don ’ t tell the whole story . The power delivery is excellent with a smooth , torquey and fairly responsive nature . It is the sort of power that requires minimal gear changes and the rider just wafts along carefree with little thought of the engine requirements necessary even for brisk travel . The V85TT doesn ’ t have the headline producing power figures of the big-bore BMW and KTM models , the 75hp it does have is well delivered and it is certainly no slouch . It can get along bloody well , but revving the engine hard is no real advantage with all the torque on offer through the lower revs and midrange . So , short-shifting through the gears is the best and most pleasant way to make forward motion . Moto Guzzi is synonymous with the transverse 90-degree V-twin format , and it ’ s easy to see why it has legions of fans . It ’ s tractable , looks good and sounds great . In essence , it is a great engine , well-suited to the bike ’ s Adventure design and engagingly capable while still being very user friendly . Four power modes are available , depending on riding conditions ; Rain , Road , Sport and Offroad . The first three modes offer progressively greater response while off-road is quite mellow , a bit like Rain mode but with less TC intervention . The TC can also be turned off .
CHASSIS The chassis has some old school features while still being a thoroughly modern design . How far back do we need to go for the first air / oil cooled twin with a single shock and driveshaft rear end of any brand ? I don ’ t know , but I ’ m guessing 50 plus years … the Ed is an excellent trainspotter and will probably interject about … now ( I ’ m not sure , but the layout is pretty blimmin similar to my 30-year-old R80GS , just with the cylinders twisted a little more upright - Ed ). Talking of driveshaft , the lack of a chain is a big positive for dirty road touring . Up front the Guzzi has 41mm USD forks and at the rear the shock has rebound damping and spring preload adjustment . Wheel travel at both ends is 170mm which is in keeping with the ‘ Explorer ’ design bias rather than
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