled to hear that we might have guests!   

With a name like Paultergeist, she’d be accustomed to strange beings in the home....

[Paultergeist]

Book says to check the oil hot after a short ride, not running stationary.

Yes....thank you....I read that as well.  I am curious as to WHY the emphasis on actually driving the bike to warm-up the oil -- as opposed to just letting the engine run for a couple of minutes while the bike is stationary -- before checking the oil?  I am thinking that this may be partly due to the air-cooling considerations, but I am not sure that I follow the rationale here.  Assuming that the bike was only warmed up for a few minutes, why would it matter HOW the bike was warmed up....I wonder?

[giusto]

Welcome Paul,

As Huzo said, You'll find the best information on the planet on this site...plenty of very knowledgeable folks and an answer to be vetted for whatever your question may be.  Also pretty good helping of camaraderie, most of the time :), and plenty of info on your new V85.
There are also at least 2 Facebook groups dedicated to just the V85, one in English and one in Italian, lots of new owner questions and answers there too, but also as Huzo mentioned you'll begin to figure out which advise works for you as you become more familiar with some of the membership.

Congrats on the TT

[jrt]

Yes....thank you....I read that as well.  I am curious as to WHY the emphasis on actually driving the bike to warm-up the oil -- as opposed to just letting the engine run for a couple of minutes while the bike is stationary -- before checking the oil?  I am thinking that this may be partly due to the air-cooling considerations, but I am not sure that I follow the rationale here.  Assuming that the bike was only warmed up for a few minutes, why would it matter HOW the bike was warmed up....I wonder?

Takes a good while for the oil to warm up, circulate and return to the sump.  If the bike (oil) is cold, the recirculation is slower and less accurate.  It may pump out, but not return by the time you look (conjecture on my part)....
Running the bike stationary is not a great idea anyhow- one of the byproducts of combustion is water, and that gets into the engine oil when the bike is cold.  If you run it up until it is hot, the water is evaporated away.  If you habitually run cold, then water can (sometimes does) end up in the engine oil. 

[jbell]

Welcome and in answer to your questions, "yes" and "yes".   Yes this is the right place and yes, most of us are classics in need of restoration.

[Guzzistajohn]

I'll see what i can do......I am sure that the wife will be thrilled to hear that we might have guests!   

The story goes, a guy asked his wife about having a Guzzi rally, she said "why don't you just get a 12 pack and invite your buddies over?"   

[Bulldog9]

You may want to attend a couple local Guzzi meets before you allow some of these old codgers to your place... LOL.

I've been riding and part of owners groups for 30+ years, and by far the Guzzi Community is a great group of people.

As for measuring oil level, I always do mine cold after sitting overnight and keep the oil in the middle to lower end of the dipstick range. It is a bit higher when hot, but not enough to make a huge difference, nothing to worry about or over think.

[Tom]

You're in a good location for some local rallies.  Lake Henshaw, NV state rally in Carson City area and the rally in Oak Creek, AZ.  If you go to any of those you'll run into a couple of Ronald McDonald riders too.  You can nerd out with them.      Richard out of PHX has over 25K miles on his now.