Stelvio comes to pass

November 28, 2008

A motorcycle named after the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps of Europe certainly piques our interest, especially when it's lauded as hairpin heaven.

That's what Moto Guzzi has done, calling its new big-bore trailie the Stelvio, which is aimed squarely at breaking BMW's domination of the adventure market with its R 1200 GS, and it also wouldn't mind knocking the Triumph Tiger down a peg or two also.

Set to be priced around the 23K mark when it arrives in Australia, the Stelvio's mill is the same 1151cc eight-valve powerplant found in the Griso, and only mildly detuned. Moto Guzzi claims 105hp for the Stelvio at 7500rpm, with the power fed through a shaft drive.

Other features include a single-sided swingarm, adjustable windshield, radial Brembo brakes and Marzocchi 50mm USD forks. Panniers are not standard items, but all the hardware is there to mount them.

Tyres are Pirelli Scorpion, which have a definite tarmac bias.

Moto Guzzi's last take on the trailie market was the cumbersome Quota, which first surfaced in 1000cc guise in the late '80s before eventually adding another 100cc in the 1990s.

According to Mark Barnett, the marketing manager at Australian Guzzi importer, the John Sample Group, the Stelvio is due to arrive in Australia early in the New Year.

"The Stelvio has already passed homologation in Australia, so we're all systems go from that point of view," said Mark. "As far as production is concerned, Piaggio (the parent company of Moto Guzzi) is currently spending $12m Euro on refurbishing the Moto Guzzi plant at Mandello, which has necessitated closing down some of the production lines.

"Production is still continuing though and, because demand is so high for Guzzi products worldwide, we are not yet 100 percent sure when it will arrive in Australia, but we are definitely looking at January as a feasible arrival date."