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Wannabe N00b

K

Kelvio

Just got it firing!
Joined
Sep 3, 2012
Messages
12
Hi all,
I am new here. My name is Kelly {no I am not a girl, just jacked up parents}. I am a father of a gorgeous 18 yr old daughter, husband of 1 wife for 25 yrs now, 48 yrs old, riding for 42 of those. I have raced MX most of my life and a bit of road racing a gixxer 750 back in the late 80s. Counting dirt bike miles {hard to measure exactly because of no Odo} I honestly believe I have about 500k on a bike and hope to be Million miler before I die. I definately have 300k on the tarmac and tens of thousands of laps on tracks from Az to Nor Cal.

Currently I have 4 bikes and am looking at adding a modern ADV bike to my garage. I have a 1965 Yamaha YM1 305 that is a project cafe racer just waiting to go back together. I have an old beat up Honda Magna 700 that was given to me, that will be a street trackker some day, if you do not know what that is it is a flat track styled bike but street legal. I have a 1986 BMW R80g/s with the stock tank and seat and a long dual seat and a Paris Dakar 8gal + tank that I am building....I know I know alot of projects and no riders so far....lol. I have as my daily rider, and I do mean daily, I have a 1996 BMW R1100RT that I have put 15k miles on in the last year and a half and that was with a 6 month lay off for a cervical fusion of my C4,5,6 with internal fixation. No Fun.

Because of the neck surgery my MX days are gone now, sadly. I still yearn for some adventure though and wish to get off the beaten tract more than the RT allows. Although I have ridden the RT at speed through the desert in Ocotillo wells, through whoops that are knee high and sand ankle deep, but that was scary and cost me a front rim since BMW makes their cast wheel out of butter or marjorane.

I am seriously in love with the new Stelvio NTX. I do not know if I can swing a payment right now since I have not worked in over 2 years and do not see a future for me in the field I work in as a Union Carpenter with this neck problem. But I really want a new Stelvio and thought I would join and read up a bit on them.

I bought my BMW RT with no previous knowledge of the bikes and while I do love riding it, I wish I would have bought an FJR or something else. It is expensive to repair and more maintanace than I expected for a low mileage BMW.

I have demoed the newest R1200GS Adventure and I like it, but not enough to drop 23k on one even if I had that kind of cash laying around. I am 6'0" tall and have ridden KTM MX bikes and Dual Sports for 12 years now and am not afraid of a taller bike so the GSA with its tall seat height was not a problem, but as I age and feel all of the 42 years of MX injuries accumulating {many bent and broken parts on me and over a dozen big surgeries} on my body a bit lower seat height on the Stelvio is a plus.

I plan on putting alot of road miles on my next bike but I would like to rack up alot of fire road and 2 track stuff also.

Does anyone here have experience on a GSA and direct comparisons to the new Stelvio that might help my research?

I promise you I am NOT a troll and any questions I ask are sincere and would be based on previous bike problems and for reference info.

BMWs are very known for final drive failures, fuel gauge/sender issues, battery issues if it gets even a tiny bit low, HORRIBLE stock seats, often valve adjustments on early models, very sensitive to TB sync issues.....the list goes on and on.

How do modern Guzzis compare on these issues?

I am not an idealist who thinks a bike should be trouble free forever, it is a mechanical object and thus suceptable {spell check lol} to failures, but I would like to ride with a certain amount of confidence and not stressed out if I am going to make it home.

Well that is my story in a nut shell. Sorry for poor grammar and spelling, I am a nail pounder for a living not a scholar, and fortunate to have a high school diploma.

Thanks all.
 
Wow,
37 views and not a single reply, hello, welcome, or response to my questions.

Way to make a guy wanna buy a MG. I love the look and style and feel like it compares well to the GS/GSA.

Even the slightly snobby BMW sport tourers forum was more welcoming and warm than here.

I realize I said I dont know if I can afford one anytime soon, but once in love with a bike, money has never stopped me before. I want what I want.

I am a regular contributor on many forums, studebaker drivers club {I also have a '49 Stude C-cab truck that is my only personal cager and daily driver other than my BMW bike}, BMW sport touring, previously ADV riders {I guess I need to back there where I know who the wienies are}, and Thimper talk.

I really am a nice guy, who loves to ride and wants to buy a new ADV bike. Please help me with my decision. I am down to the Super Tenere, maybe a used R1200GSA {just can not see 23k for new}, the Triumph Tiger {the new explorer model next year} and my least favorite the KTM 990 ADV {maintanace and reliability are questionable}

What are the advantages and disadvantages to the MG Stelvio NTX in comparison to these bikes?

Forum support is always a plus on any bike.
 
Check back issues of Rider magazine. They just did an article on the NTX a month or two ago. According to them, it fared favorably.
 
Kelly, welcome to the Forum. You are like many folks that land here and/or buy the brand.
It's busy this time of the year I suspect, as input here is very generous.
Your fairly specific request of a comparo between the GS and Stelvio is a tougher one. Here's my input based on over 3000 miles in one week on a (then brand new) 1200GS back in '05. I believe the GS has gained some weight since I last rode one, but power was good, as was weight back then, and it's typical BMW in terms of feel and sound. Nothing new to report I suspect there. Guzzi bought a GS as a development tool when they developed the Stelvio. A true-off-road'er it is not, however I have found it very capable in doing what you say you will. You will feel it's heft in low speed situations on slick surfaces. Beyond that, I think it is simply one of the most enjoyable Guzzi built to date. It far outshines the GS in about everything I can think of as far as street machines go, and aside from the few niggles you'll read about on this Forum, it's a keeper for me. The new ones come with the huge 8.6 gallon tank (which I wish my '09 had). The '09 has the full power Griso motor, the '10 on does not. No big loss if you ride it like an Adventure Tourer.
I really can't think of a reason not to buy one other then plan on investing a handful of time and money in one to get it to where you want (like all of the other bikes you'll buy), i.e. fueling, software for tuning, muffler (if that's your thing), etc. etc. It's pretty bullet-proof once sorted.
As for online help, this is one of the best you'll find to help you sort through any technical issues.

Hope that helps, post again if not.
 
Thank you guys very much for some feed back.
I am hoping we get a sttlement from workers comp from my neck injury, Couple that with my R80GS having some value and my RT being worth 3-4K I see an under 10k cash out put to step into an ADV bike.

So far from what I have read and researched the Super Ten and the MG Stelvio are at the top of my list since money is a big concern in my situation. I am a big fan of character in a bike and have never been a big cookie cutter bike guy. That is a big plus for the Guzzi. Dealer support and assumed reliabilty is a plus for the S10.

Standard accesories are a big plus on the Stelvio over any other bike.

I did not put it in my list of possible bikes to buy in the next year or so, but my favorite riding buddy just bought a new Duc MS 1200 S and WOW, that is an incredible MC. If they offered it with laced wheels and a 19" front that would be my choice at about any cost. Even with the cast 17" wheels it is a nice ride and may work on well traveld dirt roads that are smother, but no way it is a bumpy or sandy/muddy road bike at all. That limits it.

The new motor in the Duc has a much longer service interval for the valve, about triple the distance over the old Duc MS motor, the cost each time is high so that does not help its value.

All in all, character, euro flare, price value, basic performance over a wide range of terrain, fuel capacity, and so far reliability seem to be putting the Stelvio NTX up on the top of the list, a bit ahead of the S10 and a good bit ahead of the GSA, and Duc., Trumpet, and way ahead of the KTM. I am HUGE fan of the KTM DS bikes in the thumper liteweight class but not the twins so much.

I sure I have not sounded whiney, especially in my second post, and I appreciate all of your feedback. i hope to be seeing alot more of you all. ;)

Is Guzzi Tech also an actuall Guzzi dealer/service shop that i could ride to and visit? If so, what is its location?
Love to have new ride destinations and pick up a shirt or trinkets.

Kelly
 
Kelly, welcome to GuzziTech. As Todd has indicated, the Stelvio is a great bike, as long as you don't mind doing a little fiddling and farkling to get it to a perfect state of tune. I purchased my '09 Stelvio in November 2009, and have not regretted it for a second. It has more character, comfort, and a nicer exhaust note than anything else I have ever owned. Todd has a virtual store on this website, but I don't believe he has a bricks and mortar facility to visit. The nicest thing about the new NTX is the huge gas tank. I purchased an auxiliary tank for my '09 to compensate for the woefully tiny gas capacity, but that is not a concern with the NTX.

Anyway, if you are looking for a recommendation, I would certainly give the Stelvio my personal seal of approval!

Cheers,

Bruce
 
Wow, a personal welcome from the guy who filmed and narrated "On Any Sunday"....just kidding.
Thanks for the welcome.

You are making hard to not want one. The new NTX with 8.5 gal tank is a huge selling point for me. Couple that with great suspension, cool sound and a ton of style and character, I am really interested.

I am a regular on bmw sites and many sure love their GS and GSA bikes but man the up front and expensive accesories makes it a tough thought.

One guy on my bmw site brought up the ergos, he reminded me of a cycle ergo site you can do direct side by side ergo comparison. The GSA definately is more roomy from peg to seat than the Stelvio. I am 6'0" with a 31-32" inseam, so I am not sure if that is an issue, heading down to GP to sit on one and see if I can arrainge a demo ride.

Thanks again
Kelly
 
Kelley,

From everything I read in your first post, you're a bike guy after my own heart. You like projects and have some cool iron in your garage.

I think you're going to fall in love with the Guzzi motor at first impression....then like the bike for it's robust build quality and comfortable riding position.
My wife had C5-C6-C7 fused a few years ago and didn't ride pillion for a while. She'd been missing it though, and wanted to join me on a 2-week ride.
We took a 5,200 mile trip in August - she loved the riding position and ride quality on the road. I do too. Great for covering long days, and should not aggravate any neck tenderness.

Minus the race background we're a lot alike. A bike in the garage every year since '68 (I'm 57). I have added up the known street miles going back to mid 80's. I know how many miles I've put on everything since then - I am in the 475,000 mile range. I've been riding offroad since the beginning and still have a dirtbike in the garage all the time.
The NTX is my 55th bike (of 56) and I love to build dirtbikes into dualsports good for weeklong offroad trips. 25k-30k a year average when work doesn't get outta hand busy.

Ok, end of bio.
I think you'll like it a lot. If you think the BMW boxer has character...

Guzzis grow on you... you'll have an inital impression of "hey, this is kinda cool" then as you get more miles, you're thinking "why doesn't everything have a longitudinal v-twin in it?" because it seems like The Way it Should Be. It's a great feel and you'll find yourself shopping for a '74 Eldorado before you know it :mrgreen:
 
Kel, gotta to get to a guzzi event with test rides (I might have missed you saying you rode one). I've only ridden RT BMWs so I can't make a direct comparison. RT Beemer is to light feeling and surgical for me. I like feedback. And the V-twin feel - like no other. The STELVIO is a flying carpet - I was surprised how much this machine amplifies your ability. Or maybe its so fun that it make you feel like your doing fancy driving? Magical!

It's on my wishlist too.
 
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