Racer242
Tuned and Synch'ed
Let me say first off, I love my Stelvio. It's my first ADV bike and my first Guzzi. I would be thrilled to see this bike go on to be a groundbreaking record seller. It deserves to be. Study the design, the layout of components, the concentration of mass, the direct line of power transfer, this is the work of brilliant minds. Does it have faults? One might say a fault while another a preference. Choices, compromises are made. We weigh the sum of those and decide if we are pleased. This bike pleases me, it's a keeper. I think this bike is that good and that profound that it could upset the entire idea of an ADV,,, if only it were a BMW.
I have ten bikes in my garage, I buy a new bike every year. I sell or trade the ones that disappoint and keep the ones I love. I wanted an original Stlevio but the opportunity and timing never aligned. When the V100 came out, I knew there would be an ADV version and I put down my deposit as soon as the order book opened. I generally choose bikes that are or go on to be very well regarded and tackle their intended purpose with sound engineering. It follows that I have an affinity for V twins. Along that line of thought, if one could write a design brief for a 1000cc+ ADV with all around travel capabilities, and starting with a clean sheet for everything, you would end up with a torquey twin, an upright seating position, and some luggage capacity . Of course, nobody has a clean sheet, engines are "platforms" that have to serve multiple lines, brands might be tradition bound to a certain cylinder layout, they have to be built to a price point that their market will swallow and they have to make some declaration as to where they stand on the higway/offroad continuum. What we end up with in the ADV pantheon are V twins, parallel twins, transverse twins, some triples, some shafts some chains, 19 or 21 inch front wheels, spoked and cast rims and various interpretations of "rally" styling all brought together to entice you in to believing that your bike can go farther, faster and deeper in to the unknown than what 95% of owners will ever do. I buy that, I did buy that!
Soon enough press bikes are going to be released in the USA and I somewhat cringe when I think about what they will say. My challenge to reviewers, my wish really, is that when they review the Stelvio, they include observations as to how the uniqueness of a Guzzi makes it a better ADV and that they don't dwell on superficial comparisons of this or that component. For instance, I don't ask much of a clutch other than that the engine stops driving the back wheel when I pull it in. All clutches are unique, after a couple stops and starts you acquaint yourself with any new clutch and that's that. I wouldn't make a good reviewer but here is my dirty laundry list of Stelvio faults. Please hear me out, the good stuff is at the end.
Let's start with that clutch. While the pull is light, the feel is very vague. Engagement is at the very end of travel. Combined with a high idle, I found myself over revving for modest starts while playing out the lever and thinking "we should be moving now". Sticking with the clutch, yes sticking is the right word. Drop in to first at a stop and the jerk is severe enough to make you think you didn't pull it in at all. It's a loud and abrupt thunk. I suspect there is a judder plate in that stack that, while aiding smooth launches, it increases the drag. Let's run through the gears. First to second is a fairly wide spread but from there on out the ratios are more closely spaced. Great for canyon work but not so much for slow speed off road work. The shifts themselves happen with authority. The lever action is light but the gear box reminds you of just who is in charge. Again, some designed in clutch drag and some serious back cutting result in no shift being a half hearted affair. We're moving now, let's look at the instrument panel. There is a lot going on there, so much going on that I had to pull over and orient myself. Maybe I should have done that before I started. Maybe I should have looked at the owners manual. Fully 3/4's of the brick paver that is the manual is devoted to the instrument panel. I have bought in to too many conspiracy theories to ever again pair a phone with a vehicle. That's about ten pages I can disregard. There are another 40 to 50 pages covering the operation of optional equipment that even if you aren't too cheap to buy, you likely couldn't get (at least at time of purchase) because of the vagaries of availability. Ah, the Maintenance Section my favorite part because I like to work on my bikes. Other than checking the oil and adding fuel every other procedure directs you to see your Moto Guzzi dealer. Lucky for me, of seven makes I own, the Guzzi dealer is the closest to my house. Let's get back on the road...
These foot pegs feel like marshmallows below my feet. Maybe they are meant to augment the suspension? Big bumps weren't a problem Small bumps? Well they seem to stack up and only go away when the road smoothes out. Some compromises were done here. Lets signal for a turn. Okay, we are done turning and still flashing. Shift up and accelerate and still we are flashing. Per the manual, "after 40 seconds or .31 miles, the signal will self extinguish". Don't bother, I'll do it myself. Let's slow down. I wouldn't call that a bite, it's more like a an angry mouthed chomp. Initial front brake application is not easily modulated and pumping the lever is going to result in some pogoing of the front end. I contemplate how that would work out if the ABS were to kick in.
That's it for the bad stuff. I hope no one takes offense, just trying to be objective and comprehensive. As the professional reviews come out, I think similar issues will be repeated. Wouldn't you rather hear it from a friend? Frankly, none of the above bother me. My point here is lay bare the faults of the Stelvio, sort of put out a message to the paid reviewers that they need to dig deeper and expand their horizon when they take on this ride. Now on to the great stuff. This is an awesome looking bike. The design eschews the beak look and instead has a subtle bull nose that conveys powerful forward motion yet looks light and aerodynamic. From the side there is a compactness, lines are drawn to the center, the engine is prominent. Symmetry reigns, a cylinder on each side, mirror image pipes, an exhaust can on the right ,swing arm on the left. Open space above the wheels add to the aggressive posture, the long swing arm implies off road capability. Sticking with the symmetry aspect, same sized luggage can neatly and closely tuck in the space above the exhaust and below the robust grab handle. From the rear, distinctive after burning tail lights and a trim and stylish plate holder cover legal lighting requirements. No need for aftermarket parts here, this looks right. Swing a leg over and yes, you can do that. Not too high and not too wide. Cock the left knee in toward the tank, slightly bent. Grab the bars and push down on the right and lift slightly on the left while at the same time straightening that left leg. The bike easily comes off the side stand and my 32 inch inseam is just slightly heels off the ground. This bike is amazingly narrow in the midsection and it's not just a narrow seat. I measured the width from heel plate to heel plate. It's 1/2 inch wider than my YZ250. Turn the key and thumb the starter and you are ever so slightly aware that the engine is "turned sideways?". With the fluids cold you get one drama free shift to first. Once in motion, feet on the pegs, knees on the tank, you get a sense that this is a big-er bike. Think of a duel sport with an oversize IMS tank.
This engine is amazing, the sound is perfect, fueling is perfect, power delivery is linear, gobs of torque down low. Turn in is light and transitions are smooth. A stop at Two Wheels and clearly this new Guzzi was the center attraction. Riding GA 60 from Suches to Morganton was a blast. The suspension was in its element, the back tire is your limiting factor here. Heat off the engine on this 55 degree day was welcome and equal side to side, right where I wanted it and needed it. Heading home on the highway, a fully elevated screen created a more quieted cockpit. No vibration through the bars or pegs, a seat that is very comfortable and about the most natural seating position imaginable.
So where does this bike land on the off road to highway continuum? It's over on the highway side. That's where Guzzi intended it to be but the true brilliance is in how far it can go to either side. On the highway, on the twisties, it's vary capable of spirited riding and on the highway you can lay down some miles. On the fire roads and modest 4x4 tracks, beyond the road oriented tires, only your abilities will limit your travels. During low speed maneuvers, you sense how the mass is concentrated in the center. There is no getting away from the 550 ish pounds of bike you need to fling but it feels much lighter because all the weight is between your knees. With the engine turned, the various shafts can be stacked. With the cylinders in a V, the fuel delivery system can occupy the protected valley. Composite molded fuel tanks and in tank pumps free the placement of the tank to under the seat where it can double as a support structure. With the tank moved aft, the air box can now be moved directly above the intake. Charge air is cooler as it doesn't flow around cylinders or pass through a radiator. I find my self sitting in the garage, admiring this engine, admiring how perfectly the components connect and interact resulting in a direct line of power delivery. Charge air in the top, exhaust out the bottom, reunited in the middle and directed aft on the right. Rotating components are stacked, masses and directions of rotation balanced to counteract forces. Power connected to the rear wheel by a shaft housed in a sculptured structure that incorporates pivots, attached directly to the engine of course and also carrying braking components and the shock. The narrow flat sided gearbox offers faces to attach rear set like controls. Shifter, brake, swing arm, pegs, side stand, center stand, exhaust mount, all of it directly attacked to the engine. It doesn't leave much room for a frame, at this point there is little need for a frame. Think of a steel spider perched over the engine, its head being the steering stem stock and its legs spanning out and down to strategic points on this power block. The simplicity and directness of the design seems so intuitive.
I said at the onset that I love my Stelvio. I think it a fantastic motorcycle and a true design and engineering achievement. There will be some naysayers that quibble over some of the points made above and there have been and will be some reviewers that give it very high makes. How will stack up against the GS, the KTM, the Tigers, the Ducatis? One should take in to consideration the price. While Guzzi may have been less than generous with the suspension components, this is one area that is so easily improved and most often customized so maybe no foul here after all. I think that when you stand back and look at the totality of the package, the uniqueness and the boldness of the design and how it challenges our conceptions but yet offers the simplest most elegant solutions, you truly come to appreciate it's merits.
I have ten bikes in my garage, I buy a new bike every year. I sell or trade the ones that disappoint and keep the ones I love. I wanted an original Stlevio but the opportunity and timing never aligned. When the V100 came out, I knew there would be an ADV version and I put down my deposit as soon as the order book opened. I generally choose bikes that are or go on to be very well regarded and tackle their intended purpose with sound engineering. It follows that I have an affinity for V twins. Along that line of thought, if one could write a design brief for a 1000cc+ ADV with all around travel capabilities, and starting with a clean sheet for everything, you would end up with a torquey twin, an upright seating position, and some luggage capacity . Of course, nobody has a clean sheet, engines are "platforms" that have to serve multiple lines, brands might be tradition bound to a certain cylinder layout, they have to be built to a price point that their market will swallow and they have to make some declaration as to where they stand on the higway/offroad continuum. What we end up with in the ADV pantheon are V twins, parallel twins, transverse twins, some triples, some shafts some chains, 19 or 21 inch front wheels, spoked and cast rims and various interpretations of "rally" styling all brought together to entice you in to believing that your bike can go farther, faster and deeper in to the unknown than what 95% of owners will ever do. I buy that, I did buy that!
Soon enough press bikes are going to be released in the USA and I somewhat cringe when I think about what they will say. My challenge to reviewers, my wish really, is that when they review the Stelvio, they include observations as to how the uniqueness of a Guzzi makes it a better ADV and that they don't dwell on superficial comparisons of this or that component. For instance, I don't ask much of a clutch other than that the engine stops driving the back wheel when I pull it in. All clutches are unique, after a couple stops and starts you acquaint yourself with any new clutch and that's that. I wouldn't make a good reviewer but here is my dirty laundry list of Stelvio faults. Please hear me out, the good stuff is at the end.
Let's start with that clutch. While the pull is light, the feel is very vague. Engagement is at the very end of travel. Combined with a high idle, I found myself over revving for modest starts while playing out the lever and thinking "we should be moving now". Sticking with the clutch, yes sticking is the right word. Drop in to first at a stop and the jerk is severe enough to make you think you didn't pull it in at all. It's a loud and abrupt thunk. I suspect there is a judder plate in that stack that, while aiding smooth launches, it increases the drag. Let's run through the gears. First to second is a fairly wide spread but from there on out the ratios are more closely spaced. Great for canyon work but not so much for slow speed off road work. The shifts themselves happen with authority. The lever action is light but the gear box reminds you of just who is in charge. Again, some designed in clutch drag and some serious back cutting result in no shift being a half hearted affair. We're moving now, let's look at the instrument panel. There is a lot going on there, so much going on that I had to pull over and orient myself. Maybe I should have done that before I started. Maybe I should have looked at the owners manual. Fully 3/4's of the brick paver that is the manual is devoted to the instrument panel. I have bought in to too many conspiracy theories to ever again pair a phone with a vehicle. That's about ten pages I can disregard. There are another 40 to 50 pages covering the operation of optional equipment that even if you aren't too cheap to buy, you likely couldn't get (at least at time of purchase) because of the vagaries of availability. Ah, the Maintenance Section my favorite part because I like to work on my bikes. Other than checking the oil and adding fuel every other procedure directs you to see your Moto Guzzi dealer. Lucky for me, of seven makes I own, the Guzzi dealer is the closest to my house. Let's get back on the road...
These foot pegs feel like marshmallows below my feet. Maybe they are meant to augment the suspension? Big bumps weren't a problem Small bumps? Well they seem to stack up and only go away when the road smoothes out. Some compromises were done here. Lets signal for a turn. Okay, we are done turning and still flashing. Shift up and accelerate and still we are flashing. Per the manual, "after 40 seconds or .31 miles, the signal will self extinguish". Don't bother, I'll do it myself. Let's slow down. I wouldn't call that a bite, it's more like a an angry mouthed chomp. Initial front brake application is not easily modulated and pumping the lever is going to result in some pogoing of the front end. I contemplate how that would work out if the ABS were to kick in.
That's it for the bad stuff. I hope no one takes offense, just trying to be objective and comprehensive. As the professional reviews come out, I think similar issues will be repeated. Wouldn't you rather hear it from a friend? Frankly, none of the above bother me. My point here is lay bare the faults of the Stelvio, sort of put out a message to the paid reviewers that they need to dig deeper and expand their horizon when they take on this ride. Now on to the great stuff. This is an awesome looking bike. The design eschews the beak look and instead has a subtle bull nose that conveys powerful forward motion yet looks light and aerodynamic. From the side there is a compactness, lines are drawn to the center, the engine is prominent. Symmetry reigns, a cylinder on each side, mirror image pipes, an exhaust can on the right ,swing arm on the left. Open space above the wheels add to the aggressive posture, the long swing arm implies off road capability. Sticking with the symmetry aspect, same sized luggage can neatly and closely tuck in the space above the exhaust and below the robust grab handle. From the rear, distinctive after burning tail lights and a trim and stylish plate holder cover legal lighting requirements. No need for aftermarket parts here, this looks right. Swing a leg over and yes, you can do that. Not too high and not too wide. Cock the left knee in toward the tank, slightly bent. Grab the bars and push down on the right and lift slightly on the left while at the same time straightening that left leg. The bike easily comes off the side stand and my 32 inch inseam is just slightly heels off the ground. This bike is amazingly narrow in the midsection and it's not just a narrow seat. I measured the width from heel plate to heel plate. It's 1/2 inch wider than my YZ250. Turn the key and thumb the starter and you are ever so slightly aware that the engine is "turned sideways?". With the fluids cold you get one drama free shift to first. Once in motion, feet on the pegs, knees on the tank, you get a sense that this is a big-er bike. Think of a duel sport with an oversize IMS tank.
This engine is amazing, the sound is perfect, fueling is perfect, power delivery is linear, gobs of torque down low. Turn in is light and transitions are smooth. A stop at Two Wheels and clearly this new Guzzi was the center attraction. Riding GA 60 from Suches to Morganton was a blast. The suspension was in its element, the back tire is your limiting factor here. Heat off the engine on this 55 degree day was welcome and equal side to side, right where I wanted it and needed it. Heading home on the highway, a fully elevated screen created a more quieted cockpit. No vibration through the bars or pegs, a seat that is very comfortable and about the most natural seating position imaginable.
So where does this bike land on the off road to highway continuum? It's over on the highway side. That's where Guzzi intended it to be but the true brilliance is in how far it can go to either side. On the highway, on the twisties, it's vary capable of spirited riding and on the highway you can lay down some miles. On the fire roads and modest 4x4 tracks, beyond the road oriented tires, only your abilities will limit your travels. During low speed maneuvers, you sense how the mass is concentrated in the center. There is no getting away from the 550 ish pounds of bike you need to fling but it feels much lighter because all the weight is between your knees. With the engine turned, the various shafts can be stacked. With the cylinders in a V, the fuel delivery system can occupy the protected valley. Composite molded fuel tanks and in tank pumps free the placement of the tank to under the seat where it can double as a support structure. With the tank moved aft, the air box can now be moved directly above the intake. Charge air is cooler as it doesn't flow around cylinders or pass through a radiator. I find my self sitting in the garage, admiring this engine, admiring how perfectly the components connect and interact resulting in a direct line of power delivery. Charge air in the top, exhaust out the bottom, reunited in the middle and directed aft on the right. Rotating components are stacked, masses and directions of rotation balanced to counteract forces. Power connected to the rear wheel by a shaft housed in a sculptured structure that incorporates pivots, attached directly to the engine of course and also carrying braking components and the shock. The narrow flat sided gearbox offers faces to attach rear set like controls. Shifter, brake, swing arm, pegs, side stand, center stand, exhaust mount, all of it directly attacked to the engine. It doesn't leave much room for a frame, at this point there is little need for a frame. Think of a steel spider perched over the engine, its head being the steering stem stock and its legs spanning out and down to strategic points on this power block. The simplicity and directness of the design seems so intuitive.
I said at the onset that I love my Stelvio. I think it a fantastic motorcycle and a true design and engineering achievement. There will be some naysayers that quibble over some of the points made above and there have been and will be some reviewers that give it very high makes. How will stack up against the GS, the KTM, the Tigers, the Ducatis? One should take in to consideration the price. While Guzzi may have been less than generous with the suspension components, this is one area that is so easily improved and most often customized so maybe no foul here after all. I think that when you stand back and look at the totality of the package, the uniqueness and the boldness of the design and how it challenges our conceptions but yet offers the simplest most elegant solutions, you truly come to appreciate it's merits.
