2021 Moto Guzzi V85 TT | First Look Review

January 18, 2021 2 min read

This year marks a big milestone for Moto Guzzi, which celebrates 100 years of continuous motorcycle production at its factory in Mandello del Lario, Italy, on the picturesque shores of Lake Como. With its “flying” V-twin, flying eagle logo and famous red gate at its factory, few brands are as iconic as Moto Guzzi.

One of its best-known models is the V7 that debuted in 1967, and last month Moto Guzzi announced updates to the 2021 V7 Special and V7 Stone.

Last year Moto Guzzi introduced a cool neo-retro adventure bike called the V85 TT, and we gave it a thorough evaluation in our first ride review, our road test of the V85 TT and our road test of the V85 TT Travel.

For 2021, the V85 TT gets some updates to its air-cooled, 853cc, 90-degree V-twin. The revised powerplant offers more torque at low to midrange rpm thanks to optimized lift of the pushrod-and-rockers timing cams and tweaks to the engine control electronics.

New spoked rims now mount tubeless tires, reducing unsprung weight by 3.3 pounds for better handling and facilitating plug-and-go flat repairs.

Two new riding modes—Sport and Custom—join the existing three (Street, Rain, Off-road) to provide more flexibility in managing throttle response, traction control and ABS to suit rider preferences. Cruise control and the color TFT instrument panel also come standard. Using Moto Guzzi MIA, the optional Moto Guzzi multimedia platform, a rider’s smartphone can be connected to the bike for additional functionality.

Two new color schemes are available on the V85 TT Adventure—Giallo Mojave and Rosso Uluru—and bikes in the U.S. will come standard with saddlebags. The 2021 Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel receives the same updates, and its extra equipment includes a Touring windscreen, side panniers from the Urban series, auxiliary LED lights, heated hand grips and the Moto Guzzi MIA multimedia platform. Both models will be in U.S. dealerships in April. Pricing is as follows: