Guzzi At Daytona Demos

[Hawker]

Congrats to MG for offering demos at Daytona this year.  The display wasn't huge, but along with Aprillia it was a certainly well done.  My schedule (there with my wife) and the demo schedule never did synch up so that I could ride a V7, which was disappointing.  None the less, I enjoyed what I saws.  One thing I did notice, M-G accessories and clothing ain't cheap.  I was admiring some of their helmets but the ones I liked were waay over $500 and then some.  

It was also interesting to see who was NOT offering demos.   They include Honda (they never do), Ducati and BMW (they used to) and Triumph...who used to be there as well.  Honda did have a huge display in the Vendor area but I didn't see a presence of any kind from Ducati,Triumph or BMW.  Obviously this is a "Harley Crowd Event" but to not have any presence at all seems a little odd.  The city estimates over 500,000 people come to Bike Week, surely some of them are interested in other types of bikes.  I assume Honda just doesn't' want to deal with the hassle, cost and insurance of demos and figure as number one...they don't have two.  Speaking of H-D...their tent(s) and displays were huge.  They were demoing and selling bikes...lots of sales people and finance people on site.

I rode three bikes.  The Kawi Ninja 300, the Yamaha FZ-07 and the Indian Scout.  The Ninja was fun, had enough power to hang in there with everyone else if you weren't afraid to use it and was even fine out on I95.  But lots of vibration and more suitable for around town.  I think if it were a twin it would be much more pleasurable than a single.  But a fine bike for the $.

The FZ-07 was great.  There wasn't anything I didn't like. It is very light at under 400 lbs and reminding me of my SV650 (sold) and Hawk GT (sold).  I'm short at 5'5" with a 28" inseam, but the bike is so narrow I had no trouble getting the balls of both feet on the ground.  We were able to get up to 80MPH several times and this bike had no issues getting there.  There was power everywhere...and plenty of it.  Very impressive, especially at my 134 lbs.  :)

I rode the Indian Scout because I fell in love with the looks.  I'm not a cruiser guy and don't want a cruiser...but this is being marketed as a "power cruiser" of sorts and the color (classic Indian Red) and the overall looks of the bike sucked me in.  Also, even though it is close to 500lbs, it has a 25-26" seat height and I had both feet flat on the ground.  The bike felt much lighter because of that.  There was a fair amount of vibration at higher Revs and that has been noted in lots of reviews.  However, I don't need an electric bike and those vibrations wouldn't bother me on a day ride.  Also, the horsepower is impressive.  I've seen it advertised at being 100HP but I've also seen it listed lower that that.  All I know....is that it had LOTS of it and I was favorably impressed.  The ergos were NOT good for me and I had a hard time reaching the shift lever.  However, I'm told there is a reduced-reach set of components that will take care of all that.  This includes a different seat, bars and foot controls.  However, you can't order them with the bike or have them swapped out for the originals....you have to buy them as extras.  This bugs me and I probably wouldn't do it.  I'd buy another bike before spending an extra $500 for something that is a must-have option for me.

That's it. I didn't buy anything, not even a $45 t-shirt.  The weather was perfect and I was able to balance four half-days at the track with my  not-interested-in bikes wife who much prefers the beach.   Still gotta ride a V-7 or maybe succumb to a Kawasaki W650 that I know is for sale?  

[Kev m]

Thanks for the write up.

I'm not really surprised about Triumph, as they historically have one or two roving demo trucks that will make there way to dealers all season and they often skip the big events. I'm a little surprised about BMW and Honda, as I thought they usually made it to events like this, well, at least BMW, Honda I never really sought a demo on so I can't say, guess I just assumed.

But these days I suspect most BMW dealers allow demos anyway, so again, no loss.

Then again, Harley dealers all allow demos too... so shrug, like you said, it's a predominantly Harley (and Cruiser-esque) event.

FYI the Scout is 100 hp at the crank - reports put it somewhere between 86 hp (CW) and 94 hp (MCN) at the rear wheel. Wet weight is actually 563#, but as you saw, the low center of gravity of that style bike often hides much of that weight.

I'd think long and hard about that W650, they're great bikes.

Though I'm not giving up my V7 to get one.

[mtiberio]

My friend and former Guzzi dealer Blaine Paulus test rode on of the Cal 14's at Daytona. He said it had a hard time finding neutral. I told him mine was flawless, and I have never heard that complaint. Guzzi might consider doing some clutch maintenance on the test mules...

[pyoungbl]

Up until about 3 years ago you would find demo rides from Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Triumph, and sometimes Aprilia at the demo area running parallel to 92.  Between liability, the high cost of vendor space, and construction at the speedway the demo opportunities have gotten slim.  BMW and Ducati did demos from the dealership last year, not sure what they did this year.  I tried to demo at Guzzi but was told I'd have a 3+ hour wait until they could get me on a bike.  They said that the demo ride was 45 minutes long.  Thus, they could only do about 8 iterations per day.  That, alone, limited the exposure of people to the bikes.  Since I'm already a Guzzi owner it did not seem reasonable to take a demo slot that someone else could use to evaluate the brand, considering how few slots there were.

I did ride the Scout and thought that the engine and transmission were first class.  The clutch was a bit stiff and the suspension was typical cruiser...very limited travel.  The bike only comes with fwd controls, a deal breaker for me.

Peter Y.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks for the report. If I were buying a new bike (fat chance)  ;D The FZ-07 would definitely be on the short list..

[steven c]

I second the FZ-7, if I where in the market it would be on my short list.

[dan407]

.  

It was also interesting to see who was NOT offering demos.   They include Honda (they never do), Ducati and BMW (they used to) and Triumph...who used to be there as well. 

Ducati had demo rides going on at the Daytona dealer.
They had quite a few different bikes that you could ride.

Triumph hasn't had demo rides in the past few years.  The 2 trucks that they had travelling around the country has been discontinued.
Triumph had no presence at Daytona this year.
I understand that the management of Triumph USA wanted to use the budget money in a different area.
There's been a change in management at Triumph USA since then so, hopefully they'll think about bringing the demo rides back.
I had a few friends that bought Triumphs after taking a demo ride.

[LongRanger]

The Kaw Ninja 300 that you rode is a twin, not a single.

[LowRyter]

Ducati had demo rides going on at the Daytona dealer.
They had quite a few different bikes that you could ride.

Triumph hasn't had demo rides in the past few years.  The 2 trucks that they had travelling around the country has been discontinued.
Triumph had no presence at Daytona this year.
I understand that the management of Triumph USA wanted to use the budget money in a different area.
There's been a change in management at Triumph USA since then so, hopefully they'll think about bringing the demo rides back.
I had a few friends that bought Triumphs after taking a demo ride.

 I understand that Triumph North American boss came from Harley.

[Hawker]

The Kaw Ninja 300 that you rode is a twin, not a single.

Ha! Funny you say that.  Frankly, I didn't look I just jumped on it as it was the last one they had.  During the ride I was asking myself, "what is this?"
As I pulled into the parking area a Rep asked me how I liked it and I said, "I think I'd like it more if it was a twin, it is a single isn't it?"   He responded, "What do you think it was?"  "A single"...and he said, "Exactly".   ????   Strange huh?

[kingoffleece]

Triumph let that guy go quite a while ago.
Having worked at a Triumph dealership and leading 100's of riders on demo rides my experience is that the vast majority come just to ride a bike with no intention of purchase.  I also worked several major events that were mostly H-D events and again, the vast majority that did stop at Triumph were only there because they had a Bonnie ages ago.

While some bikes are sold at those events I'd agree that Triumph should spend their $$$$ at other types of gatherings and such.  Now, if they could only figure out what those are!

As for Guzzi, I bought mine without ever having rode one.  There're just ssssoooooo cool I have to have one.

[Hawker]

Triumph let that guy go quite a while ago.
Having worked at a Triumph dealership and leading 100's of riders on demo rides my experience is that the vast majority come just to ride a bike with no intention of purchase.  I also worked several major events that were mostly H-D events and again, the vast majority that did stop at Triumph were only there because they had a Bonnie ages ago.

While some bikes are sold at those events I'd agree that Triumph should spend their $$$$ at other types of gatherings and such.  Now, if they could only figure out what those are!

As for Guzzi, I bought mine without ever having rode one.  There're just ssssoooooo cool I have to have one.

Yes.  The best sound I heard in three days was a big Guzzi with pipes a bit unleashed.

[danketchpel]

Thanks for the report. If I were buying a new bike (fat chance)  ;D The FZ-07 would definitely be on the short list..

I second the FZ-7, if I where in the market it would be on my short list.

A friend of mine just bought a FZ-07 and loves it. Yamaha is on a roll with the FZ07 & 09 plus the FJ-09 which I think is a very nice bike.

I think the high vendor costs etc at events are becoming a big factor for companies.

Triumph dealers are very good about demo rides, along with pretty much all the Euro companies. I don't know what it is about most Japanese dealers but usually it's near impossible to get a demo ride from them, at least the ones around here. Yamaha is probably the best and still puts on demo days.

Maybe that's part of the reason why my garage is filling up with Euro bikes.

[Bill929]

I recently shopped both Triumphs and BMWs (ended up buying a new GS).  Our local BMW dealer offers extensive demo rides (lead by a staff person) to serious buyers.  The local Triumph dealer (who is also a Honda dealer) does not allow demo rides.  Because I know the Triumph rep, he let me ride his (factory supplied) Tiger XRX.  Turned out the Triumph was not for me, but at least I had the opportunity to find that out.  I know that it is risky letting someone take a bike out, but BMW knows that they will lose customers if they don't offer a demo ride program.  I certainly was not going to spend that much $$$ without making sure the bike was exactly what I wanted.   

[rocker59]

I know that it is risky letting someone take a bike out, 

It is.  People wreck bikes.  The Triumph/Ducati/Moto Guzzi shop I worked at fifteen years ago had an owner who was pretty aggressive with allowing test rides.

A couple of biggies I remember are:

A wrecked 1999 Ducati Supersort 900 demo by an experienced owner/rider who was using it while his bike was in for service.

A 1998 or 1999 Triumph Daytona 955 off the Triumph Demo Truck that was wrecked by a tester.  He abandoned the bike and hitched a ride home, never to be heard from.

Then the usual parking lot tip-overs resulting in broken shifters and levers.

Honestly, it was a hassle.  The riders signed a waiver that stated they'd pay for damage.  Most times they'd just disappear.

I guess you could put it down as a "cost of business", but a small Triumph/Ducati/Moto Guzzi shop doesn't have a lot of margin to write off like that.

[brenwin]

Triumph let that guy go quite a while ago.
Having worked at a Triumph dealership and leading 100's of riders on demo rides my experience is that the vast majority come just to ride a bike with no intention of purchase.  I also worked several major events that were mostly H-D events and again, the vast majority that did stop at Triumph were only there because they had a Bonnie ages ago.

While some bikes are sold at those events I'd agree that Triumph should spend their $$$$ at other types of gatherings and such.  Now, if they could only figure out what those are!

As for Guzzi, I bought mine without ever having rode one.  There're just ssssoooooo cool I have to have one.

I've been hearing some bad reports about how Triumph is treating their dealers here in BC . Unrealistic demands in a soft market making dealers spend enormous amounts on show room updates etc , etc . What have you heard in your neck of the woods ? Kinda makes me wonder and hope they aren't becoming corporate only minded .
My impression of the guys at head office at the National Guzzi Rally in 2010 in John Day was they where a great group of guys interested in keeping their customers happy . They had all the bikes there for demo rides and had an experienced tech guy who would remap your bike right on the spot . I rode their demo Griso and bought one shortly after getting back home . I've owned nothing but Guzzis since ! Cheers , Steve
 

[kingoffleece]

Right.  We had a guy wad up a Daytona 675-the speedo recall was 110.  Even with all the signed waivers there was a lawsuit against everyone involved by that rider.  That's 100% crap.

The insurance hassle was totally out of control, and there's more still.  Long story short, it's no wonder some dealers don't want anything to do with the demo idea.