Tell me about your Stelvio

I’ve got the new bike ‘itch’ again and it may or may not get scratched but, currently, the bike most likely to do the scratching is a Stelvio.
Reading on here and elsewhere most owners seem to love them with few issues, what I have picked up on are:
Softish front ends
Chocolate cam followers (early 1200’s only)
Heated grips only go to warm
Possibly cramped two up?

Tell me about yours please and if you’ve modded it (suspension, remap) I’m even more interested

Andres

piss poor spares back up from what i've heard. my local dealer has stopped selling them (and aprillia) for that reason. that and the fact that they were slow sellers.

cookie said:

piss poor spares back up from what i've heard. my local dealer has stopped selling them (and aprillia) for that reason. that and the fact that they were slow sellers.

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Oh........ that's disappointing to hear. Guzzi have never been fantastic so my expectations aren't high, did you get the impression that they are even worse these days?

Slow sellers is good, looking at prices I can get a good low mileage one for not oodles more than I can sell my 10 year old GS for and the initial big depreciation hit has been taken by somebody else. Then again I like the slightly updated styling of the latest incarnation (i.e. a new one)...........

Andres

Had a 2010 Stelvio Andres. Very vibey at all speeds, poor build quality and the riding position was terrible. The seat pushes you forward into the tank and there is no way to adjust it to stop it happening. It had heated grips but you had to stop,and go through various modes to either switch them on or off. It looked great though in black

I'm going to have to disagree with most of the previous post. Yes they do vibrate, but not at all speeds, its a 1200cc V twin FFS, want smoothness buy a four cylinder bike.
I think the build quality is better than my previous GS1150 of six years ownership (the paint peeled off the engine covers and fork legs by the time it was two years old) A pal of mine who previously owned a GS1150 ADV for several years swapped it for a Stelvio. His bikes live out on the street uncovered in Scotland. His Stelvio has weathered far better, has never failed to start in five years of ownership and is now only just showing a few signs of corrosion on the spokes and some non stainless fasteners.
I find my Stelvio NTX very comfortable the bike has covered many big mileage days without comfort problems although I don't think it is as comfortable as my old Tiger 1050.
The heated grips are the biggest let down, not brilliant but adequate, fit Oxford grips instead (cheaper than Guzzi items) The later model bikes (2011 up) can switch them on the move, a very simple system.
Reliability is not an issue, I'm on my second Stelvio no problems in nearly three years. My first Stelvio bought new in 2009 had a speedo sensor failure (fixed under warranty) and also a slight misfire which was cured by fitting NGK plug caps, this bike was later used by the Hairy Bikers in a series.
I can't comment on the availability of spares as I or my two mates who own these bikes haven't needed any.
The eating isn't cramped up for me and my wife, loads of room and I'm a big twat, but my wife is slim.
I think the Stelvio is a very underrated bike, sure it doesn't have all the latest bells and whistles, but I don't want them, the simpler the better for me. What's more I find it rather fulfilling riding a motorcycle that is quite exclusive, full of character, and easy to find at bike meeting places amid the swathes of GS'es and sports bikes that every man and his dog seem to have these days.

andres,

you know what you really want, and amanda has her own bike now

mind you, my limited experience of KTM's spares situation suggests they are rubbish compared to BMW

Funnily I strated looking at them this week and thought the same re money and updating. Like the new Caponord but out of the price frame....

Outtomunch said:

Oh........ that's disappointing to hear. Guzzi have never been fantastic so my expectations aren't high, did you get the impression that they are even worse these days?

Slow sellers is good, looking at prices I can get a good low mileage one for not oodles more than I can sell my 10 year old GS for and the initial big depreciation hit has been taken by somebody else. Then again I like the slightly updated styling of the latest incarnation (i.e. a new one)...........

Andres

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cookie said:

andres,

you know what you really want, and amanda has her own bike now
..........

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Not listening, not listening, la, la, la, la..............................

Andres

The Stelvio bug is also itching me,not sure yet whether it will be scratched or not.

The 2014 Stelvio appears to present with lots of positives and not to many negatives.

Almost swapped when I bought the WC but just couldn't bring myself.

WC is a great bike but after 14mnts the gearbox is doing my head in.

Steve

Sold the GS earlier this year (1150 twin-spark which I owned from new for over 10-years) and took delivery of a nice new Stelvio NTX on 1st March, up to now it has been great and is really fun to ride.

Have to disagree with just about all the negative comments posted above and have to say that they have to apply to the earlier model as certainly none (bar one) apply to my bike. The one that does is the effectiveness of the heated grips, the OE ones aren't as warm as the ones on my old GS and I feel a swop for Oxford ones coming on before next winter. With regards to the heated grip controls however that is old news, standard switchgear is now very simple with a single switch on the L/H cluster allowing operation & heat settings (3) to be adjusted while on the move.
Vibes aren't anything to write home about, it didn't take me very long to work out that as long as the revs are kept away from 4K RPM (that is the worst point) then it is actually pretty smooth.
Rode 320 Miles in one hit on Saturday and found it more comfortable than the old GS. I have never had the feeling of it pushing me into the tank, indeed I really like the broad seat and the ability to ride sitting well back.
Fuel consumption is still pretty disappointing but I think it is slowly starting to improve. For commuting I am returning only 40MPG and on a longer run it only goes up to about 45MPG however the 7+Gal tank makes for a decent range. Guage is not really accurate (has five blocks but goes to nil with 2Gal still in the tank) whereas the fuel consumption readout is spot on (as checked against quantities of fuel used with tank brimmed which is how I always do it).
Build quality appears to be excellent although it is only after a full winter that I will be able to see how the finish stands up, I am a fan of ACF50 and think that if neglected any bike can look tatty very quickly. One thing I have noticed however is that all fixings appear to be very dry so I am slowly undoing them and applying a little copperslip.
Headlights are fantastic and make the GS items look as dated as I felt they were the first time I rode in the dark.

Modifications.
Dealer fit. MG top-box, heated grips. Hugger & Fenda Extenda.
My fit. Matching locks, hinge stays & inner-bags for luggage (all made by Trax). Wunderlich screen extender. Replaced OE Hella fog-lights for LED's and fitted in-line fuses. CARC protector. Oil-cooler guard from Radguard in Austrailia.

For the future.
I am trying different fuels to see if I can help with the low speed running (a known problem). Long term solution would be to stick it on a rolling road however while under warranty I am keeping it standard. Shell & BP "super" fuels which I started using recently have certainly helped a lot whereas Tesco "Super" made no difference whatsoever (trouble is Tesco is my local garage hence why I stuck with it for so long).
Tried a Finebau plug-in box which does help but was put off by the product itself. The leads on the first one were too short (fitted it on a temporary basis to see how it worked) so I was sent a replacement and that made the bike only run on one cylinder so I called it a day and got a refund.
Going to rig up a permanently live aux supply so I can plug in my Ctek charger, two points are fitted but are ignition controlled unlike my GS which was always live.

Silly thinks that I miss.
Gear position indicator. In 33 years of riding, the GS was the first bike fitted with one and to start with I thought it was a waste of time but now I really miss it.
Ability to remove rear seat and replace with luggage rack for carrying very large items, GS was excellent in this respect.
Linked brakes. Loved them on my old Guzzi, liked them on the GS and then discovered that the new Guzzi doesn't have them.
Silly things that I like.
External temperature gauge.
Normal indicator switch.

Some very interesting comments, thanks for taking the time guys

Comfort - like most bikes what works for one doesn't work for another. A test ride is the only way of seeing for myself.

Fuelling - that's not something I've heard before TBH.

EFI - Guzzis have always been pretty good in this area and my 1100 Griso was perfect so I'm quite surprised there might be an issue here.

Vibes - My Griso was pretty smooth for a v-twin and I had no issue with it. I have heard that the 1200's are a bit more vibey though.

Build quality - If anything like my old Griso it's leagues ahead of WMB.

Most people seem to be happy with theirs and there are quite a few out there with big miles and no issues

I have to say that the biggest draw for me on my 1200GS and why I've kept it so long is the handling and the ability to load it up and the bike just shrugs it off. A lot of which, IMO, is down to the telelever front end.
How do people find the handling in comparison to a GS?

Andres

PS I wish Amanda liked the KTM............................. :-(

My first Stelvio (2009) model was quite lumpy below 3000rpm, and also had a pronounced power step at about 5000rpm. Apparently the early bikes had the same or very similar cam profile and fuelling set up as the Griso, this changed for the 2010 model, and again for the much improved large tank (2011 up) which I find is a big improvement, it's far smoother and the power delivery more linear.

As far as the handling is concerned IMHO it is very good. There is plenty of scope for adjusting the set up front and rear. I find the feed back from the front fork is good whereas I found the telelever front end to be a bit vague. However I do think my GS1150 may have had a slight edge on the Stelvio in overall handling, but I find I can ride my Stelvio just as easily and as fast without any difficulties.

Prior to buying my first Stelvio I had several test rides on various GS1200's over the years but I just couldn't take to the model, I much more preferred my GS1150. I think the Stelvio IMO feels a little similar the 1150 in that its bulkier than the 'ordinary' GS1200, and a little ruffer around the edges. This is difficult to describe, but I know there are quite a few on this forum prefer the GS1150 over the later 1200 and I think there sentiments may be similar.

fatal said:

................Prior to buying my first Stelvio I had several test rides on various GS1200's over the years but I just couldn't take to the model, I much more preferred my GS1150. I think the Stelvio IMO feels a little similar the 1150 in that its bulkier than the 'ordinary' GS1200, and a little ruffer around the edges. This is difficult to describe, but I know there are quite a few on this forum prefer the GS1150 over the later 1200 and I think there sentiments may be similar.

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Mmmmm, I'd sort of picked up on that from a few comments made by various people and, with all due respect, that bothers me as I much prefer the 1200's to the 1150's mostly for all the reasons you prefer the 1150

Obviously a test ride will answer a lot of the unknowns for me but it's dead interesting reading peoples opinions, thanks

Andres

can you point me to the equivalent forum for the stelvio's? Also servicing costs and how hard is it to self service?

Moto Guzzi club GB website and Guzzitech.com are reasonably good.

Fairly easy to self service the Stelvio. Factory manual and parts book are freely available on line.
The spark plugs and valve adjustment (scew and locknut) easily accessible. The air filter and battery easy access under the seat. The engine oil and filter (10/60 synthetic needed) easy access as is gearbox and final drive (GL5 75/90 synthetic can be used) The starter motor is easily accessible.
Services every 6000mls, my dealer charges £220 for 6k and 12k service (Rocket Centre in Blackburn)
The only thing you really need is the diagnostic stuff, but a trip to the dealer can sort that side of things.

cheers, looked at guzzi club but seemed rather unused, or shall I say, less populous as here. Will browse again. Hoping toget idea on the bikes, mpg, farkles and for sale stuf. Thanks fatal

Andres the stelvios I saw in Fowlers recently looked dreadful after not many miles .I guess we could say the same of GS's but they seem built for the Italian Climate . I know that you love your Guzzi's but they look like they need a lot of care . Good luck though

Robbo1200ADV said:

Andres the stelvios I saw in Fowlers recently looked dreadful after not many miles .I guess we could say the same of GS's but they seem built for the Italian Climate . I know that you love your Guzzi's but they look like they need a lot of care . Good luck though

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That really surprises me, maybe it had been through winter without washing off the salt What was up with it, corroded fasteners or just generally tatty? - most people comment on the quality finish and my Griso was certainly better finished than my GS.

I need to tap up Guy (Himalayas) as he's had one for a while now.

Talking about tapping people up from the Himalayas I'm hoping to get Paul to take Amanda out on his KTM 1190R over the next couple of weeks in the hope that she'll change her mind about going pillion on one (how could she not with the dashing Paul at the helm ) - fingers crossed!

Andres

I wrote this when I flogged mine back in the day. http://progressblues.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/why-guzzi-must-change-or-die.html

Tried a NTX 3 years ago, looked lovely but no local dealers, cramped 2 up compared with my old 1150gs and current 1200gsa, when pushed on the front was way too soft and the handling suffered , rear end felt good but it was a warm day and after a couple hours the bike sounded like a bag of hammers and the the clutch /gearbox was bloody awful around town.
Wanted to like it , I've ridden older guzzis and actually liked them , but couldn't get away with the stelvio ntx and at the end of the day the resale was never going to be as good as the gsa