Let’s go back to the beginning. I went down to one of the London bike shows to get myself measured up for the jacket back in Feb 08. Keith, the owner of BKS was the chap I met up with. He went through the various options with me during the measurement process. I eventually settled on deer cow leather because it felt a bit softer to the touch and I liked the peterna (if that’s what its called) of this particular leather cut. I also went for one of the excellent back boards and the fleece liner for the cooler UK days.

It was a long wait but the jacket eventually arrived in mid June. Initially as predicted the jacket was a bit stiff and didn’t feel perfect when wearing it on the bike. It needed to be worn in so that the creases would fold accordingly around my special shape that is a fatbiker. After a month or so of use it eventually started to feel like it was mine. Due to the physical weight of the jacket its probably not the best jacket for wearing on a commute that involves walking or public transport like mine does. This means that the jacket is reserved for weekend or longer rideouts only. This is fine with me though because I wear a waterproof jacket when riding to work because I need to arrive dry and don’t want to be carrying a heavy leather when on the train.

Back to the jacket. I also chose optional pure white stitching. This contrasts nicely with the black leather and really makes the jacket look the part. On the arms I have a BKS reflective logo, for a bit of safety and because I’m a bit of a label tart. You would too if you had splashed out over £1k on a bespoke jacket.

A few months back I was in my local triumph dealership having a look see at the bikes when one of the staff came up to me and asked to touch my jacket. It turned out that they sold the mass produced BKS stuff that whilst good does not compare to the cut and quality of my jacket. This chap stood there groping me in public. I felt a right plonker being mauled and other people were looking at me and this chap getting off next to me. This sounds weird but he was actually that excited about touching a real one!

Moving on. As with any leather, this jacket is hot when stuck in a jam on a warm day. Not a problem though coz the zip can be operated with a gloved hand and the flap can be fastened back to allow a bit if air in.

So is this jacket worth the price tag? If you can, go for it. This jacket will last a bikers life time and some. If you are unfortunate enough to have a spill BKS will repair it for you using the exact leather cut that they used to create it. Obviously this costs but atleast you can continue to use the jacket and rely on its CE approval afterwards.

I should mention the CE approval shouldn’t I. BKS are one of the few manufacturers that can advertise the actual jacket as being CE approved besides the armour. Most jackets only sport CE approved armour. It makes you wonder how the a normal jacket would hold out in a fast slide. The seems could burst and you could still end up with a bad dose of road rash.

Checkout the BKS website for more info. They are expensive but your skin is priceless…

A couple of months back I had the tyres replaced on the Stelvio. I specifically took the bike to Haywards because there is a known issue with the front left fork and heavy handed mechanics. What happens is that the front wheel gets removed for said tyre change. The mechanic then puts everything back together, tightens up the two pinch bolts on the fork, generally beyond the prescribed 10nm torque and hey presto the fork clamp snaps thus requiring a new lower suspension unit. Haywards are well versed with this issue and carefully tightened the bolts up but within a month or so the fork had snapped. There were no issues though because it was swapped out within days of the problem reported. Who says Guzzi parts are hard to get hold of?

The 2nd issue ive got is that the digital fuel gauge does not register a full tank. This is a common issue but Haywards have diagnosed a faulty fuel sender unit and have one ready to go for when I next go in there with the bike.

Over the past month or two ive also decided to part company with the panniers. They make the bike too wide when parking it in my garage so they have gone to a new home up north and ive purchased a new Trax 38 litre top box as reviewed in a separate article on my site. Again, Haywards supplied the parts at a good price… Theres a trend here isnt there… Luckily for me my dealer always comes up trumps and has everything in stock thats needed… The other benifit of going to a top box is that my son can relax on the back of the bike against the top box. He never felt concerned but does prefer the security of a box to lean against. There are no problems with weight loads and so on because the box, its mount and the Stelvio’s rack are well built and more than up to the task…

Back in May I did a 400 mile weekend jaunt on the bike. I had it well loaded up with gear including a 12 pack of beer tucked away inside one of the panniers. I have to say that it rode perfectly and didn’t complain once about the weight even though there was a fat biker sitting on top of it too. The engine including the power delivery was just perfect for a long run. It was docile when needed and had a huge reserve of power for the occasional over take when needed.

So, apoligies again for the lack of updates… I have been too busy playing bikes…

Ride safe.

Fitting was a breeze because the Stelvio comes with a sturdy rack and all I needed to do was bolt down the Trax base plate and slide the box on. The job took about 15 or so minutes to do. I reckon the Stelvio looks good with it fitted… Well as best as a bike can look when it has luggage fitted….

Rear Viewshowing the two seperate locks.

Side view

View from the underside showing the base plate and lock mechanism

So I was sitting out in the garage earlier next to the bike with said tank bag in hand wondering what I could do with it… Its a handy size you see so was missed… Sorry,, So I’m sitting there and bang…. Tail Pack! I unzipped the base of the bag that is normally placed on to the tank. The bag was the perfect size to go on to the rear rack that all Stelvio’s have. A couple of moments later its secured on to the bike with a bungee cord and some velcro strips that I had in stock. Sorted… Now I can travel light with a camera or drink again. No more panniers when I only need to travel light.

In the recent past I have used my fantastic rex marsee tank bag but infortunately that bag will not fit around the sculpted shape of the Stelvios petrol tank. I’ve therefore had to rethink the way I keep my phone clean, safe and dry whilst on the bike. Step in the Ram aquabox. This is a £36 water tight box that comes in various sizes and can house anything from a cheap GPS thats not waterproof to your mobile phone or anything else come to think of it. It mounts on to a standard ram ball mount. The clear plastic screen allows you to press the buttons of your chosen device without having to remove it. Ive not confirmed that my iphone will operate through the screen just yet. I’ll confirm that soon. My HTC Desire seems to work just fine using an un-gloved finger. At the back of the box is a pop out hole that allows you to feed a power cable in to the box to keep your device juiced up whilst on the move.

Enough whittling on. checkout the pics below…

Whilst the bikes in the garage they are changing over the drive shaft boot. This is a precautionary change because the original one has started to perish and I’d prefer to keep the drive shaft clean and water tight. They are also looking at the exhaust can which has started rattling at low rpm. Its got so bad that I can hear it when im moving over the noise of the exhaust note. Ive asked them to check out the 3rd segment of the fuel level on the dashboard because Ive not seen it light up once even aftr a fill up. Its not the end of the world but as its meant to work I’d prefer to get it resolved now.

The garage have kindly lent me a Moto Guzzi 1200 Sport 4v for a couple of days whilst they do the work. Ive owned a 2v version in the recent past so it was good getting back on a familiar bike. The engine which is the same as the one in the Stelvio really goes nicely in the 1200 Sport. Its torque really comes in to its own when you want to accelerate out of a corner or over take traffic. Its got a cracking growl to it too, again just like the Stelvio. I did find the peg position a bit weird for the 1st few seconds because the saddle to peg distance is a lot shorter than the Stelvio. Wasn’t anything to worry about though. I’d love to have a sport in the garage again one day. In a way, the 4v version is what the original 2v version should have been from day one.

Anyway, the Stelvio is coming back tomorrow. The weather forecast is terrible. Just what I need with a fresh set of tyres on the wheels…

UPDATE:  Haywards were let down by their tyre supplier in the end so Ive had another set of Pirelli Scorpions fitted. They did a good price for me so they’ll do for another 4/5/6000….They exhaust can was swapped out too. They found a couple of faults with the original. Firstly the catalytic converter had failed inside. They pulled it out and sent me on my way… I got home with the same rattle and I can tell you now I wasn’t impressed.. So back I went and this time they spotted that the heat shield was rattling against the outer wall of the can so it was a complete unit swap out. So no more rattles for me. Just got to run those tyres in now.

The Stelvio is going well. Ive still not got used to the addictive noise the exhaust gives off when you throttle up. Therefore my MPG is still only 39 mpg (approx). This does go up on a longer trip but I tend to bomb about the local roads only and commute to and from my local train station. Basically the bike doesnt bet a chance to stretch its legs very often.

My son loves coming on the back with me on this bike. Ive fitted him out with some proper gear now so he’s correctly armored and waterproof when it rains. This obviously means I hardly ever get any time out alone. This isn’t really a problem coz it give me someone to talk to when we stop here and there… Its a good time for a bit of father/son bonding too…

Ive decided not to use the panniers that came with the bike. They are just a bit too wide when fitted for my liking. I have to wheel the bike out of my garage between my car and a brick wall so its not ideal. I’m going to get a top box instead. This will give me the on bike storage I need for commuting AND it’ll give me son something to lean against when he’s out with me.

Ive got a couple of small issues with the bike to sort out with Haywards. The exhaust has started rattling bad when its warm. I think its the brick inside it thats broken up. Luckily it’ll be a warranty job so as long as its fixed I dont mind. I have also had a slight weep on one of the fork seals. This happened early on but has since stopped. Its not due to lack of oil though because I only lost a very small amount. Not sure what to think so its gonna be checked out. Lastly, the rubber boot at the front of the rear swing arm assembly looks like its going to split any day. Something to keep an eye on…

I have purchased the optional Givi large screen. This has reduced the wind buffeting that I was suffering around the 70mph mark. The screen is wider and taller than the original screen so it can make cross winds when on the motorway a bit interesting. Its not bad though so you just have to take it into account. As for the buffeting, this has been reduced to a very acceptable level. A recommended purchase for any Stelvio owner out there.

Will post some pics of the bike with its top box once I’ve deciced what to go for.

To round up though… The Stelvio and its engine are amazing. That 8 valve lump Guzzi have made is a peach…

Since taking ownership I’ve been out in the garage cleaning it up bit by bit. There was grease everywhere in the small corners and it needed a good wipe down. One of the main issues though was spots of tar. The stuff was everywhere from the front suspension struts to the body panels to the exhaust unit. I had to spend an hour outside today with a rag and a bottle of white spirits cleaning all of these small spots off the bike. It looks so much better without them but I tell you now, it was a job and a half…

As they say on in Wales… Tidy!

The handguard kit comes with a new set of bar end weights. They are slightly longer than the standard weights that the bike comes with. I suspect they are only needed to give the grips a bit more space for your gloved hands. Longer bolts and a nice set of tapered washers are also supplied.

They are a worthy addition to the bike and I reckon do a better job than heated grips in really cold weather… Obviously having heated grips with these would be fantastic but the missus keeps an eye on my monthly expenses

Pic courtesy of Moto Guzzi.