Stelvio Shock Versus GRiSO Shock

bjor wrote:

Clancy wrote:

For what it’s worth, here’s my take on the Stock to Stelio shock swap.

Since we are about equally heavy, I'm curious to know which version of the Stelvio shock you have (NTX or pre) and which N/mm-ratio your spring has got.

Regards Bjørn

NTX.
Back again to 2 rings showing.
Running Michelin Pilot Road 5's at 38 & 40 psi.

Buellbloke wrote:

[...]
Did you find tyre pressures help as have mine at the factory 36 -42.
[...]

Funny, the user manual values for my 1100 are 33.4-36.3 psi. Did Guzzi find out a better pressure setup or did anything change to justify the increase of pressure suggested for the 1200?
At 75kg on Pilot road 5 and with a stelvio shock, I've experimented both with the fork height and tyre pressure.
At higher front tyre pressure, I loose traction relatively easily when riding aggressively. I've not experimented much with rear pressure.
I run 2 rings showing now and the curve entry is quick. The bike can feel a bit wobbely when leaned and throttle usage is not smooth (though this is more my fault than the bike's). It's also easy to make here wiggle the rear on a straight line when shaking the handlebars, enven slightly. Rising the fork more through the clamps makes these issues worse. Lowering them solves the issues a bit but then quick side to side switches feel slow and I have quite a lot of that on my local roads. Maybe experimenting more with tyre pressure can find me a good middle ground.

I run 37/40 and have no issues but that's on my Sport

Buellbloke wrote:

bjor wrote:

What's the point in changing from original to Stelvio shock? Is it comfort, seat height, better road contact, or what? Just wondering...

If you weigh in at around 80 kilos then the standard GRiSO shock may suit you.
Its travel to bottom or top is quite short. Its a sporty unit not built for comfort.
If your somewhat bigger say 90 plus kilos you may find you have a shock with its compression maxed out and a very harsh ride.
Two up and some crazy bottoming will likely ensue.
A Stelvio shock fits right in, its cheap and cheerful, being off the early Adventure model the travel is much longer.
Compression is easily adjusted using the knob on the side, with rebound same as the GRiSO shock a screw at the bottom.
Being 25mm longer it assists with fitting lower footpegs for taller riders.
Ground clearance is not enormous on the GRiSO as is, so if fit 1inch dropped pegs the ground will come up even sooner with the standard shock.
My take is the Stelvio shock is good for riders who are tall or overweight, for better comfort 1 or 2 up and if your tall a more comfy ride less cramped, a good fit for lower pegs.
They are getting rare and not so cheap, checkout decent new aftermarket shocks first.
If you able to customise a shock designed for the GRiSO with better spring and/or increased height maybe go with that.
If not then buy an after market new shock for the Stelvio.
You pays yer money you takes yer chances

Doesn't seem like 25mm - more like 15mm longer from eye-to-eye

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320mm
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335mm
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Same amount of preload ??

Oops didn't check. I don't feel any clicks when I turn the knob though

CrazyBiker wrote:

Oops didn't check. I don't feel any clicks when I turn the knob though

Can you spot the difference

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The knob turns quite a few rotations before it starts to click

I found the bike sat at the same original height with me seated and sag factored in with the Stelvio shock.
It allowed me to fit 1 inch lower pegs and retain ground clearance.
Looking at shock externals the two dont seem too far apart, what you need to focus on is the travel of the piston rod.

5 weight oil did nothing for me at the front with upgraded springs, two up used almost all the travel the bike had, bottoming was a potentail hazard.
For me and my weight @ 107kilos the original 7.5 weight oil is best.

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I also went to a 190/55 so it might be a night and day difference. Already have the front dropped a bit so might have to revert that [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I found the Stelvio shock that i measured to be 10mm longer than the GRiSO one.

Then i measured the actual shock and wheel travel with it all bolted up and the shock position and linkage mean that wheel movement is approximately 2.2 x shock movement.

So the 10mm longer stelvio shock so that gives you a 22mm higher ride height.

I could not accurately measure the full range of movement as the bump stops are large and due to the linkage ratio you need almost 400Kg load to simulate full load at the bump stop.

But with about 50kg load
For the GRiSO shock i got 40mm of suspension movement which gives a wheel movement of 90mm (less than the 110 in the owners book)
On the Stelvio at the same load i got 44.5mm of suspension movement which gives a wheel movement of 99mm (not the 120 in the owners book)

So my finding was that the Stelvio shock gives a higher rear - so improves steering angle without reducing ground clearance, but only gives 9mm or 9% more wheel travel.

|For a cheap fix get a higher spring rate, if you are tall and feel cramped use a Stelvio shock.

But for real improvement you need an aftermarket shock