2 up Stelvio?

[Winder]

Hello folks.  New to this site.  Good to make your online acquaintance.   

Question for you (if I may):

I am very interested in the 2015 Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX.  The reason for this is 5 fold.

1) I am looking for a replacement for my KLR
2) I really like the idea of not being bound by asphalt, and exploring other "of-road" destinations (why the Stelvio)
3) My S.O. is Italian, so when thinking of a new bike, I try and use some Italian leverage in the conversation
4) Very much "bewitched" by the Moto Guzzi brand
5) So I/We would love to do some touring in the future ... and a larger bike is mandatory

Onto my question:

Is this bike good for 2up?

I've heard that there are some issues with the panniers as it relates to my passenger (comfort,  getting on and off) ... any truth to this?

Anyway folks,  anything other than a KLR is going to provide more power...  my hope & dream is for both of us to enjoy
some far away adventures together on the same bike...

Thank You for your kind thoughts and insights re: 2up on the Stelvio -  very much appreciated

Winder

 

 

[Lannis]

Onto my question:

Is this bike good for 2up?

You can't search on the forum right now or I'd link you to my search for my own Stelvio (a 2009 model), but I'll summarize it here.

I'm 6'2" 32" inseam 250# and my wife is 5'8" 34" inseam 135#, and we couldn't find a bike that was comfortable for us two-up.   So we went on a campaign to find the most comfortable two-up bike for us regardless of brand or style.

We rode the Kawasaki Concours and the MG Norge and the Honda ST1300 and the Triumph Sprint GT and the Harley Electraglide and the BMW RT and GT models, R and K versions,  and the Ducati Multistrada and Suzuki V-Strom and any other bike we could get our hands on.

When we rode a Guzzi Stelvio, we knew we had the right bike.   With a Russell Day-Long seat, a heavier rear spring 1" shorter than stock, and the front end lowered one inch and with 105-rate springs instead of 80 in the forks, it's the most comfortable, capable two-up machine we've found.

That being said, comfort for one OR two people on a bike is a very subjective thing.    I currently have a Moto Guzzi in my garage that I'm keeping for a friend overseas for a year which, for him and his wife, is all-day comfortable.   For me and my wife, it's a torture rack after 25 miles.

But for us, the Stelvio is unbeatable ....

Lannis

[spmoto]

My wife and I have been riding together for 35 years, mostly on Guzzi's, but not exclusively. The Stelvio is by far her/our favorite. The Trax bags are an issue though so we opted for the "Euro" bags, similar to the bags on the Norge. They are mounted lower and further back so it's much easier to get on and off and because the are further back the don't encroach upon her leg room. We paid a little extra to swap for these bags when we bought the bike but have NO regrets. I don't know how to post a picture here so pm me and I'll send a couple to you tomorrow if you like.

Steve

[Wayne Orwig]

My wife likes riding it about the best of all of the bikes we have owned over the years.
It is a bit of a pain for her to crawl up on the side bag to get on. Once she is on, all is good.

[Lannis]

I'm a bit surprised that the Trax bags are considered an intrusion by some.   We have them on the Stelvio along with a "Givi" rear box.

I get on the bike and stand it up and give her the high sign when my feet are planted.   She mounts from the left - left foot on the left peg, swings her right leg between me and the top box, and sits right on down.   The Trax bags don't get in her way at all and the Givi box makes a good backrest - it has a pad on it but she's actually leaning against her back armor so the pad isn't really important.

Must have something to do with leg length ... ?   We did a 5,000 mile trip two up and it all worked well.

Just goes to show that not only do you need multiple opinions, you need to "try it on" for size before buying ... !!

Lannis

[spmoto]

Well, truth be told, there is another purely subjective reason for her preference for the euro bags besides comfort. She thought the Trax boxes were ugly and now that we have the others I too prefer the way they look. It's  all very much a personal preference which is part and parcel to motorcycles.

[kirb]

Our touring rig was an FJR1300 and now the NTX...she loves the NTX hands down as the best touring platform to date.
We have it set up with Trax cases, trax topcase with back pad mounted to my base plate. The setup is here: http://stelviontx.blogspot.com/2013/07/revised-rear-rack-for-swm-topcase.html

The side cases can make the leg room a bit snug for some. She had no issue mounting/dismounting the bike. The cases could be moved backward a bit, but it's not a deal breaker. Seat is VERY comfortable for both of us.

The range, comfort, and wind protection are all tops. Great two up rig...read the rest of the blog for some mods...

[leafman60]

The NTX is an awesome 2-up bike.  Many people love it in pure stock form but I highly recommend the following improvements for added comfort:

1.  Get a Russell Day-Long seat. Don't waste time looking at or considering anything else.  Go their website, fill out the order form, make your digital pictures and send it all to them. I recommend the vinyl covering instead of leather because of its weather resistance.  Various stitch patterns can be selected for the seat.  I like the rectangles.

http://www.day-long.com/



2.  Extend the windshield up a little if you are over 6' tall.  Helps passenger too.

You can simply add a laminar lip or you can buy a replacement shield that's molded exactly like the stock except for increased height (and width if desired) from Mr. Gustafsson in St. Augustine FL.

http://bikescreen.com/


Regarding the Stelvio NTX bags- yes, they take some getting-used-to but they are fine. As with other big dual-sport bikes, the saddlebags are positioned rather high in order to avoid ground contact and also to avoid pinning the drivers legs when foot-dawbing about on rough terrain.  Short people will have to really stretch to stand on the ground and throw their leg over the saddle bags. The solution I use is to simply have the passenger put their left foot on the left passenger peg and stand up on it and then swing the right leg over the bike, like mounting a horse.  The bike should be on the centerstand or the operator positioned to steady it. After a while this becomes second-nature.

Once seated, the bags will be close to the passenger's calves but there is plenty of room. If you lash anything like a tent or ground cloth roll to the saddlebag tops, the height of the bags give some passengers a secure feeling in that they have "stuff" close to them.

A backrest is also very beneficial for a passenger.  

If you do not plan to go on dirt and you are not of tall stature, you may should consider the road-going Guzzi bikes such as the Norge or the California. Not recommending them. Just saying.  A big dual-sport like the Stelvio with a Russell works best for those not inseam-challenged.

[pauldaytona]

my wife loves the stelvio, she hated the trax bags for taking her foot space and difficult climbing on the bike.
So no trax for us. We travel with 50liter H&B topcase. And I plan e21 give sideboxes for the rest.

I have it now 40.000km and still love it, more then half the distcae with my wife.  The leg placement is great, easy knee angle. And the backseat is wide what is a plus too. Just testdrive it!

[rdbandkab]

We've done 15,000 miles on ours so far,  and here are some suggestions.

We went with the Bill Mayer Saddle for the driver area.  Stopped me from sliding forward into the tank and also was made to be more comfortable by being slightly wider (by being slightly dishing out)  Went from being a 100 mile seat to an all day seat.   I personally like the style as apposed to the couchy look.  But that's just my personal preference.  We had the pillion area recovered only.  It was already perfect comfort-wise.

We have the GIVI e41 side bags on the NTX.  They use the same OEM rack with the addition of a GIVI adaptor kit..   We can switch back to the Trax Boxes if need be.   My wife hates the box look,  so the e41's are on there.  They're rounder and have more capacity.   I believe, as others have stated,  once the pillion gets a procedure down,  it becomes a non-issue.   The spread out ergo's of the NTX are great!  Lots of room to move and our knees don't take 20 minutes to straighten back out after hours in the saddle.
We have the GIVI trunk as well for pillion back support.    If we didn't have the trunk,  I would have fabbed a backrest of somesort anyway.   It makes the long rides easier on the pillion.

As for the windscreen,  I "kicked out" the bottom of the screen and am very satisfied with the results.   I tried moving the screen up and down and even added "the lip" to the top without much improvement.   Once the bottom was able to be adjusted in any position,  I pushed it out slightly and equalized the pressure behind the screen.   No buffeting now,  and I can still move the screen around if I need to.   

richy

[Winder]

Thank You all  :)

What a great site.   I post my question last night...

Check this morning, and I have pm's and numerous detailed responses complete with pictures!

What a great community

Many many thanks for your help

Winder

[Johncolleary]

I have a 2013 Stelvio I am interested in how you kicked out the bottom of the wind shield?  Can you send me a photo?

[radguzzi]

Winder,

I would like to tell you about our experience with the Quota and the Stelvio for two up riding.  For as much as a great traveller that my Wife is, she does not care for climbing up onto the Stelvio and did not like the Quota for the same reason.
The side cases are not an issue as she mountss and dismounts much the same manner in which Lannis describes as she does on all of our rides.

We have other motorcycles for the best two-up riding.
 
My Wife and I are not big folks, I am 5'-8" ~ 180 lbs, she shorter and weighs less...   Neither of us have huge feet but the peg positions for both the previously owned Norge and the Stelvio cause us some issues in the way of interference to each others foot room.

I like to ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs and she likes to keep her feet mostly on the arch of the foot or move them around occasionally...   We would fight for foot room.

This is just our opinion of the Stelvio for two- up riding and FYI...   I still love the Stelvio for solo riding.

We have friends in NH that use their NTX for tow-up touring and love it, they are currently doing a series of Fly & Ride tours leaving the Stelvio in a storage facility, this last time in Texas and fly down to resume the ride ever few weeks.  Great adventure.

Best,
Rob

[Lannis]

Well, truth be told, there is another purely subjective reason for her preference for the euro bags besides comfort. She thought the Trax boxes were ugly ......

We agree with you there.   The whole bike is ugly, come to that.   I don't like the "adventure bike" styling, nor the ammo-can look of the Trax boxes.   But we agreed to get the bike that felt the best, function over form, and the Stelvio won.   

If I were going for what I thought looked best and I'd like "to be seen on" going down the road, the Triumph Sprint GT or the MG Norge would have gotten the nod.

Lannis

[andrewdonald1]

Winder:  
I think you'll find the Stelvio an excellent choice.
It's the truck of motorcycles, meaning it can do A LOT of things.
For your expressed desire, I think you'll be very happy.

It has a lot of "soul" meaning visceral appeal.. if you want smooth as glass Japanese type engineering in the motor.. this isn't it.
For me that is a good thing.

Like all bikes, it might need to be sorted slightly for your personal ergonomics needs, but it has an excellent base to begin with.

Like a lot of us here, we've all had a lot of motorcycles over our lifetime.
This one is now my only mount.. for it can do almost anything I ask of it short of single track which it doesn't appear you need anyways.

On the Guzzi brand itself:  excellent.  Not for everyone, but if you are the right type.. she's perfect in too many ways to count.

It is an excellent value in the adventure type genre, and stands out of the crowd.
Not the top of list of competitors for HP, but in my opinion there's much more to riding and the connection you make to the bike than just a single metric.
But there's more than enough in the motor for any sane riding on the street.
Its more your friend that could turn out to be a LONG and enjoyable experience together, rather than a beast you're trying to control.
But the connection you make to this motorcycle is magic.. IMHO. 
The connection you make reminds me when you first started riding..