The 8 Valvers head for the wonders of Utah

After a few days of bike sorting and local rides, Don ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) and I are gearing up for our multi-day trip from Auburn, CA to Utah to visit as many of the National Parks we can fit in.  We're shooting for Moab, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, Grand Canyon, and Four Corners.  Don's cousin Mitch will be joining us on his BMW 1200GS and our friend Bart on a BMW 1200RT.  Should be an epic loop.

We've been busy updating Don's Stelvio with the latest Beetle maps as well as installing his heated grips, brush guards, Euro signal conversion/Aprilia mirrors, and sourcing the power for his TomTom Rider GPS that should be here on Monday.  Everything is coming together...

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Of course, we had to make a stop at Folsom Prison to get our blues on...

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And here's some video of us trying out the latest Aussie Wondermaps a few evenings ago...

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Tomorrow morning we're meeting up in Colfax with some other Bay Area Guzzisti for a nice, long run around the Sierras.  We'll try to take some more photos and video if we get bored from all the great roads out here.

 

Fantastic! Have a great trip.

Did you guys find the Tom Tom plug tucked up near the ECU on his Stelvio? Nice easy plug and play if you're using a Tom Tom.

Yes. And no...

This poor Stelvio has been taken apart and put back together too many times for things on the harness to be in their expected places. We ended up having to remove all of the bodywork and pull the tank to find the TomTom lead as it had been folded up behind the generator and invisible from every angle. I was actually starting to feel guilty for having recommended the TomTom Rider on the basis of the pre-wired power source. I was questioning whether or not the plug existed on the 2009 Stelvio until we pulled everything off and found it.

Which brings up another peeve. This is a two owner bike that has been fraught with problems ever since Don bought it. There was a rear main bearing failure that grenaded the original motor within the first month of his ownership. Several months later Piaggio sprung for a new motor, but it was an A5 in the A8 era. And even then, he's still had a slew of niggling problems including a leaking rear main seal that the local dealer could not identify, but two guzzisti did, at a campground, at night, with flashlights... And here's the peeve, all the work done on this bike has been completed by either of two dealers here in Northern California. While taking off all the body work and then reassembling I found three missing fasteners and two others missing their accompanying washers. For a servicing dealer to lose these items and not replace them during service is irritating to say the least.

No wonder his confidence in this bike has been shaken to the point of leaving the marque. Hopefully, between Mark's maps and all of our farkling these past two days, this Stelvio will get a second chance to provide the bliss it was meant to provide from the get-go. So far the transformation has been very well received. "It's like a whole, new motorcycle!"

Fingers crossed...

What a shame. It just didn't have to be this way for him. You have to wonder how many people have gone away from Guzzi because of poor dealers.

Hopefully the trip will be a good bonding trip for him. A well sorted Stelvio is a thing of beauty.

Take lots of pictures. Can't wait to see 'em.

Wow, very disappointing for him I'm sure. The Piaggio dealer network in the U.S. is a real tragedy especially given the very competitive models among the current apes and geese. In NC and surrounding states we have lost and/or had negative results with ownership changes at shops that previously had great reputations and staff, but with the economy and other reasons unknown to me have resulted in limited local or long distance options at best.

Hopefully he keeps the faith, I rode my 09 Stelvio over 20Ks all around the country and had an excellent experience. Only issues were the center gas tank panel replacement for paint bubbling, upgraded fuel mapping and one loose electrical connector and I always rode it like I stole it with never being stranded. The only shops that touched it were our now closed Hendersonville shop and MI in Seattle and I was very happy with their service techs.

Safe travels and good luck!