I’ve now had four bikes in two years - the 2014 Super Tenere (2nd of two after the 2011 in the first PDP deliveries that got hung up with the Fukushima disaster), a surprisingly unreliable and cumbersome 2023 Triumph 1200 GTPro, the outgoing 2021 Moto Guzzi V85TT Centenario travel, and now a 2024 Guzzi V100 Stelvio. It’s already clear the Stelvio is going to be a keeper. While the bike is really good on the highway but not as good as a Tenere or GS, I’m not looking to head back to Alaska on this one and the lighter weight and increased power are just what I want for some highway, lots of back roads, and exploring gravel. Riding is fun and exciting again.
When I got the V85TT I suspected it would be an interim bike. I got to like it despite the antique air cooled 75 hp motor because it is such a friendly bike with a lot of character & started to think about just keeping it. Twist the throttle and it’d say “let me think for a few seconds” then move right along. It absolutely loved twisty corners and actually did pretty well when we were 2-up.
And while I liked the bike something was missing. I was riding less and had less passion for the machine. While powerful enough I always wanted just a little more than it was delivering. My knees would get cramped after a couple of hours and my right wrist would fall asleep. It was like the little engine in the kids story saying “I think I can, I think I can” and indeed it would get there but it just wasn’t the bike to go exploring the way I want to.
Plus, I rode a couple of Mandellos with the new V100 engine when I was getting the V85TT and there was plenty of press about how they were putting the V100 into an adventure style frame to be the new V100 Stelvio that was finally released early this year. It didn’t take much to imagine the combination of engine and frame, and when I got to ride a couple of V100 Stelvios over the last couple weeks the hook was set. Guzzi also was able to address the issues of the new engine in the first year it was in the Mandello, so the Stelvio has smoother shifting, thicker cases, a longer swing arm, etc.
First day: Rode 230 miles in 5.5 hours, mostly on back roads. That came after just less than 3 hours and 160 miles on the V85TT to get to the dealer. In the middle of today’s ride I was still doing surprisingly well and stopped at Romney Cycle to hop on a new Super Tenere, which of course was modeled on the BMW 1200 GS. Still like the Super Tenere but wanted something with a shaft that’s lighter, smaller, and more powerful.
On pulling out of the dealer driveway and after riding the V85TT in, the first impressions are the smoothness, acceleration, narrower waist, and superior wind management on the Stelvio. The wind management is surprisingly good for how small the windshield is, especially after the constant light buffetting of the V85 that came from the fork area. There’s a bit of helmet shake but not bad andI have a topper to see if wind management could be improved further at face level - but can live with it as-is regardless.
Power delivery and throttle response are perfect. Can switch on fly between 5 riding modes, which includes instantly switching off the rear traction control by selecting off-road. The Triumph required stopping and digging through a menu to do that. Even better, the various parameters for each of the riding modes can be customized. The display screen and switches (other than the horn) SO much easier to use and intuitive than the V85TT or Triumph.
(web photo)
I’d been afraid of the Stelvio seat from two quick test rides and just sitting in the showrooms. The feet-hand-seat relation of the Stelvio is very similar to Super Tenere and GS although the bike and seat are narrower and shorter. Because of the smaller size, weight, and seat, the Stelvio will not be as good for 12+ hour days as the 1290, GS, or Tenere but it won’t be bad either. The Tenere, GS, & 1290 are just larger and heavier, and dare I say more ponderous.
It would be nice to have extra seat area to slide back on, but this really was only an issue after being on the road for almost 4 hours because it took that long to develop hot spots. While it’s easy to get more seat area by simply riding without the rear seat, I have a 1” gel seat to try because again, we are doing more 2-up. Standing on the pegs is easier than on the V85TT and again similar to the Super Tenere. Never had the cramped knee feeling like after hours on the V85TT. And the bend in the bars is more like the Tenere so I didn’t have the sleepy hand issue that hours on the V85TT would sometimes result in.
The Stelvio has some top heaviness like the Tenere when coming off the side stand, but nowhere near as much. The big difference is in power delivery, since the 1200 Tenere is like a locomotive when starting to roll and the Stelvio just puts down smooth power. The Stelvio is a MUCH more fun bike to ride on twisty roads and is less of a handful on gravel.
People either love or hate the color which Guzzi calls Savanah Yellow and I say is road sign yellow. I do like it but would’ve bought the Asphalt Gray if it didn’t have the color of green booger snot under the eagle. Not crazy about the big STELVIO plastered on the tank sides and if I ever want to change it will be easy since the side panels are relatively easy to remove pieces of plastic so could be vinyl wrapped.
Warranty is 2 year unlimited miles and another 2 years (total 4) can be purchased at nay time in the first year.
Matching yellows!!!
Matching yellows again!!!
Downsides:
Mentioned the seat.
The biggest power issue is that it clunks into 1st because the idle speed is set to 1,500 rpm. Definitely something that didn’t take long to get used to and it turns out the TPS sensor is in the grip itself so this is controlled by the ECU software and the bike is too new for anybody to have cracked into it.
Rear shock is a bit too stiff, which rally only becomes an issue after hours of riding rough roads.
The kick stand is too short.
First World issue that the horn button is where my thumb naturally wants the turn signal to be, so I keep inadvertently beeping the horn. It’s so pathetically weak that it’ll get replaced at some point. The turn signal switch is above the horn button, just higher than my habit.
Radiator too exposed for real off road and needs aftermarket guard screen.
