Hello from Norway!

Technical All CARC models
1

Hi all good folks!

Firt, english is not my native tongue so excuse me for perhaps using the wrong term every now and then.Hope you get the meaning.

I got my first guzzi ever a month ago after more than 35 years of motorcycle riding. Been thru all the japanese brands and types of bikes and must say I have had some good times.

But I have allways loved the minor brands like Guzzi and Triumph but never got to own one until recently. So my Guzzi is a 2008 Stelvio. I looked into the 1200 Sport and the Grisso but settled for the Stelvio becaus of its allround capabilities, upright position and ‘an offer I couldn’t refuse’ from a dealer.

So far I have put in app. 1000 miles and I am highly impressed. I must admit I were a little bit sceptical with regard to power, ruggedness and vibrations. But none of these poor ‘expectations’ were fullfilled. Hardly any vibrations as soon as I get rollin, power is a lot better than expected and probably enough for a middle aged man and the bike seem very durable and rugged. And the riding position is excellent. Finally a bike which do not seem cramped for a 6,3 rider.

All my bike mates are very impressed with it too. None of them have any experience with guzzi but they have nothing but praise to offer after riding mine. We really can’t figure out why there are beemers all over the place but hardly any Stelvios. Or other guzzis. At least here in Norway.

Let me say that I am not much of a mechanic. I have neither the desire nor the skills to fix bikes. I clean them and ride a lot. Mechanical stuff I leave to professionals.

As I said I have a 2008 Stelvio. The small gastank is an issue but I can live with that. Just for the record. What year did they fit it with a bigger tank?

I also consider a larger wind screen. Recommendations?

Before I got the bike I read abpout the poor mid range power and mapping. But I can’t say I notice it. It is a little bit on off att low speed but so is my mates 2 cyl. Firestorm so I guess it is down to engine type. Or are there any remaps I should consider?

As far as I know the bike is stock except for the side pannier rack and givi top plate. Are there any mods that is highly recommended? I really can’t think of any because the bike is so comfortable :slight_smile:

Reading guzzi forums I notice a lot of talk about poor camshafts. Is this a problem I ned to look into?

With reagrd to cleaning the bike, parts of the engine is a lot more exposed than I am used to with the jap bikes. It seems like I am looking straight into its heart and kidneys :-; . Will these parts survive a garden water hose or a high pressure cleaner?

Are there any other considerations to make the bike last?

I will be happy for any comment and answer.

Lars
:slight_smile:

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Hi Lars, you are certainly very welcome here. I hope you enjoy your choice. Certainly Guzzis can become addictive and they tend to be fun and practical long distance bikes.

You will find some experts on the Stelvio here. I am not one of them, but I know several people who love them and have done big mileages.

The main issue you do need to consider is the cam follower issue. Yours is one of the early bikes that would certainly have had the flat tappets that seem to fail early. The important thing is to consider what mileage you will be doing and the history of the bike. From what I have heard, cam follower wear can start to became obvious from say 15-20,000 km. If you have any increase in noise from the top end you should get them checked as soon as possible. It is possible that yours has already had replacement cams and followers under extended warranty, however if they have replaced with more flat tappets, they can even fail again. The best long term solution is to convert to roller tappets and kits are available, however these are obviously expensive. If you have a full dealer service history and the cams fail, you should get the upgrade free, but with this age of bike I don’t know. If you can provide a bit more history for the bike, the experts will be along in due course and give you the fully accurate picture and recommendations.

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By the way, the Norway contact we have for your local club is Sig.Elin Vasndevjen.

Telephone 66 98 01 45, guzzi@online.no, www.motoguzzi.no

You should definitely contact them as there will be other Stelvio owners in Norway with local suggestions.

4

Welcome Lars
As Jim notes there is a lot of Guzzi and Stelvio expertise around.
I’ve heard great things about the Norwegian roads.
All the best
Steve

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Welcome Lars…

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Hello!

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Hi and thanks for friendly welcome!

Got the point about the cam and will have a mechanic look into the issue. The bike has got 40 000 km on the clock and I were thinking of riding thru summer before I had it checked. I might reconsider this.

Just to make sure, do you want me to repost my other questions somewhere else in the forum?

Lars
:slight_smile:

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Normally you need to be a member of our club to post in the technical section, which would be the best place. It is easy enough to join if you want to, but you might want to join the Norwegian club first. I will also see if I can get one of our experts to come here

40000 km is well past when you would expect problems to start, so it could be your bike has already had some replacement cams and followers or been converted .

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Hi Lars and welcome to Stelvio ownership!

I have had my Stelvio for 3 years and approx. 20,000km. It’s a big tank model so obviously some differences but I think I can understand your question regarding the screen.

For your model, there is a Givi screen available however I don’t know if this will perform better than stock. Instead, I can recommend the adjustable screen extensions from MRA. I use one on my Stelvio and can ride with visor up at any speed (I usually wear a Tour-X4 so it has the adventure style peak).

There have been many mapping updates for my model and I expect the same for yours so it could be worth visiting your local Guzzi dealer to check this. They will also be able to inspect the cams (this is not a difficult job for any mechanic).

Jon

10

Thanks for all good replys :slight_smile:

I might look into the screen issue or maybe I will leave it. The stock screen is okay up til 140 km/h and that is way beyond our speed limits. But it could be a problem on my occasional visit to the Autobahn.

With regard to the mapping of the engine I have spoken to the main dealer in my area and he recommended something I couldn’t really interpretate over the phone but he think he said something like ‘juice’. Its a 10 min install for him and a 150 USD device. But it is not the Finebeau or whatever it is called. I hope the thing will sort out the on/off situation at low speeds.

.I will also discuss the cam problem with him and have him investigating the bike.
Otherwise I think the bike is pretty much perfect and probably my best ride in 35+ years. I sold my beloved CB1300 two weeks ago and thought I would miss it but I really don’t!

I am still hoping for some advice regarding the cleaning of the bike and the parts that seem exposed to me. Or maybe they are more rugged than they appear at the first glance?

Lars :slight_smile:

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Hi Lars,

Like you I also live in Norway, outside of Drammen, been here nearly 50 years now, One of the first things I modified on my 2011 Stelvio NTX was the installation of a Booster Plug or Fuel Injection Compensator. (Finebau). To be quite honest I don’t know what to expect from it and assume it meters out the right quantity of fuel to air ratio at all levels. I don’t keep an account of how much fuel I use, I just fill the tank as and when necessary. Just had my cams changed at 40,000. I was told that some of the Guzzi models had poor quality cams and mine was one of them. Another modification was the centre stand. Somewhere down the line a centre stand had collapsed on a 2011 Stelvio due to bad welding and Moto Guzzi did a recall on all these 2011 models. I don’t know where you live, but my choice of service workplace is either in Moss or Brandbu. I have used Brandbu mainly.
Gordon
Spikkestad

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Steve, Can you tell me which ones? I’ve lived here for nearly 50 years and apart from the motorways, most of the back roads are rubbish. The Norwegians do not isolate the roads good enough and with the hard winters every year tear up the small roads terribly. Lots of cracks and holes. It gets to be a nightmare for us MC riders. No kidding.
Gordon

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Have Lars and Guzzibrat gone into hibernation? I heard no more from either of them after I posted replies to their input, re. Norwegian roads and cam quality
Gordon

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I guess both Lars and Guzzibrat have emigrated to a warmer climate and are off-line.
Gordon

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Hi Lars and welcome, the bigger tank came in 2011 (my bike is 2010) you can get a reserve tank that fits behind the right hand pannier frame, but they are not cheap. Or you can strap a 20l plastic can on the rack and get another couple of hundred kilometers range!

I have been told that camshafts need sorting on pre 2011 bikes, mine has done 18,000 miles and is on the original set up (pre roller cam followers) but I think it is just a matter of time.

Enjoy your bike, they are great fun to ride and comfortable for taller folk :smiley:

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Hi Chris, I hope you get a reply, I didn’t.
Gordon

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FYI
Lars’ membership has expired.
Steve
Forum Officer