Review of 2012 Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX

New to this forum, Just made the move to a 2013 NTX and traded my Griso and Concours 14 . Loved the Griso but after several years of not having any storage, taking the bike on longer trips was near impossible. The Concours was fast and had the luggage but I just never loved it like the Guzzi. Now with the Stelvio I will have exactly what I want, that fantastic twin feel and sound in a package to tour in style.

I had an Aprilia Caponord before the Connie and had it no shorted out after my first trip with it I might still have it? Now, that is an uncommon bike.

The Griso was faultless and it had soul! That isn't in a spec sheet. My Stelvio is on order and I don't need a test to know what to expect, I'm going to love it!

Vivo

Of interest... bigbadandugly has posted an '09 Stelvio trip in Ride Reports.
I just started reading it.

Vivo, the five most terrible words in the english language are, "My Stelvio is on order..." I hope it comes when expected. Mine sure didn't so I took my down payment back from the dealer and was all set to plop it down on a Super Tenere when lo and behold he called me and said the bike would be in the next Monday! I'm now the proud owner of a 2013 Stella. The fast "copper" colored one.

Good luck!

A few pics from yesterday's ride on The Old Federal Road in Alabama:

YOU, sir...

Are BRAVE...

Lol, aww, it aint that big a deal. Just always be thinking VERTICAL ! Keep it vertical ! lol

Read up on suspension set-up. There are various opinions about it.

The 25mm number above would fall in line with many "experts" regarding track running with slightly more, say 30 mm, for normal street riding.

Dirt bike applications require much more.

Using a percentage formula is not always the best way to go.

Ive had an Ohlins-equipped 1200GS that I ran with about an inch of sag and it worked well for me. I think many folks would want more sag than that. My Stelvio is running with more than that too.

Having a little more rebound travel left in the suspension provides a smoother, more surface-compliant ride, especially on non-paved situations.

Of course, sag (static and laden) is only one variable. Compression and rebound dampening are related and affect the performance of any sag setting. Fork oil viscosity also has a huge impact on all the variables.

A good source to begin with is the standard Ohlins manual here.

http://www.ohlins.com/Products/Owner...M_07241-02.pdf

This is just a guide and other sources have their ideas. Check with Race Tech, Works Performance, Progressive Suspension and others for their tweaks.

Im 205-210 lbs depending on weekly dietary habits and the stock suggested settings for the Stelvio work great for me. I do run more spring preload on the rear, however.

I have an Ohlins-equipped BMW R1200S that is set almost exactly as suggested by the Ohlins manual and it's the best-performing suspension of any road bike I've ever owned.

I just finished reading through the entire thread plus Larryboy's very nice RR.

A little background, I had spent about 30 yrs riding a '82 BMW R100RS plus my smaller dual sport bikes, in '09 I decided to try the ADV format with a KLR650 keeping the BMW handy. I liked the ADV format of the KLR. so in '10 I went looking for a big ADV bike, preferably shaft driven. I test rode the GSA, Tenere, and was lucky enough to ride a 2009 Stelvio NTX. I also rode the Tiger 800XC. I original thought the Stelvio might be the bike for me as I have some real Guzzi lust that has never been answered. Needless to say I wasn't smitten with the 2009 NTX I rode. I found the thudding in the bars pretty hard to digest on a short test ride and the bottom end grunt wasn't what I was hoping for. I don't know if that bike was a good example or not. When I first went to take off from the shop it died right there and the techs spent about 20 minute scratching their heads. It finally came to life and I hesitantly proceeded with the test ride. I didn't hiccup for the rest of the ride. I ended up with a clean used '06 Vee as it seemed like the best way to "go big" with an ADV bike for not too much $$$ while I watched how the market shaped up over the next couple years.

So finally the updated 2012 NTX appears to be a reality and all your feedback sounds very positive. I was waiting for the updated version back in '10 but none to be found near me, the '09 was all I could find to check out. I spotted a shiny new NTX in the local showroom and liked what I saw, they didn't want to offer me demo ride on it.



So here's my question, have any of you current 2012+ Stelvio owners owned a Vee before, and how does it compare in your mind? It's more a basis of comparison for me than would I buy a new Vee vs a Stelvio.

I'm pretty much down to a Tenere or a Stelvio unless I go lite with a Tiger 800XC. I haven't seen the 1200XC yet so ..... but I sat on the std Explorer and it seems rather umm... hefty to me, as does the Tenere. I've ridden the Tenere 3x now and I'm not really in love with their ride by wire deal, it's no where near linear which is what I want, do what I ask, not what you think I need.

I've seen some pix and read some description of how the big girl works in the dirt overall. I really appreciate the low 1st gear, that's important. I haven't heard much about how the suspension works off the pavement except for Larryboy's report. When I rode the '09 it seemed very much like streetbike oriented suspension tuning (kinda like my Vee), is that still the case? I'd be riding it 2 up a great deal of the time so I appreciated what Larryboy had to say from his 2 up Death Valley experience. I've ridden the Vee in DV 2 up but we didn't do some of the gnarlier passes. I've done most all of them solo on other smaller bikes over the years.

It sounds like Guzzi has gotten the fueling dialed in on the current model. Is it safe to assume I won't a tuning box like my Vee needs to run properly? I'm cool with a ECU update/reflash but it would be nice not to have to sink $300-500 into a tuning box on a new bike. I'd rather spend it on other farkles. How is the OEM luggage, I haven't heard you guys talk about it much. Honestly I'd rather pay less and reuse my Happy Trails boxes.

Any honest feedback is good.

Thanks to everybody who's posted up their impressions and feedback so far. This has been a very good thread without a bunch of BS mucking it up.

What have you heard about the new ones having the fuelling dialed in? Because as far as I can make out there isn't any difference between the 12 and the 13s. Please prove me wrong.

Case in point. I see they still have those silly wind deflectors where they could have eliminated them and installed the heated grips that should rightfully be there.

In comparison to the 2009? But I didn't feel the fueling on the 2009 was that bad.

read up on the changes between the previous gen and the NTX... ECU, 2x O2 sensors, etc.

The NTX is well sorted from the factory, and compares well to anything in the class.

Will do. I have read some and was aware of cam changes and some ECU stuff, plus the larger fuel tank, but I'm not 100% schooled in the full extent of updates.

I'm glad to hear it's regarded as well sorted.

The fueling on my 09 is perfect. I think most of the issues were with poor dealer set up.

if the 09 that you rode was "pounding you in the hands" then the throttle bodies must have been way out of adjustment.

I think that is highly likely. I think the dealer had just got it in from some other place. It was a used demo bike, not from new stock. When it died and wouldn't immediately restart their techs didn't see very familiar with it which didn't give me the warm and fuzzies. They are mostly a Ducati dealer.

I didn't think the mapping was too far off, it didn't stumble or hiccup the way my Vee did on the original mapping. I know how my Vee feels when the TBs get out of sync. I know the Guzzi is noted for feedback through the bars so I can understand it getting worse if things aren't sync'd up. I'd really like to ride a properly setup 2012+ NTX.

Everyone is different and will have a different impression of a twin. To some, zero vibes is "smooth". On a big twin? Really? Same goes for fueling. As Witch said, setup is critical on these bikes. My TB sync was off from the factory, but my dealer fixed that during the first service. Very nice since then, and of course it keeps getting better as I put more miles on her. That's the thing most folks don't really get. Big twins will smooth out over time.....like a good whiskey. If a person wants zero vibes, they need a 6, not a twin. My bike still isn't super happy until it's warmed up a bit, sorta like the old carb days, but once she's in the zone I have very little to complain about. Will I get Todd's (GuzziTech) full kit at some point? Maybe. But it runs good enough for me at the moment that a cracked ECU and total remap isn't necessary to enjoy the bike, at least not for me.

-SM

My question was for differences between the 12 and 13, not the 09 and I did find reviews for both on Total Motorcycle with the latter stating the refinement and tweaking of the timing and fuel. I can only hope it's true. Guess a test drive would tell.

I'd agree, if you want zero vibes then a 6 cyl is about your only choice. but...... a nice 90 deg V-twin has some sweet spots where it's nearly vibe free.

Well..... I went back to the local shop and talked to a more senior sales person plus I showed up on the Strom with the wife. I was able to take a short (~7 mile) test ride on the 2012 they had. It's a "new" bike, the Odo showed less than 20 something miles on it.





I'm REALLY glad I got the chance to ride this bike. It is substantially better than the 2009 I rode. Maybe part of that is proper setup, part upgraded specs, etc... but this is a bike I could own, for sure. The "thudding" through the bars was almost none existent and there was definitely more bottom end torque. Compared to my Strom it idles vibey but after that it's very similar in vibes, I'd say smoother in the upper reaches of the rev band. My wife rode with me and she said it felt smoother than the Strom to her. She also liked the wider seat, otherwise her comment was it was very similar feeling from a passenger's view point. She really liked the bike, very dangerous....

I did notice the heat from the left cylinder, the extra inch or so of space between the left and right side seems to make a difference, it reminded me of riding my old Airhead BMW, kinda nice in cold weather. I only noticed it when were were dawdling along on city streets. Out on the freeway I didn't notice it.

I was a little surprised at the first gear ratio, it was higher than I thought it might be based on what's been written here. I think it could be a little lower still, it's definitely geared tall overall, should be good for those high speed runs through the desert

The brakes have more bite than the Strom, I had to pay attention to not apply too much and slam her into me.

I did notice what SM mentioned about it being a little cold blooded at the start, very much like an old carb'd bike. This kinda surprised me as most FI bikes don't do that cuz EPA doesn't regulate the start up. Once it was up to temperature I didn't notice any errant fueling, I suspect it could be a little crisper off the bottom with some mapping but I think it's more than refined enough for me. I wouldn't go running to have a remap right away .... if ever. It's much better than the stock map in my Strom.

The view from the riders position around the tank area is very similar to the Strom, nearly the same tank width and contours and then it tapers smaller as you view forward. It doesn't have the large area surrounding the dash like the Strom, I like that better, it gives you a better view of the road. Wind flow seemed pretty good, I didn't notice any major buffeting, a relief. But it was a short ride so I didn't get to really test that out behind some trucks etc. I wonder how different it feels with a full tank of gas? Any comments about that from you owners? The fuel light was flashing on my so I'm guessing it was pretty dang low. Yet when I shook the bike side to side it sounded like quite a bit of fuel was in it.

I have mixed emotions about the OEM luggage. It's REALLY wide with the racks they used and I'm not sure if I like those boxes better than my Happy Trails boxes or not, they don't seem as sturdy but close in size I think. I kinda wish you could buy the bike without the luggage and deduct the price so I could choose my own options there. I think the rest is just fine, I like the skid plate and engine protection bars. The extra lights are nice but I'd leave them off if it saved some $$$. I think the stock twin headlights would be sufficient for me.

I think it would definitely come down to either the Stelvio or the Tenere and I'm leaning towards the Stelvio. I certainly liked the more direct throttle control better and I like the feel of the engine better, both in "feel" and powerband. The Tenere is kinda flat above about 6k rpm while the Guzzi keeps on going. The mid range seemed pretty similar. It's kinda hard to judge from idle to say 3k rpm because the Tenere's electronics mucks about with the response so you're not really getting what you expect to get, stupid. I think the Stelvio appears less bulky from the riders view, very similar to the Tiger 800XC. I like the fact that there's no radiator on the side if the bike tips over. At least the radiator on my Strom is fairly protected even without any bars.

The service work is definitely easier than on the Strom. I miss my old BMW for that.

The bottom line, I think a 2012+ Stelvio may very well end up in the garage some time in the maybe not too distant future.

Hummmm, notice anything different? Btw, mine is a 2013 model.