General Category > General Discussion
Has This ADV Thing gotten out of hand?
Arizona Wayne:
That is the one and only thing about MG that bothers me. I have a MG dealer 5 miles away, but being broke down 1200 miles from the nearest dealer has crossed my mind, along with availability of parts. I have several Yamahas, so I guess I'm a fan. to me as well, even if I won't admit it.
[/quote]
That's what many bike riders say why they don't ride Guzzis. I rode Yamahas for 20 years before I got my 1st Guzzi in `84. Been riding Guzzis ever since. A couple other brands too. I ride long distances and never has a Guzzi left me stranded. Some times things break but I always make it home without a layover. ;-T My nearest Guzzi dealer is 150 miles away.
biking sailor:
--- Quote from: Arizona Wayne on January 24, 2015, 12:34:14 AM ---That is the one and only thing about MG that bothers me. I have a MG dealer 5 miles away, but being broke down 1200 miles from the nearest dealer has crossed my mind, along with availability of parts. I have several Yamahas, so I guess I'm a fan. to me as well, even if I won't admit it.
That's what many bike riders say why they don't ride Guzzis. I rode Yamahas for 20 years before I got my 1st Guzzi in `84. Been riding Guzzis ever since. A couple other brands too. I ride long distances and never has a Guzzi left me stranded. Some times things break but I always make it home without a layover. ;-T My nearest Guzzi dealer is 150 miles away.
--- End quote ---
Since 2010 I have clocked 75,000 miles on 3 different Guzzis. Only one left me stranded where I needed help. The help came from a Kawasaki dealer that referred me to a local independent that basically let me "assist" in fixing it. Fortunately, the offending part was available at a parts store and identified by my "local" dealers shop over the phone. Being a bit of a gearhead and engineer, I understand how any machine can have a failure (MTBF) and leave you stranded, and to blindly say it can't or rarely will happen to one brand or another is a gamble I don't want to play when the consequences of the failure could be complicated by hard to source/long lead time parts and no one local that is willing to try to fix it.
When traveling several through several states on trips, I do think about "what if's" and am comforted, or the opposite, that a parts failure could be a one or two day delay verses an abandon the bike and fly home because the part needed has a month long lead time and the shop helping doesn't have a recognizable sign out front. Everyone has their own level of comfort, and I respect that.
David, I've read the many posts you've made about your experiences and always get the impression you are happy with your Stelvio, despite the teething pains of little thing to fix/work through to make it a go anywhere bike. I too think the Stelvio, and 1200 Sport before it, were truly top shelf riding experiences other brands could only envy.
But for me, my traveling bike needs a bit more dealer support than Guzzi can provide right now, and the commuting limitations (over cooling in cold temps) were an issue I wasn't wanting to deal with again post the deer hit that totaled my Stelvio. I will say though that THE Guzzis I have ridden are more riders bikes that any other brands I have experienced. Still have one left in the garage, but mainly only use it locally, within a few hundred miles.
Darren
Arizona Wayne:
--- Quote from: biking sailor on January 24, 2015, 07:31:29 AM ---Since 2010 I have clocked 75,000 miles on 3 different Guzzis. Only one left me stranded where I needed help. The help came from a Kawasaki dealer that referred me to a local independent that basically let me "assist" in fixing it. Fortunately, the offending part was available at a parts store and identified by my "local" dealers shop over the phone. Being a bit of a gearhead and engineer, I understand how any machine can have a failure (MTBF) and leave you stranded, and to blindly say it can't or rarely will happen to one brand or another is a gamble I don't want to play when the consequences of the failure could be complicated by hard to source/long lead time parts and no one local that is willing to try to fix it.
When traveling several through several states on trips, I do think about "what if's" and am comforted, or the opposite, that a parts failure could be a one or two day delay verses an abandon the bike and fly home because the part needed has a month long lead time and the shop helping doesn't have a recognizable sign out front. Everyone has their own level of comfort, and I respect that.
David, I've read the many posts you've made about your experiences and always get the impression you are happy with your Stelvio, despite the teething pains of little thing to fix/work through to make it a go anywhere bike. I too think the Stelvio, and 1200 Sport before it, were truly top shelf riding experiences other brands could only envy.
But for me, my traveling bike needs a bit more dealer support than Guzzi can provide right now, and the commuting limitations (over cooling in cold temps) were an issue I wasn't wanting to deal with again post the deer hit that totaled my Stelvio. I will say though that THE Guzzis I have ridden are more riders bikes that any other brands I have experienced. Still have one left in the garage, but mainly only use it locally, within a few hundred miles.
Darren
--- End quote ---
If some get stranded on their Guzzi they have a friend come get them w/a PU or trailer or they rent a small U-Haul truck. I have never needed that, even tho I've hit 2 deer w/o stopping. :o Whenever I see a MC on the side of the road it's usually a Harley.
not-fishing:
--- Quote from: Sasquatch Jim on January 21, 2015, 03:51:49 PM --- However, I would not be averse to an adventure with the girl in the picture.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, I've also been there and done that.
I am constantly reminded by the wife that Asians do not believe in divorce because that would end the suffering.
Lannis:
--- Quote from: jetmechmarty on January 22, 2015, 11:08:33 AM ---That is the one and only thing about MG that bothers me. I have a MG dealer 5 miles away, but being broke down 1200 miles from the nearest dealer has crossed my mind, along with availability of parts. I have several Yamahas, so I guess I'm a fan. That being said, looking at the Super Tenere and the Stelvio side by side, the Stelvio gave me a better impression of quality. Also, once both are fully equipped, the Stelvio appears to be a better bargain. Maybe that other part appeals to me as well, even if I won't admit it.
--- End quote ---
Whenever I start to sort of worry about that, I think of Ken Hand and Our JB and JN Smyth and Karl Werth and Tim the jeweler guy and both our Gregs and ChuckH and Randy T. and ... oh, lots more .... guys and say "Have I ever heard one of these guys worry about how many Guzzi dealers there are before they took off from home on an 8000 mile trip on a Guzzi with anywhere from 10,000 to 400,000 miles on it?"
The answer is no, in fact they would chuckle at the idea, and they rack up intergalactic mileages on Guzzis and have lots of great stories to tell, very few of which include "Help, I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!" in them.
So I'm using these guys as my role models, and the question, for me, is already answered.
Lannis
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