'09 Stelvio pros/cons

[ncfromwv]

Group,
I am looking at a 09 Stelvio and wondered if the model year has any issues that I need to be aware of.  Any thoughts are appreciated.  I'm an ex Harley rider who loves the Guzzi's.  Thanks.

[Lannis]

Group,
I am looking at a 09 Stelvio and wondered if the model year has any issues that I need to be aware of.  Any thoughts are appreciated.  I'm an ex Harley rider who loves the Guzzi's.  Thanks.

I bought an '09 new in '10 - 50,000 miles on it now.   All the bad parts first.

1) The flat tappets need to be replaced with roller tappets.  $1400 for the parts kit which Piaggio will pay when the dealer communicates with them, and about 7 hours labor in a good shop which you pay ($800 for me), or follow one of the excellent photo tutorials and do it yourself.   Mine was done at 40,000 miles, but most need doing before that.

2) The mirrors don't last, and need to be replaced by 20,000 miles.

3) The swingarm needs to be disassembled, and the bearings greased, just once.   Guzzi didn't do most of them properly at the factory.   3 hour job with a photo tutorial, $10 for parts.

4) If the bike has been heavily loaded, the rear shock and spring may need to be replaced early.  20,000 miles for me (450 pound two-up load) but many people are happy with the original.

5) Sometimes the headlight reflectors can get foggy from the heat, and need replacing.  Mine were OK, but I've got an LED upgrade ready to go in.

Most other things are personal preference sorts of issues.   With a fresh tune-up, I'm getting about 46 MPG, which means the 4.9 gallon tank starts getting empty-looking at 200 miles - if you're getting 36 MPG, 160 miles starts looking like a stop.    Most of my riding is in the East, so it's never been a problem and my butt needs a break before the gas tank does.

Good bits - Pulls like a train, never overheats, instant starter and steady idler,  6 bolts and the rear wheel falls off in your hand for tire changes with no tipping or twisting, valve adjustments are quick and easy and never needed, great highway cruiser, LOTS of room and GVWR for a passenger and a transcontinental load.   I'd buy another one.

Lannis

[pete roper]

Flat tappet fiasco affects it and the swingarm and linkage bearings will be shot unless previously disassembled and greased. Other than that it should be fine unless someone has butchered the throttle bodies. Oh, and if it still has the stock mapping it will run far from stellar.

Pete

[Lee Davis]

Can someone explain to me the "mapping" that I hear about, and how it can be improved?  Thanks

[pete roper]

Put very simply the map is the programme within the ECU that controls how the engine behaves. It is a modifyable set of parameters that adjust all aspects of the engine's behaviour at all temperatures, throttle settings and load.

The map can be adjusted and changed using a variety of tools and computer programmes.

Pete

[Lee Davis]

Is that something I can do myself? Mine is a '16 NTX

[Dilliw]

Is that something I can do myself? Mine is a '16 NTX

You can download your factory map and upload a custom map using the required cables, software, and your PC.  It's so easy I didn't screw it up and the tutorial is right here on this site.

You can also write your own custom map and do your own tuning if you are so inclined (with the right software), but my suggestion would be to buy one of Mark's (Beetle) excellent maps.

On a factory setup Mark's map will make it pull lower in the range without drama and will improve (at least on mine) mpg/range. That said, it is more of a performance mod than something you need to do as on your '16 the factory map is probably o.k. if you have the stock pipe.

[Lee Davis]

Just wondering... Did the Moto Guzzi factory grease the bearings on the swing arm better on the later models? Mine is a '16.

[pete roper]

Just wondering... Did the Moto Guzzi factory grease the bearings on the swing arm better on the later models? Mine is a '16.

No.

[Zoom Zoom]

Group,
I am looking at a 09 Stelvio and wondered if the model year has any issues that I need to be aware of.  Any thoughts are appreciated.  I'm an ex Harley rider who loves the Guzzi's.  Thanks.

You have heard what questions to ask, and Pete will tell you true.

As for the bike itself, I am very happy with mine. The '09's will have a smaller tank and a glove box that I have found very handy for my gas card etc. The newer models eventually came with 8 gallons of fuel on board and no glove box, FWIW.

I assume you are considering a used bike. Depending on things the PO might have done, there could be a couple things that may or may not need to be addressed. For instance, if he put the aux lights on the bike, the lead off those bulbs may extra insulation. The original mirrors, which had the turn signals integrated into the mirror housing tend to vibrate a lot and sooner or later may fall apart. Many of us converted to the Euro setup which puts the turn signals in the body where they were designed to go in the first place. Along with that, different mirrors replace the ones that came on the bike.

The big deal is the valve train getting rollerized. Perhaps it already has and perhaps not, and the greasing of the rear swing arm bearings.

If the bike has not been rollerized, I would deduct a grand from the purchase price to cover the labor to have that done, unless that has already been factored in.

My biggest fear is that someday those free parts will dry up and those who buried their head in the sand will be up the creek without a paddle. If you decide to buy the bike and it has not been done, do it NOW!

After all that, I love mine and I have no desire to part with it!

John Henry

[Zinfan]

Just wondering... Did the Moto Guzzi factory grease the bearings on the swing arm better on the later models? Mine is a '16.

As a followup to Pete's "no" here are the bearings out of my '15 Stelvio showing the amount of factory grease.



edited to add: these have not been wiped down or cleaned in anyway, this is how they came out of the bike.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Uhh, they could maybe use a little packin.. 

[Zinfan]

I admit I went into the swingarm removal with some trepidation but it wasn't that difficult.  Actually easier to do than my small block V7 in the end and I got the shock linkage bearings done at the same time.  Peace of mind and all that.

[ncfromwv]

I appreciate everyone's comments.  I just talked with the dealer and he doesn't know if the tappets were changed out or not.  Also, no panniers on the bike.  That seems strange, since all the Stelvios that I've seen have the factory, black panniers on them. 

I have been looking at various ADV bikes and at 6'4" and ~240 lbs, the Stelvio seems to fit me pretty well.  I do wonder about dealer support though.  I live in Raleigh, NC and there is a dealer in Charlotte, Richmond and the tidewater VA area that are the closest to me. 

[menzies]

Check Winchester Motorsports in Clearbrook, VA just north of Winchester. They have a rollerized 2010 Stelvio with bags, it is on Winchester CL.

[Lannis]

I appreciate everyone's comments.  I just talked with the dealer and he doesn't know if the tappets were changed out or not. 

That doesn't sound good for the dealer, to be honest.

Either he is ignorant about the tappet issue, which is inexcusable for anyone who expects to make money selling Moto Guzzis, or he knows about it and doesn't want to look because he suspects he'll know what he will find, and he can say "I just don't know".   It's a 10 minute job to know.

There's a $2000/$2500 difference in the price of a bike with the conversion or not ..... because you don't know if Guzzi will pay for the kit - you're taking that risk ....

When I bought my '09 new, it didn't have bags; I had to buy them separate.   After 50,000 miles and a lot of hard trips, the TRAX/Guzzi adventure panniers are solid, but the cheap little latches have lost their locks.   Not a big deal for me, but the latches don't last long ....

Lannis

Lannis