Having been at this for some 40+ years now, I do believe that there's never been a better time to join the Moto Guzzi fraternity. Back in the day, the options available on the used market were essentially...do you want a black Eldorado, or a white Eldorado?
Obviously, Moto Guzzi has come a long way since then. The model range has expanded with multiple variants and displacements to choose from. And no doubt, after all the various company ownership changes back in Mandello, the bikes are now being built with greater integrity. Yes, they may be a bit more complicated, but modern electronics, fuel injection, etc. have made for more versatile and functional machines. And they're safer, too, with things like better brakes, etc. Turn the key and go...yee haa!
Meanwhile, with a relatively small following, used Moto Guzzis are in fact...undervalued. And the bikes, of course, are known to go the distance from a durability perspective. So it's not uncommon to see really affordable, relatively low mileage Guzzis on the market that have plenty of life left in them. Better yet, they're often accessorized to the extent that things like hard bags essentially come with them for free!
Here are couple of examples to prove the point, that I came across at Hamlin Cycles in Bethel, Connecticut the other day:
2004 Breva 750 = $2,500 (14,000 miles)
2006 Breva 1100 = $4,000 (Mistral exhaust, 16,000 miles)
2008 1200 Sport = $3,000 (new battery, new tires, Aprilia hard bags, 78,000 miles)
2009 Norge = $3,500 (new tires, Staintune Slip-on pipe, hard bags, 39,000 miles)
2014 Norge = $5,200 (new tires, hard bags, 26,000 miles)
How can you go wrong buying a bike like one of these? Particularly, if you get it from an authorized dealer? Which means that it's going to be fully serviced before it rolls out the door! At say $150 per hour Labor, think about the value that adds to the equation!!
So with the new season approaching (for those of us here in the Northeast, at least) it really is a great time to seize the opportunity to spread your Moto Guzzi wings! You won't be disappointed with an undervalued, used Guzzi.
I've never been...
Steven Rossi
