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V85TT reliability

C

christian sunde

Just got it firing!
Joined
Sep 25, 2019
Messages
7
Location
Lubec Maine
Hi All, was just about ready to purchase a new 2021 v85tt and find myself wavering after reading accounts of poor quality control and poor warranty service. These include under filled self destructing transmissions and faulty air box allowing debris into the engine, as well as excessive oil consumption.
I have been a proud owner of a v7iii stone, 14k+ miles and zero issues.
Any comments and insight appreciated
 
christian sunde said:
Hi All, was just about ready to purchase a new 2021 v85tt and find myself wavering after reading accounts of poor quality control and poor warranty service. These include under filled self destructing transmissions and faulty air box allowing debris into the engine, as well as excessive oil consumption.
I have been a proud owner of a v7iii stone, 14k+ miles and zero issues.
Any comments and insight appreciated
Click to expand...
So you're on a Forum that specializes in the brand, and not a large multi-brand site or Faceplant.
Guzzi is far from perfect, but in whole, they are quite solid machines. Warranty issues are dealer dependent, and I'm not seeing a dealer in Maine, so that may be an issue for you if you don't expect to travel for it since you are FAR East Maine.
There have been very few issues that require a dealer since they were launched in 2019. I bought one of the first produced back then, and it had a rear drive leak and rear brake master recall. Since you own a V7 III, you know what to expect. Hope you'll add your info to the Registry here; https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/v7-registry-picture-thread-add-your-bike.9108/

Hope that helps.
 
My V85TT has been fantastic. The only issue mine had is the oil pressure sensor giving a spurious reading, which is a simple fix.
 
Thank you for your replies. I use Seacoast as my dealership. They provide great service, but of course, there is still nothing better than not needing service.
I'll gladly read any v85tt ownership experience, good or bad.
 
The only issue I've had with mine was a quite rare condition that was related to a change to the crank position sensor starting with the 2021 E5 bikes. I would not expect that to be a widespread or ongoing issue at this point, and the fix is well-known now. It took time, but the dealer and Piaggio squared it away 100%.

As for some of the issues you mention - the gearbox level and air filter issue are relatively easy self-checks and fixes, so if you wanted to sleep better at night, you could verify them for yourself. I've not heard of widespread gearbox issues, however. The airbox/filter situation does bother me a bit (and would even more if I did much off-road riding or lived in an excessively dusty location). I do plan to inspect mine for myself at some point in the not-too-distant future. If it is an issue, I see it as a fixable one. As for oil consumption, I haven't noticed it on mine. I'm not too far beyond the first service, however, so we'll see. I'm of the school of thought that believes things like oil consumption could be related to how the bike was broken-in initially - although I don't have any empirical data to back that up... its just a thing I like to believe LOL

__Jason
 
jwtucker said:
The only issue I've had with mine was a quite rare condition that was related to a change to the crank position sensor starting with the 2021 E5 bikes. I would not expect that to be a widespread or ongoing issue at this point, and the fix is well-known now. It took time, but the dealer and Piaggio squared it away 100%.

As for some of the issues you mention - the gearbox level and air filter issue are relatively easy self-checks and fixes, so if you wanted to sleep better at night, you could verify them for yourself. I've not heard of widespread gearbox issues, however. The airbox/filter situation does bother me a bit (and would even more if I did much off-road riding or lived in an excessively dusty location). I do plan to inspect mine for myself at some point in the not-too-distant future. If it is an issue, I see it as a fixable one. As for oil consumption, I haven't noticed it on mine. I'm not too far beyond the first service, however, so we'll see. I'm of the school of thought that believes things like oil consumption could be related to how the bike was broken-in initially - although I don't have any empirical data to back that up... its just a thing I like to believe LOL

__Jason
Click to expand...
Jason, thanks for the reply. I would also check out both. I did hear that the tranny level is not that easy to check.
 
jwtucker said:
The only issue I've had with mine was a quite rare condition that was related to a change to the crank position sensor starting with the 2021 E5 bikes. I would not expect that to be a widespread or ongoing issue at this point, and the fix is well-known now. It took time, but the dealer and Piaggio squared it away 100%.
The airbox/filter situation does bother me a bit (and would even more if I did much off-road riding or lived in an excessively dusty location).
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reminder on the crank sensor Jason, I had nearly forgotten that one. We've seen a handful at the shop now that have had no issues. For the air box/element, K&N's newest version I sell here; https://gtmotocycles.com/products/k-n-filters-cal-1400-v85tt -- is MUCH larger in every direction, and fits the box and lid MUCH better.
 
christian sunde said:
Jason, thanks for the reply. I would also check out both. I did hear that the tranny level is not that easy to check.
Click to expand...
Starting with the 2021 Euro 5 models, there is now a transmission level plug, which should make that process much easier. Earlier models did not have the plug, and the only way to know how much was in there was to drain it out.

1646171713079

__Jason
 
Re: the gearbox level plug
While it was added to the 2021+ bikes, and I'm _assuming_ the purpose is to check the gearbox oil level, I just wanted to clarify that I haven't actually tried using it myself, and I'm not sure I've seen anyone confirm that it can be used for that. I figure they must have added it for a reason.

Can anyone confirm? @GTM® ?

__Jason
 
jwtucker said:
Re: the gearbox level plug
While it was added to the 2021+ bikes, and I'm _assuming_ the purpose is to check the gearbox oil level, I just wanted to clarify that I haven't actually tried using it myself, and I'm not sure I've seen anyone confirm that it can be used for that. I figure they must have added it for a reason.
Can anyone confirm? @GTM® ?
__Jason
Click to expand...
I'll run it by my guys at Tech Svcs and see if they know. I hate this method as it is almost ALWAYS wrong. I just measure the drain typically.
 
Had my 2020 version since last July. Done over 5K miles now, the ride has been solid and the bike is easy to inspect and clean. No recalls on mine. During the run in, the only thing I had to do was tighten the odd nut or two. The build quality I found to be excellent, especially when comparing to other brands.
 
Mine is a 2020 model so some of the running problems people had when the 2021 models came out does not affect mine.
COVID put a damper on my riding since I bought it but I've got almost 12k miles on it now. I rode it cross country and back, all in a downpouring rain one direction, last year and then down into Copper Canyon in Mexico later in the year.
The only troubles I've come across have been the squeaky rear shock, which popped up after the 4 days of riding in hard rain and fixed by some lubricant spray, and cracking of one of the decorative exhaust shields up front which caused a rattle.
Other than that my V85 has been solid and I have not hesitated to ride it cross country or down into sparsely populated parts of foreign countries unsupported.

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I bought a 2021 new back in August of 2021. The only issue I had was a loose bolt on a cosmetic panel and one of the plastic tabs holding the ECU is cracked, but not sure if that was a dealer oopsie. It's still holds with the other 3 tabs even though the 4th has a crack. Everything else is working fine. There are a few torque stripe marks that are only on the bolt and not the bike so can't tell where it would line up since the line is only on the bolt head. Every bike has horror stories or bad experiences so I wouldn't let the vocal few scare you away. The bike is super easy to work on yourself as well.
 
I have a 2021 Centenario and am very happy with it so far. I added a few ounces of engine oil during break-in just to keep if full. I have about 1,400 miles since the 900-mile service (at 997 miles) and the engine oil level is still in the middle of the sight glass so oil consumption is less than some other bikes I have owned. I have a K&N air filter purchased from GTM to put in when I get a chance. I added a little sealing grease to the OEM filter for now and will use K&N sealing grease with the new filter to make certain there is no leakage. The crankshaft position sensor issue has not affected mine.
 
I too have a 2021 V85tt E5 model and have had zero issues. I climbed off the bike yesterday from a 2917 mile round trip (back roads) to Sebring Florida and back. No dirt riding but have done some of that as well. Seriously, the bike ran flawlessly through rain, cold, bugs etc without burning a drop of oil (to be fair I'm judging this via the engine oil sight glass and the level does not appear to have changed at all. If it has, it is very little) or ever missing a single beat.

I've made some personal changes to the bike (some of which I did just because I like to mess with stuff) along with items I've chosen to add from GTM. Long and short of it is that I really enjoy the power level (enough), the tempo of the engine, the nimble and responsive handling, the stellar brakes not to mention the fuel mileage when going not more than 65 indicated. I have no doubt the mileage falls when traveling faster than that because of the two sails my saddles bags create. No complaints, just stating the facts. I seriously enjoy this bike and drum roll, maybe even more than the wonderful Multi-Strada I sold just before it.

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another but as an elderly person....no need as this one will probably suffice to the end of time.
Enjoy your ride.
 
Thank you for your positive replies. I just closed a deal on a 2021 hold over! The basic e-5 in black.
Question, considering a remap from guzzitech; will this void the warranty?
 
l traded a much loved V7iii for the v85 and would like to add that guzzi's mechanical elegance and ease of maintenance was also a big draw for me.
 
IANAL, but in the US, its generally on the dealer or manufacturer to prove that a modification caused a failure, which would void that part of the warranty (I believe this is covered by the federal Magnuson–Moss Act). So, if you add an ECU remapping device, and say... your wheel falls off, no - there's no way that the mapping change would cause a failure of the wheel, so that would still be covered under warranty. However, if you have an ECU mapping tool hooked up and your ECU catches fire, well then maybe they will void your warranty claim on that.

__Jason
 
christian sunde said:
Thank you for your positive replies. I just closed a deal on a 2021 hold over! The basic e-5 in black.
Question, considering a remap from guzzitech; will this void the warranty?
Click to expand...
Christian,
My V85 is the all black one as well so clearly Good Choice!

Now I've no clue if the new mapping module (as I'll call it) from GTM will void anything or not but then it appears to be something you can remove when needed as it looks to be a piggy-back type of device. You'd have to ask Todd (who may have already addressed this but I've no looked so forgive me) so be sure but rest assured I am going to purchase this from Todd as well.

Enjoy your V85 as no kidding, it is a joy to ride.
 
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