Looking at a 2016 Stelvio NTX

Hello!

I finally decided to do some bike traveling --2 days to 7 days. I have not problems using the GRiSO to travel ( got the tank bag and other 20 liters soft bags..), yet I did run into some natural limitations due to the tank size, and also it did not do particularly well on dirt roads ( not planned.. but encountered along the way... )

So I started looking at Adventurer/Travel --Guzzi. Test drove the V85TT. Very light, responsive, you can scrape the pegs no problem, probably can do some serious dirt roads...but did not push me to invest $13K...something is missing there for me.

Now I am seriously looking at a 2016 NTX Stelvio with 6K miles, in what it looks like great conditions at $8K. It comes with an extra Givi case for the back, Mistral Pipes, and some other mods...

I am doing a 'remote' buy and shipping, since fly and drive is not an option right now for me (2K miles), and I would have to wait a few more months..

-- Anything in particular I should check on the Stelvio?
-- I might have the option to have it looked at by a reputable Guzzi dealer -- is it worth the extra money?
-- Is the Mistral exhaust much better? I see that Mark has Stelvio maps as well for aftermarket exhaust ...

I have never ridden a Stelvio! I love my GRiSO. I am really just looking for travel (paved roads) and occasionally some easy dirt roads -- I figure even if the Stelvio is heavier than the V85 I should be OK for at least other 7~8 years

Anybody here has both -- GRiSO and Stelvio ??? Any tips ???

Thank you
Giuseppe

Giuseppe,

Let me preface this with the affirmation that I love my GRiSO, it is a bike that I will never part with. When I want to have fun riding a motorcycle, I hop on the GRiSO. When I want to turn heads around town or at a bike night, I hop on the GRiSO.

Since I bought the Stelvio, I've put 10X the miles on that bike vs. the GRiSO. The Stelvio NTX is a spectacular touring bike that will take you and all of your gear virtually anywhere in all-day riding comfort. It's marvelous in stock trim, but add a windshield diffuser like the one I have from MRA X-CREEN TOURING CLAMP-ON VARIABLE WINDSCREEN SPOILER BLADE WINDSHIELD EXTENSION and you won't need the face shield on your helmet. Ride blissfully in a cone of silence...

Add to that the fact that the pillion perch provides ample comfort and support for even the longest, loveliest legs...

I'm 6'2" with a 32" inseam (longish in the torso and arms...) and the Stelvio is a joy to drain 8.5 gallons on a stretch.

Two bikes with vastly different purposes and strong suits.

Hello -- thank you so much for the comments. I am really excited now ! Yes -- same boat here. I will never part from my GRiSO -- it is a bike that gives unique emotions. But I am want to do some traveling and I think I won't be disapponted!

Giuseppe,
I Echo Steak's perspective on this. I also own both models , a 2013 GRiSO I bought 1 year ago, and my 2015 Stelvio NTX I purchased new in 2017. for me, The GRiSO is a very cool motorcycle that my Stelvio led me to. But I LOVE the Stelvio!! Such a capable, versatile , soulful ride. You will see!
There is an excellent Stelvio Community on the ADV rider forum with some truly awesome people and a level of camaraderie I have rarely experienced ANYWHERE. If a member has an issue with their Stelvio, almost the entire collective gets involved with troubleshooting to one degree or another. This Includes the much respected Pete Roper, along with a few other fellas with high level Stelvio troubleshooting, maintenance, and tuning skill. Again, you will see what I mean!
Cheers

Not sure if you have already bought that Stelvio, but I have had the opposite experience as others.

I owned my GRiSO for ~2 years and thought a Stelvio would be the perfect travel bike for me.  Bought one, and it just did not work for me.  

It had the stock windshield and in any position it was tons of wind noise and in most positions lots of wind buffeting.  And yes, that can be corrected.

It had an after market exhaust on it and was really loud ... and it had the db killer in, so not sure if the packing was shot or what.

And since it is a bigger (taller) heavier version of the GRiSO (sort of) I was kind of disappointed with the handling/maneuverability of it.

So I head out for a short 2-3 hour ride, loud exhaust, loud wind noise, helmet being knocked all around, more of a beast in corners/back roads ... geez, how could I ride this bike for multi day long day trips?  

So I looked at tailoring it for me ... sort out windshield issue, maybe go back to a stock exhaust, maybe new/different tires ... but in the end I felt it is sort of a high effort bike ... and on a multi day long hours on the road trip, I want a low effort sort of bike.

From reading about them it seems that maybe for every 1000 super happy owners, you have a girly man like me that just can't handle the Stelvio.  

I don't regret buying it ... was sort of a zero dollar experiment.

As for having a dealer check it out ... if you are a GRiSO owner, I think you checking it out would be better than a dealer.  Basically look for oil leaks, crash damage, test ride.  At 6K miles how messed up could it be?  

Oh, one more thing on the possible purchase ... you could fly out, see bike, test ride it, buy it, fly back, and arrange shipping back. Flights are super cheap now and that would allow you to see and test it and feel good about the purchase.

I had a beautiful orange 2013 Stelvio, and sold it after 2 years ownership. It was a wonderful, extremely comfortable, powerful bike.

Main reason for selling was its size and weight: I felt not in charge of the bike, always fearing stopping on uneven ground. I am 1.88 meter tall and both my feet could touch the ground easily but the Stelvio's weight was intimidating. Moving it around on gravel or in tight spaces is not easy. I also found it top-heavy (when its giant tank was full). Lastly, it was very sensitive to oncoming trucks, probably due to its screen (unlike the GRiSO which is EXTREMELY stable and totally unfazed by wind or trucks).  In the end, I didn't bond with it and decided to sell it.

I owned one for about two years and while I enjoyed it it never really 'Spoke' to me. After selling it and re-registering the Mana I haven't missed it.

There is no doubt that for some it is worthy of the same affection as the GRiSO has for me but I don't do enough dirt road riding to warrant it and if I did I'd really want something lighter.

Hello -- interesting... it seems like I am getting good comments and things to think about it!

Well Now I am just waiting for it to arrive from Austin TX!

I had the 6K miles service done there at AF1 -- I like those guys I buy all my parts from them.. and it was $150 cheaper than in California.. I will do the next myself like for the GRiSO. AF1 confirmed the bike is in top shape. Not 1 scratch. It has the extra top fairing as well...

I figure I will use the Stelvio for travelling and it should be quite good! I do not envision a lot of off-road.. maybe some dirt roads around here... I am 5.11 185.. I hope I can take the weight.... Also I sure hope it is as stable as the boar with crosswind.

I found myself one time in a group of 4 bikes, 1 Multistrada 2 big BMW GSs, a Yamaha FJ 1200 and me -- Sacramento to San Francisco Freeway...everybody was very curious about this 'never seen before Moto GUZI!

We hit some decent crosswind on the freeway and they were all in trouble to the point that they had to pull over. The GRiSO was minimally impacted if at all! I was holding my 80 mph comfortably...Sometimes no fairing works better -- and the chassis of a freight train helps too! They were all looking at me differently after that! Let me check out the Stelvio Forum!

Thank you all

Giuseppe

I don't "love" my Stelvio NTX. It serves a certain purpose much better than the GRiSO, but I could part with the Stelvio. I'll never part with the GRiSO.

It's nice to have the option of riding either, depending upon what, where, and how far...

Looks like I'll be flying down to Sacramento (Loomis actually) next month and riding my friend Don's Stelvio NTX back here to Moses Lake. He's on a plan to downsize his life, but I won't let him sell his Stelvio just yet...

If push comes to shove, I may end up selling my higher mileage unit and buying his low mileage version. Sounds a bit like my personal life after my divorce.

Loomis -- my very neck of he wood Granite Bay...

Giuseppe

I hear tell that you ran into my buddy Don today while you were out on your GRiSO. It's a small world...

The GRiSO is an epic motorcycle. The Stelvio is mans greatest achievement. FWIW, I'm faster on it, than on my wife's GRiSO. That may just because I have had a long relationship with it though.

I haven't found anything the Stelvio doesn't do well.

Well here I am 6 weeks after buying the bike and still dont have it ...
I am using HaulBikes and the quoted delivery date was 4/21. They got the bike 3/27 in TX, and on 4/19 they told me that they had delays... Covid... drivers got sick.. bla bla... so now it is supposed to show up 'the week of 5/10'

I made a mistake to sign the contract without an end date... I understand they cannot guarantee dates, but now is going to be almost 8 weeks from TX to CA....
I hope they won't push it out more!!!!

Giuseppe

Bummer Guiseppe, still it's on the way. Anticipation builds...

yes! Anybody had similar experience with HaulBikes ?

Giuseppe

Freight, globally, is pretty ordinary in these times. Everywhere!

Dang I really should have flown there and drive back!!!
I thought that shipping would have been faster

Haul bikes usually does better, however I started the process on 3-15 and got the bike on 4-27, so they have slipped on delivery times. The guy that delivered it said they have a new manager.

Have a GRiSO and Breva 1100 in the stable. Stelvio NTX is coming. Bought all three in a months span to catch up on lost time. GRiSO is cool. breva is comfort! Could be great for touring and long distance with saddle bags and top case. Waiting to see what the Stelvio holds. Hope I love it. Or, it may just become a short lived affair before I trade it in for a v65TT. I bought a 2012 Stelvio for $4.5k Canadian (rollerized) so I think I can get that back fairly quickly. Have a ton of mountain roads around me as I am in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Let’s see how it goes!

scagliog wrote:

Dang I really should have flown there and drive back!!!
I thought that shipping would have been faster

This was the correct answer. It's what I'm doing with my new GRiSO. I fly down to California next week to complete the purchase and ride it back over three days.

While there may have been some long, boring stretches of highway across west Texas, I bet you could have put together a scenic, week-long route back to California. Best of luck on a quick arrival of your new Guzzi.

Different perspective.
I ride a Yamaha Super Tenere 1200 (580+ lbs). Me 5’9+1/4” 200+lbs(ehm...). Articles say too heavy in dirt but running Motoz 70/30 and have handles tight, rough single tracks. Point being, tires for grip and good dirt skills can take a street bike with clearance (aka Suzuki VStrom) and do offroad.
I am considering GRiSO for that reason. Mostly road/ highway but occasional firebreak, double tracks. GRiSO >7” clearance. Bash plate, engine guards, Barkbusters, Pirelli Scorpions/ Metz 705/ Motoz ADV and I think we’d have ourselves a muscular dirt track bike. I know you pulled trigger on Stelvio but I don’t believe it’s cut out for serious offroad. More top heavy than my S Ten. Best wishes though. We’re all different.

How is the status? BTW: I love both... My GRiSO and my Stelvio NTX

Can’t have two bikes at once and depend on it for transportation. Have to wait until funds allow as there will be a lag before S10 sells. Thanks for sharing your opinion though.

Hello -- it has finally arrived! She is all mighty!!!

Haulbikes driver was really nice and professional -- bike was perfect started right up.
I signed the contract on 3/22. Bike was picked up 3/27 from Austin TX. Arrived May 14th in California. Supposed to arrive on 4/21! The driver told me that on 4/20 they had a major event in Las Vegas ( huge bike auction) and they send every single truck and driver there!!!

Anyway-- so far I love the Stelvio. I am 5.11, came with the extra top fairing.. I am doing 100MPH with the visor UP on the freeway no problem  -- cant feel a thing! Turns actually way better than I thought! Did some twisty roads and boy she can lean!

Yes -- she is mighty heavy when standing ( I still have not be able to put it on the big stand ... )
She came with a Mitral pipe that I am not sure if I like .. Well I need to try a mapping that I got, and see if she gets better.. power delivery is NOT like my GRiSO -- which with Mark's map punches pretty hard! I hear a lot of popping with throttle off, and a hole at 3500RPM..  I am thinking of getting the original exhaust from PO -- super nice guy -- and try a mapping from Mark.. if the one I got does not work out with the Mistral Pipe.

It also came with TomTom and Givi rear tank and Givi tank bag -- love it !

I need new tires!.. going to read up and see what I should use -- probably 80 Road 20 off road usage

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