2025 Moto Guzzi Stelvio Review

The current Stelvio is essentially a V100 Mandello turned scrambler/tourer. So it’s a gem.

I guess we shouldn’t really be surprised. Tech from car makers has been spilling across to the motorcycle industry for yonks, beginning with ABS and then traction control, followed by cornering ABS and TC. Not to mention cruise control and more recently, adaptive cruise control. Even airbags. 

Well now you can add blind spot control and forward collision alert to that long list. The former is dubiously useful (as with cars; just use mirrors) while the latter is really a very good idea. How often when riding have you been looking down longer than you should, and then look up to discover danger just metres ahead. Generally, it’s a vehicle that has slowed unexpectedly. The alerts seem to go mental when you’re lane splitting but then so they should for this is risky behaviour. 

Bigger tacho please

Speaking of distraction, it’s annoying that some bike makers cannot seem to make the primary instrument big enough to show numbers at a glance. Moto Guzzi, you’re in the firing line here, with rev numbers and increments so small you need a magnifying glass to see them. As with V100, so too Stelvio, a crossover machine. It’s really a big scrambler with a 19-inch front, 17-inch rear, spoked wheels, dual purpose rubber and long travel suspension. Or a long distance adventure tourer that can do trails at a push. At 245kg it’s not something you’d really want to take far off road anyway.  

Back to its five-inch TFT screen, and I can tell you that in top gear the legal limit registers around 4000rpm but I can’t tell you specifically by how much because the increments are hard to see. With a motor that masters on torque over power – 80 per cent is available by 3500rpm – it’s largely immaterial but in the interests of science and all that. 

Great looks and aero aids

I’d have to add that this is one of the Stelvio’s greatest misgivings. It really doesn’t put too much of a foot wrong anywhere else, and that’s largely because it is based on the very sweet V100 Mandello that was the centennial birthday present from the firm to itself. Only this doesn’t have the active aero aids which, if I’m completely honest, are a bit of a gimmick. Give me the larger electrically adjustable screen of this bike any day. 

The first thing that hits you about this bike is the look. Guzzis are always interesting. If you like neo-classical motorcycle styling, you should get yourself down to your nearest Guzzi dealer and check out the Stelvio. It’s a real honey, especially in the gunmetal grey and contrasting yellow of the bike you see here. 

Performance aplenty

Unique to the brand is the across the frame V-twin engine and an obsession with shaft drive. Stelvio’s 1042cc liquid-cooled 90-degree example pokes out 85kW and 105Nm. It’s the most potent engine they’ve done, if I’m not mistaken. And, along with the V100, by far the quickest. We couldn’t quite replicate the 3.5sec 0-100 of the street machine but its identical two sec flat overtaking time puts it alongside some very pacy and expensive dual-tracker machinery. Not that this is exactly cheap at $31,490 but you do get what you pay for; very good quality, lots of standard safety kit and a particularly competent ride. 

Built to tour

Tourers will like this for not only does it feature low maintenance shaft drive, adjustable weather protection and cruise control but also a comfortable riding position and seat, minimal vibration, great mirrors and plush extended travel suspension (170mm each end). Up front are USD forks with adjustable rebound and preload, while at the rear the shock has a remote knob making adjustments for a pillion or gear a simple task. It felt too firm for me, so I backed it off one turn and comfort was then just right. 

With a seat height of 830mm and the long boingers you need to have a bit of elevation and agility to swing a leg over but plenty of rivals are worse. And on that, it comes up against the likes of BMW GS, Triumph Tiger 900/1200, KTM Super Adventure 1290 and Ducati Multistrada.

Ace go and whoa 

This comes fitted with a stupendous Brembo braking system. While the lever is span adjustable, it might well be for a concert pianist with long fingers but for regular folk it’s a stretch. When we went to check out how well this stops, the first emergency brake test almost threw me off, the rear wheel trying to overtake the front. That’s when I realised that in TC setting one, the rear ABS is deactivated. No wonder it was snaking around. Moving to setting 2 improved things greatly. It’s exceedingly stable under maximum brakes, ending with a best in the 37m area. Which is up with the best in class.

And on the stability thing, this has that in spades. In the turn, nothing seems to faze it, bumps shrugged off like they weren’t even there. So that’s inspiring, as is its love of cornering in general. A counter-rotating crank and lugs that stick out either side seem to simplify direction changes. Just a hint of bar pressure has this heeling over in short order. And that’s what you want on a long distance mount.

A couple of things though. When cold there’s a sense of engine vibration through the clutch lever but as the oil heats up that disappears. The shifter isn’t the best we’ve encountered – you need to match engine revs to road speed some – so maybe the optional quickshifter is worth considering. Otherwise, this comes in below most of its rivals on the cost front, and you’re not buying into something that everyone else has. Hence, Stelvio’s high pass mark.  

Moto Guzzi Stelvio
$31,490
0-100 km/h 3.73s
80-120 km/h 2.05s (57.6m)
100-0 km/h 37.48m
Speedo error  96 at an indicated 100km/h
Engine Capacity  1042cc
Format  Liquid-cooled / fuel-injected / V2
Max power  85kW@8700rpm
Max torque  105Nm@6750rpm
Cylinder head  DOHC / 8v
Gearbox  6-speed
Drivetrain  Shaft drive
Suspension front  46mm USD forks, preload and rebound adjustable 
Suspension rear  Monoshock, preload and rebound adjustable
Brakes front  Four-piston calipers, 320mm, twin discs
Brakes rear  Twin-piston calipers, 280mm disc
Safety systems  ABS, TC
Tyre size  f-120/70R19, r-170/60R17
Tyre type  Michelin Anakee Road
Wheelbase  1520mm
Seat height  830mm
Rake/trail  25.6° / 116.5mm
Fuel capacity  20.8L
Measured weight  246kg
Weight distribution  f-130kg / r-116kg