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Here's another perspective. I am the customer Moto Guzzi is losing. I'm not brand loyal. I buy the bike that tickles my fancy. Started off on Japanese sport bikes, moved to BMW's of all flavors for twenty years, and went to Moto Guzzi about 10 years ago. I've had a Norge, Stelvio, V7, and a Griso. All have been very reliable. However, I'm not a mechanic. I can cross thread spark plugs taking them out of the container. If I had Pete within 250 miles I would thank my lucky stars. My local dealer dropped Piaggio, Moto International has been sold and is going though some changes. I can't afford problems. Heck, I can't find anyone to do the roller conversion for me.So what did I do? Looked around at who makes a fun, reliable bike with local representation, and bought a Triumph. May well be buying another in the near future.Between what I consider a poor assortment of bikes currently available, and very spotty dealer support, Moto Guzzi is no longer a viable choice for me. Will they be in the future? Sure, if they fix what I consider the problems most relevant to me. I feel they are deserting me, not me leaving them. Time will tell.
I have found that when you say something philosophical in Latin, it seem more profound. Here goes:De gustibus non est disputandum
Kristian rides an 1100 Sport similar to the one he rode 20+ years ago. That one was quite unbelievably fast with Charlie Rice having done his best to make it into a grenade , but IIRC it never did blow up and actually kept going fast except when the rear drive oil seal popped out one time, going very fast in very hot conditions...
Nope: Charlie Rice never touched it. I bought some gorgeous head guards from him. It had Raceco cam stuff and Mikuni HSR42s.
..You describe my experience with Triumph. Fell for the trophy SE as a replacement for my concours 1400 when I saw it at a dealer an hour away. Went back to talk about buying and he no longer had triumph because they wanted him to go the boutique route even though he carried them for a long time. Then a corporate dealership an hour in the other direction picked them up and I bought the trophy. Amazing motorcycle! Then the front rotors warped. Called dealer for warranty claim and they had a falling out with Triumph. Nearest dealer 3 hours away. Went down to the local Harley dealer and traded for my first Harley.
Great motorcycles, excellent engineering, low maintenance hours, reasonably pretty.delete feedly account
One thing lost in this debate is that I can't even stand looking at the SV650. You could tell me it would go 100000 miles between valve adjustments and I still wouldn't buy it. In my eyes, it's one ugly and boring bike.
I took a look at the SV 650. A nice little bike. But: do you compare a Golf TDI with a Miata?
As somebody who moved from primarily European cars to primarily Mazdas (four of them so far) starting in around 2004, including a Miata that is my wifes primary ride, its not hard to answer that question. Yes, I do. Among other attributes the Mazdas are today better looking.
I can see how DRW feels as he does, I hope the dealership situation changes for him.Having access to a good shop is critical to guys like him, and me. I have been lucky in the sense that my Guzzi have needed very little extra attention, but when they did, living in Chicagoland, I have had access to wonderfully talented folks!
BUT if I would consider the Suzuki, I'd buy an Air-Cooled Ducati instead - why? Because I love the bike mechanically where the SV would leave me cold.
The SV is different than air cooled Ducatis (I have two), similar but different, and complementary to them. It's efficient but about as powerful as an original 900 Monster, and not appliance like. The Suzuki is smaller, lighter and more refined but it's still a v-twin.
Nah, Kev. Not alone. Most of the modern Japanese stuff leaves me cold. Even the CB1100, which I was excited as hell to see... seems characterless.
Nah, Kev. Not alone. Most of the modern Japanese stuff leaves me cold. Even the CB1100, which I was excited as hell to see... seems characterless.I dunno, it's unquantifiable, and as personal as freckles... but some bikes have it, and others don't, performance and numbers be damned. I *know* the SV650 is a the ultimate standard bike of our modern times... I know this. But it doesn't mean it's fun. A honda civic is a fantastic car, but I'd rather go a for a drive in a Westie.
If rational thinking was the only issue I would ride Hondas instead of Guzzis for the last 39 years.But there are other factors: friendly people who are happy to chat when met on the roadand at events,the brand is flat out cool,and affordableand the bikes are solid and fun to ride.
Character can come with time and ownership and familiarity. But some bikes, it seems to come a lot faster.
To each his own, but I don't understand why anyone needs to trash a great bike just because it ain't your cup of tea.
But Lannis, JUST the fact that it WILL get me home, that alone doesn't give it character TO ME.I've sold most of the BMWs I've owned because they LACKED character TO ME.I guess it helps to define Character in a motorvehicle.I define it is as having one or more mechanical or aesthetic traits which resonate with the owner/rider/driver.For ME - it's both mechanical and aesthetic. I want a combination of things that appeal to me, that are easy to maintain, that perform with my desired parameters. I don't need or even WANT it to be super fast. I prefer some comfort. I don't want it to be super smooth/too bland and I prefer big torque to peaky hp. Some vibration is fine because it helps me feel in touch with the motor, but I prefer low frequency base vibration to high frequency buzzing. I also don't want the suspension to be too perfect to the point where it completely isolates me from the experience of the road. Enough to absorb the big ones but always feel like I have some sense of the pavement.Anything that is too "perfect" starts to feel like an appliance like my Keurig (press the button and walk away, come back in a little bit and coffee is waiting). I don't want a bike that feels like it doesn't need me. I don't want a bike that isolates me completely from the experience. I want something that is begging for personification.YMMV