Moto Guzzi Stelvio 2011 review [ashonbikes.com]

[UFO]

Moto Guzzis so often are nearly there... but not quite. They’ll have the spec, the looks, the power, plenty of goodwill towards this 90 year old company, then some irritating flaw will break the deal.

The new Stelvio though finally shakes off this unhappy tradition. It’s pitched as the Stelvio always has been, directly at BMW’s R1200GS, and this time, if you go for the Guzzi instead of the default German bike, you don’t have to suffer for your eccentricity. In short, Moto Guzzi has done it, the Stelvio is a match, and for many riders even, it’s a better choice.

There are two Stelvio models, the 8V and the NTX, aligned approximately with BMW’s stock GS and the more off-road biased GS Adventure, but both share the same important parts. The engine uses the same cam-timing as the 2010 model, which was revised to address criticisms of peakiness in earlier models by increasing low and mid-range torque. For 2011 the mapping has been refined, each cylinder’s fuelling now being treated independently using a pair of lambda sensors rather than making do with an average of the two. An effort has been made to quieten the internals too, with revisions to the valve gear and oil pump gears and plenty of internal noise baffles and shields to calm the clatter generally. The clutch is modified for a smoother action and better durability, while the oil cooling capacity is increased to control engine temperature better.

Read the entire review here:  http://www.ashonbikes.com/content/moto-guzzi-stelvio-2011-review

[Orson]

BMWs can match Guzzis?  

who'da thunk it

[atadaskew]

BMWs can match Guzzis?  

who'da thunk it

Eh?  How can perky jugs ever be compared to saggy jugs?

[rdbandkab]

I'm liking this color....

[JonS]

This bike has everything I want, and from what the review implies, no downside that I see. Being slightly odd in a Guzzi fashon, this might be the one.

[atadaskew]

Even the quality appears to be very good (this is dealt with by Aprilia these days), while BMW has had issues in this respect.

 

[doublen675]

I'm super tempted by this bike.    

[crispiegee1]

I wish I could have both this and a Tiger 800XC, but it would have to be one or the other.  

[Rabidsnipe]

I'm liking this color....

Agreed!

[atadaskew]

I wish I could have both this and a Tiger 800XC, but it would have to be one or the other.  

Take the Guzzi.

 

[USA MEDIC]

While I like the Guzzi, my GS would eat that bitch for lunch, then ride to Canada for dinner. In no way does that bike compare to a gs for long term or off road reliability. Unproven, in almost every comparitive category, it has a long way to catch up. Much like the CAponord, which i owned, it falls short in many ways, and is ill styled if it needs to rest for some strange reason on its side. I bet those upper fairing cost a pretty penny, and would be shot should it take a fall in the dirt.

If however, your just a wannabe dirt rider, and never intent to take this thing on anything worse than a dirt highway, awesome bike! Love it, love the italian stying, love the guzzi brand. Like all things made in Italy, it is beautiful, exotic, and probably a bitch, with some electrical miscues in its future.

my .02

Big Bad Bitchin Bob Baker

[crispiegee1]

I saw a review on ADVrider where a R1200GS owner did a review on a Stelvio he rode and he had nothing but great things to say about it. In fact, he said that in the dirt, he preferred it to his own GS.

So despite Bitchin Bob Baker's incredible reasoning and tireless three minutes of research, I'm more impressed with the words of people who have actually ridden the bike.

[WitchCityBallabio]

While I like the Guzzi, my GS would eat that bitch for lunch, then ride to Canada for dinner. In no way does that bike compare to a gs for long term or off road reliability. Unproven, in almost every comparitive category, it has a long way to catch up. Much like the CAponord, which i owned, it falls short in many ways, and is ill styled if it needs to rest for some strange reason on its side. I bet those upper fairing cost a pretty penny, and would be shot should it take a fall in the dirt.

If however, your just a wannabe dirt rider, and never intent to take this thing on anything worse than a dirt highway, awesome bike! Love it, love the italian stying, love the guzzi brand. Like all things made in Italy, it is beautiful, exotic, and probably a bitch, with some electrical miscues in its future.

my .02

Big Bad Bitchin Bob Baker

 



I've never had a single electrical or any other kind of failure on any of my Guzzi's that has ever left me stranded. They could not be simpler machines to work on.

The crash bars on the Stelvio do an excellent job of keeping the fairing and cylinders from hitting the ground. I had a drop in the snow this year going home after work, and didn't get a single mark anywhere on the bike.

FYI, the Stelvio is not the first dual sport Guzzi has ever made. It's not like it is their first try at it.

I'll take the Guzzi reliability over Bavarian Money Waster reliability any day of the week.  


http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7110381/bills-new-beemer-1200gs


 

2006-2008 BMW R1200 GS FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP Recall
2006-2008 BMW R1200 GS   FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Units affected: 0   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2009-08-07
Summary: BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 THROUGH 2008 R1200 GS MOTORCYCLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN AUGUST 2006 AND JANUARY 2008. THE SEALING OF THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL UNIT HOUSING MIGHT BE INSUFFICIENT AND WATER COULD INTRUDE INTO THE CONTROL UNIT HOUSING CREATING A HUMID ATMOSPHERE. UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS, THE FUEL PUMP COULD CORRODE AND THEN FAIL.   
 
2008 BMW R1200 GS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Recall
2008 BMW R1200 GS   ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Units affected: 0   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2009-04-17
Summary: BMW IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 2008 R1200 GS AND R1200 GS ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLES. IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS, SUCH AS HIGH GENERATOR SPEEDS COMBINED WITH LARGE DEMANDS FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT, SPURIOUS SIGNALS COULD EMERGE WITHIN THE MOTORCYCLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, IT COULD AFFECT THE PRESSURE SENSOR SIGNALS OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) CONTROL UNIT. IF THIS HAPPENED, THE ABS COULD SWITCH OFF; HOWEVER, IN SUCH A SITUATION, A WARNING LAMP WOULD ILLUMINATE. NORMAL BRAKING WOULD STILL BE AVAILABLE TO SLOW AND STOP THE MOTORCYCLE.   
 
2008 BMW R1200 GS POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION Recall
2008 BMW R1200 GS   POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Units affected: 46   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2008-07-01
Summary: BMW IS RECALLING 46 MY 2008 R1200 R, R1200 GS, AND R1200 GS ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLES. DUE TO A MATERIAL DEFECT IN THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT OF THE TRANSMISSION, THE SHAFT COULD BREAK. IF THIS OCCURRED, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO SEIZE.   
 
2006-2008 BMW R1200 GS SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS Recall
2006-2008 BMW R1200 GS   SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Units affected: 4922   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2008-06-05
Summary: BMW IS RECALLING 4,922 MY 2007-2008 R1200R, MY 2006-2007 R1200 GS, MY 2007 R1200 ST, AND MY 2008 R1200 GS ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLES. DUE TO THE CURRENT ROUTING OF THE FRONT BRAKE LINES, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT DURING RIDING, THE BRAKE LINES COULD BE UNDER STRAIN. IF THE VIBRATION/STRAIN IS SIGNIFICANT, THE BRAKE LINES COULD SPLIT AND START TO DEVELOP A LEAK. IF THE LEAK BECAME SIGNIFICANT, BRAKE FLUID COULD ESCAPE. IF THIS HAPPENED, THE LEVEL OF FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR OF THE FRONT BRAKE SYSTEM COULD DROP.   
 
2006 BMW R1200 GS TIRES:VALVE Recall
2006 BMW R1200 GS   TIRES:VALVE
Units affected: 144   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2006-12-21
Summary: ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE TIRE INFLATION VALVE HOLE IN THE RIM OF THE CROSS-SPOKE WHEEL WHICH IS EQUIPPED WITH THE OPTIONAL TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPM) WAS INCORRECTLY MANUFACTURED. A LEAK MAY DEVELOP AT THIS LOCATION POSSIBLY CAUSING SUDDEN DEFLATION OF THE TIRE.   
 
2004-2006 BMW R1200 GS SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK Recall
2004-2006 BMW R1200 GS   SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
Units affected: 13200   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2006-05-15
Summary: ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, UNDER RAPID, REPEATED, AND UNUSUALLY HARSH BRAKING, LOSS OF ABS CAPABILITY COULD TEMPORARILY OCCUR.   
 
2004-2006 BMW R1200 GS SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Recall
2004-2006 BMW R1200 GS   SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Units affected: 9260   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2006-04-24
Summary: ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, IF CERTAIN PROCEDURES ARE PERFORMED THAT INVOLVES REMOVAL OF THE FRONT LEFT BRAKE CALIPER, THE ABS SENSOR CABLE CAN BE ROUTED INCORRECTLY AND WHEN THE CALIPER IS REINSTALLED, THE SENSOR CABLE CAN COME INTO CONTACT AND RUB AGAINST THE FRONT BRAKE DISC. OVERTIME, IF THE CHAFING BECOMES SEVERE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOSE THE ABS FUNCTION.   
 
2006 BMW R1200 GS POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY Recall
2006 BMW R1200 GS   POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
Units affected: 453   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2006-04-04
Summary: ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE CLUTCH COMPONENTS COULD BECOME LOOSE WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS BEING OPERATED.   
 
2005 BMW R1200 GS ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Recall
2005 BMW R1200 GS   ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Units affected: 500   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2005-04-27
Summary: ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, EXPOSURE OF THE THROTTLE HOUSING TO ROAD DEBRIS COULD FALL AND BECOME CAUGHT BETWEEN THE THROTTLE-BODY AND THE ENGINE BLOCK.   
 
2005 BMW R1200 GS FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP Recall
2005 BMW R1200 GS   FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Units affected: 3084   BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Report Date: 2005-03-03
Summary: ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE DEFECT INVOLVES A WATER LEAK AROUND THE FUEL PUMP THAT IS INTEGRATED WITHIN THE FUEL TANK. AN O-RING SEAL ATTACHED TO THE PUMP'S ELECTRONIC HOUSING DOES NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS AND WATER CAN BYPASS THIS SEAL AND CONTACT THE PUMP ELECTRONICS.   
 

[atadaskew]

That was too much stuff to read.

Did you mention failing FDs?

 

[tdeboeser]

That was too much stuff to read.

Did you mention failing FDs?

 

I will....

from day 10 of the 2007 ibr  :

Chris Sakala is the THIRD BMW rider to experience a final drive failure on this rally. His R1150GS Adventure is broken down in Leadville, Colorado. Chris is carrying a huge number of bonus points which obviously overloaded the final drive. He is going to do everything possible to get back here by Friday morning because he thinks he has a good chance to place highly even with some down time for repairs

from the 2007 epilogue:

A disproportionate number of the DNFs fall on the shoulders of BMW. BMW failed several riders, demonstrating that they are no longer capable of building motorcycles that can run 11,000 miles in 11 days without a significant fraction experiencing a catastrophic drivetrain failure of some sort. BMW of North America has requested contact information for the riders who experienced failures. The riders BMW should be more concerned about are the thousands of unsuspecting souls who will breakdown in the future because the company has lost its previous ability to either design durable drivetrain components or (more likely) adequately monitor production and assembly quality. It's way, way past time for BMW to fix its drivetrain reliability problems. A good start might be to acknowledge that there is a problem.

Since the mid '90s it's bothered me that the worlds foremost adventure bike always has issues with 11k miles on road.  I know the IBR is a small percentage of BMW's on the road, and I know other bikes have issues in the IBR,  BUT BMW does advertise like their bikes are unstoppable:

(there are better examples, I was too lazy)


I like BMW's bikes, and would get one if I could afford one... maybe, but in a road rally contest a adventure bike ( or a bike with similar parts ), should eat up 11k miles easily.

 

[blueridgerider]

The bike sounds nice but there are a few flags waving in the review IMO.  They may not be deal breakers if I were to ride it in the real world but certainly items that I would pay close attention to in testing.

Most significant IMO, os the weight.  I have an 07 GS which is lighter than the example they use which is an 11 GS.

The GS weight listed is also fully fueled Stelvio with "some" fuel.  My GS is over 60 pounds lighter than the Stelvio.  

Other than weight I think my main barrier to embracing the Stelvio is the GS Telelever front suspension.  It is why my last two bikes have been BMW's.

Just my opinion though.  Looks like some pretty decent competition though as a package.

[WitchCityBallabio]

The Stelvio is definitely heavier. That version does have the 8 1/2 gallon tank though. I changed my exhaust to the Mistral carbon and honestly probably shed 20 pounds in catalytic converter/muffler weight.  I will say, the Stelvio hides its weight very well though. I've picked it up off of the ground, and while not fun, didn't seem that much worse than others I have picked up. The engine guards do keep it from going all the way down though and that probably makes the difference.

FWIW, my 2009 Stelvio is listed as 471 dry weight, compared to the 2009 GS at 491.6. There seems to be conflicting figures for dry weight on the new one. I find in some places it's listed as 215kg, and in others, 251. I find it hard to believe that they've added nearly 100 pounds to the bike with the changes they've made.

The front forks on the Stelvio are massive 50mm tubes. The feedback is awesome on them. Good rebound and compression adjustments too. I don't think you'd find the forks an issue.  

[Pete Roper]

By far the biggest issue with BMW's is that you have to listen to their riders telling you how they had an exhausting 1/2 hour run to the coffee shop on their GS's with all the polar bear smuggling kit on them!

Look, nobody with a quarter of a brain is going to do *serious* outback work or tackle the 3rd world on either a GS or a Stelvio unless they're an idiot. There are a HOST of far, far better motorcycles for it. Both of them are way to large and cumbersome for real heavy going, you'd be far better off with a DR 400 all bagged and tanked up.

What a Stelvio or GS is is a splendid 'Soft Roader', a sort of 2 wheeled Subaru Outback. It's not something you're going to try and cross the Kalahari dessert or ride through a Bolivian rain forest on but it is superb for poorly maintained dirt roads and logging trails. Anybody who pretends otherwise is either an idiot or deluded. And before anybody brings up the subject of those two numpties who went the 'Sad Way Round' or whatever it was called they had a HUGE support crew that enabled them to take their egos on a long trip on such unsuitable vehicles. Ordinary people don't have that.

From what I've seen over the years Guzzis tend to be considerably more solidly engineered than BMW's too. Early 8V big block Guzzis with the A8 motor had a problem with tappet failures but that was a MANUFACTURING problem, not an engineering one. The CARC rear drive is also, essentially, bulletproof. As with ALL Guzzis the biggest issue with them is finding a shop that will actually set them up rather than simply pushing 'em out the door which is why I ALWAYS tell people to buy on service, not price although there are some killer eals in the US on the earlier A8 motored bikes right now.

I'm not a 'Polar Bear Smuggling' sort of guy. I don't tend to ride bikes places where I feel I need what either the GS or a Stelvio offer but my Griso 1200 quite often turns up to places where the other riders are all togged up in their 'Paris-Dakar' gear. A couple of weekends ago Jude and I ended up at a set of falls a fair way off the 'Beaten Track' on my Aprilia Mana with bags and a touring screen and the only other people there were on GS 800's and big KTM's That was a hoot! The point I'm trying to make is simply that arguing over weight differences on two bikes that make Jabba the Hut look like Kate Moss in weight terms is, quite simply, pointless and absurd. If you WANT a GS? Fine, buy one. If you want a Stelvio? Fine, buy one. But please don't try and play Mr. Fur Chest over which one is 'more suitable' as a serious 'Adventure' bike because neither of 'em are.

I'll take the Guzzi every time for a variety of reasons. They are better engineered, more robust, about a quintillion times more stylish and you won't see one on every corner with a prat posing on it. They are also, by all accounts, a great two-up tourer. And that brings up another point. Why do you never see a pillion on the back of GS's? Do none of their riders have girlfriends?

Don't answer that!!!!!!!!!

Pete

[blueridgerider]

By far the biggest issue with BMW's is that you have to listen to their riders telling you how they had an exhausting 1/2 hour run to the coffee shop on their GS's with all the polar bear smuggling kit on them!

---CUT ALOT OF STUFF---

Pete

I agree with a lot of what you say.  The GS/Stelvio and bikes of their ilk are really All-Road bikes.    They can tackle pretty much any road you throw at them.  I will take roads on my GS that I would never take on the LT - though I did quite a few dirt/gravel roads on it as well.

I actually did not want to buy the GS because of the "Long Way Round" effect.  I was looking for a BMW (like I said I like the Telelever) to fit my riding.  The LT was great but shut me off from the more tactile experience that had gotten me started in riding.

I thought about an RT, an R1150R, and even a K12RS.  I was avoiding the GS because I did not want an oversized dirtbike that was as poser-rific as the latest FLHTUCHTLFU.  

BUT, a friend of mine came back from a two week motorcycle tour of Germany and he was completely enamored by the BMW GS he had rented.  His talk made me give the GS (the sport) a try.  I fell in love with the bike.

I say this to tell you I do not have nor have ever had any illusions of being a world traveler in the remotest corner of the earth on a GS.  I've ridden/owned real dirtbikes.  I know the GS is the last thing I would really want on a REAL off-road trip.  I do like however, that I can ride it on dirt/service/logging roads without it feeling all squirrely like my 866 LB behemoth LT did.  I like how it is a big standard geometry wise.  That it is comfortable, and reasonably fast.  

So the weight difference of 60 odd pounds between the Stelvio and GS don't mean much to me from the stand point of riding.  But 60 odd pounds on a tall bike when you have short legs does make a difference.  I have to slide over to the side of the GS at stops, so adding 60 pounds, plus how the weight is situated make a difference for me.  

Plus the review in talking about weight etc. in comparison to the GS made the bike less agile.  Why would I want that?

I'm not bashing the Guzzi here.  I don't know enough about it- just read the same opinion you did.  Just mentioning I saw some flags that would make me pay special attention to some areas of the bike.

BTW: My pillion passengers are my wife, my son and my daughter (all at different times of course).

[crispiegee1]

BlueRidge, I thought your post was nicely stated and none of your concerns seemed unreasonable, unlike "Bitchin' Bob" who seems to fancy himself as a latter day Bob Hannah on a GS.  

And that brings up another point. Why do you never see a pillion on the back of GS's? Do none of their riders have girlfriends?

Don't answer that!!!!!!!!!

Pete

Pete made me spill my tea (again!).