Quota or Stelvio: what are the riding differences?

[Travlr]

I know a Stelvio has 4 valves and a 6 speed.  The Quota counters with a 21" front hoop and longer suspension travel

1. What frame does the Quota use?  I know it uses the old 5 speed motor.
 
2. Could you compare and contrast riding the Quota and Stelvio. 

Thanks in advance!

Mike

[leafman60]

Oh, my lord.  A different century. A different universe.

Ox-pulled cart compared to the space shuttle.

lol

Quota is good ole mule but Stelvio is modern-day competitive. Biggest thing in common is they both have a decal that says "Moto Guzzi."

[radguzzi]

Oh, my lord.  A different century. A different universe.

Ox-pulled cart compared to the space shuttle.

lol

leafman is a little bit harsh there although a funny comparison...  Lol

I should start off my telling you that I have owned both, the Quota for about four years and the Stelvio for two years now and still have it.

The Quota is, by now a few years in the past, the frame is fairly stout, aides in the good handling of the Q, the front fork is fairly compliant, nothing to write home about but good with the correct oil weight.  Brakes are good, Brembos, what else is there to say...?

The 1100 (10640 engine is pretty bullet proof, runs great all day long. 

The brain had a hiccup that required an upgrade right out of the box, the single TB offered a very low MPG for some reason.  Lots of tries to make it better were usually futile.

As with any earlier lower output charging system, you need to watch the electrical add-ons, heated gear, lights etc... 

The Stelvio is only a few years newer however, brings a bit more mature features…

Brakes are better, the front fork is much more compliant to bumpy roads than the Q.  You mention that the Quota has more travel and I did not look that up but I prefer the Stelvio’s suspension. 

The engine is worlds above the earlier engine, makes crazy good power everywhere in the rpm ranges.

Seating position on both is most excellent although I again prefer the Stelvio as the stock seat seems not to push you into the tank as much as the Quota seat did.

A major upgrade in alternator output on the Stelvio allows auxiliary lights, heated gear and all that with little worry about taxing the charging system and battery.

The Stelvio, ‘08 and ‘09 variants are not without there warts, the net is full of stories on the cam recalls and slight wiring issues; shorting wires in the stock running lights which are easily fixed.


I am sure that there is more but you get the idea.  Both will give you a smile.

Best,
Rob

[Travlr]

Radguzzi: Thank you for a well reasoned response.  A couple of question:

"The Quota is, by now a few years in the past, the frame is fairly stout, aides in the good handling of the Q, the front fork is fairly compliant, nothing to write home about but good with the correct oil weight.  Brakes are good, Brembos, what else is there to say...?"

reading between the lines, could we say handling is similar?  I know the 21" front rim will hamper road
behavior but improve dirt performance.  A tradeoff I might be willing to make as I have a sporting Guzzi.

"The 1100 (10640 engine is pretty bullet proof, runs great all day long. 
The engine is worlds above the earlier engine, makes crazy good power everywhere in the rpm ranges."

I've owned both 2 valve and 4 valve motors.  The Stelvio should pretty well embarrass  the Quota power wise.

"The brain had a hiccup that required an upgrade right out of the box, the single TB offered a very low MPG for some reason.  Lots of tries to make it better were usually futile.
As with any earlier lower output charging system, you need to watch the electrical add-ons, heated gear, lights etc...  "

Are there known fixes for these?  Better mileage?  Higher electrical output?

"Seating position on both is most excellent although I again prefer the Stelvio as the stock seat seems not to push you into the tank as much as the Quota seat did.

How about wind protection?

"The Stelvio, ‘08 and ‘09 variants are not without there warts, the net is full of stories on the cam recalls and slight wiring issues; shorting wires in the stock running lights which are easily fixed."

One would weigh these against the above mentioned Quota issues.

M

[leafman60]

I modified a Quota to this-


Reworked front suspension with aftermarket springs etc, Buchanan laced 19-inch wheel, special machined rear suspension link, dual batteries to compensate for low voltage output in the woods and many other add-ons.  These are good bikes that can be bought for a cheap price.

I also have worked-on and ridden both the original Stelvio and my current NTX. They can also be bought for reasonable amounts and are light years ahead of the Quota in power and handling. The Stelvio does great in the woods and is far ahead of the Quota on fast road work even with suspension mods to the Quota. Stelvio niggling issues can be dealt with. The Stelvio NTX surpasses the BMW GS with Ohlins suspension, several of which I've owned.




.

[pyoungbl]

Don't forget that the Stelvio has single side swing arm and CARC.  It's much easier to change the rear wheel.

[rocker59]

I have owned a Quota and I have ridden a couple of Stelvios.

The Quota had 8 inches of front suspension travel and 6 inches rear. If I'm not mistaken the Stelvio is 6 inches front and rear. The quota has a 21 inch front wheel versus the Stelvio's 19 inch front wheel .

My Quota ran well and had a good engine character however it really didn't have enough power for its 550 pounds of weight and tall gearing. The suspension was compliant and the bike was a pleasure on the rough roads. However, ridden at a brisk pace on a smooth curvy road, the soft suspension became a liability. Brakes were pretty good however, and the bike was a good all arounder.

My biggest complaint with the Quota was aerodynamic. The buffeting around the windshield was horrible at interstate speeds. This was solved somewhat with Gustafsson wing deflectors. But it was always noisy.

I completed a saddle sore 1000 from Arkansas to Utah in 2005 on my Quota then spent a week wandering around Colorado and New Mexico. The bike was a really good mount for this trip except when attempting off pavement steep riding in the San Juans of southwestern Colorado where it proved to simply be just too heavy, geared way too tall.

The Stelvio really is on a different plane from the Quota. More than 1.5 times the engine power and probably a little less weight really make a difference. On pavement performance and handling of the Stelvio is quite a lot better than the Quota.

I really liked the Quota when I had it. However Stelvio is a much better motorcycle.

[Perazzimx14]

I had a Quota for about 6 months. The wind noise was horrible and the fuel mileage was even worse. Other than that the bike was great. It ate up tight two lane twisties or interstate with ease. Off road either the Q or S will be portly.

Don't get hung up on a 5 verses 6 speed transmission. 3rd gear on the Quota was good from 30 to 75 MPH. 4th was good to triple digits and 5 was unused most of the time.

[rocker59]

I had a Quota for about 6 months. The wind noise was horrible and the fuel mileage was even worse. Other than that the bike was great. It ate up tight two lane twisties or interstate with ease. Off road either the Q or S will be portly.

Don't get hung up on a 5 verses 6 speed transmission. 3rd gear on the Quota was good from 30 to 75 MPH. 4th was good to triple digits and 5 was unused most of the time.

Yeah.  I forgot to mention fuel economy!  My Q returned 32-42 mpg.  And you never knew for sure where it would fall in that range.  Luggage and any kind of a head wind, the bike would struggle to see 35 mpg on the highway.  That sucked with the 5.2 gallon tank, and why I used an AUX fuel cell on mine, when touring.

Ultimately, the wind noise was just too much, and the Quota is the main reason for the tinnitus in my left ear... 

It was real close to being a great bike, though.

[Perazzimx14]

Yeah.  I forgot to mention fuel economy!  My Q returned 32-42 mpg.  And you never knew for sure where it would fall in that range.  Luggage and any kind of a head wind, the bike would struggle to see 35 mpg on the highway.  That sucked with the 5.2 gallon tank, and why I used an AUX fuel cell on mine, when touring.

Ultimately, the wind noise was just too much, and the Quota is the main reason for the tinnitus in my left ear... 

It was real close to being a great bike, though.

It was amazing how bad the wind noise was. Even with ear plugs it hurt. Stand up on the pegs, get your head up a above the windscreen and 95% of the wind noise was gone.

You are also right about MPG and not knowing where it would fall. One thing was for sure anything over 150 miles and you were crossing you fingers.

[Travlr]

I love this list.  Thanks all for your answers.
Straight talk from owners, and former owners, is what I was looking for.

Mike

[Semper-guzzi]

Wow, good to know guys. Quota looks like a great bike but hearing all this, the Stelvio sounds better.

Wonder how hard it would be to put a 21 on the front of a Stelvio if anyone wanted that for tire choices.

[leafman60]

Wow, good to know guys. Quota looks like a great bike but hearing all this, the Stelvio sounds better.

Wonder how hard it would be to put a 21 on the front of a Stelvio if anyone wanted that for tire choices.

The 19 inch is better. Plenty of tires choices are there for any sort of terrain you'd likely be treading with the Stelvio and the 19 will serve you much better on those fast curvy paved roads.

[Hahnda]

I will agree on the gas mileage. Not so great on the Q. I don't agree on the wind noise though. Not been a problem for me. I have never ridden mine without the +7" (or maybe its +9?) windshield though. No idea how the stock shield compares.

I have rode a Stelvio but not enough to make a detailed comparison.

I like my Quota and no immediate plans to replace it.

[rboe]

I owned the Quota for about three years. Riding with a couple of early Stelvio owners on the Apache trail, I was able to maintain a higher speed on gravel because of my narrower tires than the Stelvio. Or so they said. Their skill sets in dirt exceeded mine by far and I felt fine on the Q.

Handling; she was pretty darn good in the twisty bits, 21" tire not withstanding. The ol' gal would corner. With the right tires. I had one brand that I forget now, that had a flatter profile and slowed her down. Fast sweepers and she got a little unsettled (seemed to be the nature of MY bike and not universal).

But an odd EFI, lousy aerodynamics and age conspired to see me move on. I will say that removing the rear tire was pretty darn easy.

[rboe]

Mike, you'll have to get together with Andy and test ride his Stelvio, I suspect both bike will be too tall for you.

[leafman60]

Mike, you'll have to get together with Andy and test ride his Stelvio, I suspect both bike will be too tall for you.

What year is Andy's Stelvio? I may know him.

[Matt]

I had a Quota for a few years and had no buffeting/noise problems (MRA screen a *bit* taller than stock). My rims cracked, my exhaust fell apart, my ECU was in need of an update and it got squirrely in the front when loaded for camping (Aerostitch tank panniers helped put some weight up front). Despite all that I have some great memories, I put a heavier (T-3) flywheel in and it made a huge drivability difference and made 5th gear useable.
 
Quotas aren't without their charms, think old pickup truck with some "character" vs. modern convenience. They'll take some abuse, I just couldn't abide 30MPG on my daily commute.

[rboe]

What year is Andy's Stelvio? I may know him.

I "think" it's 2013.  Black. Bought it from a dealer in the San Diego area last year. He also has a Griso and 1400 (he got happy, only way I can explain it.  :o ) so the years tend to run together.

[brenwin]

Oh, my lord.  A different century. A different universe.

Ox-pulled cart compared to the space shuttle.

lol

Quota is good ole mule but Stelvio is modern-day competitive. Biggest thing in common is they both have a decal that says "Moto Guzzi."

Well said ! No comparison except they are both motorcycles .

[Wayne Orwig]

2. Could you compare and contrast riding the Quota and Stelvio. 

This is subjective, but this is what happened for me.

When the Quota first came out, I really wanted one. It LOOKED like just what I wanted. So I was able to get a test ride. Hard to do at the time because there were so few of them. That was at the MG headquarters in Angier NC, where they had an open house. That ride was two up, which was the main point of getting it for me. I was pretty disappointed. Since I WANTED to like it, but I found nothing about it that I really liked. Not that anything was BAD exactly, well, the throttle stumble. But ignoring that, the suspension, seating, everything, was just OK. There I was riding a NEW bike, that didn't have a new bike feel. Basically the same drive train that I just put over 100,000 miles on in my California. A bit top heavy and underpowered I felt.
Along came the Stelvio. The seat was more comfortable right from the start. The suspension felt more compliant. It has many more horses to play with, which compensates some for the excess weight. Better fuel management. Still a top heavy beast, but for two up, sort of expected.

In the end, I think that if I rode solo, the Quota would have been more likable, and the Stelvio would have been almost excessive. But for two up, the Stelvio certainly wins.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I kept Darth Quota for a year or so. Darth used to be the Guzzitech commuter, and was far from stock. He *did* have the single throttle body setup, though, and would get 50 mpg on the interstate. I know.. nobody believes me.. but he did. 40s in the canyons.
But.
He had a horrifically loud Jackal head pipes into a crossover up to a titanium FMF "muffler" exhause. He sounded like a small block Chevy with open headers chasing you in the canyons. I couldn't stand it, and put a db killer in. Still ran fine, but was pig rich and got 35-40 mpg. Handling was pretty darn good with sticky rubber. I used Conti trail attacks, the same compound as the street attacks, or whatever they called them.
Buffeting was about the same as my Centauro, which is to say pretty bad. Just the same, Darth was all day comfortable on a trip. The long travel suspension was great on expansion joints, etc. You have to remember that I'm eye talian sized, though.  ;D
That said, ol Darth is not in the same league as the Stelvio. The Stelvio reminds me of a sport bike with upright seating and longer travel suspension. If I wasn't inseam challenged, (and maybe 10 years younger to handle the top heaviness) I'd have one.

[Turin]

I've never had any buffeting issues with my quota either. Conti rail attacks are the best tire I've used. I have actually touched the pegs down a couple of times to my surprise. Fast? no, but not a slouch either. Tuned right you can expect 65 horsies and 65 ft lbs at the rear wheel. Not a race horse , more of a Clydesdale .

[zupi]

Hay folks, Stelvio is more modern since it's yunger, faster in cornering, not so "off" enduro as Quota.
It's somehowe hard to compare those since they are like father and sun-age difference. For example my Quota has 19" front, better forks, different electronics, suspension.....I try Stelvio it's perfect bike, but my Quota is something I wouldn't change for Stelvio, bike you cant pick up if the bike is down, at least me....
http://www2.arnes.si/~szupet/MyQuota/album/index.html
Zupi