Reliability Issues of Moto Guzzi vs. other brands?

[willowstreetguzziguy]

While I was working the other day on a job, I got to talk with an older gentleman who owns 3 Harleys.  (2 for himself and 1 for his wife.) As we talked, he spoke about several trips he had taken.  On two separate trips, both times his throttle cables snapped, leaving him stranded. Then he proceeded to tell me that he had to have his engine rebuilt at 35,000 miles because the connecting rods were coming loose. The mechanic doing the rebuilding told him that the HD employee did a poor job assembling the engine when it was on the assembly line.

This got me to thinking about the thousands of posts that I've read here.  I don't seem to recall this kind of bad luck with a particular Moto Guzzi owner but maybe there are. Where do Moto Guzzi and Harley stand compared to other brands when it comes to reliability?

[oldbike54]

 Damn , this is a subjective question 

 Dusty

[Kev m]

While I was working the other day on a job, I got to talk with an older gentleman who owns 3 Harleys.  (2 for himself and 1 for his wife.) As we talked, he spoke about several trips he had taken.  On two separate trips, both times his throttle cables snapped, leaving him stranded. Then he proceeded to tell me that he had to have his engine rebuilt at 35,000 miles because the connecting rods were coming loose. The mechanic doing the rebuilding told him that the HD employee did a poor job assembling the engine when it was on the assembly line.

This got me to thinking about the thousands of posts that I've read here.  I don't seem to recall this kind of bad luck with a particular Moto Guzzi owner but maybe there are. Where do Moto Guzzi and Harley stand compared to other brands when it comes to reliability?

I'd keep THAT guy far away from my shop cause he's got bad ju-ju.

My relatively small sample of personal experience finds Harleys the most trouble free bikes I've owned (I've not owned JAPanInc. bikes new enough/long enough to count them), with Guzzi and BMW about equal and a bit more fussy.

That's based on:

5 different Harleys (all bought new) and about 133,000 miles on them total to date by me (another maybe 15,000 by Jenn and her sister).
 
To be fair 35k miles was on the first one (93 Sporty) and that broke some stupid things, and leaked like a stereotypical Harley, it just never left me stranded). My 96 RK accounted for 65k miles and it was very VERY reliable.

3 different Guzzis (2 bought new, 1 bought with 1k miles) and 70,000 miles on them by me. The Jackal (bought used) was the most troublesome, it broke down in new and interesting ways, and required on-road rescue/repair twice. The Breva was pretty darn good but had niggling issues like pinging. Under new management it lost 2 dashes and a clutch (dodged those bullets). V7 has been GREAT.

3 different BMWs (all bought used, 1 with only 5k miles on it) and about 50,000 miles on them by me. To be fair the 2 airheads were in nice shape but did have some miles on them. The newest, Oilhead, was still under warranty. The airheads had some typical failures, diode board, timing chain, and some not so typical, rear main seal, etc. The Oilhead had a rear main seal go (JUST out of warranty) and a bunch of stupid things like a leaky front master cylinder.

Now, maybe the airheads would have been much better if purchased new, I can't think the short ownership periods of the Oilhead or Jackal SHOULD have had that kind of effect on em, but who knows.


I guess it should be no surprise though that I've generally had much more trouble-free service on bikes I've owned since new. (Goes back to do we buy new thread).

And I'll add this, granted we've only got 8k miles on the almost 5 y/o Duc, and maybe that's the reason, but talk about reliable, it's been PERFECT and needed NOTHING but maintenance (if you don't include me denting a wheel on a hellish pothole). Hell the battery still seems stronger than the NEWER ones in the other bikes.

<shrugs>

[KraZ440]

I don't seem to recall this kind of bad luck with a particular Moto Guzzi owner but maybe there are. Where do Moto Guzzi and Harley stand compared to other brands when it comes to reliability?

Over on advrider, there is an inmate with a Stelvio from hell. He was constantly fixing things on it, up until he bought a new one to replace it.

[WitchCityGuzzi]

7 Guzzi's and not one has left me stranded anywhere. Ever. I've never traveled anywhere on any of them with anything other than the factory tool kit and a plug kit and compressor.

83,000 on the Stelvio - 3 cross country trips including a run up to Alaska
70,000+ on the Ballabio
45,000 on my wife's Griso 1 - cross country trip including a run up to Alaska
55,000 on my Ambassador
74,000 on the Tonti Roadster
4000 on the V7II Stornello
2000 miles on the 66 Stornello Sport.

I never had the luck with any of the multitude of Japanese motorcycles I owned compared to the Geese.

[WitchCityGuzzi]

Over on advrider, there is an inmate with a Stelvio from hell. He was constantly fixing things on it, up until he bought a new one to replace it.

To be fair, Vic purchased that bike used and it had been put through the wringer.

[ITSec]

Have I had to do some things to keep my Norge on the road (and the Breva before it)? Yes. Were they serious showstoppers? No (other than a gearbox failure on the small block less than 30 days after purchase).

The Norge has 120,000+ miles on it now, with no more demanding maintenance/re[air than any other vehicle I've owned. My previous long distance bike was a 2002 Suzuki V-Strom 1000; it was similarly trouble free other than some known things like the warranty replacement of the early design clutch basket (Suzuki paid for this even though the bike was past warranty). It went 137,000 miles before the cam chain guides failed in a moderately spectacular fashion. That's about the same distance my Chevy Astro minivan went before needing major top-end work.

I'd have to say the majority of machines, two and four wheeled, are much more reliable than they once were, and that includes most motorcycles. There are some design/build issues with various machines (cooling system on some Aprilias, oil pump on early 2-valve 1200s, and all the others we know and love) but similar problems occur across brands and on both bikes and boxes (take a look at the NHTSA recall list).

[pete roper]

Over on advrider, there is an inmate with a Stelvio from hell. He was constantly fixing things on it, up until he bought a new one to replace it.

Yeah, that's Vic. Hid bike had been 'Shaved Aped' to the max! Everything that could be screwed up was. Then it was one of the 2012 Stelvios with a dodgy clutch that exploded. Endgame. He bought a new one!

[Ncdan]

I hope my 07 Calvin with 6000 miles gives me as many trouble free miles as my last bike, a 03 Harley electric glide classic which had over 50,000 miles when I sold her. It never took me out and didn't get me back home.

[SmithSwede]

That's a difficult question.    And you probably already know that the plural of anecdote is not data. 

I seem to have less luck than others.  On the other hand, my bikes all work for a living--they are ridden hard in all weather conditions, but are well-maintained.  Here are my anecdotes:

My most reliable bike so far has been a 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250, with 38,000 miles.   Really no issues, other than when mud daubers clogged the air intake, which ain't her fault.  I have ridden the absolute *snot* out of this tiny thing under all conditions, and I love the silly little screamer.  Frankly, if I had to bet a large sum of money on which bike would be no-joke reliable in a long duration, high stress test, I'd bet the two-fiddy.     

In the course of almost 50,000 miles, my 13 V7 Stone has left me stranded multiple times, and has limped home more times that that.  It's left me stuck at home unable to start it.  I love the d*mn thing, and I persist in believing that it is at least *potentially*  very reliable.   The issues I've had all revolve around spark, spark plugs, or ECU stuff--all other systems have been fine.  So I mostly think that if I find and kill that spark related demon, I will be golden. 

But to be brutally honest--that sounds like a story about a hot but crazy girlfriend, a story that doesn't end well.   Me and the Stone are having a difficult and tense relationship at the moment.  The last straw was after she ruined my summer vacation last year.  That lead to me buying a new Triumph.  In my current frame of mind, f I had to pick at bike to ride to a critically important business meeting hundreds of miles out of town, it would not be the Guzzi.   I've been burned too many times (but still adore the bike). 

53,000 miles on BMW F800S.  Stranded me many times, lots of issues, do not trust this one much.  And while it's a nice bike, I'm not in love, so it irritates me.     

The Guzzi's misbehavior lead to purchasing a '16 Triumph Street Triple.  It has been flawless so far, but I've only racked up 5,000 miles, so I doubt I've put it to the test.  I'm not mature enough for this bike.  My hunch is it will be like the Ninja--solid performer.

[Bill Hagan]

That's a difficult question.    And you probably already know that the plural of anecdote is not data. 

I seem to have less luck than others.  On the other hand, my bikes all work for a living--they are ridden hard in all weather conditions, but are well-maintained.  Here are my anecdotes:

My most reliable bike so far has been a 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250, with 38,000 miles.   Really no issues, other than when mud daubers clogged the air intake, which ain't her fault.  I have ridden the absolute *snot* out of this tiny thing under all conditions, and I love the silly little screamer.  Frankly, if I had to bet a large sum of money on which bike would be no-joke reliable in a long duration, high stress test, I'd bet the two-fiddy.     

In the course of almost 50,000 miles, my 13 V7 Stone has left me stranded multiple times, and has limped home more times that that.  It's left me stuck at home unable to start it.  I love the d*mn thing, and I persist in believing that it is at least *potentially*  very reliable.   The issues I've had all revolve around spark, spark plugs, or ECU stuff--all other systems have been fine.  So I mostly think that if I find and kill that spark related demon, I will be golden. 

But to be brutally honest--that sounds like a story about a hot but crazy girlfriend, a story that doesn't end well.   Me and the Stone are having a difficult and tense relationship at the moment.  The last straw was after she ruined my summer vacation last year.  That lead to me buying a new Triumph.  In my current frame of mind, f I had to pick at bike to ride to a critically important business meeting hundreds of miles out of town, it would not be the Guzzi.   I've been burned too many times (but still adore the bike). 

53,000 miles on BMW F800S.  Stranded me many times, lots of issues, do not trust this one much.  And while it's a nice bike, I'm not in love, so it irritates me.     

The Guzzi's misbehavior lead to purchasing a '16 Triumph Street Triple.  It has been flawless so far, but I've only racked up 5,000 miles, so I doubt I've put it to the test.  I'm not mature enough for this bike.  My hunch is it will be like the Ninja--solid performer.

 

I, too, love my Guzzis, and regret not a dime of the many I've spent on 'em, including unexpected motel stays after tows to BFE, USA.  Dean Rose remembers rescuing me from one of those, and others here might recall other midnight calls for help I've made.  Heck, Wayne is on speed dial.  Yes, really.

So, when I hear that they are "bulletproof" or the like, I think, "Yeah, I suppose ... if one is using .22 cal. rounds."   

Still, like that "hot but crazy girlfriend" Swede mentions, I forgive mine, and still just lust for the next ride.   

Bill

[Nic in Western NYS]

And you probably already know that the plural of anecdote is not data. 

Request permission to use that phrase. Thank you.

[calfruit]

I ride a 2012 roller Norge . She was a bitch for the first  two years, one problem after another. Yet she never left me on the side of the road. After our relationship settled down she has been no the short of wonderful. I have stated this before on this forum but will do it again, as at my age one tends to repeat himself. She is like a very hot Italian women, she loves for you to look at her and lust after her, yet she can be a bitch at times when you ask for a ride.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  If dependability is your main criteria for buying a new bike, it is hard to go wrong with a 750cc Honda aero Shadow.
  The modest horsepower means that parts are not over stressed and they are over built from the start.  They will go 90 MPH which is enough to be greatly illegal in almost every state except those with no speed limits and it is still enough to get you a reckless driving ticket in those.  If you are not drag racing or hooligan riding, they have more than enough power to ride and tour with sensibly.
 I realize that many riders like to occasionally ride at above sensible speeds.  They will always pay the price in less dependability of their rides.  But that is not the fault of the machine.
 A dependable machine does not have the same mystic as a high performance machine but that is the trade off you get
for having a dependable machine.

[leafman60]

While I was working the other day on a job, I got to talk with an older gentleman who owns 3 Harleys.  (2 for himself and 1 for his wife.) As we talked, he spoke about several trips he had taken.  On two separate trips, both times his throttle cables snapped, leaving him stranded. Then he proceeded to tell me that he had to have his engine rebuilt at 35,000 miles because the connecting rods were coming loose. The mechanic doing the rebuilding told him that the HD employee did a poor job assembling the engine when it was on the assembly line.

This got me to thinking about the thousands of posts that I've read here.  I don't seem to recall this kind of bad luck with a particular Moto Guzzi owner but maybe there are. Where do Moto Guzzi and Harley stand compared to other brands when it comes to reliability?

That H-D tale sounds like BS myth from a H-D basher.

Of all the bikes I have/had, the H-Ds were the most reliable and maintenance-free. This is by a long shot.

The European-made bikes I've owned are/were problem-prone, especially the Italian and German bikes.

That's all I'll say.

.

[Frulk]

I have a 2014 V7R and a 2013 Honda CB 1100 sitting in my garage right now. The Guzzi has been babied from day one and has 6000 miles on it. Currently it's leaking fluid from somewhere around the rear drum, a couple of screws have vibrated off, my rear running lights don't come on, the tail light rattled loose on a 500 mile 2 day ride forcing me to stop at an Auto Zone parking lot to screw it back in and the battery started going dead after about 15 months. The CB has been bullet proof for the 11,000 miles that are currently on the clock. I REALLY like the CB.... but LOVE that damn Guzzi!

[Gliderjohn]

I like my 2011 Norge very, very much but.... Moto Guzzi in this day and age should not produce a bike that had the tappet problem, oil pressure leak problem and loose fitting problems (oil feed lines to heads) along with other fasteners here and there that came loose and the welds breaking in the muffler. Kind of makes one a bit gun shy. But otherwise the bike is so damn beautiful, rides so nicely, eats miles, and for as big as it is handles twisties quite well it helps to take the pain away.
GliderJohn

[rudolf35]

Had just about all brands that where not Japanese and I must say that my MG's and my HD's where running neck to neck as far as dependability goes.

70 Trotter 50cc blew it up at least once a month 
70 something Eldorado over 60,000 trouble free miles
78 850 T3 over 80,000 miles trouble free miles
86 Cali II over 100,00 trouble free miles
07 Breva 1100 over 30,000 thus far no issues
10 Griso 1200 8V over 15,000 miles - did the roller replacement myself and thus far no issues   

My HD's where about the same mileage and never had a issue with them.

[ArizonaPaul]

I have a 2003 Harley Electra Glide with 110,000 miles on it. The only time it has let me down was with a broken shift lever that happened a mile from a dealer. After 85,000 miles I did put a big inch kit in the engine, but that was because I wanted the extra power for the sidecar. The bike has been to 43 of the continental United States and Alaska. I have never taken any additional parts or oil when I have taken a trip.

I hope the Stelvio can match the longevity of the Harley. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

The *only* problems I've ever had with Guzzis  have been inflicted by their Distinguished Previous Owners. Once sorted, all 13 of them have been stone axe reliable. <shrug>

[Lesman]

Reliability of Guzzi vs other brands. My bike(Quota) is a pup with 24K. Outside of oil leaks, cracked rear rim and installing a battery reversed polarity and killing the regulator(I guess this is my fault). I expected any bike under 35K miles to be reliable.

I had 1993 GSPD for 19 years only 44k miles. It broke down in California with a dead stator. It had every known Airhead issue happen to the bike except cracked coils. I sometimes thinking nostalgically that my GSPD  was the best bike that I ever owned yet the facts would say it should ranked near the last of  the 40-50 bikes that I owned.
Right now I'm  still Guzzi true and thru.

[rboe]

I've owned three Honda's. One has been a royal PITA, the other two have been great.

I've had two Guzzi's, the Quota, being used, had some minor things - but nothing happened on my watch. The Griso; well most know the story on the Griso's. Other than that, she has been a good bike. Maybe not a good match with me, but I blame my genes. 

This is a tough one as the real answer lies in statistics, not anecdotal stories.

[Carlo DeSantis]

With something over 300,000 miles on a variety of bikes over 30 years, I have never been stranded by any of my bikes.  I did get a couple of scares with my T3 until I learned how to get the starter working with a tap and how to bypass the original ignition switch that had bad bullet connectors.

About half my miles have been on BMWs (two K bikes and one cam-head R).  I bought my K75 used and found bad splines on the driveshaft when I pulled it apart for the first time.  After that, it was flawless with regular maintenance.  My K1100 had a bad load-shed relay that gave me intermittent problems until it was replaced under warranty.  Otherwise flawless.  The R bike had a problem with its fuel-level sensor -- a common fault for a few years' production.  It has been replaced twice, and the current one has been holding up well; other wise, very solid machine.

About a quarter of my miles have been on Guzzis.  Other than the T3 issues I mentioned above, it has been a joy.  I have put a lot into that bike, though, from Dyna ignition to a solid state Euromoto Electric alternator set. I still have one nagging issue: getting into neutral at a stop.  My Cal EV worked well once I had a good mechanic set it up and maintain it.  Oh, and I had a problem with the gas cap swelling; a little sanding and it was fine.

The final quarter of my miles were on Japanese bikes -- mostly Kawasaki.  The Kawis were generally solid bikes, though I did have one with a gas cap that kept leaking regardless of whatever I or the dealer did to effect a fix.  I also had two Hondas; my Hawk GT ran well once I installed a jet kit and tuned Supertrapp.  My TransAlp had numerous niggles, but it was bought used -- well used -- so I'm not sure I can blame the bike vs POs for those issues.

Bottom line, I don't consider any of my bikes to have been problem children.  Maybe I just have a high pain tolerance, but there it is.

Best,

Carlo

[Nic in Western NYS]

Bought new:
Honda Magna 750 - no problems
Suzuki Bandit 120 - no problems
Ducati ST2 - One of the first imported, multiple problems including blown clutch
Ducati ST4s - no problems
BMW R1100RT - top end failure somewhere between Buffalo and Erie PA at 27k miles, clutch cable broke at 22k, over 1qt/700miles oil consumption from when new

Used:
Centauro - well maintained - no problems
Sport 1100 - low miles, well maintained - no problems
LeMans V - bought it unsure of service history (never again) - didn't dive it to fix multiple problems because I wasn't riding it enough
Breva 1100 - no problems (picky about battery)
Ducati ST4sABS - no problems - very well maintained

[Sheepdog]

My Vintage blew the fuel hose off the in-tank pump when I was returning from a trip to Colorado. It was fixed on the roadside in a little over an hour. Apart from that, just a couple of flats are all that happened in 10 years of ownership.

Oddly, my '81 Honda CB750F gave me the most trouble. Lots of electrical and clutch issues. I bought it from the original owner, but it sat for a while before I rescued it.

[Bulldog9]

No data, only subjective experience..... My friends with Harley's and BMW's seem to have their bikes in for repair oriented service more often than others.

The only Bike I've ever had to have in for some kind of service/repair is my Norge, but I bought it sick. Still havent fixed it but.....

[lti_57]

had my Bassa leave on the side of the road while i nipped that stupid plunger on the electronic  fuel cock.
at the beginning of a 7 day trip. After that never a issue
The most reliable bike and the one I had the longest was my 1975 Laverda SF-2  rode it 13 years and only did minor maintenance.
i have never had a Guzzi  or for that matter any bike leave me stranded in 40 years of riding

[lsrxc]

Can't say if this is an isolated issue. My current 14 Norge is the first Guzzi I've owned. Started releasing oil over this past summer that was difficult to resolve. Thank GOD I live near Rosefarm Classics where Jim has patiently looked into it multiple times. Last go round, he found certain issues with tightening specs from the factory that was causing the leak. Will keep my fingers crossed that it's fixed. I love the Norge.

I've owned multiple Japanese bikes, and yes, they never had issues. But there is a definite soul with the Norge that I turns my logical brain off.

[Trogladyte]

My Griso has been the most unreliable bike I have ever owned. But that is largely because it is an 08, and I went through the full horror of the cam issue - mine failed for the first time before the original recall. But it has been absolutely solid since it had the roller followers installed. Previously I've had a Le Mans III and a T3, both of which were pretty good, but occasionally temperamental.

The two Speed Triples I've owned were faultless. Totally reliable.

The Japanese bikes have varied a lot. My Yamaha FJ1100 had problems with 2nd gears. It ate a few. The Honda VT500E was faultless and utterly reliable with zero maintenance, but also really boring. The BMW R80ST was also faultless, but not boring. The various early Triumphs and BSAs were loveable but usually catastrophic. Although I had a pretty good 5TA for a while.

Never really had much to do with Harleys. While the Griso was in the dealers for cams again, I had a 1200 Sportster for about 6 months. I don't know if it was representative of Harleys but I didn't like it much. But it was pretty reliable. Would probably have been perfectly reliable with a new battery....

Anyway. Yeah - they vary

[Testarossa]

With the exception of the 1970 Triumph, none of my bikes has ever stranded me -- though I've had to do roadside repairs and have nursed ailing bikes home for diagnosis and therapy. The Suzuki seemed seamlessly reliable but I sold it from boredom within a year and the next owner -- a new motorcyclist -- had issues, mostly related to misunderstanding the maintenance intervals.

The Guzzis have been more reliable than most. The T weathered three decades of hard use with only preventative work (though that included a new clutch and shift-return spring, Gilardoni kit, new charging system, new switches etc -- all geriatric issues that never caused breakdowns) -- until the flood damage. Without submersion, I'm sure it would have gone another 40,000 miles before needing major attention. So far the Mille has been trouble-free.

The only issue with the BMW was a failed voltage regulator, and even that turned into a roadside repair.