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Will I Be Glad I Bought One?

PalouseRider

Just got it firing!
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Messages
2
Tell Me What You Really Think
I've just joined this group because I can't think of a better place to ask what I need to know. I don't want to generate any comparisons here, just want to know before I buy a new Stelvio. With that said, I'm so ready to jump onto a new (2013) NTX as my 800GS is simply not the bike I care to ride to Chicago or Portalnd, then go off road to enjoy the scenery. Just today I had my 12K warranty service done. Cost me $750! That GS has been nothing but great, reliable and plenty of power since I got it however I haven't spent as much as 1 straight hour on it before I had to pull over and wake my butt up. I've done as much to it as I can think of to modify and cure the rider positioning to not much improvement. BMW simply doesn't give you a lot to work with from the factory.
So, I've been drooling over the Stelvio for about 1.5 years and now I feel is the time to pull the trigger and get one of my own. However, I've been reading a lot of posts talking about clutch chatter problems, suspension recalls, something about flickering driving lites, etc. There was one poster that mentioned he was without his ride for 3 months. Up here, in the Northwest, 3 months is a very,very long time to be without your motorcycle.
So, please, if you will, tell me what I need to know so I can communicate with my local Guzzi Dlr. about these issues and how to avoid spending the $16K they want for a Stelvio and not having a reliable ride everyday, all day, during my riding season. I've been in touch with Moto Int. just across the mountains and he was good about calming my concerns about there being few Dlrs. per state and having to wait months for a part needed for, either warranty issues or otherwise.
I'm all ears and want to hear what you have to tell me. Don't hold back. I would very much like to purchase without reservations, if that's possible?
 
Well, I just typed for an hour and went to post and it asked me to log in and F@@KED me over by deleting the whole shitery. Super pissed right now. Summary:

2 warranty claims - took a month a piece - I could have got the bike from the dealer if required and still been riding but chose not to.

My wife needed to stop every 100 km's on the Breva 750 (I could go between fuel ups) We can both do 300-400 km's on the Norge/Breva now and the arse is still good.

I have never had to trailer it anywhere even with an oil leak on my Breva 1100 - I have never been stranded

My wife chose a 2012 Norge 8V out of every bike she tested.

Combined 25000 km's on Breva 750, Breva 1100 and Norge 8V with no catastrophic failures or failures worth being concerned over.

The best is never the most popular.

Do research, fix the issues that others have found.

Dave at Moto International told me they are reliable, he was right.

Parts are everywhere and only a shipment away (Thanks Corsa Meccanica).

Dealers aren't everywhere but Forums are (Thanks Guzzitech, Todd, John and Pete to name a few).

My father suggested I by a local brand (Suzuki, Yamaha, KTM or Honda) as warranty is right here. I don't ride my bike so I can fix it, I ride it to ride and needs to be reliable - I haven't been wrong with Guzzi)

I do everything on the bikes (so far) parts are affordable and they are extremely easy to work on and access. I have had the dealer do some work when it was in for its final warranty before it ran out, it cost me $650, not cheap, but once in a while it is okay and for what they did, it was reasonable.

Put the Guzzitech fueling kit on, well worth it.

If you have nagging doubts after all your research, get the brand you feel comfortable with.

This is just my opinion based on my experience.
 
You WILL want to replace the aux driving lights with something LED and install fuzes in each aux light circuit...easy peasy. You WILL want to replace the mirror/turn signals with the euro version, another easy mod. You SHOULD replace the battery with something that won't leak. In the first year or two you ought to plan to grease the swingarm bearings and the shock lower link. The former is a 3 hour job, the latter is about 20 minutes. Other than those mods, just ride the darn thing and don't baby it. You can do almost any maintenance yourself.

Like any machine, things break. There have been a couple bad oil sending units. I had a slow leak on a rim, fixed it myself with a new "O" ring. The thing is, the only systemic problems are the three I noted above.

BTW, I believe you can get a new '13 for substantially less than the $16K MSRP. Guzzi has a substantial rebate to new buyers and I have heard that they also have an added spiff for the dealer. That deal won't last long.

Peter Y.
 
PalouseRider said:
Tell Me What You Really Think
I've just joined this group because I can't think of a better place to ask what I need to know. I don't want to generate any comparisons here, just want to know before I buy a new Stelvio. <snip> I've been in touch with Moto Int. just across the mountains and he was good about calming my concerns about there being few Dlrs. per state and having to wait months for a part needed for, either warranty issues or otherwise.
I'm all ears and want to hear what you have to tell me. Don't hold back. I would very much like to purchase without reservations, if that's possible?

My experience:
Bought a 2009 ( worst case scenario)

I have had 22 (!) issues covered variously under warranty and by me (warranty support has been good) but the bike has never let me down on the side of the road, have taken it as far from tech support as I could with no problems (Radisson Quebec - look it up on the map it's a long way from anywhere) and one brave soul travelled from Alaska to Patagonia on one apparently (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 655&type=1)

In spite of the issues I have had (which you won't have with a newer model) I do not regret buying the bike at all and if I had to buy another bike today would get another Stelvio.

If you need parts and your local dealer is dicking around then just order them from MPH in Houston, super reliable and reasonable. The support on this site is fantastic, the bike is amazing and if the Guzzi philosophy speaks to you then you won't regret buying the Stelvio.

If you want to take the safe route then get a V-strom - terrific value, good machine all around but you will not get the Moto Guzzi experience..........

Let us know what you decide,
 
OK, so as the owner of a '09 Stelvio, and now haven ridden many of the big tankers, my thoughts; Buy it and don't look back. She's a little heavy to push around the garage, but once you get past that, it's an amazing machine. More sporting then you'd imagine possible, and quite capable on unpaved roads and some areas where some dirt bike guys would wince, should you have the talent and desire.
Yes you may have a few little hiccups, but having a good dealer support (and yes this Forum, thanks), will give you many many (s)miles of enjoyment.
My advice when you get it; make sure it is PDI'ed/prepped thoroughly. They are sensitive to proper set up. Secondly, relocate the driving lights off of the crash bar. Lastly, correct the fueling:
Brett said:
Put the Guzzitech fueling kit on, well worth it.
Ride and enjoy it... I know you will if you've landed here, and welcome to the Famiglia in advance. It's so much more of an experience then those BM Forums. :whistle:
 
I could not have chosen a better arena to learn what I needed to before I make my decision. Many, many thanks to every one of you guys that took the time to help me to really understand what it means to own a Guzzi.
If and when I can ever, I will gladly do for the next new guy what you all did for me, namely have something very exciting to look forward to.
I will remember all the recommendations I saw in these replies, once I have my new NTX at home.
Now, I will be very glad I bought one! :D
Again, Much Gratias to all of you.
 
PalouseRider said:
I could not have chosen a better arena to learn what I needed to before I make my decision. Many, many thanks to every one of you guys that took the time to help me to really understand what it means to own a Guzzi.
If and when I can ever, I will gladly do for the next new guy what you all did for me, namely have something very exciting to look forward to.
I will remember all the recommendations I saw in these replies, once I have my new NTX at home.
Now, I will be very glad I bought one! :D
Again, Much Gratias to all of you.

I purchased a new 2012, NTX I have ridden just over 5000 km on it now. The bike has not missed a beat and runs like a champ. I bought mine after riding a friends 09. He has 15,000 km on his and still loves it. We had a friend at work who traded his Harley for a Stelvio. Buy it and have fun. You won't regret it!
 
The only real regret is if you don't get one! All Guzzis are special, and just love been ridden. Go for it!
 
I have an 09 with 50,000 miles on it and I love it more today than I did when I got it. I think it's the best overall bike I've ever owned.

Much is made of the weight, but in reality, most of the big adventure bikes weigh about the same and none have the soulful motor of the Stelvio.

It'll eat miles like nothing else, can haul more stuff than a pack mule on a trip, is comfortable and like Todd said, if you have the desire to learn how to ride it well off road, you'll be surprised how much fun it is there.

Best of luck with your decision.


Doug
 
Having come from an F800GS myself I have to tell you that you will be surprised at the off road handling of this bike. Where the F8 was squirrelly at times, The Ntx was rock solid. I think it's the weight. :p
 
My 13 Stelvio has been a hoot! Had one minor problem that was a PIA, ( crank angle sensor failed) I posted on Wild Guzzi, got some excellent advice and the dealer in Baton Rouge fixed it up. Put the full Monty Guzzitech fueling package and Zard exhaust, money well spent. Todd's customer support is second to none. Have about 9000 miles and trouble free other than the mentioned CAS. Weight not a problem once your feet are up, and the oft mentioned cylinder head /knee interference problem hasn't been a problem for my 34 inch inseam. I really enjoy mine, wouldn't trade it for anything else on the market presently.

Jay
 
WitchCityBallabio said:
...It'll eat miles like nothing else, can haul more stuff than a pack mule on a trip, is comfortable...

I agree with WitchCity -- I use my '12 for solo, long distance touring and camping trips on hard surface roads. It now has 17.5K miles on it and continues to run better each time out. There are issues that need to be worked though (they've already been discussed) but they're not insurmountable, and certainly not deal breakers. Once sorted, the bike is really a very amazing piece of equipment to ride.
 
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