Another dealer on the verge of dropping Moto Guzzi

[Ncdan]

Unlike many of the folks here I’ve only been riding and owning the MG brand for a little over a decade.
During that time and 4 different models I’ve came to two conclusions in regards to the Moto Guzzi motorcycle company.
First one is that the quality control leadership has some serious issues when they’ve allowed some of the flaws in past models to leave the factory and into the buying public’s hands.
And second, why would a company produce, market and build a product then simply not make every attempt to support and further the success of the product? I can’t think of any other company or product offered to the public which has been as slack and non caring as Piaggio.
By the way, I’ve enjoyed all four of the MG bikes I’ve owned and not regretted owning either one.

[DaSwami]

It's not that dire for regular maintenance.  Any independent shop can adjust the valves if you don't feel comfortable.  The rest is fluids-anyone can do that.  Forks and brake flush?  Again, almost any shop can handle that.  Gotta be some riders up there who can point you in the right direction.

Thanks for the support KOF, and you are right....I'm whining....up to a point.

My heart says keep the bikes until the wheels fall off and my head says "sell now and don't look back..."

Sigh

[Tusayan]

It's not that dire for regular maintenance.  Any independent shop can adjust the valves if you don't feel comfortable.  The rest is fluids-anyone can do that.  Forks and brake flush?  Again, almost any shop can handle that.  Gotta be some riders up there who can point you in the right direction.

As far as I’m concerned the only issue is turning the stupid service light off.  Piaggio has shot themselves in the foot with making that a mandatory dealer operation on some models, and more so as the word spreads.  Otherwise Guzzis see so easy to maintain that dealer service would never occur to me. Obtaining Guzzi parts is easy nowadays, no matter where you live or who you are.

I can’t think of any dealer that I would trust with my bike, either now or in the past.  I have used dealer service on occasion, under duress, and rarely been happy with the result.  There is always an exception that lasts for a while and then changes, but in my long term experience dealer mechanics are typically butchers and it’s not a benefit to have my bike in their hands, it’s a worrying risk when I’m forced to do so. This is the point that European manufacturers in general miss - their inward looking worldview and lack of genuine respect for their customers doesn’t allow them to understand that people in the US look down on what they can offer based on long experience, not up, and they need to earn respect, not expect it.

[bad Chad]

I’m not sure if I agree with your conclusions or not. 

I do suspect that the whole situation facing dealers and manufacturers is more complex than most of us realize.

[kingoffleece]

I did not mean to imply "whining", not at all.  Simply trying to add a bit of "clarity by being not so close" if you will.
The singular experience that a Guzzi offers comes with a few "concessions".  Worth it or not is a moving target to say the least!

[TN Mark]

….Any independent shop can adjust the valves if you don't feel comfortable.  The rest is fluids-anyone can do that.  Forks and brake flush?  Again, almost any shop can handle that….

‘Most’, not ‘any’ independent shop ‘can’ do a valve adjustment on a Moto Guzzi. I’d suspect the vast majority of independent shops have never done one and if they agreed to do yours, you’ll be their first. Therefore, you may not actually want them adjusting the valves. Sure it’s an easy job, but there’s a technique to it that most independent shops simply aren’t aware of and won’t read Internet forums to figure out.

When many ‘authorized dealers’ mess up and can’t be trusted with the simple things, what would you expect a typical H-D ‘independent shop’ would do.

[kingoffleece]

I'll concede the "any" to "most" but add that several of the independent H-D guys around here are way more qualified than more than one "factory trained" techs I've had the (dis)pleasure to have know.

[moto]

I live 100 miles due west of Chicago and the closest Guzzi dealer to me is 6 hours away.  It's pretty astounding that the huge metropolitan area of Chicago does not having a single dealer!     

I was checking the dealer list on Daniel Kalal's post and it appears that all of the Wisconsin dealers have opted out of MG over the past few years.   The local dealer in Woodstock, IL no longer carries Guzzi as of last year. 
...

Better check that dealer list of Daniel Kalal's again. I see four blue spots on the Wisconsin map, two of which I believe to be active Guzzi dealers. A third is MG Cycle, not a dealer.

Maybe things aren't as bad as you  thought.

Moto

[Dave Swanson]

Better check that dealer list of Daniel Kalal's again. I see four blue spots on the Wisconsin map, two of which I believe to be active Guzzi dealers. A third is MG Cycle, not a dealer.

Maybe things aren't as bad as you  thought.

Moto

Yes, I saw that, I did my homework before commenting. 

Reina has 1 2021 in stock.  There is a question as to whether they will take any more shipments of MG.  At this point it appears they will not. 

Dunn's Import has always been primarily an imported car repair shop.  It appears they are out of the sideline of selling Guzzi and Vespa at this time.

Metro Motorcycle is not a new Guzzi dealer anymore.  Not sure if they ever were. 

[blackcat]

Owning Norton's and Guzzi's have made me a backyard motorcycle mechanic and I've never taken the purchased new bikes back to the dealers for anything. I did have warranty work filed by MPH but they just sent me the parts which was fine by me. 

BUT, I do understand the concern for those who don't want to take that mechanic path on a new bike. My local dealer no longer sells new bikes but will get one if I want to pay full price and there is no way I'd take a bike to them for service. 

[moto]

Yes, I saw that, I did my homework before commenting. 

Reina has 1 2021 in stock.  There is a question as to whether they will take any more shipments of MG.  At this point it appears they will not. 

Dunn's Import has always been primarily an imported car repair shop.  It appears they are out of the sideline of selling Guzzi and Vespa at this time.

Metro Motorcycle is not a new Guzzi dealer anymore.  Not sure if they ever were.

I called Metro Motorcycle a few months ago and they assured me they are still selling Guzzis. Perhaps you have some secret source of information about Reina, who have a 2021 on the floor? Dunn's still sells Vespas last time I looked, though no Guzzis since last year.

I suppose what you meant by your original comment was that there is nothing in Wisconsin that YOU consider to be a Guzzi dealership. You probably should have clarified this to begin with. I should leave such silly posts as yours lie.

Moto

[TN Mark]

I'll concede the "any" to "most" but add that several of the independent H-D guys around here are way more qualified than more than one "factory trained" techs I've had the (dis)pleasure to have know.

We are in agreement: many independent shops have great techs and many ‘factory trained’ Moto Guzzi techs are not very good. That doesn’t change the fact that most excellent techs at independent shops (primarily H-D) would typically be a poor choice to bring a Moto Guzzi to.

History continues to show there are very few great Moto Guzzi dealers operating in the US at the same time. If owners who require a dealer are living close enough to one for their comfort, fantastic. If not, perhaps that person would be better served with a brand that has a better dealer closer to them.

[kingoffleece]

Perhaps.

[DaSwami]

I did not mean to imply "whining", not at all.  Simply trying to add a bit of "clarity by being not so close" if you will.
The singular experience that a Guzzi offers comes with a few "concessions".  Worth it or not is a moving target to say the least!

I did not mean to imply that you were implying...that conclusion came with some introspection. 

i think you captured it quite well!

[kingoffleece]

Yep.  I didn't think so, but just to be clear.
Good on ya, sir.

[Milosh]

And I've been waiting since March for an ignition unit...

[Dave Swanson]

I called Metro Motorcycle a few months ago and they assured me they are still selling Guzzis. Perhaps you have some secret source of information about Reina, who have a 2021 on the floor? Dunn's still sells Vespas last time I looked, though no Guzzis since last year. 

I suppose what you meant by your original comment was that there is nothing in Wisconsin that YOU consider to be a Guzzi dealership. You probably should have clarified this to begin with. I should leave such silly posts as yours lie.

Moto

I guess I did go off a bit half cocked, therefore I performed a bit more due diligence this morning.    

Reina,  I called and asked the direct question- were they going to remain a Guzzi dealer?  The response was very wishy washy.   If I can paraphrase the response was along the lines of "that changes day to day.  We aren't sure".   A friend bought a new V7 there this Spring and discussions during the sale left  the impression that Reina remaining  a MG dealer in the future was not solid.  Reina's response this morning was remarkably similar to the response I received from the Woodstock, IL dealer a few months before they made it official that they had dropped Guzzi.  I was told I could order a Guzzi with a deposit.   Therefore, at this time, Reina is still a MG dealer.   

Metro Motorcycle stated this morning that as of Spring 2021 they have dropped Moto Guzzi. 

Dunn's- as you suspected, stated that they dropped Guzzi last October.  I had a nice chat with the person at Dunn's who mentioned that they get more calls about Guzzi's now that they have dropped the line than they ever did before.

Therefore there is still one Guzzi dealer in Wisconsin, but it didn't sound promising for the future. 

I hope this post wasn't as silly as my last one.   

[Moparnut72]

Sounds like Mopar dealers years ago when things weren't so hot, actually some pretty bad stuff. Now that product is really good and in demand lots of Mopar dealers and customer service is getting better. My local Dodge/Ram dealer recently changed hands, like night and day. Hopefully with the success of the V85 we will see some more new bikes and things will improve.
kk

[Ncdan]

Sounds like Mopar dealers years ago when things weren't so hot, actually some pretty bad stuff. Now that product is really good and in demand lots of Mopar dealers and customer service is getting better. My local Dodge/Ram dealer recently changed hands, like night and day. Hopefully with the success of the V85 we will see some more new bikes and things will improve.
kk

Yea and it’s too bad us Dodge boys can no longer buy a dodge truck🤔

[DaSwami]

Now there is a couple of coon asses if I ever saw any!

[moto]

...
I hope this post wasn't as silly as my last one.   

WAY less silly, and quite informative! Thanks very much!

Moto

[Indypikes]

Great info Dave, Thanks! I had the same question about Reina since they've only had one 2021 MG on the floor. They actually had a new V7 850 at Road America (MotoAmerica Races) in June and I think they sold it there. I was surprised to see them there to say the least.

It will be interesting to see what pans out in the Chicagoland market. Piaggio seems to have alienated all of the Euro Dealers in the region so it appears that their options are limited. It's hard to be an ambassador of the brand when they opt to not have a presence in one of the largest motorcycle markets in the country.

I guess I did go off a bit half cocked, therefore I performed a bit more due diligence this morning.    

Reina,  I called and asked the direct question- were they going to remain a Guzzi dealer?  The response was very wishy washy.   If I can paraphrase the response was along the lines of "that changes day to day.  We aren't sure".   A friend bought a new V7 there this Spring and discussions during the sale left  the impression that Reina remaining  a MG dealer in the future was not solid.  Reina's response this morning was remarkably similar to the response I received from the Woodstock, IL dealer a few months before they made it official that they had dropped Guzzi.  I was told I could order a Guzzi with a deposit.   Therefore, at this time, Reina is still a MG dealer.   

Metro Motorcycle stated this morning that as of Spring 2021 they have dropped Moto Guzzi. 

Dunn's- as you suspected, stated that they dropped Guzzi last October.  I had a nice chat with the person at Dunn's who mentioned that they get more calls about Guzzi's now that they have dropped the line than they ever did before.

Therefore there is still one Guzzi dealer in Wisconsin, but it didn't sound promising for the future. 

I hope this post wasn't as silly as my last one.   

[ozarquebus]

[nc43bsa]

What year was this published?

What is the sole North Carolina dealer?  I can't quite make it out.

[Spydie]

Now there is a couple of coon asses if I ever saw any!

Your RAM is still a Dodge.  Just do like I did and put the DODGE letters on the back and it will make you feel warm and fuzzy again.  They may be owned by Fiat which required the name change, but they are still Dodge.

On another note, I bought my new 2021 V7 Stone Centenario at Manic Moto in Queen Creek, AZ about 3 weeks ago.  I called around 5 states looking for a 2021 model and all I got was left over 2019 models and a couple used 2020 V85 models.  Manic Moto is a small dealer and hidden from view, but had half a dozen new bikes on the floor including two like mine, also a black one, and a couple V85 TT models in different colors, and some other model I forget.  And great prices.  Of course they are 250 miles from me and I do all my own service, but they had two mechanics on duty.

[ozarquebus]

I do not know actual age of that image and that is the only picture, but a G5 with spoked Borrani's? 82?
That ad is for sale on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/805557360327514/?
as is this one on ebay:


 not much clearer from 1990

[jackthebiker]

I have purchased 44 motorcycles in my life. 11 brands, one Guzzi. I bought a used 2013 V7 from a guy in 2015 with around 1300 miles on it as a second motorcycle. I really enjoyed it and my 2015 Indian Chieftain sat a lot because I was on the Guzzi. When I was thinking of buying another extra motorcycle to add to my stable of a 2019 Road King and a 2015 Triumph T100, my first choice was a V85TT. I went to find one and the closest dealer was 200 miles away. (Leo's South by Minneappolis who looks to have dropped Guzzi too) I ended up buying a Honda NC750X this last Janruary. Moto Guzzi cannot sell bikes without dealers. Yes you can do a lot of the maintenance yourself, or at a indpendent shop, but todays motorcycles require special electronics far to often. I still would buy a 2021 V7 Special because I have sold the Triumph, but will not unless there is a dealer no more than 100 miles away.

[sdcr]

Nice poster,

Gone, but not forgotten;

 Spare Parts-Philly, Marsh Motors,CT, Harpers-Greenwood Mo,  Cycle Specialties, Athens Ga.

I do not know actual age of that image and that is the only picture, but a G5 with spoked Borrani's? 82?
That ad was for sale on ebay as is this one:


 not much clearer from 1990

[ozarquebus]

Tons of old Guzzi ads on ebay;

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Nice poster,

Gone, but not forgotten;

 Spare Parts-Philly, Marsh Motors,CT, Harpers-Greenwood Mo,  Cycle Specialties, Athens Ga.

Spare Parts in Philly is of course no longer a dealer, but they are still kicking in the Guzzi world, they do tons of service and engine work on customs, race bikes etc