guzziben47
Cruisin' Guzzisti
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2010
- Messages
- 191
I think the "I Love My Stelvio BUT" post has gotten a little depressing. And I'm partially to blame, having posted a number of complaints myself. So now that I have the bike pretty much sorted out, I wanted to redeem myself by starting a new post for anyone who is interested. Here are some of the reasons I love my Stelvio.
I have to admit, the price initially attracted me to the bike. If I were a wealthy man, I probably would have bought a BMW Adventure without thinking about it. I don't like look of the bulbous tank and skinny front wheel on that bike, but otherwise, it is exactly what I was looking for. Because I am not a wealthy man, I kept looking. I know about the VStrom and the Tiger, and thought long and hard about each. But then I found out about the Stelvio.
In my opinion, the Stelvio has the best styling of all the adventure tourers. It looks sharp with or without bags. We can't get the NTX in the US, but that bike is the one I was originally drooling over. What an awesome bike! My goal was to get a base Stelvio and then add everything the NTX has.
I then also discovered left over Stelvios can be bought in the US for well below the retail price, and there are barely used Stelvios available on line for even lower prices. Because of the price and styling alone, I think the Stelvio is the top adventure tourer available. It was and still is my top choice.
In addition, this bike handles and accelerates like a sport bike on the back roads. Can a GS do that? I don't think so. The stock 8V engine on a Stelvio pulls harder than a Suzuki Bandit I used to own. I didn't expect the Stelvio to handle as well as it does, given the seating position, among other things, but I have found it to be a blast to ride through the twisties.
On the highway, the Stelvio also excels. I had a Honda ST1300 that was not as stable or as fast on the highway as the Stelvio. I can barely use sixth gear at remotely legal speeds without lugging the engine. I haven't taken the bike for a really long ride yet, but this bike could easily handle any long distance highway droning.
As for touring capability, now that I have the saddlebags mounted, I feel like I can go anywhere, one or two up. There is plenty of room in the bags, plus I have the rear rack and the two little bags in the fairing, under the seat, with a tank bag, etc. What bike has more potential luggage capacity? A Gold Wing maybe?
Unlike all the bikes offered by the big four Japanese builders, this bike oozes character. And it isn't covered in plastic, like just about every other bike I've owned. I love the way you can see the entire engine. You get enough coverage with the shield, but you aren't completely blocked from the wind, like you are with a lot of the Japanese tourers.
I confess I still have a little GS Adventure envy when I see one. But I hear the new BMW's are having all kinds of problems. And I know from owning a BMW in the past everything related to those bikes is unbelievably expensive. For those two reasons alone I'll take my Stelvio over a GS any day.
Besides BMW GS's are everywhere; if I wanted to ride what everyone else rides, I'd have bought a Harley. This bike turns heads everwhere I go. I stopped at a BMW dealer near me and the service guy came out to check out the Stelvio. He asked me a bunch of questions and was nodding his head in approval, then realized what he was doing and went back inside.
Anyway, those are some of the reasons I love my Stelvio.
P.S. Did I mention the brakes are awesome? The bike is easy to maintain. The wife likes it too. I could go on and on....
I have to admit, the price initially attracted me to the bike. If I were a wealthy man, I probably would have bought a BMW Adventure without thinking about it. I don't like look of the bulbous tank and skinny front wheel on that bike, but otherwise, it is exactly what I was looking for. Because I am not a wealthy man, I kept looking. I know about the VStrom and the Tiger, and thought long and hard about each. But then I found out about the Stelvio.
In my opinion, the Stelvio has the best styling of all the adventure tourers. It looks sharp with or without bags. We can't get the NTX in the US, but that bike is the one I was originally drooling over. What an awesome bike! My goal was to get a base Stelvio and then add everything the NTX has.
I then also discovered left over Stelvios can be bought in the US for well below the retail price, and there are barely used Stelvios available on line for even lower prices. Because of the price and styling alone, I think the Stelvio is the top adventure tourer available. It was and still is my top choice.
In addition, this bike handles and accelerates like a sport bike on the back roads. Can a GS do that? I don't think so. The stock 8V engine on a Stelvio pulls harder than a Suzuki Bandit I used to own. I didn't expect the Stelvio to handle as well as it does, given the seating position, among other things, but I have found it to be a blast to ride through the twisties.
On the highway, the Stelvio also excels. I had a Honda ST1300 that was not as stable or as fast on the highway as the Stelvio. I can barely use sixth gear at remotely legal speeds without lugging the engine. I haven't taken the bike for a really long ride yet, but this bike could easily handle any long distance highway droning.
As for touring capability, now that I have the saddlebags mounted, I feel like I can go anywhere, one or two up. There is plenty of room in the bags, plus I have the rear rack and the two little bags in the fairing, under the seat, with a tank bag, etc. What bike has more potential luggage capacity? A Gold Wing maybe?
Unlike all the bikes offered by the big four Japanese builders, this bike oozes character. And it isn't covered in plastic, like just about every other bike I've owned. I love the way you can see the entire engine. You get enough coverage with the shield, but you aren't completely blocked from the wind, like you are with a lot of the Japanese tourers.
I confess I still have a little GS Adventure envy when I see one. But I hear the new BMW's are having all kinds of problems. And I know from owning a BMW in the past everything related to those bikes is unbelievably expensive. For those two reasons alone I'll take my Stelvio over a GS any day.
Besides BMW GS's are everywhere; if I wanted to ride what everyone else rides, I'd have bought a Harley. This bike turns heads everwhere I go. I stopped at a BMW dealer near me and the service guy came out to check out the Stelvio. He asked me a bunch of questions and was nodding his head in approval, then realized what he was doing and went back inside.
Anyway, those are some of the reasons I love my Stelvio.
P.S. Did I mention the brakes are awesome? The bike is easy to maintain. The wife likes it too. I could go on and on....
