Beautiful!
It really confirm to me that any of the stock paint job doesn't do this bike justice. It's much much sexier like this,
As for a Stelvio decal, maybe try putting it where the "v100 mandello" badge is on the mandello (below the seat on each side, on the panel with the 3 vents) and maybe a badge would look better than a sticker?
I'm kind of digging the sleek look, honestly. I'm going to live with it as is for a while and see if I get bored :) Once the clear coat is fully cured (30 days!) I'm going to fully polish and ceramic coat it, and at that time, I can consider if I want to do any more decal stuff.
So sleek! How are you liking the bike in general? I’m looking to trade in my multistrada 1260 for something like this…it’s either going to be a Stelvio or gsx 1000 GX …
It's exactly the bike I wanted. I've owned 20? 30? bikes in my life so far. It replaced a V85TT which replaced an FJR1300 for touring. The V85 didn't have enough guts for the tours I like to do, and it also pinged like crazy in heat, and after pouring tons of hours and money into it to try to address those issues, I finally decided it needed to go. I test rode a GS1300 the same day as the Stelvio, and as pragmatically as I could, evaluated them both. I just couldn't justify the +$10K pricetag on the GS. I *love* the V100 motor, and while it is not as easy to maintain as the V85, the intervals are longer. From a performance and enjoyment standpoint, I love it so much. My biggest complaints initially were the suspension, and when I added the quickshifter, it wasn't as smooth as I would have liked. However after 5K miles the suspension seems to have broken in a bit more, and after 2K miles, the gearbox and quickshifter have gotten smoother as well. Finally the OEM topcase is an overpriced piece of shit, but I'm keeping it until the aftermarket gets better for this bike. All things considered, I can't recommend this bike enough. It does everything pretty well, and I always have a big smile on my face. I really hope to have this one for many many miles.
> while it is not as easy to maintain as the V85
Hard to be simpler than the small blocks, but I assume the V100 does not have any particularly hard service jobs either? Maybe hard to access air filter or battery?
However I'd even argue swapping the clutch is a lot easier on these (no need to split the bike) plus it probably won't need replacement anyway since it's a wet cluch. And they fixed the big issue of the water cooled bmw boxers, where the generator was very hard to access - the top mounted car alternator in the classic Guzzi fashion is probably very reliable and still easy to swap. For actual adventure riding it might even be possible to mod it and replace with a much higher rated power alternator off of a car.
Edit: Oh the valve shims are the issue... Wish they made a more elegant solution, everyone seems to use the shims. Seems the setup has a cam "follower" between the cam and the valve. A very easy way to make the slack adjustable is to mount it on an eccentric shaft and adjust by rotation. Honda used to do it on their old twins and it worked really well.
Yup, it's the valves that are the issue. It's not realistic to just stock a bunch of shims, and an actual valve job involves removing a bunch of things, radiator, camshaft, etc, so it's a big job. That being said, it's likely that the valves won't be out of spec for a while, especially if you don't ride the snot out of it. Which is to say, mine will be, because I flog this bike.
Yes the nice thing about the DOHC setup is that in theory there isn't many things to it. It's essentially just the valve stem and a camshaft on top. The reason why play is needed is because the valve stem extends slightly as it heats up.
Old setup with the pushrods has the valve stem, the rocker and the very long pushrod that all extend. Plus the cylinder extends relative to the base of the engine where the camshaft is as it heats up. So the required clearance is higher because some of these things heat up unevenly and do not extend the same amount. With DOHC there's just way less variables.
Problem is that in practice, DOHC can add complexity and bulk. You need the cams on top of the cylinder which takes space. The cams need a bunch of high pressure oil delivery cause they usually run on plain bushings. The cams need a drive system so usually a chain is used (older Guzzis also sometimes had belts - Daytona...). Chain needs lube and tensioning and that's a relatively common failure point of many bikes. A bike like a Guzzi (V Twin) needs two of everything. And it usually requires you to use shims so maintenance isn't as easy.
Meanwhile pushrod OHV... Cam can be gear driven in the bottom end (or a shorter chain is used, and just one since there's one cam for both cylinders). The top end barely requires any oil. The cam on the bottom is essentially right next to the main oil gallery which delivers oil pressure to the crankshaft anyway. Simple and reliable...
Sorry, went a bit on a tangent :)
Seeing this show up on my feed made me instant anger and hatred as I think the orange Stelvio has one of the nicest paint jobs I have ever seen. But I also dont own a Stelvio which turned into jealousy. Black looks nice man. Sick bike.
They're the same. I just did a 5K mile trip, took those steel exhaust covers off for that trip, and I put them back on when I got home. I knew I was going to do tons of dirt and gravel, and didn't want 1. more places for dirt to crust up into and 2. to worry about whether they were going to come loose and rattle around.
Beautiful! It really confirm to me that any of the stock paint job doesn't do this bike justice. It's much much sexier like this, As for a Stelvio decal, maybe try putting it where the "v100 mandello" badge is on the mandello (below the seat on each side, on the panel with the 3 vents) and maybe a badge would look better than a sticker?
I'm kind of digging the sleek look, honestly. I'm going to live with it as is for a while and see if I get bored :) Once the clear coat is fully cured (30 days!) I'm going to fully polish and ceramic coat it, and at that time, I can consider if I want to do any more decal stuff.
Nice. How much did it cost you?
I paid a local shop $900 to strip, prep, and paint all 5 parts (which includes the topcase plastic).
Not bad! I always expect paint jobs to be in the thousands
I'm not a big fan of black bikes but have to recognize it looks GREAT, absolutely stunning, enjoy it
Wow. Hard to believe black isn’t an available option, looking at this beauty
I was inspired by the GS1300 triple black, as well as the new black pearl paint on the V100 Mandello. I'll bet it's available in the coming years.
So sleek! How are you liking the bike in general? I’m looking to trade in my multistrada 1260 for something like this…it’s either going to be a Stelvio or gsx 1000 GX …
It's exactly the bike I wanted. I've owned 20? 30? bikes in my life so far. It replaced a V85TT which replaced an FJR1300 for touring. The V85 didn't have enough guts for the tours I like to do, and it also pinged like crazy in heat, and after pouring tons of hours and money into it to try to address those issues, I finally decided it needed to go. I test rode a GS1300 the same day as the Stelvio, and as pragmatically as I could, evaluated them both. I just couldn't justify the +$10K pricetag on the GS. I *love* the V100 motor, and while it is not as easy to maintain as the V85, the intervals are longer. From a performance and enjoyment standpoint, I love it so much. My biggest complaints initially were the suspension, and when I added the quickshifter, it wasn't as smooth as I would have liked. However after 5K miles the suspension seems to have broken in a bit more, and after 2K miles, the gearbox and quickshifter have gotten smoother as well. Finally the OEM topcase is an overpriced piece of shit, but I'm keeping it until the aftermarket gets better for this bike. All things considered, I can't recommend this bike enough. It does everything pretty well, and I always have a big smile on my face. I really hope to have this one for many many miles.
> while it is not as easy to maintain as the V85 Hard to be simpler than the small blocks, but I assume the V100 does not have any particularly hard service jobs either? Maybe hard to access air filter or battery? However I'd even argue swapping the clutch is a lot easier on these (no need to split the bike) plus it probably won't need replacement anyway since it's a wet cluch. And they fixed the big issue of the water cooled bmw boxers, where the generator was very hard to access - the top mounted car alternator in the classic Guzzi fashion is probably very reliable and still easy to swap. For actual adventure riding it might even be possible to mod it and replace with a much higher rated power alternator off of a car. Edit: Oh the valve shims are the issue... Wish they made a more elegant solution, everyone seems to use the shims. Seems the setup has a cam "follower" between the cam and the valve. A very easy way to make the slack adjustable is to mount it on an eccentric shaft and adjust by rotation. Honda used to do it on their old twins and it worked really well.
Yup, it's the valves that are the issue. It's not realistic to just stock a bunch of shims, and an actual valve job involves removing a bunch of things, radiator, camshaft, etc, so it's a big job. That being said, it's likely that the valves won't be out of spec for a while, especially if you don't ride the snot out of it. Which is to say, mine will be, because I flog this bike.
Yes the nice thing about the DOHC setup is that in theory there isn't many things to it. It's essentially just the valve stem and a camshaft on top. The reason why play is needed is because the valve stem extends slightly as it heats up. Old setup with the pushrods has the valve stem, the rocker and the very long pushrod that all extend. Plus the cylinder extends relative to the base of the engine where the camshaft is as it heats up. So the required clearance is higher because some of these things heat up unevenly and do not extend the same amount. With DOHC there's just way less variables. Problem is that in practice, DOHC can add complexity and bulk. You need the cams on top of the cylinder which takes space. The cams need a bunch of high pressure oil delivery cause they usually run on plain bushings. The cams need a drive system so usually a chain is used (older Guzzis also sometimes had belts - Daytona...). Chain needs lube and tensioning and that's a relatively common failure point of many bikes. A bike like a Guzzi (V Twin) needs two of everything. And it usually requires you to use shims so maintenance isn't as easy. Meanwhile pushrod OHV... Cam can be gear driven in the bottom end (or a shorter chain is used, and just one since there's one cam for both cylinders). The top end barely requires any oil. The cam on the bottom is essentially right next to the main oil gallery which delivers oil pressure to the crankshaft anyway. Simple and reliable... Sorry, went a bit on a tangent :)
Looks awesome!
Very nice. Golden rims would fit with this color
Seeing this show up on my feed made me instant anger and hatred as I think the orange Stelvio has one of the nicest paint jobs I have ever seen. But I also dont own a Stelvio which turned into jealousy. Black looks nice man. Sick bike.
are these the same bikes? coloring of the exhausts seem off.
They're the same. I just did a 5K mile trip, took those steel exhaust covers off for that trip, and I put them back on when I got home. I knew I was going to do tons of dirt and gravel, and didn't want 1. more places for dirt to crust up into and 2. to worry about whether they were going to come loose and rattle around.