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Our first Stelvio
We envy Guy, Guzzirider as he's known on the tinterweb and forum. The big fella is the first person I know who ordered and subsequently bought one of those new fangled Stelvio thingies.After my speculative musings on another related page, which was written at the time the bike was announced, I was very keen to hear from an owner. Yes I'd read ride reports in magazines etc but those guys write from a different perspective. Our Guy's words come from a dude who has shelled out hard earned beer tokens and made a long term committment for one...and that's a far more interesting tale...over to Guy:
"I bought my first Guzzi, a V65 Lario in 1988 at the tender age of 20, having just sold my fast but unreliable CB900F and needing something with a bit more soul. Apart from some brief flirtations with a couple of Ducatis, I have been riding Guzzis ever since.
I knew when I saw the first spy photos of the Stelvio that I wanted one. I had been waiting for Guzzi to launch a bike that was both practical and sporty and the Stelvio seemed to fit the bill. Decent bikes though they are, the Norge and Breva did not excite me at all, but the lure of the new 4V motor was too much and I was mad enough to place an order for a black Stelvio before even swinging a leg over one, let alone taking a test ride. My impatience was rewarded however, because Guzzi increased the list price of the Stelvio after I had agreed the deal, saving me £500 by getting my order in in early.
I picked her up on a wet Saturday morning in March from my local dealer, Moto Strada in Shipley. I've know the proprietor Jason for a long time since his Cobb and Jagger days and was more than happy to do business with him and his partner Mark. If you have never ridden through Bradford then let me tell you it can be an interesting experience, notoriously full of dangerous unlicensed and uninsured drivers it was not really an ideal location to be riding a brand new bike with shiny tyres for the first time on soaking wet roads. To cap it all, a lorry had dumped gallons of diesel on the road just outside the dealers so it was a very hairy first few miles, but my initial impressions were of a bike that was very easy to ride through traffic, and was very comfortable.
It took a few weeks to get enough miles under her belt so she was ready for the first service. At the time I was working away from home during the week, and mad busy at weekends so I snatched the occasional journey wherever I could, enjoying the local moorland roads. First adjustment I made was to use the easy adjuster to increase the rear preload to compensate for my 15 stone, which made the steering even sweeter. Oh yes she handles really nicely, feeling much lighter than she really is, flickable but stable at the same time. Being such a heavy bike, the Stelvio is never going to be stopping on a sixpence but the big calipers do a decent enough job, although you do need to grab a firm handful of brake if you need to stop sharply.
ABS is not an option yet, which does not bother me but I know there are other prospective buyers who are holding off until the ABS version arrives, and I think Guzzi should have made this an option from the start to maximise sales.
The new 4V motor is a real peach, getting even better with each mile as Guzzis always do. At the bottom end and in the mid range, she feels pretty similar to the classic 2V engine, but she has a big surprise waiting for you when the revs climb above 5000rpm where there is a hard kick and she takes off like no other Guzzi I have ridden. Guzzi claim 105bhp at the crank, which equates to about 94bhp at the rear wheel which is over 20 more horses than the Norge, and considerable more torque too. There will be some Guzzisti that won't like this sort of motor and would prefer a more linear power delivery, but after riding my V11 back to back with the Stelvio, the new 4V motor wins hands down for me.
There have been some criticisms of the Stelvio's tank size which at 18 litres is comparitively small for a touring machine. I have been managing to get at least 45 imperial mpg, meaning tank range is between 165 to 200 miles, depending upon your style of riding, with 180 being the average for normal riding. In real terms this is fine for me, as I do not live in the middle of a desert and normally stop every 100 miles or so when on tour. If you live in such a remote part of the world that you genuinely need a 300 mile tank range then buy a BMW GS Adventure but you will have to put up with the ugliness every time you look at her, and you may be lucky to do 300 miles without breaking down with an electrical fault.
The gearbox is lovely, sweet, slick and feeling very modern. The Stelvio does feel like she needs another cog for motorway cruising, feeling a little rushed even at 4000rpm but the rest of the ratios seem fine, and I tend to stick away from motorways anyway because bikes were made for bends. The screen height is easily adjusted with 2 bolts, and when moved up to its highest position there is plenty of protection from the wind and rain. One thing that did have to go immediately is the huge ugly standard silencer which contains a heavy catalytic converter.
I contacted Micheli at Mistral in Italy who sent me a very nice and very svelte carbon silencer which must weigh about 10 kilos less than the standard monstrosity. The Mistral can is E marked but with a removeable baffle, so being the naughty type I tried riding it with the db killer out, which resulted in me being deafened after a 200 mile ride, so being a big girl's blouse I decided to pop the baffle back in. Still sounds lovely though.
A few words about Guzzi accessories. Don't believe the press release on the Guzzi website showing what is available for your Stelvio. Yes you can buy a silly Stelvio suit, and a tank bag (I bought one but it is quite small), you can even buy a cheesey Stevio bound-to-fall-apart-in five-minutes wrist watch but the factory panniers are totally non-existent.
I ordered some in March and at the time of writing in early June they have still not turned up, so I have given up and ordered some Hepco and Becker panniers instead which will be with me in time for our annual European bike tour. This is really poor from Guzzi- if they want to be a serious player in the marketplace they need to do simple things like ensure luggage is available for their touring bikes as soon as they are in the showrooms. I've also fitted some Hepco and Becker crashbars which look much better made than the factory option, and bought a Guzzi branded 45 lite Givi top case from Moto Strada. I used to be a real luddite when it came to sat nav but have seen the light in recent years, and it was easy to wire in the mounting for my Zumo 550. Guzzi will sell you a Tom Tom Rider kit if you like but I prefer the Garmin.
The Stelvio's first long trip is in two weeks time when I will be heading on a 3000 mile trip to Eastern Europe with my wife Helen and some fellow Guzzisti.
Is the Stelvio an off road bike? Not really. Yes there is some off road styling, a high riding position and high quality long travel suspension, but in reality she is a comfortable touring bike with fine road manners and a reasonable turn of speed. I am sure some Aussie nutters will take Stelvios for long trips deep into the Outback but they may need to consider tyre choice first because to my knowledge you can't buy off road tyres for the wide 180 rear wheel. You would not want to drop one too often either because the bodywork looks expensive to replace, so a ratty old XT600 would probably be a more sensible choice for off road fun but fair play to anyone who is brave enough to attempt it on the Stelvio.
Is the Stelvio a competitor to the GS? Not really. The BMWs will still be sold in their thousands while Stelvio sales will be miniscule in comparison, although they will probably leave the showrooms at a very healthy rate compared to some other Guzzi models. BMW will always cater for the mainstream, but I reckon the Stelvio may be more attactive to the minority of riders who want something a little different and who do not want to follow the herd, as well as existing Guzzisti like myself who would like a fast modern Guzzi tourer. If you are debating whether to buy a GS or a Stelvio ask yourself one question- would you prefer to look at a slim young Italian lady's pert bottom in silk black panties, or a big fat German's hairy arse in leather shorts? "
Words and pics by Guy.
| Further reading |
How the Stelvio was first seen in March 07 / Stelvio at EICMA 07 / Stelvio preview / Other Guzzis featured
Thank you Guy for taking the time to write the tremendous report and terrific pics. Do you want your Guzzi featured in the same way? We like reading about real bikes owned by real people, send your words and pics here: info@guzzista.com. If you need some pointers to get the creative juices flowing, download our help guide.
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| Further pics of Guy's terrific Stelvio! |
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"If you are debating whether to buy a GS or a Stelvio ask yourself one question- would you prefer to look at a slim young Italian lady's pert bottom in silk black panties, or a big fat German's hairy arse in leather shorts?"
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
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| Guzzista | Hey Guy, check out this e-mail I received! | 1 | Tuesday, 1:49 PM EDT by guzzirider | |
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Thread started: Aug 11 2008, 8:04 PM EDT
Watch
Dear Sir/Madam: August 10th. I very much enjoyed reading the information on the new Motoguzzi Stelvio. I bought a new Motoguzzi Quota 1100 in Feb. 2000 and the riding with the Quota has been very enjoyable. A little problem with the rear wheel rim but Motoguzzi covered the repair even after the motorcycle was long past it's warrantee. I was very pleased with their help. I have done a few modifications to the Quota. I lowered the exhaust muffler so a larger 40 litre bag could fit on the right side. I also added accerbus hand guards. They fit just like they were designed by Motoguzzi. Parrabelium windshield helps in the long distance rides.
I would like to ask you about your Hepco and Becker luggage bags shown in your photo on the Stelvio. These bags are tough and rugged. They are the same style of bags I have on my Quota. I think they are a better bag than the optional bag made by Motoguzzi for the Stelvio. Where did you order these bags from? Did the bag frame come with the bag or did you have to order those separately?.Also the top box looks very good. Your choice of muffler is very nice. Where did you order this muffler from? I sure when approaching a group of BMW riders they will wonder what was that as you cruised by them. Even with my Quota, other riders tell me it sounds strong. Soon the Stelvio will be in our Motoguzzi dealers here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Thanks for the great write up. Please forward any info you have to my e-mail here in Calgary. howkath@shaw.ca Your Black Stelvio is stunning and I'm sure the BMW GS would cosy up to it at night just to here the fine tunes of the Stelvio's exhaust. Enjoy your ride, Howard Rymes |
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