Moto Guzzi Stelvio (merged) threadfest...

Cheapest. Simplest.

When you say real good do you really mean just moderate butt pucker:eek1 or do they really hold a curve moderately well? Since I am a Illinois flatlander just getting to trails and curves involves a 500-700 mile jaunt. I would like the tire to not be twitchy on the pavement.I read the entire MITA thread about 6 weeks ago and came away scratching my head as to whether or not they might be something i would consider when i am ready to upgrade. Is the above tire mounted on an 09 Stelvio ? Thanks for sharing.

Cliff

Well, I checked out the Klim gear and nearly pulled the trigger, but I think I'll wait until someone has a sale. :eek1 Plus, I need an education on their line since they've got so many different models. Adventure, Badlands, Latitude, Traverse....sheesh! I tried on the Latitude and Traverse and the Traverse seem much better as an overpant, where the Lattitude (and the rest of their top of the line gear) all seem to be focused towards wearing them over a "base layer" like high-tech long underwear (which they also sell). I need something that can go over jeans comfortably.

-SM

If you haven't already, don't forget to check out the Motoport stuff. Indestructable, incomparable construction, custom fit and big bang for the buck.

I have the Air Mesh Kevlar II and the Kevlar pants. With the liner in on the mesh I can ride comfortably down to 32 degrees and if I go colder I just toss in my Powerlet heated gear. In the summer, it's cooler than riding in a tee shirt.

Your motor must run much hotter than mine. I've got the same setup and it's good gear but 32 degrees with just the liners? No way, not in this world.

I should have been more specific. I actually only ride with the liner in the jacket. Never in the pants unless it's raining.

The traverse, for me, could go over or worn alone. All Klim is supposed to be layered. The product line goes down in the order you describe ditching features along the way.

It's top end gear and priced to be so. Good luck finding a sale. They are priced the same everywhere and never seem to have price reductions. I have seen discounts on the dakar pant, but they are cheap anyway (not waterproof). There are so many Klim items on backorder that I highly doubt you will see reductions any time soon.

Damn I love this bike! We had an unseasonable break in winter today and a lack of rain so I took the big girl out for a 100 mile stroll. Here on the coast we don't have much in the way of curves but it was still sweet to crank her up and burn some hydrocarbons. Nothing fancy, just riding through the country reminding myself of why I like this bike so much. She sprang to life after about one revolution of the crankshaft, fell into a smooth idle, and did not even give me that 'first clutch engagement groan' routine. I had forgotten how smooth the shifting is at 6,000 rpm, just a seamless transition with a slight change in engine sound. Now I guess I'll have to hunker down until the next warm snap....

Peter Y.

Nippy ride for me today, Peter, down here in Rio Rico. Lowest temp yet. 16F. and I left her outside all night just to put the new battery to the test. Fired right up, no problemos. Heated grips workin great!

Thanks for the reminder but unfortunately they aren't waterproof unless you also wear the optional liner. I have this setup now with my BMW Rallye 2 jacket (outer layer isn't waterproof but liner is), and while it keeps me nice and dry, everything in the pockets gets soaked. Ideally I'm looking for an overpant to wear over jeans or a thermal layer that is waterproof but still protective (so that eliminates pull-over rain pants). So far there are only a few brands that I've found that provide this and also get good reviews (ICON is one, KLIM is the other, both are $$$). Both Moose and MSR used to make some really nice gear, but over the years their quality has suffered. I really like the look of the First Gear Kathmandu pants, but I have an older version of their HT Overpants and they leak. I'm not sure the Kathmandu will be much better, but I like that they're about $100 less (on sale now) than the KLIM. I just hate the idea of spending $200 on pants that might leak.....

-SM

Have you considered Aerostich Darien?

Peter,

As I remember, you used to ride a 1st gen MTS, correct? I have been looking at Stelvio's and have not had the chance to ride one yet. A "BIG" concern for me is the weight. My 05 MTS s feels much lighter than it is @ 470 lbs. Can you give me any comparison between the two bikes I would still keep the MTS if I did get a Stelvio, too good of a bike to move.
TIA, Scott.

I am checking them out. Any 1st hand experience?

Thanks, Scott.

Scott...I'm the same guy. Although I really liked that Multi I was happy to switch over to my NTX. Here's the plus/minus from my point of view.

My Multi had Ohlins F&R set up for my weight. That was wonderful suspension and will be hard to equal anywhere. I had the transmission gears micro polished so the shifting was nothing short of amazing. With high compression pistons and boaring out to 1123cc I had 90 hp at the rear wheel. If I took the db killers out of the Arrow exhaust I'd gain another 10 but the noise was more than I liked. The bike did, indeed, feel much lighter than the real weight. The rest of the story: My tank was replaced by Ducati but it was just a matter of time before I would have the swelling problem again and a replacement tank would be $1K. The centerstand liked to drag on left hand turns until I cranked up the suspension link. It was a royal PITA to do any work on the bike because in most cases I had to take the tank off to get to anything. Taking the tank off was a big deal. If I ever dropped the bike I could see big bucks for any repair to the plastic so going off pavement was really not something I'd ever do. The 220 mile range was OK but almost left me walking a couple times. The dry clutch was a $500 expense every 12-15K (basket and plates), belts were $90 every 12K/2 years, checking/adjusting the valves took me a week every winter, and I seemed to be the only person who did not bitch about the stock seat...there really were no options so why complain..the tank design made it really difficult to do much to the seat without adding lots to the seat height.

The NTX really is a heavy bike....but about normal for bikes in the class. NTX is 616 lbs, BMW GS Adventure is 618 when equipped with equal stuff. The weight would only be an issue if you dropped the bike, otherwise I do not notice it because the bike does not feel that heavy. Moto Guzzi did a good job of hiding the actual capacity of the tank, 8.5 gal! The NTX, on the showroom floor, is almost totally farkled out...crash bars, bash plate, comfy seat, aux lights, really good headlight, LED tail light, hand guards, adjustable windscreen, Brembo radial brakes, decent suspension, and pre wired for GPS and heated grips. The grip kit is about $120 and easy to install. The fuel gauge actually works and you can rely on it...not so my Multi. The dash gives just about any information you can ask for except oil temp. Except for clutch replacement, every routine maintenance action is dead simple. I can check the valves in about 20 minutes and without taking anything off the bike except one rubber plug and the valve covers. Clutches seem to last darn near forever. No chain.

So far I have about 6800 miles on the big girl and no complaints. I have added a Russell Day Long seat and will be swapping out the aux lights for some LED ones. In the first month of ownership I rode to Wyoming and back in a week. Loved it. The bike likes to cruise at the same speeds as the Multi. 6th gear is nice but I find myself in 5th lots of the time.

I'd recommend taking a ride on the NTX if you can find one to demo. You may as well keep the Multi because they seem to depreciate pretty fast and you probably won't get what the bike is really worth. Unfortunately, I believe the Multi will be your garage queen if you have both.

Oh, re Darien pants...I have two pair and use them for lots of my long trips when I want more flexibility of what to wear. Mine do not leak. They are not stylish but, as you know, I'm not one for high fashion.

Hope some of this helps...good to hear from you again!

I own a "new gen" Multi (MTS12 S Sport) and second everything Peter says, both re. the Multi and re. the NTX. Different horses entirely.

-SM