Dealership gone

[darkstar1269]

Looks like the only MG dealer in the Phoenix Arizona area is no longer selling or doing warranty work on these bikes (Ride Now). Makes it difficult to get any warranty work done if needed, like I need now on my MGX. This is the 5th or 6th largest city in the country, how do they expect to sell bikes in this market without a dealer network, do they care? Anyway, just a minor vent, but overall not good business practice I would think for a for profit company in my opinion, at least for the US market.

[brider]

And Rennesaince (sp?) down in Tucson is gone too now, right? I used to buy parts from him all the way from here in CT because the guy knew what he was talking about. Young girl working the parts phone @ MI screwed up an order of mine (and when I hung up the phone with her I KNEW she'd do that...), so I went to Renne.....that guy.

What about that guy up in Prescott?

[LowRyter]

sorry to hear, especially after seeing my service "go to" guy opening a dealership.

[darkstar1269]

What about that guy up in Prescott?
[/quote]

Prescott guy is still there, but that is 90 minutes away so it can be tricky. They are pretty nice there too, but last time I was there they only had on MG for sale, I don't know if it cost them money to be a dealer, but I cannot imagine they sell a lot of new Moto Guzzi bikes, I have my concerns about them carrying the line much longer. But for now, they will likely get the 30 minute warranty work I need done.

[Tom]

The dealer out here has the Piaggio line but they don't do any service.  I have more in my garage than them plus spares.  Sad state of affairs. 

They're only bike sellers and don't do service.  Their main business is Harley Davidson.  I don't deal with them because they're Harley centric.  The sales guys are millennials that buy into the HD image and HD being the only machine to own.   

[Toecutter]

Without a good North American dealer/service network and supply chain in place, Guzzi is going to fall far behind on this side of the pond.  Facts is facts, and most modern bike-curious folks, aren't greasemonkeys. They want a place to drop the bike off and have it fixed. They want short down times. They want quick tire and fluid changes.

There are just too many great bikes on the market now, with fantastic dealer/service networks.

[Kiwi_Roy]

There are just too many great bikes on the market now, with fantastic dealer/service networks.

And what would those be?
Here in Vancouver the BMW, Triumph, Ducati and Guzzi dealerships are passing around like hot potatoes.

I think Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda are reasonably stable.

We have a couple of really good independent shops, one I know at least has a couple of guys familiar with Guzzis but they don't carry parts.

[Perazzimx14]

Without a good North American dealer/service network and supply chain in place, Guzzi is going to fall far behind on this side of the pond.  Facts is facts, and most modern bike-curious folks, aren't greasemonkeys. They want a place to drop the bike off and have it fixed. They want short down times. They want quick tire and fluid changes.

There are just too many great bikes on the market now, with fantastic dealer/service networks.

In other breaking news John Wayne ate steak

[ohiorider]

My feeling is simple.  If you can't work on them yourself (do the basic stuff,)  then a Guzzi shouldn't be your ride of choice.  If it appears to be a crap shoot as to whether you'll have a dealer or not in a year or two, then maybe another brand is the right choice.  This is sad!

Bob

[Arizona Wayne]

For decades now many Guzzi dealers in USA have tried to stay afloat but very few have been successful doing that.   Some of those few have retired by now.   The future does not look bright.       Been going out of business since 1921.

When stores like Kmart, JC Penney, Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, Mervins, Radio Shack, etc. disappear should we really be surprised?

[ITSec]

Looks like the only MG dealer in the Phoenix Arizona area is no longer selling or doing warranty work on these bikes (Ride Now). Makes it difficult to get any warranty work done if needed, like I need now on my MGX. This is the 5th or 6th largest city in the country, how do they expect to sell bikes in this market without a dealer network, do they care? Anyway, just a minor vent, but overall not good business practice I would think for a for profit company in my opinion, at least for the US market.

Let's be clear - the decision to drop Piaggio was RideNow's, not the other way around. When RideNow bought the dealership in Las Vegas that had Piaggio, they waited a couple months, then pushed the Italian bikes into the back and didn't even tell Piaggio they had stopped selling them. The regional rep heard about it from other sources. Piaggio is not the active party to eliminating services to customers in this area. The Italians have a lot of sins to answer for, but this ain't one of them.

RideNow is not a typical motorcycle company, though I'm worried they may become a major new model emulated by others. I have personal knowledge of RideNow's approach to running a dealership (I was at the LV dealership when they bought it and stayed for a while afterward), and I refrain from saying more in respect of the rules here about civility and not making what some may see as an unfounded criticism.

I would certainly not encourage Piaggio to renew or expand their relationship with RideNow - unless they want to add Faust to their operatic repertoire.

[egschade]

When stores like Kmart, JC Penney, Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, Mervins, Radio Shack, etc. disappear should we really be surprised?

You can thank eRetailers for the death of many retailers like those you've listed. When Amazon makes it easy to have a bike picked up and serviced, THEN I'd really be worried as a powersports dealer.

[twowings]

I've seen the new Ford 'lending library' model where you choose a new/used Ford from their pool and pay a comparable-to-monthly-loan payment that covers the use of the car, service, and logistics and then walk away when you want...could be the wave of the future?

If it catches on, I could see recreational vehicles manufacturers following suit...maybe

[Arizona Wayne]

Let's be clear - the decision to drop Piaggio was RideNow's, not the other way around. When RideNow bought the dealership in Las Vegas that had Piaggio, they waited a couple months, then pushed the Italian bikes into the back and didn't even tell Piaggio they had stopped selling them. The regional rep heard about it from other sources. Piaggio is not the active party to eliminating services to customers in this area. The Italians have a lot of sins to answer for, but this ain't one of them.

RideNow is not a typical motorcycle company, though I'm worried they may become a major new model emulated by others. I have personal knowledge of RideNow's approach to running a dealership (I was at the LV dealership when they bought it and stayed for a while afterward), and I refrain from saying more in respect of the rules here about civility and not making what some may see as an unfounded criticism.

I would certainly not encourage Piaggio to renew or expand their relationship with RideNow - unless they want to add Faust to their operatic repertoire.

The real problem with MoGu in USA sticking around with dealers is that few customers are interested in buying a new Moto Guzzi in the 1st place(choose your reasons).   It's been this way as long as I've owned 1(34 years).  Guzzis just have never been that popular in this USA but somehow a few dealers have been able to stay afloat for long times.   That  number seems to be  to be shrinking now.

I watched a dealer in Sacramento, CA. try to make it w/MoGu, but eventually gave up and struck pay dirt instead becoming a Triumph  dealer about 2005.  RideNow has multiple brands of bikes but too has given up peddling Guzzis apparently. Why offer a brand hardly anyone wants to buy? MoGu is a small volume mfg. world wide and has been for decades no matter what they try.

[ohiorider]

The real problem with MoGu in USA sticking around with dealers is that few customers are interested in buying a new Moto Guzzi in the 1st place(choose your reasons).   It's been this way as long as I've owned 1(44 years).  Guzzis just have never been that popular in this USA but somehow a few dealers have been able to stay afloat for long times.   That  number seems to be  to be shrinking now.

I watched a dealer in Sacramento, CA. try to make it w/MoGu, but eventually gave up and struck pay dirt instead becoming a Triumph  dealer about 2005.  RideNow has multiple brands of bikes but too has given up peddling Guzzis apparently. Why offer a brand hardly anyone wants to buy? MoGu is a small volume mfg. world wide and has been for decades no matter what they try.

I think you may have hit it.  A very old sales training course I attended over 50 years ago supports what you're saying.  Dale Carnegie broke it down this way, in five steps:
First you need to ....
1. Get the prospects attention, then ....
2. Capture their interest, with a story about your product, then ....
3. Convince them with a strong conviction that your product has something to offer them ....
4. Create a desire to own/buy your product, and then ....
5. Close the order
This is old-time sales stuff.  And there's certainly more sophisticated sales theory available today. But Dale Carnegie is as valid today as when Dale Carnegie wrote it nearly a century ago.  You can skip some steps if the potential buyer is ready to buy, but not if they're not ready.  I don't think Guzzi marketing understands any of it.

Bob

[darkstar1269]

My feeling is simple.  If you can't work on them yourself (do the basic stuff,)  then a Guzzi shouldn't be your ride of choice.  If it appears to be a crap shoot as to whether you'll have a dealer or not in a year or two, then maybe another brand is the right choice.  This is sad!

Bob

It is sad. Most bikes these days will require some form of warranty work during the first couple years and if you need that done and do not have anywhere to go, then you are stuck footing the bill and doing it yourself. In my case it us an ECU update needed. Nothing I can do myself, so I just accept it the way it is and you are right, consider another brand next time around unfortunately.

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[darkstar1269]

Let's be clear - the decision to drop Piaggio was RideNow's, not the other way around. When RideNow bought the dealership in Las Vegas that had Piaggio, they waited a couple months, then pushed the Italian bikes into the back and didn't even tell Piaggio they had stopped selling them. The regional rep heard about it from other sources. Piaggio is not the active party to eliminating services to customers in this area. The Italians have a lot of sins to answer for, but this ain't one of them.

RideNow is not a typical motorcycle company, though I'm worried they may become a major new model emulated by others. I have personal knowledge of RideNow's approach to running a dealership (I was at the LV dealership when they bought it and stayed for a while afterward), and I refrain from saying more in respect of the rules here about civility and not making what some may see as an unfounded criticism.

I would certainly not encourage Piaggio to renew or expand their relationship with RideNow - unless they want to add Faust to their operatic repertoire.

I would only go to a ride now shop to look. I would not give them a penny of my money. I did not buy my bike there, but the service guys were decent and i planned on using them for any warranty work I may need on both of my Guzzi's.

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[AH Fan]

In other breaking news John Wayne ate steak

Hey Roy.

PM me with those guys names and location please.

Ciao

[chuck peterson]

I've seen the new Ford 'lending library' model where you choose a new/used Ford from their pool and pay a comparable-to-monthly-loan payment that covers the use of the car, service, and logistics and then walk away when you want...could be the wave of the future?

If it catches on, I could see recreational vehicles manufacturers following suit...maybe

Here along the CT shores is a marina where you pay a flat fee to mess with any of the boats...more of a lending library model too

[Gliderjohn]

Well....if I didn't already own two Guzzis and they will probably be the last bikes I will have, I would most likely make my next purchase a Honda or Kaw due to a good dealer being 10 miles from my house and dealers about everywhere if on the road and a need arises.
GliderJohn

[Tusayan]

My feeling is simple.  If you can't work on them yourself (do the basic stuff,)  then a Guzzi shouldn't be your ride of choice. 

That may be, but...  call me old fashioned but I think half of being a motorcyclist is the relationship you develop with the bike by working on it, as well as riding it.  My interest is not in finding bike that has a good dealer, but in finding a bike that doesn't need a good dealer.

[Toecutter]

I love working on bikes. The relationship I have with my trusty old CB750 will never be matched by a new bike, no matter the brand or model. I know every bolt, wire, and leak, intimately.

That said... buying a NEW bike makes no sense, notions of superiority aside, if the parts and service aren't there. If (as in my case) my bike is down for 6 months of the *riding season* of warranty period , 75% of which was simply *waiting for parts*... then why buy new at all? We can all buy a two year old bike with 2500 km on it... today if we wish; garages are full of them, spring is coming.

It's fine and dandy to say "if you can't wrench then you don't deserve a Guzzi", but it elitist bullshit to do so. And, in context of this discussion, it's a nail in the coffin for the brand. If they don't sell new, then dealers won't carry them. If dealers won't carry them, then service isn't available. And all of a sudden, people shift to other brands. It's not hard to see. Guzzi relies on stubborn loyalty, they equal Harley in this respect, just in a far smaller scale. But... Harley has space in every small town from coast to coast, north to south. Hell, riding through Alberta & BC last year, the sheer scale of support for Harley made me wonder if I shouldn't be looking in that direction if I ever buy new again.

Every bike clique is the same... the old guard sneer at the new guard, forgetting that they were once new guard themselves. Guzzi needs to sell to the new guard... what's the average age on this page? How many new bikes you have left in you? Confience in a ride is what allows miles to be packed on. Miles being packed on without issue, or with good support when there IS an issue is what leads to brand confidence and word of mouth, which leads to more new sales.

It took two years of warranty work to get my V7 to a place where I was confident in it. Could I have done the work myself? Sure. But then why would I have paid the extra 30% for that warranty? I was lucky enough to live near a Guzzi dealer with service. But... if I hadn't? Would i ever have confidence in the brand? Would I ever talk lovingly of it in a way that got someone else interested in it?

Piaggio needs to work on some stuff. Their relationship with dealers is one of them... expecting Canadian dealers to to buy bikes 4 times a year is ridiculous. Shutting down for a month when your customers need parts that aren't on this side of the pond... is ridiculous.

Maybe they're happy being a niche market bike with low sales. Maybe they are where they wish to be, with no desire to do more. Maybe the old guard likes it that way, so they can continue to feel different and special. But, I'm not in any way surprised that dealers are severing ties.

I like the bike. I like the brand. I, obviously, have issues with some of their practices. I'd love to see it grow, and I'd love to see decent coverage with dealers and service. Hell... as of right now... I have a 6 hour drive to the nearest dealer. That's not exactly gonna sell bikes.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

You can thank eRetailers for the death of many retailers like those you've listed. When Amazon makes it easy to have a bike picked up and serviced, THEN I'd really be worried as a powersports dealer.

KMart & Sears have been run into the ground by shitty businessmen... Sears practically invented mail-order, they should be the leaders in e-commerce if the execs werent such buffoons.  Kmart is dying while WalMart & Target are going like gangbusters... they have no excuse.  You can't blame all of brick & mortar's woes on the internet unfortunately

[Toecutter]

Not sure I'd use Walmart and Target as the paragons of business practices.

[Arizona Wayne]

KMart & Sears have been run into the ground by shitty businessmen... Sears practically invented mail-order, they should be the leaders in e-commerce if the execs werent such buffoons.  Kmart is dying while WalMart & Target are going like gangbusters... they have no excuse.  You can't blame all of brick & mortar's woes on the internet unfortunately

 :1:  I spent 11 years with Sears, 5 as dept. mgrs., 6 in service.  Surprised the company has lasted this long since the top mgmt. didn't want any new ideas when I was there.

[Gliderjohn]

Sears, JC Penny and Montgomery Ward should have been able to adapt easily to become an "Amazon". They already had most processes in place from their catalog departments. The only thing that really changed was the method of ordering. Guess none of their management saw the need or were scared of change.
In the early 80s I worked commission sales for a couple of years at Montgomery Ward. Even then it was getting to be what I call anti-management. If there was a way for them to F things up they would find it and use it. At that time they were also doing their best to get rid of commission sales and instead use basically minimum wage clerks.
GliderJohn

[Trevor G]

For those who were not around Ride Now Chandfler quit Piaggio in the middle of 2016, and restarted again in 2017 around this time, or maybe later.

Back in the day when they were Metro Motorcycles and a little closer to the centre of Phoenix proper they also had Guzzi, back in the  early 2000s. I visited there, perhaps as early as December 2003.

[Matteo]

Let's be clear - the decision to drop Piaggio was RideNow's, not the other way around. When RideNow bought the dealership in Las Vegas that had Piaggio, they waited a couple months, then pushed the Italian bikes into the back and didn't even tell Piaggio they had stopped selling them. The regional rep heard about it from other sources. Piaggio is not the active party to eliminating services to customers in this area. The Italians have a lot of sins to answer for, but this ain't one of them.

This is the same thing that happened with 2 thriving dealers in Anchorage. They both have a fistful of the major brands and would only order a Guzzi if asked even though they were displaying a dealer sign. One of them even carries Aprilia and Vespa but refuses to order Guzzi’s anymore. He even gave me his dealer sign to shut me up. 

[Tom]

Cool on the sign. 

[LowRyter]

I just talked with a gentleman that once owned the local Triumph and a Suzuki franchise. 

He has nothing good to say about any motorcycle manufacturer.  In fact, he said they were all crooks.  I am hoping that the local Guzzi startup won't have these problems. 

I could go through a laundry list of the tactics discussed today but it would take too long and stir the pot too badly.   He did confirm many things that I suspected. 

He also said that the motorcycle business should move away from dealers and put service and delivery centers under the factories.  I think Tesla has been trying to do that with it's business model.

One thing I didn't know was that for several brands the factory parts business was totally outsourced to UPS.  UPS has the inventory, warehousing, restocking, inventory control and distribution for the entire US operations.