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New Member needs advise

tomsp

tomsp

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
Apr 20, 2011
Messages
68
I'm considering a Stelvio - what are the ups and downs?

I've had 2 Centauro's and 1 LeMans in mg land. Todd Egan bought my Lemans after I rode it off a cliff in Mendocino :eek:

I'm looking for an all purpose bike - can you compare the stelvio with the beamer k1200 adventure?

Thanks
 
tomsp said:
I'm considering a Stelvio - what are the ups and downs?

I've had 2 Centauro's and 1 LeMans in mg land. Todd Egan bought my Lemans after I rode it off a cliff in Mendocino :eek:

I'm looking for an all purpose bike - can you compare the stelvio with the beamer k1200 adventure?

Thanks
Click to expand...

By "All Purpose", are you thinking of single-track, fire roads, or perhaps just the occasional stretch of bad pavement? I don't own one, but have used one on several two-wekk trips. It's a wonderful street bike. For really bad roads and some dirt roads, it will do fine. But (as others will also tell you), it's much to heavy for serious stuff. On the street? It's a great bike. The small fuel tank was a bother, but a larger one is available this year.

EDIT: your first post. Welcome!
 
Right - occasional bad roads - street/ all weather - just want to know I can use it on rough roads if need be.... what's the problem areas been with them?
 
tomsp said:
Right - occasional bad roads - street/ all weather - just want to know I can use it on rough roads if need be.... what's the problem areas been with them?
Click to expand...

I've been on plenty of really crappy roads with one. works great. The suspension really soaks up the potholes. Problems? I'm probably not the best to say. Two of the bikes I rode had a dash that wouldn't work after a long rain. the bike would run, but the display was worthless. After a few hours to dry things always cleared up. I always put the seat at the maximum height. It still isn't the most comfortable bike I've been on, but for 400 miles days, it works just fine (for reference, I'm 6-4). Wind protection? Acceptable. Leg/knee clearance? Acceptable. I can't say anything about the luggage.

This photograph doesn't really do it justice, but for most of the miles, this road (in Spain) was only about 70% there--the rest being dirt and holes (like the shoulder in the photograph). But, I was able to easily keep it at 60 mph and it always felt planted.
photo553.JPG

(I never saw any traffic in 30 miles; I'm not sure the road was on any maps, but it pointed the direction I was headed)
 
Hey, Spain is awesome. We hiked the camino last year.. I'd love to ride there - that road is what I'm talking aobut if need be or worse if need be. Electrical never has been a strong suite it seems....
 
The bike compares to the BMW GS, that being said the Guzzi shines in the motor, gear box and shaft drive department, but lacks in the suspension department, especially the rear shock. Todd has the fix for the shock, change the weight of the fork oil and then the suspension works well.

All my buddies that own GS’s want to borrow my bike when we go out riding together; the motor is a torque monster.

The electrical power (alternator) works well. Wife and I in full Gerbings (jacket liner, pants liner and gloves) in 25 degree weather and Moto Guzzi / PIAA driving lights on and no problems.

The seat.......well you will either like it or hate it, it's no Russell Day Long that's for sure.

Guzzi luggage works well but there are plenty of alternatives to suit your needs and wants.

If I were purchasing a 2010 or 11 model the only thing I would change were the plug boots, I believe that is the bikes only weak link.

I purchased a NTX rear wheel for my 2009 US version and I am now running Metzeler Tourance tires and they work very well on the road less traveled.

That’s my 0.02 worth, 26,000 miles and lots of smiles.
 
I sold my Centauro, my solo ride, for the Stelvio. It turns out that I use the Stelvio two up constantly, not solo as expected. My wife prefers the Stelvio ride over the EV.
The brakes are very confident, and the bike works well in the twisties, but mine still needs something in the suspension tweaked. I've always been clueless on suspension tweaks. I think it just need the rear spring and shock firmed up, when I get some money.
We use it two up for highway, gravel, and dirt. Last weekend I was on a gravel fire road that I needed to move a few small trees out of the way to keep going. That ended with a huge tree blocking the trail on a downhill. The road was washed out and too narrow to turn around, so the wife had to get off and help me push the beast backwards a little ways up the trail so I could turn around. I was at the limit of what you would want to do with it, especially two up.
On the highway it does well, but it tends to melt the rear tire. I haven't been getting very good rear tire life.
The stitching on the seat is starting to wear. I told the wife I was going to have to send the seat off to get recovered. She made me promise that I would not make any foam changes to her's. She is very happy with it as is.
 

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I've only got a modest 1,600 miles under the belt of my Stelvio and love it ! Very comfortable, big miles no problem at all (did 300 miles last Sunday effortlessly). I had a little spot of bother with wind (must have been the sprouts ?), but that's been sorted with a Givi screen and an MRA spoiler. Compared to my previous V-Strom and Varadero it is similar but way more characterfull and endearing. A much better gearbox than either and the most comfortable standard seat I've had too. Chuck shaft drive into the equation and it's a winner, much cooler than a GS too. The standard (NTX) luggage is cavernous and can accomodate everything I'll ever throw at it, but it is w i d e... All in all very happy with my third Guzzi, go on do it - buy one !
 
Wayne - how many miles on your Stelvio now? Are you talking with two up cleaning out a tire in 2k miles?

Several names I recognize here from previous mg sites :lol:

Hey how do you add bikes to the personal list -- I don't know how to edit it seems?

Also seems like the diminishing guzzi dealers here don't have Stevlio's! I need to go looking further afield. Is there reliable manuals for tuning up, etc?

I appreciate all the comments - I'm reading them.

I am keeping the C Beast! I love riding it in the hills. It's a poor highway bike IMHO and horrible 2 up - my front wheel goes all wobbly light. My wife is very light too :p
 
tomsp said:
Wayne - how many miles on your Stelvio now? Are you talking with two up cleaning out a tire in 2k miles?
I am keeping the C Beast! I love riding it in the hills. It's a poor highway bike IMHO and horrible 2 up - my front wheel goes all wobbly light. My wife is very light too :p
Click to expand...

I'm around 24-25,000 miles. Rear tires are averaging about 4,000 miles for me. Mostly commuting or two up riding.

I actually like my V10 even on the highway....Solo. My wife rode on it one time for about 20 miles, and refused to ever get on it again. :lol:
 
This is getting real interesting. Oh brother. I'll start looking at the dealers around
 
The wife and I rode about 150 miles of highway this morning. When we got to the Smokey Mountain Park, I headed for a gravel road that I had heard about. We went up and over the mountains for about 3 hours on gravel. Then back on some high speed pavement.
Many bikes would do this. Not too many bikes would have done this so well two up.
 
Wayne-- on technique are you standing up often on that type of road with 2 up?
 
I'm another "Centauro - To - Stelvio" guy.

I bought the Centauro thinking it would be a good combination one-up/two-up ride. Even with a Rich Maund seat, it wasn't. Two-up, it was too light in the front end and no matter how I adjusted the suspenion or fooled with tires (I put 8 rear tires on it in 36,000 miles), I could never get rid of a twitchy feeling when the least hint of pebbles, slick tar, or low-traction showed up. Wonderful motor, lovely seating position; I could never sort the handling to my satisfaction.

Tried a couple other Guzzis then found my Stelvio last September.

I rode Rt 536 in Ohio twice last weekend - 12 miles of the twistiest, steepest-drop, blind-corner road I've ever seen. There had just been a major storm the night before my second pass, and there was gravel all over the road, fresh potholes washed out, and the new culverts had been covered with 4-foot-wide strips of bare tar.

The Stelvio is the perfect bike for this sort of thing. Sure-footed, easy-handling - I'd have been walking my Centauro over that stuff. I didn't go fast, but when it hit slick wet tar in a turn and slid, it behaved very well, like a big trail bike, which it sort of is.

Although I've been doing a lot of solo riding on it, it's really Fay and my two-up touring bike. It has more room on it for legs and luggage than any Guzzi I've had, and the motor has great power. Fay's only 135 pounds or so geared up, and I can't even tell she's back there. I got 5300 miles out of my first rear Pirelli Scorpion (could have gotten 6000 but I didn't want to push it); never got more than 4000 out of a Centauro tire.

I just got a taller windshield in the mail that I'll put on and try tonight. I believe the Stelvio's a keeper.

Lannis
 
Ohio :lol: I'm from Youngstown. Ca now. My centaur is running and looking perfect except for a tad glitchy at really low rpm. I am trying to find a way to keep her. Did you just go in to a dealer and ride off? Checking dealer websites here I don't even see any stelvio's
 
tomsp said:
Ohio :lol: I'm from Youngstown. Ca now. My centaur is running and looking perfect except for a tad glitchy at really low rpm. I am trying to find a way to keep her. Did you just go in to a dealer and ride off? Checking dealer websites here I don't even see any stelvio's
Click to expand...

Bought mine from a dealer via an Ebay "Make an Offer" transaction. They posted a price, I counteroffered, they countered that, and we made the deal. I had someone drive me to the dealer and rode the bike home.

Lannis
 
I've got 7000 on mine since October. It's been ridden in snow, near zero temps and has been great. It did need an additional throttle body balance since the initial one done at 600 miles, but that's about it.

I find the seat pretty good for stock and have done 600 miles on it with really no issues. Probably could be better for me it works pretty well.

I like others have had the speedo stop working after a torrential rain but never anything less. It could be fixed with an easy sealing of the wheel sensor, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

I replaced the plug boots before I really had any issue with them, just to be safe.

I ride some of the worst paved roads in Mass, and it always amazes me how much better this bike soak up giant deep potholes better than any other bike I own.

The big alternator is a huge plus. I ran full electric gear, aux lights and intercom/gps with absolutely no issues.

My original tires are now at the wear bars and will soon be replaced with the Scorpion Trails rather than the Syncs, but I'm not terribly upset with getting 7000 miles out of them. From what I've read, thats pretty typical dual sport mileage.

The motor, trans, and final drive are things of beauty.

Almost forgot...

We rented a Stelvio in Italy for two weeks, did about 2500 miles on it two up with a ton of camping gear. My wife said the pillion was pretty comfy, and you could hardly tell the bike had a passenger and gear. It handled everything we through at it with ease.
 
tomsp said:
Wayne-- on technique are you standing up often on that type of road with 2 up?
Click to expand...

Lets see, 2 up, with luggage, on a monster bike. Not much point in standing on the pegs. Plus I'm lazy.
The road was being traveled by a number of cars so it wasn't that bad. Though there was a van there that appears to have punched a hole in the oil pan. I followed a trail of oil about 1/2 mile to the dead van sitting there. :roll: I like my aluminum sump guard.
 
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