Author Topic: No Guzzi’s in Italy? (Read 3031 times)

canuck750 · « **on:** October 11, 2019, 03:25:56 PM »

My wife and I have been touring Europe since the first week of September and are completing our trip by leaving Italy and crossing into France south of Turin. We have passed through some fourteen countries and in all those kilometres have seen but one Moto GUZZI, a 850 Bobber in Sienna. The most popular motorcycle on the road by a very wide margin is the BMW GS followed by BMW RT and the big KTM Adventure bikes. I have seen a couple older Goldwings, three or four Ducati, a few Harleys and a smattering of Yamaha and Honda’s, a couple Suzuki and Kawasaki and one new Benelli 500 twin. Scooters of all size rule in the towns and cities across Europe and large displacement scooters are seen on secondary highways. Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania have a fair share of small displacement Honda and Yamaha twins. Turkey saw many more large displacement BMW including a couple K1600 Gt and GTL. Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine had German and Italians on BMW and KTM, very few local plated bikes.
It has been an eye opener that Canada and the USA have so many more motorcycles on the road.
Sadly Moto Guzzi just seems to be absent.

Ridgerider · « **Reply #1 on:** October 11, 2019, 03:30:45 PM »

This so true. I was in Italy last summer for three weeks. Hoping to see a good number of Guzzis, I counted 7 the whole trip. Five of those were modern V7's. Two were older Cali's. I see more on a weekend jaunt to Toymakers here in Connecticut.

PeteS · « **Reply #2 on:** October 11, 2019, 04:02:26 PM »

We were there the last two weeks of September. Saw at least 4 V7s plus a dealership. No other models. I agree on the predominance of BMW GS's plus KTMs and Ducati Multi Stradas with a few Triumph Tigers thrown in. Most of the riders we saw off their bikes would fit right in at a Guzzi rally and likely explains the preference for the upright riding position.

Pete

arveno · « **Reply #3 on:** October 11, 2019, 04:16:28 PM »

Italians know better 🤣!!! Ah ah

Seriously, the most sold cruiser is the HD.
The rest are all BMW or jap super sport .

Who got money got Ducati.

What does Guzzi offer ?
California? No thank you
V7 V9 etc ? No thank you
V85 ? Oh well...

Gino · « **Reply #4 on:** October 11, 2019, 04:44:02 PM »

Just back from a short 5 day trip to visit family in Liguria (Near the French border with Menton ) have to say in the short trip we saw more Guzzi's than ever, V7 seems very popular, also Sunday in San Remo wall to wall scooters and big bikes, plenty Guzzis competing with the GS's and Triumph bonneville's

Mike Craven · « **Reply #5 on:** October 11, 2019, 04:58:25 PM »

So that's where the Guzzis are...the more affluent regions. When I was in northern Italy I too was surprised not to see them. The coupe I did find were commuter Nevadas. In Spain a guy on a Guzzi acted like he didn't even realize what he was riding and said it was the company vehicle. I think he was doing document deliveries.
I'd like to see the police Guzzis...or maybe not...
-Mike-

PeteS · « **Reply #6 on:** October 11, 2019, 05:45:15 PM »

I did see a guy driving a BMW convertable wearing a Guzzi T shirt while boarding the ferry to Messina, Sicily but lost him in the crowd after we got out of our vehicles.
While in Italy I got an email from Moto Guzzi saying 30,000 made it to the open house in Mandello just a few weeks before. Anyone else confirm that number? Must have been a sight.

Pete

Aldo · « **Reply #7 on:** October 11, 2019, 07:11:52 PM »

I lived in southern Italy for many years before moving to Florida a couple years ago. During my time there, HDs and plastic scooters were the most popular form of two-wheeled transportation. Guzzi enthusiasts exist; it's just a small dedicated group. It's no different than the US, if you think about it. I would think that number of Guzzi riders here stateside are proptionate to that in Italy, or Europe for that matter.

If you happen to be in Mandello during the World Guzzi days, you'll see more than your fair share of European Guzzisti....it was packed this year!!

https://www.moto.it/news/moto-guzzi-open-house-2019-in-30-000-a-mandello-del-lario.html

harry h · « **Reply #8 on:** October 11, 2019, 10:56:28 PM »

I took my family to Umbria for 2 weeks and saw no Guzzi at all. Lot's of HD and BMW. There was a small dealer that we passed several times but was closed each time.

Furbo · « **Reply #9 on:** October 12, 2019, 12:21:41 PM »

There are certainly some appasionatti in Italy, but Guzzi hasn't been super popular in a long time. They actually have larger market in Germany. Guzzi's business model was very dependent on Military and Police models and most police are now on BMW's or others. Saddest of all, the lack of dealerships and parts availability is if anything even more acute in Italy than the US.

giusto · « **Reply #10 on:** October 12, 2019, 01:03:25 PM »

I’ll post a few photos… I bet I saw 50 Guzzi‘s in the month of this July... Spent mostly around Tuscany and Liguria

giusto · « **Reply #11 on:** October 12, 2019, 01:07:24 PM »

I was fortunate enough to notice some parked Guzzi's on our walk up into San Gimignao and was on the look out for their riders....I found the Pisa Moto Club enjoying gelato and we wound up hanging with them for two hours walking and talking bikes. Far left, Francesco (my name sake), was totally into talking and showing me photo of all his bikes...second from left, Giuseppe, road a heritage softail (all others were MG) and was the rebel in the bunch...and was humorously seen as an outcast.

The sienna Guzzi Dealership was amazingly friendly...I asked about the TT and the owner showed me a row of 5 boxes all sold,...as soon as he puts them together they're gone...he had one, his personal bike (barebones gray version in the photos) he could show me and let me ride it around the lot..says he rides it to work everyday while pointing way up over a nearby mountain...saying "I live on the other side"....so I asked....do you take the main roads? he says about half the time he rides it on a gravel road and through the vineyards on farm trails...with a big smile on his face.

Quote from: giusto on October 12, 2019, 01:03:25 PM

I’ll post a few photos… I bet I saw 50 Guzzi‘s in the month of this July... Spent mostly around Tuscany and Liguria

Not counting the 30 in the dealership in Siena

ScepticalScotty · « **Reply #12 on:** October 12, 2019, 01:55:49 PM »

Parked in Mandello in July, I saw 10 in 15 minutes.

Markcarovilli · « **Reply #13 on:** October 12, 2019, 02:42:03 PM »

We have been all around Tuscany the last five days and not one Guzzi - mostly BMW GS or R series

Mark

Motormike · « **Reply #14 on:** October 12, 2019, 07:31:38 PM »

A friend and I toured Austria and northern Italy during the second week of Sept. No shortage of motorcycles anywhere. Lots of bikes, lots of scooters. Saw a few Moto Guzzi, but not many. We were surprised at the number of Honda Africa Twins we saw. Much more popular in Europe than the states. Of course, since my friend owns one, we tended to notice them more than we might otherwise.

Tusayan · « **Reply #15 on:** October 12, 2019, 07:49:12 PM »

Quote from: Motormike on October 12, 2019, 07:31:38 PM

A friend and I toured Austria and northern Italy during the second week of Sept. No shortage of motorcycles anywhere. Lots of bikes, lots of scooters. Saw a few Moto Guzzi, but not many. We were surprised at the number of Honda Africa Twins we saw. Much more popular in Europe than the states. Of course, since my friend owns one, we tended to notice them more than we might otherwise.

The Honda dual sport twin line has a strong European following - for many years the Transalp was ‘the’ bargain all rounder (BTW I believe Honda made them in Spain and Italy) and the older version Africa Twin was also good value, compared to some other options. I assume that this popularity has carried on with the newer more upscale version. Honda manufacturing in Italy shown in this link...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kZLTpZ_vvvw

The European market varies from the US market, sometimes tax issues weigh in or a bike just catches on. I think many people (including HD apparently!) are unaware that just before Buell shut down the Harley engined versions were selling very well in Europe. They were well suited to the roads, perhaps better so than to the average US roads. You saw small packs of them on the passes, but they seemed to disappear after a while. I notice they are still holding their value better today in Europe.

The areas of Europe where roads are really enjoyable (i.e. anywhere near the Alps, Corsica, Sardinia and so on) is packed with motorcycles in good weather. Many hotels completely dedicate themselves to motorcyclists in summer, switching to skiing in winter. Cities are also packed with motorcycles. Guzzis are in the mix, not in huge amounts but in my experience they’re always there if you look. When there’s an event in Mandello the passes en route from the Germanic countries are filled with them and you’d think Guzzis were very popular - that’s a special situation.

canuck750 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 13, 2019, 02:40:33 AM »

Saw many motorcycles in the Alps entering France from Venadio in Italy. Spotted one CalVin riding with a lovely CBX. French police riding Yamaha FJR’s. Mostly BMW GS’s. Fantastic secondary roads over to Provence. Slow going but the change in elevation, continuous curves and switchbacks make everything I have ridden in North America seem tame. The Rockies are taller but the sheer number of roads that snake through the passes is mind boggling. A lighter motorcycle like my KLR would be a blast in the Italian Alps near Venadio.

Blaufeld66 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 14, 2019, 06:51:37 AM »

Quote from: PeteS on October 11, 2019, 05:45:15 PM

While in Italy I got an email from Moto Guzzi saying 30,000 made it to the open house in Mandello just a few weeks before. Anyone else confirm that number? Must have been a sight.

When I went to the 2006 Guzzi Days, there were "only" 16.000 of them, but the town is smalll so it is unbelievably packed :)
BTW, in Italy there are many bike sub-cultures, everyone loves his particular brand, but sadly the usual buyer of BMWs is coming from a scooter, or just a car rider that succumbs to peer pressure and buys the bike that everyone has i.e. a GS... not because he loves the brand, but because for him, a bike is a car with two wheels.

giusto · « **Reply #18 on:** October 14, 2019, 09:09:02 PM »

Quote from: Blaufeld66 on October 14, 2019, 06:51:37 AM

When I went to the 2006 Guzzi Days, there were "only" 16.000 of them, but the town is smalll so it is unbelievably packed :)
BTW, in Italy there are many bike sub-cultures, everyone loves his particular brand, but sadly the usual buyer of BMWs is coming from a scooter, or just a car rider that succumbs to peer pressure and buys the bike that everyone has i.e. a GS... not because he loves the brand, but because for him, a bike is a car with two wheels.

Just passed through Grosseto on the way to Castiglione Della Pescaia !! Best Zuppa di Pesce I've ever had!

so tell me Ernst Stavro Blofeld...? alias Franz Oberhauser? humongous Bond fan here

Blaufeld66 · « **Reply #19 on:** October 15, 2019, 02:55:59 AM »

Quote from: giusto on October 14, 2019, 09:09:02 PM

so tell me Ernst Stavro Blofeld...? alias Franz Oberhauser? humongous Bond fan here

Heheheh yes, the nick is from Bond movies, I started using it MAAANY years ago... and it stuck.

frans belgium · « **Reply #20 on:** October 15, 2019, 07:14:36 AM »

A fair amount of Guzzi's in the Netherlands, Belgium, the North of France and Germany.
The further you go south, the fewer.
Don't ask me why.

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Author Topic: No Guzzi’s in Italy? (Read 3031 times)

canuck750

canuck750