The Goose is Loose in da house

[MrKiwi]

Gone are my two Honda's...

[MrKiwi]

Sitting in pride of place is a goose...

[MrKiwi]

A V85TT to be precise.

It is different to anything I have owned before. Loving it.





Last minute decision, was going to ride it out of the shop like this, ie no crash bars



But decided they might come in handy

[Camp Director]

Nice! That is a good looking bike. My favorite color too.

[Delicate Snowflake]

Very nice

Last year with my hypothetical 'which bike' this was about the only one I was drawn to

[campfire]

I like it!

(edit)

We're going to be needing a full review of that from a true Camper here. I just started looking at those on-line after seeing yours. Closest dealer is hour & 5 minutes away.

[MrKiwi]

Very nice

Last year with my hypothetical 'which bike' this was about the only one I was drawn to

It is a pretend off road bike. Quite road oriented, but still good on well formed gravel roads. The COG is quite low given its engine configuration.

My more adventuress days of riding are over, the body is not responding well to picking up big heavy bikes let alone the inevitable bruises etc. So more road going riding is my gig from now on.

I wanted something that looks good, had a shaft drive, 19 inch front wheel, less tall compared to the Africa Twin and a little lighter. This fit the bill. I also did not want to buy a bike with a big motor in it.

The bike has plenty of character being air cooled and a dry clutch combined with the engine configuration. It is quite frugal too, I'm getting between 21.5km/L and 25km/L depending on how hard I am pushing it. Higher speeds the fuel consumption comes down, moderate speeds she is quite frugal.

The seat is a little hard, but I will get used to it.

Still running it in.

[diogenes009]

That looks and sounds interesting. I look forward to hearing more.

[MrKiwi]

I took the bike out on a longish run today. One of my twisty tarmac routes with a long gravel section in the middle.

The bike is no Africa Twin, but it does OK on gravel. Not as sure footed as the Africa Twin by any means.

A few pics of today's ride.

I always start a long ride with fueling myself up with coffee.



then the roads of interest

[diogenes009]

[campfire]

"The bike is no Africa Twin, but it does OK on gravel."

Is it better than a 1200GS?

I mean, does it feel lighter and more nimble than a 800 pound beast?

[MrKiwi]

"The bike is no Africa Twin, but it does OK on gravel."

Is it better than a 1200GS?

I mean, does it feel lighter and more nimble than a 800 pound beast?

Lighter yes, I'm not a fan of the GS.

[campfire]

"The bike is no Africa Twin, but it does OK on gravel."

Is it better than a 1200GS?

I mean, does it feel lighter and more nimble than a 800 pound beast?

Lighter yes, I'm not a fan of the GS.

Me either.
I sold mine, that should explain that.

[MrKiwi]

I think the most significant limitation of the V85 on gravel is it's tall first gear. Any riding that requires slow speeds will mean more time dragging the rear brake and slipping the clutch. Not sure I want to slip a dry clutch too much.

The Africa Twin has a good amount of engine torque and engine braking. Going down hill on the Africa Twin with the throttle full off the rear wheel would help to slow the bike down. Not so much with the V85.

But when I bought the V85 I knew its gravel road manners would be inferior to the AT. I bought the V85 as most of my riding will be done on tar seal. The gravel I ride will be well formed roads and I just need to slow down and smell the roses along the way.

[fastdadio]

Gorgeous motorcycle! Never owned a Guzzi, but I love looking at them. I'm still riding my 21 year old Sportster I bought new in '99'.

[MrKiwi]

Went for a long ride today, the first time in 8 weeks.

Around 45okm.

A few pics...

[diogenes009]

[MrKiwi]

Spring has sprung, and typically it snowed in the South Island, which means damp wet cold here.

But it is time to take the goose out again, even if it is just to get a coffee.

The roads are wet, again...

[campfire]

Awesome!
Heading out myself on the 16th for a nice long ride to Arizona.

[MrKiwi]

Oh, this thread is need of an update!

That goose has gone.

This goose is at home. Meet Red Head.