First Impressions: Moto Guzzi Stelvio

Editor Ross has been the Moto Guzzi Stelvio in Spain. What does he think? Here’s what you need to know:

We’ve been out in the hills near Almeria in Spain to find out what the new Moto Guzzi Stelvio is made of.

Named after the legendary Italian pass and based largely on the much-lauded V100 Mandello (with a few key changes), it has quite the reputation to uphold.

The good news is it looks great and sounds great. That’s a pretty good start, right? There’s a shade of Triumph Tiger to the front end, but the sharp angled tank and big transverse V-Twin lump sticking out the sides give it a look all of its own. It could only be a Guzzi.

Racking up a few miles on the highway on our way to the good stuff, the Stelvio proved itself incredibly comfortable. The shorter-than-most 830mm seat is very plush and perfectly sculpted, with enough slimming at the front to make it easy to flatfoot for the shorter riders on the launch. Despite its bulk, its actually surprisingly easy move around too – partly because It carries the vast majority of its weight low down.

Guzzi told us they’ve spent a lot of time perfecting the bikes aerodynamics. It’s super stable at high speeds and the electronically-adjustable screen is a nice touch, doing a good job of deflecting the wind to the top of my helmet in its highest setting.

As soon as we hit the twisties, the guide rider opened things up. It was quite the introduction – and although the bike proved itself very capable of hustling, it took a bit of time before I felt completely at home.

The handling’s good, and it’s been up to the task of being properly thrown around – but there is a slight sense of vagueness. That’s not unusual for adventure bikes, though it doesn’t feel quite as surefooted as some of the competition. A light touch of back brake seems to tighten things up enough to help.

The suspension is well enough setup; but the Sachs USD forks up front and the KYB monoshock at the rear certainly aren’t perfect. There’s still a decent balance of comfort and performance – and we were asking an awful lot of it today on the fast, twisty roads.

The brakes are decent though. They’re proper Brembo monoblocs, and although there’s not exactly superbike levels of bite, they help the Stelvio stop quickly and efficiently with only a little dive from the front suspension when you really grab a handful.

As with any Guzzi, the engine is a highlight. It’s flexible and fun. It’s not the fastest thing in the world or as characterful as I expected, but the liquid-cooled 1042cc transverse V-Twin kicks out a respectable 113bhp and 77lb-ft torque. There’s a nice whack of low down torque, and it pulls well up top too. The gearbox is a little agricultural, needing a firm hand (particularly between 1st and 2nd). The clutch is plenty light though – and Guzzi has also worked to make it easier to shift without it.

A brief stint on gravel suggests that the Stelvio might not be most at home in the dirt. There’s a specific rider mode (in addition to four more road focused ones) and you can turn the ABS off entirely, but even then, I suspect it might struggle with anything much trickier than a wide open fire trail. Though I doubt many riders would want to do more than that anyway.

The top spec £15,400 bike also comes with a whole load of rider aids. There’s a Forward Collision Warning system which flashes and beeps at you when you get too close to so something infront – and there’s a rear radar thing too which flashes a warning on the dash and lights up a little spot on the indicator. I’m not sure its all that useful, and it’s a bit frustrating that you’ve got to spend more cash to make full use of the front radar, and be able to use the Radar Cruise Control. If it were my money, I’d be more inclined to go for the £14,700 base model – and spend the extra cash on some aftermarket goodies.

There is a lot to like about the newest iteration of the Stelvio. The motor and the brakes are top, it’s comfortable, it looks good – and it offers riders something a bit different in the increasingly crowded adventure bike market. Is it the best? Probably not. But it’s a more than capable adventure tourer that many riders will find plenty to like about.

This is just a brief taste of the full riding report, tapped up by the side of the road while waiting my turn to ride past the photographers. If you want a more comprehensive and considered review, be sure to pick up the next issue of Motorcycle Sport and Leisure magazine.