2021–2022 · Adventure · Buyer's Guide
Italian Character, Planted Confidence
The Centenario is Moto Guzzi's hundredth-birthday version of the V85 TT, and it wears the occasion openly: green and silver paintwork, gold detailing, tubeless spoked wheels. Underneath sits the 853 cc air-cooled 90° V-twin, mounted transverse as always, making 77 hp at 7,500 rpm and 60 lb-ft at 5,000. Shaft final drive, a 19-inch front wheel, suspension adjustable at both ends, and a rider-aid package of ABS, traction control and ride modes, plus cruise control, a TFT dash and LED lighting. In the middleweight travel class it sits firmly on the road-leaning side of the fence.
This is a motorcycle with a rhythm you settle into rather than fight. It rewards steady progress on open roads, holds its line at highway speed, and keeps its charm as the miles pile up; air cooling and a shaft mean fewer consumables to think about over the years. It suits the rider who travels for the road itself and treats gravel as part of the route rather than the point of it. The honest caveat: 6.7 in (170 mm) of travel and 507 lb (230 kg) wet put a firm ceiling on how rough the terrain can get, and the gearbox occasionally balks on the way into fourth.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 77 hp (57 kW) @ 7,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 60 lb-ft (82 Nm) @ 5,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 853 cc |
| Engine | 90° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Shaft |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 320 mm |
| Front tire | 110/80-19 |
| Rear tire | 150/70-17 |
| Wheelbase | 60.2 in (1530 mm) |
| Ground clearance | 8.3 in (210 mm) |
| Front travel | 6.7 in (170 mm) |
| Rear travel | 6.7 in (170 mm) |
| Seat height | 32.7 in (830 mm) |
| Wet weight | 507 lb (230 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.1 gal (23 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Lighting
Safety
Thumb the starter and the bike rocks against your legs for a moment, the longitudinal crank pushing back the way only this engine layout does. That mechanical honesty never really leaves you. At idle the cylinders work away through the pegs and the tank; open it up and the pulse smooths into a dry, hard bark that carries into the helmet without wearing you out over a day. The riding position is upright and roomy, 32.7 in (830 mm) to the seat, bars wide enough that slow maneuvering needs no wrestling. Vibration through the grips stays present but civilized on a long interstate stretch, and the 6.1 gal (23 L) tank is broad enough at the front that your knees find it without hunting. At real road pace it feels calm and deliberate, and you stop hurrying without ever deciding to.
This section isn't built on my own miles. It comes from years of rider conversation: small talk at track paddocks, parking-lot debriefs after a ride, club evenings, and the notes owners send me once they have lived with a bike for a season or two. On the Centenario, two threads keep surfacing that have nothing to do with lap times. Riders talk about how the bike treats them over a long day, and about how other people react to it.
The most consistent praise is about ergonomics. Owners describe an upright position, a seat with enough padding to keep working late in the day, and a screen that does its job well enough that they stop thinking about it. The relaxed geometry gets mentioned in the same breath as the narrow waist: riders say the bike is easy to move around underneath them, on pavement and off it, without feeling like they are managing it.
The other recurring theme is attention. Riders report that the retro racing look and the limited-run status draw people at fuel stops and cafes in a way their other bikes don't. What they seem to enjoy most is that it reads as a classic dirt bike shape while still doing modern travel duty. That combination comes up often enough that it clearly matters to the people who bought one.
Hesitant 3rd-to-4th Gear Shift Under Hard Acceleration
Some testers and owners reported a reluctance to engage 4th gear when accelerating hard, requiring an extra deliberate shift to avoid a false neutral.
Intermittent Rough Idle / Stalling
An electrical gremlin causing a wandering or rough idle, sometimes leading to stalling at low speeds, has been noted in a few owner reports on forums.
Where this Moto Guzzi V85 TT Centenario pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the V85 TT Centenario is actually built for.
Twisty pavement and 200 to 400 mile days are exactly this bike's beat. It won't chase anyone down a straight, but it holds a line beautifully and leaves you fresh when you stop for the night.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
Cruise control, a 6.1 gal (23 L) tank and rock-steady highway manners make park-to-park runs easy. Two-up and fully loaded is where you feel the 77 hp working, so plan relaxed days.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
Fine on graded gravel and forest road, and the shaft is one less thing to service mid-route. Where a BDR turns rocky, 6.7 in (170 mm) of travel and 507 lb (230 kg) set your limit.
Made for AZBDR — Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route · California BDR South · COBDR — Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Moto Guzzi V85 TT Centenario. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2018–2024
Luggage-Ready, Corner-Friendly Middleweight
Roughly $2,300 pricier used than this bike at 4 yr
Competitor · 2019–2022
Stripped Down, Dirt Ready
About the same used price as this bike at 5 yr
Same Platform · 2020–2026
The Steady Dakar Tourer
About the same used price as this bike at 5 yr
Similar Character · 2019–2020
Scrambler That Actually Delivers