Certainly not wanting to start an argument over oil types and grades.
A basic summary of my findings after changing the gearbox oil to V Twin.
The standard oil for these bikes is a 85/90 GL5. After reading other posts on Guzzi forums, it seems that The Redline oil is the preferred choice by many. A quick email to Redline confirmed that it is their recommended gear oil for the 8v 1200 and was also suitable for the final bevel drive.
Observations:
If the container has been sat for a few weeks it needs a good shake.
Deep red colour very thick - website mentions liquid grease - probably the best way to describe this fluid.
On the road:
When cold - it slips into 1st like flicking a light switch. To the point where I had an element of doubt if the gear had been selected. For the first 5 - 10 minutes the shifts feel very ‘dampened’ and a little characterless. Neutral was slightly harder to select until I recalibrated the force applied my left foot.
Slight reversal when up to temperature. More of a clunk going into 1st when stationary but almost acceptable when moving.
Overall:
Would I use V Twin again? Probably not.
Will it get changed out for regular 85/90 GL5 before the next scheduled service? Probably.
Interested to read what others using this oil have found.