Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200

[UKTomo]

Do we have any owners on here?

What are peoples views of this bike.

I like the look of it in black and it as at the upper end of the price range I am looking at. The one thing the suprises me is the fact it only has an 18 litre tank.

[Billy Bunter]

There was a road test of this, the 1200GS, 800GS and 990 ADV in 'Bike' Magazine in UK. One thing that struck me about the bike was its weight... i think it works out at about 25kg heavier than the GS,nearly 40kg heavier than the KTM and 50kg heavier than the 800GS. It didnt get to bad a write up as i remember, as much as you can beleive magazine road tests!, but i seem to remember it was considered the least capable of all four, especially when you consider it is in the same price bracket as the KTM & BMW.

Personally, i would also worry about reliability issues... and that is from someone with an '02 KTM640 Adv!!!

Anyway, for what its worth... but be interesting to hear form real owners as i am looking to change steed at the moment too.

[Dodger]

Guzzi Stelvio weighs 214 kg
BMW 1200 GS - 203 kg
BMW 1200 GS ADV 223 kg
Suzuki 1000 VStrom - 207 kg

All are claimed dry weights by manufacturers .
Not much in it really !
I read the MCN "road test" , which slated the Stelvio .
MCN testers are brain dead IMHO .

[indu]

I am a Guzzi-head and owns a couple of Guzzis, including the Quota which is sort of the Stelvio's predecessor. I was looking forward to a real BMW GS contender, and more importantly, a bike to supplement (never replace...) my Quota. I was therefore quite surprised not to say very disappointed when Guzzi turned out this steed. Sure, it's a nice roadgoing bike, but its bias is solely on road. With a 180 rear tyre, too short spring travel, 19" front wheel (forgiveable, but the Quota has 21"), to small tank, lack of proper protection of bellypan, panniers made from plastic (even though rumors has it that Guzzi is turning out some alu panniers for the Stelvio) and too much... road, if you see what I mean, I will not be buying the Stelvio. Reliability issues is not something I'd worry about - the Guzzis are ok in that departement. If Guzzi on the other hand turn out a proper Stelvio Adventure, being all I want from it, I'll even sell my car to afford it. I also wish they'd make an offroad adventurer in the mid-sized twin class with the beautiful, grunty 750 engine they use on the Breva and V7 Classic. The Guzzi engines are perfect for adventure bikes - why don't they make some proper ones??

[Billy Bunter]

Just to clarify the weights i mentioned earlier, they were actual measured by the magazine 'wet' weights with all bikes oiled, fueled and ready to go... Stelvio was 268.9kg, 1200gs(not Adv) was 244.1kg, KTM990 was 230.5kg & 800GS was 218.5kg.

All manufacturers vary sometimes quite significantly how they measure the weight of their own bikes to come up with a theoretical 'dry' weight of the bike.

Basically, you cant trust any of them! but whichever way you look at it, the Stelvio is a heavy bike.

[Tourider]

I own a California Vintage, do not buy a Moto Guzzi. The little niggles (indicator fell off, oil light comes on in the rain, indicators stop working for a day every now and then) coupled with poor dealer/manufacturer supply of parts have outweighed the good points of the bike. People keep telling me that the build quality is so much better on new bikes like mine, what was it like before?

[Margus]

Had a good test ride on MG Stelvio.

Main motivation was it's the closest to the BMW GS series: shaft drive, oil-cooled horizontally mounted engine, all shafts rotating parallel, with dry clutch and separated gearbox casing, a symbiosis which IMHO is one of the best solution in terms of longetivity and simplicity, ease of maintenance and yet has character.

So on paper it is a good candidate to replace the GS if ever it was required.

Pros:

Sweet motor, near-perfect EFI maping from low to high revs, loads of power from the new 8-valve Guzzi engine especially redlining it really fires up, front got up even in 2rd gear hitting redline w/o any clutch help. Strong breaks (maybe just a bit too strong, blocked the rear often (non ABS)). Surprisingly precise gearbox and elliminated shaft-drive "lift effect" and much more stable ride with the new CARC system. Actually I quite liked the "oddball" design, better in real life than on the pictures. Despite it's weight, apparently the centre of gravity sits relatively low - once you get it moving the bike gets very nimble, especially with the 19" front wheel having less rotational inertia (compared to the 21") makes the big bike ride like a dream in the curves considering it can do some dirt roads too.


Cons:

Suspension too dampened, clearly more street oriented bike. Ergonomics a bit too typical italian: I'm 182cm tall and the handlebars were too close to me (for shorter hands?) making my riding position a bit unconfident. A bit too much vibrations on handlebars, especially on low revs. The throttle was too "snatchy", too easily uncontrollable with vibrations, potholes or corrugations on the road, making the bike very nervous handling on slow speeds (and this can probably be adjusted out). Some dash board numbers are unreadable while riding because of strange dashboard design-layout. Expected more low grunt from a 1200cc twin (i.e. R1200GS is considerably more "grunty" on low notes compared to it), and also noticable vibrations at low revs (hitthing throttle hard below 3.5Krpm) 8V MG twin needs 3.5+Krpms to feel "comfortible" both torque- and vibrations wise (i.e. I also test-rided MotoGuzzi Norge, while not as torquey as the R1200GS, the "older" MotoGuzzi 4V engine had decent grunt on low revs and yet less vibrations compared to 8V). When inspected visually closer the finish wasn't perfect - welds on the frame bits, paint and plastics were questionable at some spots.

Is Stelvio a R1200GS beater that I've rided many times now? Definately not. But all in all a good move from MotoGuzzi - IMHO it can be made a serious travel bike for an enthusiastic traveller who looks for an alternative for the popular R1200GS. Like most of European bikes - Stelvio is a very "involving" ride, very unlike Japanese bike that seek for the "universal average" for its rider and thus can leave you neutral or bored - with MG it's more rather polarized "you'll love it or hate it" case. (I loved it.)

A suspension upgrade with aftermarket stuff, decent engine protection, knobby tyres, decent panniers and some ergonomics adjustments draws a picture of Stelvio as a very worthy travel bike in my mind!

If interested - certainly go to your nearest Guzzi dealer to have a longish testride on one.

[*Touring Ted*]

I'm a moto guzzi dealer and i've ridden most of the guzzi range as well as deal with warranties and reliability etc.

Well, the stelvio is a fantastic road bike. The suspension is rather firm and the riding position is just perfect for me (Just about 6 foot).. It corners and handles better than all the others and has that gorgeous guzzi engine sound.

The bike is very road biast though but i dont know if i'd want to take it off roading. Its far to pretty to take anywhere dirty anyway.

Now the motor and gear box is gorgeously smooth and sweet but i found low rpm and slight throttle actions quite twitchy. Wind protection could be better and there are very limited luggage options..

Expect 2 weeks + for parts.

I've not had any back in the last few months with any niggles !!

[henryuk]

anyone tried the Moto Morini Gran Paso? I reckon that is the best looking Italian answer to the GS. Last weeks MCN said that the GS was the best overland adventure bike, seems they have become a comedy publication!

[*Touring Ted*]

Originally Posted by henryuk

anyone tried the Moto Morini Gran Paso? I reckon that is the best looking Italian answer to the GS. Last weeks MCN said that the GS was the best overland adventure bike, seems they have become a comedy publication!

Thats because they are clueless idiots. My friend used to be an artist for MCN... They make most of their storys up on the spot. Thats official.

[wishfull traveller]

I read somewere that the MPG was not very good with this bike, I would have thought 45 plus would be expected ?.

I have a Transalp at he moment but am thinking of upgrading to a bike thats better for weekend trips, covering greater distances. I like the look of the Stelvio and the riding position looks good.

[Mickey D]

The Stelvio is a good road bike and probably would be a decent sport tourer. Not really an "Adventure bike" as its off road potential is grim.
Is it the best out there? Could be for some. Depends what you're looking for. Guzzi has lots of panache in their designs, beautiful, unique, nothing like a Guzzi anywhere.

This past June I attended the National Guzzi Rally in Oregon, USA. I have tested lots of Guzzi's before, but never ridden the Stelvio. I like the styling of the bike but many of the Guzzi crowd at the rally weren't thrilled with it.

I test rode the Stelvio ... but since it was an "escorted" test ride really couldn't ride it hard or for long. I too noticed the bar vibes. Surprising, since the Griso is pretty smooth. The thing handled OK but unremarkable, IMO. I liked the way the power comes on. Classic Guzzi.

Guzzi's seem to be an "acquired taste" for many. I test rode a Griso for about a week and after about 1500 miles I grew to like it. But the first day I hated it. Takes time to "learn" the way of Guzzi. No, I mean really learn it so you can ride it hard. Lots of suspension fiddling really transformed the Griso.

The Stelvio did not seem nearly as impressive, but to be fair I was only on the bike for half an hour. Seems rather big ... and you feel the weight at slow speed a bit. Probably in a week I'd love it, just like the Griso? Who knows?

Sadly, nearly all the guys I talked with who rode the Stelvio at the rally were not impressed (7 or 8 different riders) And everyone of them complained about the bar vibes. I noticed it, but it didn't really bug me.

But my Triumph Tiger is silky smooth by comparison. Some would call that lack of character, I call it precision and balance. Motorcycles are not Farm Equipment ... and it's no longer 1973.

I don't believe the current Guzzi motor would ever make a good basis for an adventure bike platform, even a 700cc version. The design is too big, heavy and bulky, IMO. Maybe a single? Remember the "Bacon Slicers" ?
Guzzi have a history with singles.

Piaggio own Guzzi now. (going on 3/4 years I believe) Be interesting to see what they do with the brand.

The Guzzi brand in the USA seems to be mostly an "Old Guys" bike. This was made clear at the rally. Low attendance, only about 400 riders showed up. About half on vintage Guzzi's and very few under 35 years of age. Lots in their 60's and beyond.

[oldbmw]

Why not consider the Breva 750, much lighter and fuel efficient. very easy to handle and will cope with any road conditions. off road is not its forte though.

[Wesley]

Originally Posted by oldbmw

Why not consider the Breva 750, much lighter and fuel efficient. very easy to handle and will cope with any road conditions. off road is not its forte though.

I've recently bought a Stelvio and can certainly tell you that at speed the handling and stability is excellent. I have cut the screen down because the limited adjustment couldn't rid me off the wind buffeting. (I'm 6'2"). To be fair I've never got on with screens on anything I've ever owned. I find the engine to be a little flat mid-range, hopefully a PowerCommander will sort that in the not too distant future. The bike seems well built other than for the speedo steaming up regularly and the switchgear being a tad cheap.
The bike has fitted the Guzzi Aluminium (TRAX) panniers and I've just acquired a Givi Trekker 46 liter topbox.

Long distance problems are the seat which is too hard on my delicate posterior and the 18 litre tank. The new one for 2011 has a better softer seat and a 32 litre tank plus a different screen so Guzzi do listen to their customers.Consumption averages around the 45mpg mark. Fueling can be a little snatchy at low speed but it isn't as bad as some injected bikes I've ridden.

Spares can be beyond a joke, I've waited 6 weeks now for a spark plug tube, thats the tube that fits between the rocker cover and the head which on mine has several turning marks and consequently an incurable oil leak.It is covered under warranty but I like to fix things myself.

Stelvios are incredibly heavy to push around and I'm currently suffering with two strained arms from taking the bike on and off the bench.

If I had to make the choice again I feel that I would have gone down the BMW route, purely for the spares back up and the accessories available, having said that the Stelvios a great bike and gets plenty of interest wherever you take it.

Cheers all

Wesley

[marcusman]

Just finished a 4700 mile ride to the Yukon and Alaska on my Stelvio and can only give it the highest marks. The trip included 600 miles of dirt, mud and gravel. The bike handled great fully loaded and handled everything that was thrown at it. The only downside is the 4.8 gallon gas tank. It gives a range of less than 200 miles. Some of our dirt runs were over 200 miles, so I carried almost 2 gallons of extra fuel (and used it). The suspension was great with all the adjustability and the bike is probable the most comfortable I have ridden. That's saying something with 50 years of riding experience. With constant daylight there were days that we just kept riding and put in 400 mile days frequently.