LangleyMalc

Thanks Guys, a big help; particularly the tank off check list at the end. anyone replaced the internal filter?

I have finally got Collector Status on my Balabio which gives me cheap(er) tax here in BC. So it is going back on the road after about 4 years of standing. Right now I am planning a fluids flush plus replacing the fuel filter and in tank hose. The tank is off and I am emptying out the old fuel/mush and cleaning that out and will do the brakes and clutch. what else am I missing? Tyres are new/5 yrs old. Brake pads are good. also any suggestions on the in tank portion of this challenge gratefully received. I got past the dreaded QDF connectors to get the tank off, but the tank breather hose underneath is a bit tired so will replace that. Not sure on pump gasket but will find out shortly but does anyone do a complete kit for the pump hose, gasket and in tank filter? Thanks.

Looks like I need the latest version of GuzziDiag. Then I have to find a Windows computer. Granson has one I think. I suppose its in keeping with the bikes! The trouble with Guzzis is that they push you towards excellence and they are relatively easy to work on. Not sure wether or not that is a good thing but it keeps me amused.

My two ABS bikes do stop - just not crisply. Perhaps all I want to know is that everyone else’s bikes of this genre behave the same. However, I feel that would be disappointing and as such choose to believe there must be something I can do about it. the $64,000 question is what?

I have re-assembled the bike post my last off road adventure, and apart from realizing that the Stelvio is big and heavy, particularly when fully fuelled and loaded with camping gear, I have now come to the realization that I cant ride in sand! either way, I noticed on the trip that the brakes on the Stelvio are a bit mushy. They have always felt a bit like that. They stop the bike, but I don’t get the feeling that it will stand on its nose, and the back brake has longer travel than I would like, ( touches the centre stand on full braking) and does not seem to really lock up the back wheel. The brakes were bled by me and fluid replaced at the beginning of the season, but the ABS was not purged as I am too tight to pay the dealer. So any suggestions on shortening the brake pull and sharpening up the brakes, or am I going to have to pay the dealer to cycle and purge the ABS? I do have new pads to go on, but am holding off until I have to fit new tyres this winter. separately my 2014 California also has “long and softer” brakes, ( it weighs at least as much as the Stelvio) but the V11 Balabio (no ABS) will stand on its nose and locks up the rear at any opportunity!

Thanks for the advice Peter. I’ll get one.

Many thanks for the responses. I managed to find an OEM replacement on e- bay. For Pete R, I was curious as to which pivot pin? I presume it is the one that mounts the lever. Like Scud the conclusion I reached at the end of this trip (apart from being thankful I was wearing long touring boots) was that while the Stelvio is a great touring bike and load carrying Mule, it aint no back roads ADV; at least not with me riding it. So my next tyres will likely be Conti Trail Attack 3,s. Oh dear, is that the start of a tyre thread! Thanks again.

I dropped my Stelvio in sand on a backroad (twice). Apart from buggering my ankle under the pannier box, (note to self - you cant ride in sand and certainly not on a Stelvio with full gas and loaded with camping gear. Stop kidding yourself); In the crash, I bent the gearshift lever and cracked the end fitting where the pedal attaches. You can see in the pictures the bend and it is cracked and bent at the bolt hole for the pedal. The light is hopeless but you get the idea. I presume, looking at it, the arm is toast; but just on the off chance, can the arm be straightened and the crack welded, or does anyone have a spare I can buy or steal, or do I have to go to Guzzi for a replacement?

Having read all the comments above (at least twice), I would comment as follows: The bike is stock, with a colostomy bag and standard exhaust. It does have a washable air filter - I did listen to Peter's comments on that; in my defence it came with it and this is BC and despite the four months of absolutely dry weather for the summer this year, most of the time it rains here! However, I will replace with a paper filter next time I am in the dealer - assuming he doesn't suck his teeth and say "Not a lot of call for that. We'll have to order it in". In that case it will be at least 8 weeks and by that time it will be Christmas and we will be worrying about frost and snow. Since the latest check of the valves, (all within 1 thou of 4 & 6,) plus the reset of the throttle bodies, it now idles quite nicely at 1200. On a point of information it always did idle well on cold start up, but once the engine was warm it would then start to bumble a bit and could stall on tick over. Not any more. The popping on overrun was worse with the original map and mostly went away with the Beetle map. I tend to blip the throttle on downshifts and use engine braking alot. So while it still pops a bit, based on Pete's latest dissertation above, it apears that this is now a "Feature." So not a problem as long as I know what is causing it and I think now I do. It was just my Cali 1400 did not do it! (different engine and different map I presume.) Either way - I will now leave the bike alone and ride it for a while - weather permitting - knowing that I have the fuelling as near to right as you can get it, without resorting to re-mapping. Quite frankly, the bike is still capable of a lot more than me and as such, apart from the weight of it and even worse the weight of the Cali, I think it is a fine bike and I am very fond of it and its associated "Features". The next job is putting back together the V11 that my daughter dropped! Nothing major, but lots of bits of unobtainium. Thanks again for all the help and a very interesting discussion and learning experience. Malcolm

Well I finally got Guzzidiag to load and recognise the ports on the old Windows computer. Then got hooked up and checked the TPS - it was at 4.6 deg. Then checked all the screws on the throttle bodies and the ends of the linkages etc and all the painted ones were still painted and intact with the exception of the high speed adjust screw on the linkage on the left body and the two air bleeds. After this I reset the TPS and it went to 4.8 and I cleared the learning parameters. To make it easier to get at the left hand bleed screw, I took off the starter motor cover. Needless to say one of the little dome head Allen screws socket stripped, so I had to use a stud removing socket to get it out, but after that no problem. Must have been done up by Guy the Gorilla. I then checked the air bleed screws with a view to shutting them. Both were open to some degree, so I closed both. That was tricker than it should be because of the location. Then hooked up my ancient mercury powered Motion Pro vacuum gauges and after the first run, remembered to move the breather hose on the back of the motion Pro to the open position; thus improving the stability and accuracy by a significant degree! Ran the bike up to 3500-4000 rpm and held it there at a reasonably constant 3800 speed, with a G clamp on the throttle and then balanced off the mercury columns using the speed adjust screw. Removed the G clamp and let the throttle snap back. TPS was now 5.2 and then re-sett the TPS again (back to 4.8)and cleared the learning parameters. Finally, adjusted the slow running balance using the air screw on the right hand carb as it was higher. On the tick-over part of this the mercury was bouncing about a bit, but both appeared to be level, or operating in the same range, so I called it a day. End result is that the tick over is around 1200 and not too lumpy. (It got smoother once I took off the carb sticks and re-connected the vacuums.) Cant tell about the over run as it was P-ssing down outside the garage so that will have to wait for another day. All in all a successful mission and I now understand how the throttle bodies work and the logic behind the tunic sequence. One question - If the stepper motor basically controls the slow running sequence via the computer, is it not possible that the pipework, or the stepper motor gets full of sh1t and so needs occasional cleaning? (Not letting go of this one quite yet!) Many thanks for the help and instruction Pete, - Anyway; I enjoyed it! Malcolm.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Hi Pete with the lumpy idle, could this be the stepper system getting clogged? I presume it is worth cleaning it no matter what, along with the rest of the service and throttle body reset.

Enjoyed the youtube video which was very informative. Thanks. Now to get the Grandson's computer to start the process and to take a trip to the garage after dark. More in the next week!

Thanks for this Peter. It will likely be later in the month before I get around to doing this and I have to nail my grandson for his older windows computer to run Guzzi Diag! We are now solidly into Autumn, but for your delectation I would have included a picture of the White Pig (Cal 1400 bagger) on a run up to Whistler in the Coast mountains today; but like you I could not get it to reduce below 200K! Weather was spectacular and worth the trip, particularly as this will be towards the end of the riding season with snow on the hills. Ill keep you posted on the Stelvio and follow the instructions to the letter. Regards Malcolm

Thanks for the detailed replies. Sounds like the first step is a trip to the garage after dark to “observe” the plug caps. Then potentially replace both to eliminate that problem. After that tappets and then check the TPS and tune with Guzzidiag, then set slow running, then re-sett TPS. Then re check for problem, or ride away with a big shit eating grin and congratulate myself on my intelligence for writing to you lot! Somewhere on here was a complete “How to” for this sequence. Anyone remember where? With the state of my memory nowadays I am reluctant to leave it to what i thought i did last time! Thanks in advance.

At the risk of boring the assembled multitudes of MG cognoscenti and having you all repeat yourselves, I bought this bike from Eastern Canada to ride it back across to the West coast, but could not collect it as planned because of Covid and the Covid bubble in Eastern Canada etc. As a consequence, I eventually had it shipped across to BC. When I bought it the dealer did an oil change etc before he shipped it. When I got it, I took advice from the aforementioned cognoscenti and checked the rear shock linkage, or dog bone, (dry as a bone and with rusty bearings, so replaced it) and subsequently rode the bike for a while. It went fine, but its one habit was to spit or backfire on overrun, when the throttle was shut using engine breaking. Note that my Cal 1400 does not do this! As a consequence I decided that I should go through the bike and add a new map from Beetle. So I did the valves as per the instructions on the web by I think Pete R. To do this I was careful to pull the valve caps with long nose pliers so as not too damage the cables. I then added the map from Beetle through Guzzi Diag. Finally I reset the TPS and balanced the throttle bodies on idle using a set of Carb sticks. I did not touch the link between the two throttle bodies as this was highlighted as something not to do in the web narrative. Did I do it all correctly? I hope so, but there is no guarantee. This despite the fact that I am an anally retentive retired mining engineer with enough mechanical knowledge to be dangerous. I also changed the rear shock for a Matris and had the front cartridges changed to larger Andreani. The end result is a bike that handles beautifully and is a pleasure to ride apart from the aforementioned spits and the lumpy idle. So the bike now runs fine on the open road apart from STILL spitting on overrun, but not as bad as it used to before remapping; plus it has a poor idle. So rather than lurching my way through the problem, what I am looking for is a simple analysis along the following lines: What causes the spitting or backfire on overrun? It was there when I got the bike and before the re-map and before I rebalanced the Throttle bodies and did the TPS etc. I would have presumed it was too lean with the throttle closed - but what do I know? Is this two problems? First the spitting on overrun and second the lumpy idle, or is it more likely a single cause?What typically causes a poor idle? Could it be that one of the plug leads has been damaged? Either by me or by the prior owner? does this cause a poor idle as discussed? Does the Beetle map use the Lambda sensor? if not, there is not much point in pulling it and cleaning it. What else should I be thinking about? My next steps now that Autumn is here will be to service the bike for winter - oil change, reset tappets and then consider resetting the TPS and balancing the Throttle bodies etc.and try to sort out the spitting and Idle. So at the risk of repeating myself, where should I start?

Thanks, I will check the plug leads. I did a basic tune up when I got it and it runs fine otherwise. However - I don 't want it to become a "feature".

Hi guys, Ever since I got my 2013 8V Stelvio last year it has had a tendency to cough on overrun and was a lumpy idle. I changed the map to one from Beetle and that improved it and smoothed out the performance overall, and at the same time I re-set the low speed balance as per the instructions etc., but it still does it and while it will idle when cold, once it gets hot, or idles for a while, (around 1100 revs) it tends to try to drop a cylinder, so I have to keep a hand on the throttle at the stop signs and goose it occasionally. I read on another site about someone having a problem on a 1400 Cal., with too much oil in the crankcase leading to oil in the air box and ultimately on the Lambda sensor on a 1400. Pete R. had warned me to only fill the crank to ⅓ of the dipstick and I did that, but when I checked in the airbox, there was a bit of creme in the right hand cylinder intake trumpet, but minimal oil in the box itself. None of this is a major problem, but I would like to cure the problem, rather than simply turning up the slow running and ignoring the minor amounts of spitting on over run. So first off where is the lambda sensor on this bike and how do I clean it and is this a likely culprit? Otherwise what else should I be looking at? Thanks in advance. LangleyMalc

Well I have now had the Stelvio over in BC since September. In that time I took it to the top of Vancouver Island (about 1500km with around 300 of gravel fire roads) and also on a round tour of BC for another 2,000km, plus running around locally. The bike has performed flawlessly, except for the popping on deceleration. I put the bike away at the end of November with a list of things to do over the winter. I took the bike over to the local suspension specialists in early Jan and got a series of suspension checks and recomendations and will be changing the cartridges and the rear shock in the near future and will report accordingly. In late January, I fell off my push bike and fractured the top of my femur - my own fault for riding a push bike. While "Hors de Combat" I decided to do something about the popping and crackling, so dug out the Guzzi cables and contacted Mark Bayley, or Beetle, of Stelvio mapping fame and got instructions and a new map for the Bike. Hooked it up - eventually, as I normally run a Mac, and subsequently using my Grandson's Windows computer, got the old map off and the new map loaded, plus ran GuzziDiag and used the carb sticks to balance out the throttle bodies. On a technical note, the air bleed screws were all but closed on both sides, but the throttle bodies were out of balance. I re-balanced them with the carb sticks and the bleed screws closed, by just using the balance screw on the left side linkage. I then re-set the TPS and also re-set the CO setting. Checked with teh carb sticks again and al was duly balanced without using the air bleed screws which I left closed. End result is that the bike now ticks over and revs beautifully. Can't road test it for popping as I am still on at least one crutch and "Err in Doors" will have a fit if I look like doing anything like that. I would like to thank Mark for his help on this lot. The worst bit was trying to make a Mac talk to GuzziDiag. Once I gave that up and went Windows, it all worked fine and was not difficult. Marks instructions were explicit. At some point over the winter, I will be doing the same thing to the California 1400. Now have to pull the forks and get the cartridges replaced. Andreani Cartridges and Springs are going in. Also a Matris rear shock. The old suspension was not bad, but I am told that these will be significantly better. Once my leg is back in order and the cold and wet weather goes, I should be able to find out! Meantime am now hobbling off to the Workshop to pull the Forks. All for now - will report on the final result in due course.

No it is still in kit form. I purchased all the necessary parts including some second hand bits from the US that we’re apparently made of Unobtanium but those bits are sitting in Point Robert’s on the wrong side of the Border (along with my boat)! Not sure I will get to see either of them until late Spring. I did however get a Stelvio during the year to add to the collection and put some miles through that and the California, so all was not lost. Now we need the rain to stop and I can start to use them again. Roll on Spring. Happy Xmas to all.

Thanks Pete. One less thing to think about.

A separate question. On the top of my rear shock is a 10mm long bolt. It secures the top of the shock and has about 15mm of threaded bolt sticking out on the left side but there is no lock nut on it. There are yellow paint marks on the end of the threaded section, so my question is should there be a lock nut or castellated nut on the end of this bolt? Yes,🤔 I think a Nyloc is in order. Can’t do any harm and one less thing to think about while tooling along at speeds close to but not over the posted limit!

A separate question. On the top of my rear shock is a 10mm long bolt. It secures the top of the shock and has about 15mm of threaded bolt sticking out on the left side but there is no lock nut on it. There are yellow paint marks on the end of the threaded section, so my question is should there be a lock nut or castellated nut on the end of this bolt? thanks in advance. M.

Done the tappets and now set to 4&6 thou. They were a little bit wider than that but not a huge amount. The throttle cables were slack as a wellie boot top, with about 20 degrees of “free play” before the twist grip did anything, so I took the slack out at the handlebars end, which has made rolling off and on a lot easier. The paint on the left hand throttle stop is intact, and I pulled the two sensors on the throttle bodies and cleaned them with carb cleaner, in case fouled with oil from the over enthusiastic “Red Seal” mechanic who changed it at the selling dealer. Just on that the gearbox was also a little overfilled. Not significantly, but I dropped it down to the hole. On the vibration front I dropped the tyre pressures to 28/32 fro the 36/39 in the book and the vibration has gone! The popping on engine breaking is still there, but right now I will treat it as a “feature“. Otherwise the bike goes very well with lively acceleration and good handling. I will admit that it is an order of magnitude better than the Cal in these departments and the Cal could more than hold its own in class. So the last check will be Guzzidiag, once I can get ahold of a copy from a fellow Stelvio owner who has both the cables and the right program etc. I will report back when this is done. I have a set of cables but no windows computer right now! On a separate note, what is the perceived wisdom for the Traction Control on gravel? On or Off? I have tried both and found that with it ON the bike bunny hops on corduroy and with it OFF the back end squirts about a bit; but generally I liked it OFF better for gravel but so far only a short test. I have not as yet tried turning on and off the ABS so could do with some guidance on that one too. thanks in advance M.

This a 2013 with the big tank and the roller tappets. 20,000ks on the clock so just about run in. I will get it on the Guzidiag some time in the next month to check the mapping after I have been through the rest of the bike. The vibration is not major and could just be the tyres ( new Shinko 705s) on the highway. It is just the California has zero vibration. (The Cal is a pig to move about under 4kph, As it wants to lie down and is impossible if you park it down hill, but otherwise once rolling is a great cruiser!). No insulting my Mule! On the Stelvio, when delivered they had changed the oil but overfilled it well above the dipstick with the result that When they had subsequently run it, some oil had migrated into the air box as was evidenced by oil coming out of the drain tube. I dropped the oil level to about 75% on the dipstick and cleaned out the small amount of oil in the air box while checking for air box holes as advised by the Oracle - Pete Roper, but I did wonder if there is an air flow meter or oxygen sensor on the intake air side that might get fouled by the excess oil? If so this might explain the popping on deceleration. All suggestions gratefully received. Now have to set the tappets and check the gearbox and CARC oil Then take it for a trip to the North part of Vancouver island before thinking about Fuel mapping. here is the Stelvio and for comparison also the California during last month’s 2000k trip around central BC. It may be a big lummox of a bike but it performed flawlessly. all for now.