Stelvio ordered
- Thread starter Clifton
- Start date
I'm beginning to get really excited now. Just going to be a pain running in two new bikes.
There are different cleaning products and methods for caring for matt type paint finishes. Youtube is your friend for methods. Harley have had matt in their line up for a long time so there are a number of refs to Harley.I just got a quote to clear coat, with me taking the 4 panels to them. After getting the quoteI think the matte is looking much better!
I also tried to determine exactly what the speed was on the GPS when the tach was at 4,000 rpm. I'm not sure exactly where the "needle" is on the tach but depending where it is, it appears that 4,000 could be anywhere from 62 to 65 mph, which showed on the speedometer as anywhere between 64-68.
After riding again today I could care less about the matte clear or what rpm it's turning because the bike is that delightful to ride. I'm beyond the "have I made the right decision" phase, moving on to "I really like this motorcycle" phase.
I did decide to order a tall comfort seat taking advantage of the dealer's "15% off accessories when picking up a new motorcycle" deal. The dealer said they were backordered now but were due in the country the 20th. I told them to put an oil filter (complete with any required o-rings, washers, or gasket) in with the seat when shipping it to me.
Lots of products out there for protecting and maintaining matt paint, this is only one of many brands with specific ones https://gyeonquartz.uk/products-list/?search=matt
This YouTube guy is really good and takes a lot of the mystique out
This YouTube guy is really good and takes a lot of the mystique out
I doubt running it in will be too difficult as even at lower rpm you can go fast enough, over 70mph I would think? To be honest I didn't even look to see what Guzzi advised?
After warming it up over 12 miles on my first ride, when I came to a hill I did a hard, not quite full throttle acceleration, in 4th gear, up to 8,000, decal down to 4,000, hard up to 8,000, down to 4,000, and once again, to the top. Then I turned around and rode down the hill gently accelerating to 75 mph to then let it coast under decel to the bottom in 5th gear. I repeated that 3 more times. My "break in" was mostly accomplished, all that remains is give the engine a few more heat cycles by doing shortish rides, on hilly roads with a lot of shifting for (50-150 miles) then back home and shut it down. In essence my normal day rides.
The worst "break-in" for me was way back when I bought my wife a new Suzuki GN 125 street bike. Back then I followed the procedure Suzuki put in the owners manual which was to "not use full throttle and do not exceed 4,000 rpm". The engine red lined around 8,000 so 4,000 was like 29 mph in 5th, and hills required 4th and 3rd! I think it took me most of the summer then even after it was ok to use full throttle the wife decided she didn't like it at all.
Thanks for posting the matte paint care tutorials, I'll give them a look later.
Given that I didn't even like the matte finish to begin with that's on my Goldwing, I certainly wasn't about to give it any special treatment. So I just wash it adding a couple drops of "All in one car cleaner and paint conditioner" to the bucket of water and that's been it. It might be slightly less matte now but it's certainly not shiny by any means. I imagine this is what I'll do with the Stelvio as well.
Given that I didn't even like the matte finish to begin with that's on my Goldwing, I certainly wasn't about to give it any special treatment. So I just wash it adding a couple drops of "All in one car cleaner and paint conditioner" to the bucket of water and that's been it. It might be slightly less matte now but it's certainly not shiny by any means. I imagine this is what I'll do with the Stelvio as well.
That's brilliant news - enjoy it!
How is the farkling going, Clifton?
I see there are some successes with alternate panniers now
I was wondering if anything else from the Mandello will fit? Like the Sat Nav mountings (above the TFT like a GS)?
Hopefully Pyramid will have fender extenders and huggers soon
I see there are some successes with alternate panniers now
I was wondering if anything else from the Mandello will fit? Like the Sat Nav mountings (above the TFT like a GS)?
Hopefully Pyramid will have fender extenders and huggers soon
Not much farklıng as of yet, Martin. My Garmin mount can shift over since it just has tube handlebars. About the only things I am hoping for are top load panniers that might be a little tougher than the stock Mandello ones. But most panniers and racks come from Europe and the bike is hardly even out there yet, so I wonder how long it'll be before Givi, Tourtech, Bumot, work up something? The other is better protection from spray, mud, and grit as you mentioned.
I haven't ridden it at night but I seldom do much anyway so I think the stock lighting will be ok, although a fellow rider commented on the tail light that he could hardly see the difference between on and off (this was in the day).
The rear rack is a bit of a head scratcher being so tiny yet with such large arms attaching to the frame to act as hand holds. I thought of adding a wider plate to the top to better support my 28" DryBag, but aftermarket pannier mounts may well replace that rack. So again it depends on the pannier system.
The rear shock is pretty harsh on rough pavement and dirt roads but I'm waiting to see if it breaks in some. Unfortunately there is no compression adjustment to back off and the rebound and preload adjustments can't help that. I was half expecting this and will likely replace the shock, but again there's probably nothing yet at Wilburs, Cogent, etc. I have no intention of riding anything rougher than gravel/dirt roads so the gravel guard underneath is fine and I doubt I'll add crash bars.
I have a woolly seat cover from a R1100RS that I think I can fit over the seat with a piece of 3/8" carpet padding underneath. Plus I have the tall comfort seat on order. That's all I can think of, so the panniers and probably shock will be the main expense.
I had the bike out yesterday for 40 miles or so but our week of nice weather ended yesterday so I washed it well and tucked it in the garage. I didn't look but it's probably 1/3 the way or a little more to the 1,000 mile oil change.
I haven't ridden it at night but I seldom do much anyway so I think the stock lighting will be ok, although a fellow rider commented on the tail light that he could hardly see the difference between on and off (this was in the day).
The rear rack is a bit of a head scratcher being so tiny yet with such large arms attaching to the frame to act as hand holds. I thought of adding a wider plate to the top to better support my 28" DryBag, but aftermarket pannier mounts may well replace that rack. So again it depends on the pannier system.
The rear shock is pretty harsh on rough pavement and dirt roads but I'm waiting to see if it breaks in some. Unfortunately there is no compression adjustment to back off and the rebound and preload adjustments can't help that. I was half expecting this and will likely replace the shock, but again there's probably nothing yet at Wilburs, Cogent, etc. I have no intention of riding anything rougher than gravel/dirt roads so the gravel guard underneath is fine and I doubt I'll add crash bars.
I have a woolly seat cover from a R1100RS that I think I can fit over the seat with a piece of 3/8" carpet padding underneath. Plus I have the tall comfort seat on order. That's all I can think of, so the panniers and probably shock will be the main expense.
I had the bike out yesterday for 40 miles or so but our week of nice weather ended yesterday so I washed it well and tucked it in the garage. I didn't look but it's probably 1/3 the way or a little more to the 1,000 mile oil change.
Great info, thanks Clifton
I'll be chatting to my dealer on Wednesday regarding the trade offer against my V85TT
I'll be chatting to my dealer on Wednesday regarding the trade offer against my V85TT
It'll be interesting what they will offer. One thing you have going is Guzzi's trade-in bonus which is helpful.
I don't believe they offer any incentive here on new 2024 models be it on trade or cash purchase, in fact the $500-$2,000 discount off 2023 models has lowered the trade value of V85's, Mandello's, and V7's. Right now I see new 2023 V85TT's being sold on close out for $9,911 ($8,990 + $350 + 6% tax) and V85TT Travels for $10,960. So this lowers resale, at least until the 2023's are gone.
I don't believe they offer any incentive here on new 2024 models be it on trade or cash purchase, in fact the $500-$2,000 discount off 2023 models has lowered the trade value of V85's, Mandello's, and V7's. Right now I see new 2023 V85TT's being sold on close out for $9,911 ($8,990 + $350 + 6% tax) and V85TT Travels for $10,960. So this lowers resale, at least until the 2023's are gone.
They already offered a decent (fair) trade-in price for my V85TT. The dealer says he takes the trade-in allowance as an effective £1500 discount on the new bike, thus making the cost-to-change very attractive for me. I'm flying home (been away 3 weeks) on Tuesday so I'll go and see the dealer (on my v85) on weds and "talk turkey" with a view of placing a deposit if (1) the deal is as expected and (2) he can actually get me a Stelvio in a decent time frame... In march hopefully
That deal is only on until the 15th Feb Martin.
I already "registered interest" with the Dealer who also passed on my registration to Moto Guzzi...I will be going to the dealer on the 14th I hope
Nice one.
So! Good news and progress! Had a good chat with my local dealer (Jim Allen) and they in turn spoke with their Guzzi "rep". Because they've been unable to locate a bike in the timeframe of their offer (which as you say, ends today), they've agreed to a "soft order", and are prepared to stand-behind the £1500 trade-in offer for me. I've done the deal... Hopefully get the Stelvio mid-March
Never before bought a bike without even sitting on it!!!
Nice one Martin. Now get yourself down to Dent in May.
Martin I'll just offer that I did the same leap of faith and am quite satisfied. What if any accessories did you order or are planning to add?..... I've done the deal... Hopefully get the Stelvio mid-March
Never before bought a bike without even sitting on it!!!
I've followed your info on the Stelvio, thanks Clifton - very helpful
So I have ordered a centre stand, but I am also considering engine protection bars, and heated grips.
I'll definitely fit protection bars, but was hoping that some 3rd parties would release some nice stuff (Hepco/Becker or SW Motech maybe).
Likewise heated grips. I managed to integrate the heated grips on my V85TT, by buying the Oxford ones and wiring them into the V85's loom (hence using the factory heated grip switch).
Obviously I'm hoping Pyramid release a fender extender and a hugger to protect the bike...
I have Denali S4 on my V85TT, so I'll be transferring them with the Denali data Dim controller (I run at 15% output on my V85, as DRL's alongside the Guzzi "eagle")). I have not seen any good options for mounting the extra lights on the Stelvio, I guess I will end up mounting them on the engine bars unless something else pops up.
Likewise I have a Zumo XT on my V85, which I will transfer across - any chance you could share how you mounted the GPS on your bike please?
I'll probably buy a Healtech Thunderbox for all accessories. On my V85 I'm just using a relay, triggered by the aux feed (next to the battery, which Guzzi provided to host an extra USB port). The Thunderbox will be a tidy way of attaching the Denali's, Zumo, and possibly a feed for my heated gloves....
It would be great if you could share your upgrades, Clifton
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