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High gearing

kmartin

kmartin

Cruisin' Guzzisti
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
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Location
SoCal Mountains
Does anyone else find the Stelvio gearing to be too high? I find that 6th gear isn't useful below about 75 mph indicated, when RPM falls below about 4500. It's much happier above 80 mph. I've been trying to run in 6th on secondary roads that really should be no more than 65 mph, but I'm becoming convinced that I should be limiting myself to 5th except for freeway use.

I've still got less than 2000 mi on her, will it get better with more miles?
 
Just the opposite on my Norge, I think this is where the 4 Valve vs 8 Valve is a factor with more torque available earlier in the RPM range on the 4 valve motors. I find my self looking for another gear at times at 65 + mph because it feels like there is so much more it can give, Then holy crap when I go to shift up and find it is in 6 th already.Keep it in 4 or 5th you not going to hurt it. I'll be lambasted here but because of my riding style I feel a 8 valve would be wasted on me.
 
Keith, I find it the same as you so tend to be in 5th. Have wondered if a map upgrade may have some effect on this and provide slightly more midrange. Suspect Pete Roper , Todd and others may have the skinny on this.
 
Keith, nope it's just geared tall, and you know, I like it that way.
Oddly enough (Dan), the '07 Norge has shorter gearing. They put the taller-geared B11 box in for '08 on the Norge.
Keith, want to trade transmissions? :whistle:
 
I find the gearing "about right" on my Stelvio, I can use 6th on most flat secondary roads and have reasonable pull from 100kmh (60mph), although I change down for overtaking purposes.

In any case I'd rather change down on the twisty stuff than be wishing for a higher gear when I'm cruising on the highway. I used to have a BMW GS1150 Adventure, a fantastic bike, but while the close ratio box was great in the hills it sent me (and my wallet) nuts when cruising at high speeds.

Like most engines the Stelvio does seem to loosen up, mine at 8000 km seems a lot more responsive than it did when new, I don't really think of big twins run in until they get 20,000km (12000miles) on them.
 
GT-Rx said:
Keith, nope it's just geared tall, and you know, I like it that way.
Oddly enough (Dan), the '07 Norge has shorter gearing. They put the taller-geared B11 box in for '08 on the Norge.
Keith, want to trade transmissions? :whistle:
Click to expand...

Is changing the transmission the only way to alter the gearing on a 2012+ Stelvio? Are there any other ring & pinion options for changing final drive ratios in the CARC drive?

I'm just checking to fully understand.

When I test rode the 2012 NTX 2 up I thought 1st gear could be just a tad lower still.
 
danketchpel said:
Is changing the transmission the only way to alter the gearing on a 2012+ Stelvio? Are there any other ring & pinion options for changing final drive ratios in the CARC drive?
Click to expand...
Zero ring and pinion options. Transmission swap with an '07 Norge would be the most cost effective. I suppose you might try and find a short rear tire to try first.
 
I've only put 80 miles on my Stelvio, 36 degrees the day after I got it... I noticed it is geared HIGH too. It's too soon to know what that means to me yet? I most likely would rather it not be so... I actually felt it was better in 6th rather than 5th once but I don't have enough seat time to say if it's an improvement or not? I did notice it was not much like my Griso 1100. Feels odd at this point.

Vivo
 
Hit the road. Do some travelling. You will not regret having this gear setup. :mrgreen:
 
Just to add my experience to this thread:

1) the valve clearances had a lot of effect on the ability of my NTX to pull from lower RPM smoothly. From the factory the bike came with 0.004" and 0.006" and on the first service, which I did not do myself because it was included, they also set it to the same as per the sticker under the seat, and I forgot to tell them to do 0.006" and 0.008". So I put about 2K miles on it with tight clearances and then reset it to world spec. Very noticeable difference, in the low end smoothness and in how the bike behaves in 6th gear under 5K. Before that I never used 6th gear at all, now I often find myself in 6th under 5K RPM on the freeway and it feels smooth.
2) a better flowing exhaust does flatten out the torque dip from 3K to 5K substantially so this will help running lower RPM in high gear also. The curve supplied by, say, Mivv, for their Speed Edge exhaust as tested on an NTX, is EXACTLY how the bike feels after such an upgrade. When I had the 8V Griso, Todd's pipe also produced the exact same positive effect on midrange torque.
3) it improves as it breaks in.

Of course, a proper tune is a must -- throttle body sync as exact as possible and TPS reset. My NTX had the biggest torque dip/lean stumble/vibration/whatever it really is right at 4K RPM sharp (MUCH less so after the pipe upgrade) so I do the high RPM sync right at 4K and it smoothes everything across the range. A good indicator for me aside from how the engine feels is whether I can see clearly in the mirrors at typical running RPMs -- and when the bike is tuned well, I can, and have no complaints about the stock mirrors...
 
GT-Rx said:
Zero ring and pinion options. Transmission swap with an '07 Norge would be the most cost effective. I suppose you might try and find a short rear tire to try first.
Click to expand...

Can't swap transmissions between 2VPC and 4VPC models Todd. Different input shaft arrangements due to the different clutches.

Pete
 
It sounds like the gearing is what it is.

Thanks for the replies and insight on the tuneups. I will be doing my own work and will probably loosen up the valve clearances. I understand the issues of TB sync.

Has anybody seen a torque curve for the Mistral pipe(s)?
 
...It's all relative really....On my 09 Stelvio,5000 in sixth is approx 90..... and this thing LOVES 90......on the other hand, at 70, I'm probably dropping to fifth when passing....and yet, I still find myself wishing for a seventh gear.....
 
I put 300 miles on my NTX this weekend and have a better feel for the gearing. Oddly, I've changed my mind, I think it's geared nicely. Hit 103 MPH, stable as a rock, cruising 85/90 MPH is a happy place! :D What isn't so nice on my bike is the roughness between 3200 and 3800 RPM's. I know the throttle bodies were left alone at delivery. Will have them balanced ASAP.

Vivo
 
I've now got over 10,000 miles on my NTX and it's settling in nicely. The bike is a bit tall in the gearing but it works. I can use 6th down as low as 50 mph with no issues at all, sure it doesn't pull too well at that speed but that's why 'Guzzi gave it a gear lever and 6 ratios to play with. At 141 mph fully loaded on an Autobahn last year it could have done with a 7th gear...
 
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