MG Cycle - Thumbs Up!

[roadscum]

You don't make any sense. MG Cycle is not listed at the link you posted, and never has been. (Evidently you didn't bother to look.) It's not a dealer nor an authorized Moto Guzzi parts supplier. They used to have an explicit statement to that effect on their site or maybe their invoices, but I can't find it now.

Oops, sorry about that. I was wrong....... Again!

Paul

[John Ulrich]

Always the best service from both vendors!    ;-T

[Tobit]

Never a problem with MGC and have been dealing with them for longer than I can remember.  Great website, prompt email responses and even a free T shirt stuffed into a recent order.  Never got the wrong part, runaround or bad information.

Before MGC I used Moto International almost exclusively and enjoyed the printed catalog.  That was pre y2k.  Then the catalog stopped, the website was not very useful so I moved to MGC.  Also pre y2k there was "Parts is Parts" which was mail order only, had a curious catalog but Steve always came through for me and was fun to talk with via phone or face to face.  HIs personality added to the screwball Guzzi ownership experience.  Stan's BMW/Moto Guzzi in Gainseville was good to me in the late '80s, which had a lot to do with my buying the LeMans and Monza from him, then making a point to stop in and visit whenever in Florida to see my parents.  Relationship building.

I've tried other vendors but consistently had issues with parts not as advertised, "so what, it works for me" attitudes or dealers with very indifferent order filling schedules and high markup compared to other sources.

Good to have choices.

Tobit

 

[blackcat]

Gordon and Rick have always been good to me and I have learned to get right to the point with Rick as you never know which Rick is on the line. Quite frankly, I have learned to order parts from the closest source provided they have them in stock. If not in stock, I move on to the next source.

[geoff in almonte]

MG have always been good folks to deal with. 

However, for us Canuckians it is a little more of a problem.  Their website claims that they have arranged a 'No Brokerage Fee' deal with UPS for Canadian customers.  It has been my experience that this is not quite truthful.  While their invoices contain no brokerage fees, I always get a separate bill from the brokerage company for services rendered about 3 weeks after receipt of the order.

I'm not quite clear why they won't/don't/can't ship USPS.....Internatio nal Priority Post uses Purolater, charges no brokerage fees and will deliver to a Post Office Box.

I'm just sayin......

G

[kevdog3019]

It's more of a warranty issue than anything else.  I would hate to put their parts in a motorcycle under warranty and have that part be cause of a failure.  :BEER:
Matt

Dude... an OEM part is an OEM part.  get over where it came from.  I support ANYONE that sells MG parts that keep my bike on the road.  I don't care how tightly they are tied to the mother ship or not.  Most that are aren't around very long, so what does that tell you??  If MG is a dealer and they don't sell bikes, then that's more time spent stocking parts for us.  Go to a dealer for your parts and you'll likely get a "I can order that for you" statement.  I betcha 9 of 10 times they won't have the part.  I much rather support a warehouse that can ship what I need when I need it.  Plenty of places to get bikes elsewhere.  We are EXTREMELY fortunate to have great places like MG and Harpers.  THANK YOU to BOTH.  ;-T

[Kev m]

Dude... an OEM part is an OEM part.  get over where it came from.  I support ANYONE that sells MG parts that keep my bike on the road.  I don't care how tightly they are tied to the mother ship or not.  Most that are aren't around very long, so what does that tell you??  If MG is a dealer and they don't sell bikes, then that's more time spent stocking parts for us.  Go to a dealer for your parts and you'll likely get a "I can order that for you" statement.  I betcha 9 of 10 times they won't have the part.  I much rather support a warehouse that can ship what I need when I need it.  Plenty of places to get bikes elsewhere.  We are EXTREMELY fortunate to have great places like MG and Harpers.  THANK YOU to BOTH.  ;-T

 ;-T

Hey when I see a rare opportunity to agree with KevD I take it!  ;)

[Mike Harper]

I have been watching this and I am not going to enter into Pro or Con between us or MG.  They have a right to conduct their business and treat their customers as they see fit.

Just to clear up some confusion about the dealer question it is true that we are a Moto Guzzi dealer.  MG is not, and as far as I understand has no interest in becoming a dealer.

Yes, we had some issues with the two previous management/owners of Moto Guzzi but that is ancient history and the details are not subject to being disclosed.   During that squabble another dealer was set up in the area and when the settlement agreements were struck he was in the middle.  By mutual agreement he still is a Moto Guzzi dealer today.

No sense in having two dealers in close proximity trying to compete and sell the same thing.  It might work for Honda but not Guzzi.  Because of our location we opted out of stocking a lot of new bikes that are accompanied with large expense and historically is slow moving for all dealers.  However we can still special order new bikes and have done so several times. We are and have been for 45 years a full service repair and restoration shop which keeps us very busy.

Kevdog said that ...."An OEM part is an OEM part" That is not always the case.   As far as where it came from is not irrelevant though and by this I mean the original source and not the purveyor.  There are lots of items that are passed off as original Guzzi parts that most folks would not think of as being NON OEM but they are.

These items are things like Rear drive ring and pinions that are not properly heat treated and fail quickly, Crash bars that don't fit, Luggage racks that break, exhaust head pipes that can't be installed because they are not bent correctly. I am sure there are a lot of others.

These things  are lessons that have to be learned the hard way, usually when the end user calls back to tell us of the issue.  When we discover such a problem we refund the customer and remove that item from our advertisement until we are sure that it has been corrected.  

I do not know how others handle that but I believe that  the correct way to do business is to  nip the problem in the bud so as to not continue selling what is known to be defective.

So Kevdog, I only have responded to that part of your comment, I hope you understand.

Mike

[Kev m]

I get your point, but to be pedantic, AN OEM PART IS AN OEM PART.

Aftermarket parts are fine, though quality often varies.

Something aftermarket being passed off AS OEM is fraud.

[Mike Harper]

Well being Pedantic as I am about restorations I believe an OEM part is exactly what that refers to  "Original Equipment Manufacture"

Not inferior stuff from some other Manufacturer, I E  a Knock Off! which there is a lot of coming out of Mandello

[Kev m]

Yeah, I'm not claiming I can spot the difference and I rely on businesses and professionals like yourself to sell me the OEM (if so represented) or a quality aftermarket accessory or repro part. But I certainly wouldn't expect anything to be misrepresented.

[NC Steve]

I've never had anything other than the very best experiences with the guys at MG Cycle, even on the smallest of orders or questions. They know Guzzi, and can let you know if you're ordering the wrong part, or trying to do unnecessary work, and will suggest better and less expensive solutions if there are any.

I've never had the impression they were in business to make big bucks, but to work with Guzzi owners. Mention BMW and see how fast they shut you down! And, they also have a history of racing Guzzis.

Personally, I'd give them 10 thumbs up, and wish there were more like these guys around.  ;-T

[hooah54]

I have had great experience with MG...great service, call back when left number...they took the time to explain things to a new Guzzista...I am sold on them.

[Joe A.]

I have had great experience with MG...great service, call back when left number...they took the time to explain things to a new Guzzista...I am sold on them.

Ditto.

[Cam3512]

I have had great experience with MG...great service, call back when left number...they took the time to explain things to a new Guzzista...I am sold on them.

Yes, good communication is also a bonus.  They actually call you back and answer your emails.  What a concept.

All too often these days it feels as though you have to beg a business to take your money.

[Curtis Harper]

Yes, good communication is also a bonus.  They actually call you back and answer your emails.  What a concept.

All too often these days it feels as though you have to beg a business to take your money.

Cam,  I got a message from Mike about this that read

"Much thanks Mike. If Dave Brown (DB Cycles) calls looking for a complete set, that's for my bike. He did the resto, and bought the crap repops.
Please Pass this along to Curtis too.

Cam"

Thus I  assumed there was no more communication needed. Since I have not spoke to Dave Brown for quite some time, the ones he bought are not from us, so the crap repops come from somewhere else.

If there was something I missed, My appologies, but the communication seemed pretty simple to me.

Below are the ones I have.

[Mike Harper]

Mike,

Ever talk to Curtis about an NOS set of tank and side cover badges?

Cam
[/quote]

Curtis forgot to mention that your original question was if we could supply NOS  ( New old Stock) badges which were what we understood you wanted because you already had the crap repops.  We were still looking for some NOS and to date  we do not have any that are not chipped or dull finish.  

So I guess whomever Dan Brown bought them from should be replacing them with some quality replacements. Don't ya think???

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Curtis forgot to mention that your original question was if we could supply NOS  ( New old Stock) badges which were what we understood you wanted because you already had the crap repops.  We were still looking for some NOS and to date  we do not have any that are not chipped or dull finish.  

So I guess whomever Dan Brown bought them from should be replacing them with some quality replacements. Don't ya think???

I bought some of the supposed "crap" badges and really couldn't tell any difference from the originals other than they didn't come curved to match the contours of the tank. No biggie - a bit of bending (by hand), test fitting, bending, testing, repeat until they fit was all it took. <shrug>

[Mike Harper]

I bought some of the supposed "crap" badges and really couldn't tell any difference from the originals other than they didn't come curved to match the contours of the tank. No biggie - a bit of bending (by hand), test fitting, bending, testing, repeat until they fit was all it took. <shrug>

It takes a really critical inspection to see the paint popping off,  ::)  but then as you say you really couldn't tell any difference

[Groover]

I'm on the hunt for original ones. I like how the OEM ones have a fatter gold outline, whereas all the repros I'm seeing (including the above shown) are almost painted to the edge.

As far as MGcycle and Harper's go....Both of those places are getting half my paycheck each month, so I kind of have a love-hate thing going on. I love you guys, and I hate you guys too  ;D

MGcycle has a better website, Harper's have some rare/odd parts that nobody else seems to have (brackets, bolts, etc) - As far as customer support goes, I've been very please with both. No complaints here.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

It takes a really critical inspection to see the paint popping off,  ::)  but then as you say you really couldn't tell any difference

No "paint was popping off" the ones I bought. I do pay very close attention to details like that. What I meant was there was no difference in size, materials, plating or anything else - except they weren't curved. Virtually identical to the point that they could have been made by the same company with the same tooling as the originals.  

[Cam3512]

Mike/Curtis, why you assumed my "communications" comment was directed at Harpers I don't know.  Perhaps you're automatically playing defense lately due to getting hammered by a couple ass-wipes that are no longer here?  I was referring to many businesses of ALL types out there that don't want our money bad enough, NOT Harpers.  Having said that,  When I PM you with a question, I don't expect to see my message copied and posted in the thread (above).  If I did, I would have posted it here to begin with.  It was a Private Message asking if you had something in stock that I could buy from you.  

Here are the "crap" (my word) NEW REPRO badges that came on my freshly restored Lemans.  NOT BOUGHT FROM HARPERS.

Is there anyone out there in their right mind that would think these are acceptable?  Looked like this after less than 100 miles on the bike.  Fortunately, the GOOD guys at the place of purchase promptly sent me a new set - no questions asked.  Hopefully the new set holds up, or I'll have to have the well worn factory originals repainted by a steady hand.  BTW, these are much thicker than the OEM badges.

"Critical inspection" to notice the paint flaking?  Really??  Wasn't this a "Thumbs Up to MG Cycle" thread?

[Joliet Jim]

I've had good and bad service. When the Oem center stand broke after 2 weeks the Mgc response was get it welded.

[rodekyll]

I've had good and bad service. When the Oem center stand broke after 2 weeks the Mgc response was get it welded.

What had you hoped they'd do?

[Rough Edge racing]

 I originally  dealt with MG mainly because it's easy to order from their website .All parts were at my door in a few days. They even called me one time to explain a potential problem. I've ordered truck and bike parts online since 2000 and probably spent near 10,000 bucks... MG Cycle gives exceptional service and is an example how to do online sales..

[Dick]

Is there anyone out there in their right mind that would think these are acceptable?  Looked like this after less than 100 miles on the bike.  

You must have been riding really fast!!  ;D

[Cam3512]

You must have been riding really fast!!  ;D

Good point.   The LM 1 is so fast maybe the paint blew off!

[Mike Harper]

I've had good and bad service. When the Oem center stand broke after 2 weeks the Mgc response was get it welded.

If it was a stand supplied by Moto Guzzi  you should contact the dealer you bought it from for a warranty

If it was from them then it was not a Moto Guzzi supplied part.

[Mike Harper]

I'm on the hunt for original ones. I like how the OEM ones have a fatter gold outline, whereas all the repros I'm seeing (including the above shown) are almost painted to the edge.

I believe everybody is stuck with the aftermarket ones unless one of the yet unopened containers of parts is unloaded and we find some.
If some are found we will do a post

Mike

[Joliet Jim]

If it was a stand supplied by Moto Guzzi  you should contact the dealer you bought it from for a warranty

If it was from them then it was not a Moto Guzzi supplied part.

Yeah I kind of realized that when it didn't come with any warranty