V85 motor secrets unveiled

[Lucky Phil]

On 9/19/2019 at 5:31 AM, Nihontochicken said:

Just noticed this new Indian model in the same niche as the V85 TT, a lot more bucks than the Guzzi, but much more a looker, really makes one fantasize about sideways madness.  JMHO. 

Sorry not seeing this. Ones an adventure bike and ones a pseudo flat tracker for the suburbs.

Ciao

[po18guy]

Apologies to any owners here, but I would never buy an  HD. What they did to Erik Buell was criminal. I would buy an Indian, all things considered. 

[GuzziMoto]

17 hours ago, po18guy said:

Apologies to any owners here, but I would never buy an  HD. What they did to Erik Buell was criminal. I would buy an Indian, all things considered. 

While I agree with you on the Buell thing, you do realize that Indian is Polaris and Polaris screwed over Victory.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonfogelson/2017/01/11/polaris-industries-kills-off-victory-motorcycles/#70416f932175

[po18guy]

3 hours ago, GuzziMoto said:

While I agree with you on the Buell thing, you do realize that Indian is Polaris and Polaris screwed over Victory.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonfogelson/2017/01/11/polaris-industries-kills-off-victory-motorcycles/#70416f932175

Well corporations do what they gotta do. Not exactly the same, but GM screwed Pontiac and Oldsmobile. Ford screwed Mercury and Chrysler the same to Plymouth. "Indian" has more cred than Victory. As nice a bike as the Victories are, it seems to me that their focus was too narrow and their demographic (me) is dying off. Indian has more bases covered.

Back to Erik, I wonder if a V11 will fit a Buell XB frame.  90º turn on final drive and...

Just daydreaming. Anyway, the Ballabio is my last bike. I don't have many laps left and would hate to breathe my last regretting not having owned a Guzzi.  

[Nihontochicken]

On 9/26/2019 at 3:58 PM, Lucky Phil said:

Sorry not seeing this. Ones an adventure bike and ones a pseudo flat tracker for the suburbs.

Ciao

Sorry, I wasn't slicing the pie quite that fine.  By "same niche" I was merely implying some dirt worthy pretensions, not going so narrow as to differentiating between "adventure bike" and flat tracker wannabee.  Neither one is capable of anything much more difficult than a graded fire road, and the Guzzi is more a touring bike mainly due to its larger gas tank and perhaps, believe it or not, somewhat less weight.  Despite its looks, the Indian is over 500 pounds.  Uffda. 

My major point was styling.  Of course, an "adventure bike" has a small canvas for styling flair.  The Guzzi V85TT is a nice looking scooter, given its purpose.  It is certainly no head turner as is the V11 in its own venue.   The Indian is also a good looking bike, again not in the hunt with a V11, but a decent looker for a street legal flat track replica (though ungodly heavy).  The Guzzis since the V11 have generally been stylistic duds across the board, from the homely Griso to the yawner V7/V9 to the fugly, "kill it before it multiplies" Audace/MGX-21.  Yes, they address different markets, but they're all crappy looking (JMHO). 

Of course, we here all want an technically upgraded V11 with the stylistic flair traceable back to the original LeMans.  Looks like it ain't gonna happen in my lifetime, as Piaggio is just trading on the Guzzi name nostalgia, a commodity in ever decreasing supply as we old farts die out.  Not that I could afford a truly new V11 if they indeed produced such.  So I will be happy with my 2004 model as I watch Moto Guzzi sadly swirl down the drain into cycling irrelevance and eventual corporate cardiac failure.  Unfortunate.  Sigh.

[po18guy]

And in a strange twist of fate, Indians are no longer imported to the US as they were in the 60s and 70s, but made in North America. Meanwhile some Harleys are made in India. And then there's the new 338cc "Charley", made in China.  Corporate life, reflecting politics as it does, often makes for strange bedfelllows.

[docc]

I seem to recall that all of the small blocks, including the V7 and V9, have been made in the old Innocenti  (Lambretta) factory that DeTomaso set up near Milan. (True?)

Are the V85 motors being made there or in Mandello?

[pete roper]

No idea where they are assembled now. Last time I was In Mandello in 2016 the very last of the 1200's were being assembled along with smallblocks and the MGX but while the vehicle assembly lines and various other pedestals for assembly of fairings/stereos/clocks etc were on display there didn't seem to be any dedicated areas for engine, gearbox or final drive assembly so I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that these components were being assembled remotely at Pontadera or Noale or some other Piaggio facility and then shipped to Mandello for final assembly into whole motorbikes.

I've since seen pics of workers assembling smallblock motors purportedly taken at Mandello fairly recently but there is nothing actually in the pictures to identify the location as Mandello itself. 

[ScuRoo]

 

[ScuRoo]

Dyno’d specs

[luhbo]

All I ever read is "perfect bike, but the poor power". Well, proven 78 is more than my 'real' 850ies ever could deliver. How the times are changing ...

[ScuRoo]

188 kg

[ScuRoo]

Claudio Torri - Dakar legend reappears after 25 years in Eritrea 🇪🇷

http://www.parisdakar.it/tag/torri/

[docc]

That is so fabulous! Thank you, ScooRoo! What astounding history brought together to inform and encourage and motivate . . .

Claudio Torri !

 

[ScuRoo]

Via Gutsibits F/B sales progress