Rideapart on MG's Future - and On Rubbish Models

[rider33]

I find these types of threads entertaining & they seem to come up about as often as they do on Harley boards.  There are always heritage riders who do not like what the company is now doing, there are newer owners who could could care less about what the company use to do.  Me, I�m in the middle, I own 5 bikes, have been riding (legally) for over 40 years, and the V7/50 is my first Guzzi, also my favorite bike at the moment,  �go figure.  First up, Rideapart is rubbish, has been since they fell apart a few years back.  Most of the press on the newer small blocks has been quite favorable, as has my ownership experience.  Second, companies are a bit like sharks: they need to keep moving forward or they die.  Guzzi either needed to become an extremely expensive boutique brand catering to the bleeding edge or they needed to bring out assessable bikes that are aspirational to more people.  I don�t quite get the cruisers personally, then again I don�t get them for Triumph either & judging by the number of them I seem to see on dealers floors gathering dust neither do most buyers.  The V7�s, however, seemed to have been well received.  There are reasons for that, it�s a nice bike, well built, & well priced.  It�s also a hoot to ride, even for jaded, long term riders such as myself.  The more V7s they sell, the more stable they become, the more likely they are to invest in newer models; seems like a win-win to me.  Companies need a successful bread and butter model that keeps the lights on.  Triumph found that in the Bonneville, Guzzi�s seems to have found that in the V7.  I wish them well, both for the sake of the fine folk in Mandello del Lario who care deeply for the brand as well as for my own bike which I hope to have for a very long time to come.  I understand the temptation to vent on moto-boards but I�m glad I finally ignored some of the noise and just bought a V7.  Out of the 30 or so bikes I�ve owned it�s one of my favorites.

[redrider90]

I agree with bpreynolds. It happens so much on WG that I get a real chuckle out of people complaining that Guzzi isn't making anything decent. So what. It's business just like when you favorite sports team trades your favorite player.
As for the OP linked article I would say that the author was told to fill a page (sans advertisements) and he had a bit of whisky in him when he typed it. It is a piece of shite article whether or not one likes Guzzi's. A handful of 2nd hand stories, gas leaking like a fountain out of an MGX or the one about Stevio electronics and throw in a few more for good measure then take home the paycheck. OH and pleeeeeeese someone prove to me given the size of that MGX that the front end will lift off he ground at a mere 80 MPH and I gotta bridge I'll buy (not sell but buy).
I think half of Harleys look like the MGX and would you rather ride the Harley Street 500 or a small block Guzzi. I always look to Europe when looking at Guzzi's cause that is probably where they sell the vast majority of their bikes. Just like Harley sells most of their bikes in the USA. Difference is Harley sells more bikes due to what I call "profilers" and good old "USA USA" folks than the kind of rider you find in Europe who are more traditionalist motorcyclists.
So now I will wait on some snotty replies  about how I hate Harley's and so it goes.

[Rough Edge racing]

 Why do some of you use this symbol  when writing  �  instead of '     ??? Is it for attention or meant to  confuse knuckleheads like me?  It's spoiling my enjoyment of this Guzzi bashing

[oldbike54]

Why do some of you use this symbol  when writing  �  instead of '     ??? Is it for attention or meant to  confuse knuckleheads like me?  It's spoiling my enjoyment of this Guzzi bashing

 It's a software glitch , they aren't doing it on purpose .

 Dusty

[beetle]

It’s a character encoding issue. The users posting that have � in them need to change their keyboard character encoding settings. All my posts used to have them, until I changed the settings. I use an iPad.

[beetle]

See? You need to turn off "Smart Punctuation" on an iPad. It's gone now. 

[Spokane2303]

Thanks Beetle!

I turned off my Ipads "smart punctuation" and the annoying question marks are gone. 

[oldbike54]

 Yeah , great tip Mark 

 Dusty

[pete roper]

A-Ha!

[Idontwantapickle]

Thanks Beetle!

I turned off my Ipads "smart punctuation" and the annoying question marks are gone.

Cool! Thanks Beetle. It's good to know.

[bpreynolds]

My punctuation has always been kinda dumb anyhow.  But thanks so much, Mark.  This has been a pain for me for a while.  Gonna go home and try it out on the ipad.  Maybe an oil thread.

[beetle]

Maybe an oil thread.

That will definitely get some punctuation happening!   

[pete roper]

On Pad of Eyes go to

Settings

General

Keyboard

Seventh tab down. Turn it off. Even I can do it and I'm not overly bright!

Pete

[Huzo]

That will definitely get some punctuation happening!   

Punch-uation...

[rider33]

Okie dokie, smart punch
 off.
Let's see how if it works:

I'd rather be riding that posting but
I'm suck in an airport.

[rider33]

Hot damn, it works!

[alanp]

I find these types of threads entertaining & they seem to come up about as often as they do on Harley boards.  There are always heritage riders who do not like what the company is now doing, there are newer owners who could could care less about what the company use to do.  Me, I�m in the middle, I own 5 bikes, have been riding (legally) for over 40 years, and the V7/50 is my first Guzzi, also my favorite bike at the moment,  �go figure.  First up, Rideapart is rubbish, has been since they fell apart a few years back.  Most of the press on the newer small blocks has been quite favorable, as has my ownership experience.  Second, companies are a bit like sharks: they need to keep moving forward or they die.  Guzzi either needed to become an extremely expensive boutique brand catering to the bleeding edge or they needed to bring out assessable bikes that are aspirational to more people.  I don�t quite get the cruisers personally, then again I don�t get them for Triumph either & judging by the number of them I seem to see on dealers floors gathering dust neither do most buyers.  The V7�s, however, seemed to have been well received.  There are reasons for that, it�s a nice bike, well built, & well priced.  It�s also a hoot to ride, even for jaded, long term riders such as myself.  The more V7s they sell, the more stable they become, the more likely they are to invest in newer models; seems like a win-win to me.  Companies need a successful bread and butter model that keeps the lights on.  Triumph found that in the Bonneville, Guzzi�s seems to have found that in the V7.  I wish them well, both for the sake of the fine folk in Mandello del Lario who care deeply for the brand as well as for my own bike which I hope to have for a very long time to come.  I understand the temptation to vent on moto-boards but I�m glad I finally ignored some of the noise and just bought a V7.  Out of the 30 or so bikes I�ve owned it�s one of my favorites.

Interesting, I have similar feelings rider33. You can see from my signature I have ownered a few Guzzis and my V7II has been the most reliable and is my favorite.  I Realize there are a number of perceived and actual shortcomings to the small blocks, but IMHO they are unique in the modern motorcycle world.  They are modern to an extent (FI, ABS, etc.), but they really have a vintage feel that I enjoy, and I don't feel think there is another modern bike that captures it as well as Guzzi has.  The existence of the modern small blocks is one reason that I am quite accepting of Piaggios oversight of the brand.  That, and the fact that if it wasn't for Piaggio I am not sure there would a Moto Guzzi.

[bpreynolds]

Punch-uation...

  

Shazam!  It does work. I want to here withdraw everything negative I said earlier this morning.  This is a surprising new beginning for me on the board..  It's like someone lifted the cover off my Virago only to find a glorious Griso underneath.  Everything I said earlier; I'm taking it all back.  This thread had been worth it.  Every word.   

[Huzo]

On Pad of Eyes go to

Settings

General

Keyboard

Seventh tab down. Turn it off. Even I can do it and I'm not overly bright!

Pete

You bloody beauty PR.
I didn't have your issue but I didn't know I could get rid of predictive text so easily..!

[Zoom Zoom]

So what have we all learned from this thread?

Turtles are good.
Everybody needs a set of goat leggins. (Even if they didn't know it.)
Turn off smart punctuation to lower aggravation.

Let's see, what else??????????????

John Henry

[Huzo]

Hot damn, it works!

Try..
"I'm not a Pheasant Plucker..."
"I'm a Pheasant Plucker's Son"
(Lucky the predictive text has been turned off..!)

[beetle]

I think we should be praising the V7. It's pretty much what's keeping Guzzi afloat.

Sure, the 750 is underpowered if compared with any Kawazukyamahond, the suspension woeful and the frame as bendy as wet spaghetti, but that Racer Pete lent me was a hoot to ride. It was light as buggery, got about 87 mpg, and with the Agostini's, sounded glorious!

Then I got on my Griso and promptly forgot about it.



 

[Pizza Guzzi]

Thanks Mark and Pete for the punctuation fix, I've fixed the iPhone and it's so much better now.

[pete roper]

Nothing to do with me. I was completely clueless!

[oldbike54]

Nothing to do with me. I was completely clueless!

 Uh ... oh never mind 

 Dusty

[leafman60]

I didn't read all of that article but I did see some interesting points.  Much of what was said has been rehashed several times over throughout the years on this forum.

Regarding the Stelvio- I wouldn't say mine had a serious overheating issue but, on a hot summer day, I definitely got some warm currents on my knees.  That's why I did the Norge "Scoop" mod that I posted.  The adapted Norge engine scoops helped divert some of that hot air away from me. 

Electronic problems, who knows.  Maybe so.

A KEY point that the article made is this:

"Meanwhile, if we were to get into the nitty gritty of what Moto Guzzi should be doing, a lot of my suggestions would revolve around making bikes that can be relied upon to function regularly. I’m big into bikes with character, but a motorcycle that spends a lot of time in the shop loses its charm very quickly."

.

[Huzo]

The "warm keg" thing is just your Norge telling you it's "your Norge".
That's her personality, charm and she's "alive".
These things are motorbikes, and as such talk to your senses in a way that no other vehicle can (IMO).
My Norge talks to me.
I might not always agree or like what she says, but it's a bike you can "converse" with.
The big Beemers just say " shut up and let me do my job".
The piddly bit of heat that you bemoan in summer on the Norge, is what you learn to feel comfortable with in Nordkapp @ 3 deg C, for days on end.

[Luap McKeever]

Articles like that just make me...

[twowheeladdict]

Is there a way to add a "like" feature on this forum?  When I read a post I like on other forums I can just click on "like" and it shows up in the persons post that he/she got a like from me.  On this forum you have to either quote the post and say you like it or use the  :1: emoticon and that just ends up with a well written post being replicated many times in a thread.  Just a Sunday morning thought.

[Dave Swanson]

I hadn't clicked on this thread until this morning because I knew I could care less if a moto journo thought Guzzi's were rubbish.    Then I find the "smart punctuation" and it has been reaffirmed that there is a silver lining in every cloud. 

And yes, lets heap praise on the V7!