Went for a ride over to Rivington Pike…nice clear, fairly cold but not a rainy day. Warmed up with a tasty hot sausage roll and a coffee at the Barn then on to Belmont and home via Rufford A59. A few bikes about. Alas not a Moto Guzzi in sight though! A good afternoon to clear the cobwebs away 
5 Likes
Love Eskdalemuir and Samye Ling, so calming and peaceful 
3 Likes
I Live near Langholm in the Eastern corner of Dumfries and Galloway, so these pics were taken on the B709 up the Eskdale valley and outside the Samye Ling Buddhist monastery on that road. It’s a quiet part of the world by en large with some wonderful roads and scenery.
2 Likes
Im quite jealous of you all with the dales, peaks and lake district or Scotland to ride. I can get to Exmoor or Dartmoor for a ride but both are a 200+ mile round trip and not as exciting as your northern hills and lakes. The A39 coast road on Exmoor though is fantastic.
Im off out for a ride today. My Guzzi is close to rideable but not quite there yet and its wet today so ill be on my Yamaha Tracer 9GT. I may take a trip to Fowlers in Bristol to have a look at the V85 Strada and V100 Mandello as potential replacements for the Tracer.
3 Likes
Steve, are you South of Bristol? I’m midway between Bristol and Gloucester so my go to riding area is over the bridge or North up into the Cotswolds, lots of nice riding on the V85 and I’m also an ex Tracer 850 owner. It’s nice to have a comfy seat.
Im in Frome, about 20 miles south of Brizzle. Ive not really explored the Cotswolds, I should do.
My Tracer is really comfortable, fast, great handling, smooth and utterly lacking character. I will get a test ride on the V85. I might have to wait another year if I decide to go with the V100.
1 Like
My Tracer was the first generation so the seat was like a plank and the screen caused awful turbulence, other than that it was probably the best bike I’d ever had but since buying a V85TT I haven’t missed it one bit. If you fancy a ride on mine (insurance permitting) you’re more than welcome to try before you buy.
2 Likes
Couple of hundred miles today though freakin’ cold the first half. Not too busy for a Sunday. Still quite a bit of snow on the higher hills but to faffy to stop.
5 Likes
I did a few more bits on my V50ii. Very close to being ready to ride now, I just need to make some bushes for the foot controls.
I started it up while sitting on the bike. Is wasn’t expecting the events that followed. Ive never had a Guzzi before. The sideways pull when revving it is quite strong! That took me by surprise!
I really can’t wait to ride it!
I also spoke to Fowlers about trading in my Tracer 9GT for a V85 Strada. It’ll be interesting to see whether they offer me more than a fiver for it! If its a realistic amount then ill book the longest test ride they’ll allow.
3 Likes
Good luck with getting a good PX offer with Fowlups. I had a Triumph speed triple to trade with them when I got a new tracer, their offer was less than generous. I seemed to remember I sold the triumph for £800 more and I let it go cheap. The buyer was delighted.
Fowlers is about the only option for new Guzzi around here (im South of Bristol). Last time I tried buying a new Guzzi, it was a V7 from Moto Corsa in Gillingham and they went bust before I manged to put down a deposit.
The Guzzi dealer network is rubbish. They’d probably sell more bikes if it were easier to buy one.
1 Like
you won’t notice the sideways pull when riding (or at least, you’ll subconsciously adapt to it). the only issue I had was the v85 had a surging issue caused by unshielded sensor wires, when coasting/no throttle leaning pver on a roundabout if it surged it causes a wobble. this would be less of an issue in europe with their wrong way around roundabouts but getting tipped further over onto the side you are leaning randomly isn’t fun.
a remap fixed it, never had any problems since.
1 Like
Steve, I got a nice long test ride from Downend Bikes & Scooters which are just off the ring road. They had a V85 demo at the time which I took out while they went over my tracer. The test ride went well, I decided that the tracer was going an a V85 was going to be my next bike but it would have to be a Travel variant. I couldn’t afford new and luckily I found a tidy private one owned by a club member in North Dorset, he was kind enough to hold onto it until I sold selling my tracer privately, Raymond wouldn’t even accept a deposit, top bloke. So my advice would be give them a call first and if you can’t get a ride then head further North to Frasers of Gloucester, they are nice to deal with and offer sensible test rides. Last time I was up there they had two V85 demo bikes. Personally Fowlers would be my last choice based on personal experience.
3 Likes
Hi Steve,
I bought my 2025 V85TT from Frazers in Gloucester.
Moto Guzzi dealer, took the bike back there to get the heated comfort seat that came with the bike working. Took them a while to fit the module, but think that was due to the location and mounting method changing on the newer model. They seemed pretty reasonable, had a few used bikes there and then also brand spanking too.
4 Likes
Downend are no longer a Moto Guzzi dealer unfortunately. It’s a bit of a shame, they had a good reputation
@SteveCorner I bought my Stelvio from Wheels of Peterborough as they offered a great trade in against my Ducati and 1.5k off the new price.
Since then I’ve had all work (accessory fitting, 4 services, a couple of minor warranty issues) done by Downend Scooters. They have provided great service and I hope many of us owners in the area will keep using them so that they are able to keep up with the technical skills and special equipment to service Guzzis in future.
3 Likes
Hi Barney, they lent you a V85 Strada when I met up with you last summer, I guess they still had a demo bike and a few left to sell back then?
Looking on the main Guzzi UK website it still seems to have them as a factory approved workshop but not MG bike sales.
Yes Mike, so test ride =Fowlers
Purchase=wherever makes economic sense
Warranty+Service=Downend Scooters
PS. They probably don’t have any Guzzi courtesy bikes anymore.
PPS. Chilly rideout to Llandovery for lunch today!
4 Likes
Work in progress. Still. Replaced pads. Took it round the block, sounds and goes great. Brakes rubbish. Trying to get it right before Cornwall meeting on 18th.
13 Likes
Wee beauty! 
1 Like