Moto Guzzi V85 Concept Debuts at EICMA
Rennie Scaysbrook | November 7, 2017
A nod to the past from Moto Guzzi with the V85 Concept.
Moto Guzzi’s V85 Concept should be made into a production bike, in our humble opinion.
The concept bikes continue to come from EICMA this year, the latest of which is the Moto Guzzi V85 adventure bike.
Styled as a ‘Classic Enduro’, the V85 boasts an all-new 90° transverse 850cc V-twin motor, capable of pumping out around 80hp. Not a massive number, we grant you, but MGitss it’s new motor is more about the experience than the sheer power. “It is an engine that, fully in line with Moto Guzzi philosophy, announces itself as a classic for the near future, providing rewarding performance on every kind of route, as well as guaranteeing great character and the usual spectacular force at lower running speeds,” so says the press release.
The chassis is still the Guzzi-standard tubular steel and the swingarm is Guzzi’s asymmetric aluminum design operating a single right hand side shock absorber, giving the appearance of an old-school twin shock design when viewed from the right with the exhaust exiting on the left. Guzzi wouldn’t say what the wheel travel is, only that it is “generous” …
As for the body, Guzzi says the tank design was inspired by their Paris-Dakar bikes of the 1980s and early ’90s, with the high front guard giving a little hint that Guzzi expects you to take this thing to places other than your local café, while an LED lighting, featuring a Daytime Running Light (DRL) can be found up front.
Hopefully Moto Guzzi do indeed decide to make this a production bike as it’s got plenty of panache about it somewhat lacking in the current Moto Guzzi range. But for now, the V85 is just a concept bike. Bummer.
