Planning to buy a Trip 500...

[SLDMRossi]

I've already informed my local dealer (Hamlin Cycles -- Bethel, CT) that I plan on buying a Moto Guzzi Trip 500. So much so, that I've requested Serial No. 1 from the U.S. Importer.

No doubt, there's controversy about the parallel twin engine ... but those that think that the Moto Guzzi V-Twin and Shaft Drive are the be-all-and-end-all are not digging deep enough into Mandello del Lario history. Because there were certainly plenty of Singles, both four-stroke and two-stroke. Including Flat, Inclined and Vertical. With chains and sprockets, too.

For Moto Guzzi to remain relevant they must stay in tune with the market. Affordable singles and twins from offshore sources is the only segment of the new motorcycle market (along with e-Off Roaders) that's growing. A good example is Triumph's 400: 50,000 sold in one year! Royal Enfield, meanwhile, has come from zero to hero.

And the competition continues to accelerate. Since I already have a parallel twin Benelli TNT 300 (which has been bullet-proof and fun, fun, fun!), I was waiting for the reinvented Morini 3 1/2 to arrive. But that's been dragging on for so long, my sights are being reset toward the Moto Guzzi Trip 500. Coincidentally, I just spent the weekend on my V50.

So moving forward, do keep an open mind. There's no right or wrong answer here. Just what works for you, personally...

More to follow,

Steven Rossi
CT-RI MGNOC State Rep.
East Haddam, CT     

[skippy]

I am genuinely impressed Moto Guzzi is putting a bike like this to market. I was hoping for a modern interpretation of a Falcone but this is a good looking bike with some decent performance figures for the capacity.

Nice job Moto Guzzi.

[SLDMRossi]

Tooling up a new engine and bringing it to market is a colossal expense. And being a Falcone fan/owner, I hear ya'.

But I have another motorcycle that went through that exercise.  It's called an MZ 1000S. After returning to the market (when the Berlin Wall fell), MZ hit the street with Rotax...and then Yamaha-powered...machines. They started to make inroads. So then, they did their own 125 with positive results. But ultimately flew too close to the sun with their own 1000 Twin...which drove them into bankruptcy.

So, Moto Guzzi's doing the right thing by leveraging the Aprilia (leading Moto GP, by the way...ahead of Ducati) relationship. After being connected to Mandello del Lario for 45+ years...and having watched/lived through so many tumultuous times...there's no doubt that Piaggio is the best thing that ever happened to them.

SR 

[artemis]

The TRIP 500 must be an aprilia. It's just an TUONO 457 with a more retro look. I don't see the MOTOGUZZI touch. Not built in Mandello (in india), no V twin, no "simple" bike. Just a bland honda CB500 like. I would have loved an new interpretation of Falcone. Don't see a market for this in europe. Vespa has a nice lineup, Aprilia is a bit too focus in sport bikes (don't sell that much in europe).
I fear that TRIP 500 will water down the brand. And don't understand the timing lauch after the renewal of the original plant in Mandello.
The BENELLI clones was not the best of the GUZZI...

[sign216]

Tooling up a new engine and bringing it to market is a colossal expense. And being a Falcone fan/owner, I hear ya'.

But I have another motorcycle that went through that exercise.  It's called an MZ 1000S. After returning to the market (when the Berlin Wall fell), MZ hit the street with Rotax...and then Yamaha-powered...machines. They started to make inroads. So then, they did their own 125 with positive results. But ultimately flew too close to the sun with their own 1000 Twin...which drove them into bankruptcy.

So, Moto Guzzi's doing the right thing by leveraging the Aprilia (leading Moto GP, by the way...ahead of Ducati) relationship. After being connected to Mandello del Lario for 45+ years...and having watched/lived through so many tumultuous times...there's no doubt that Piaggio is the best thing that ever happened to them.

SR

I had an MZ, a 660cc single, Sport Cup.  An East German with a Yamaha engine, but the engine was reportedly designed and built in of Italy.  I liked MZ, and we have one of their former MZ dealers and racers here in Mass, BikeWorx, now in Acton, MA.

https://www.bikeworx.com/

[SIR REAL ED]

I've already informed my local dealer (Hamlin Cycles -- Bethel, CT) that I plan on buying a Moto Guzzi Trip 500. So much so, that I've requested Serial No. 1 from the U.S. Importer.

No doubt, there's controversy about the parallel twin engine ... but those that think that the Moto Guzzi V-Twin and Shaft Drive are the be-all-and-end-all are not digging deep enough into Mandello del Lario history. Because there were certainly plenty of Singles, both four-stroke and two-stroke. Including Flat, Inclined and Vertical. With chains and sprockets, too.

For Moto Guzzi to remain relevant they must stay in tune with the market. Affordable singles and twins from offshore sources is the only segment of the new motorcycle market (along with e-Off Roaders) that's growing. A good example is Triumph's 400: 50,000 sold in one year! Royal Enfield, meanwhile, has come from zero to hero.

And the competition continues to accelerate. Since I already have a parallel twin Benelli TNT 300 (which has been bullet-proof and fun, fun, fun!), I was waiting for the reinvented Morini 3 1/2 to arrive. But that's been dragging on for so long, my sights are being reset toward the Moto Guzzi Trip 500. Coincidentally, I just spent the weekend on my V50.

So moving forward, do keep an open mind. There's no right or wrong answer here. Just what works for you, personally...

More to follow,

Steven Rossi
CT-RI MGNOC State Rep.
East Haddam, CT   

Outstanding!!

Everyone should buy what they like and ride what they like!!

If motorcycles were smaller and cheaper, we would all be like women buying shoes!

And we would be loving it!

[SLDMRossi]

P. S. -- there's also another Moto Guzzi buyer dynamic going on here. A number of "mature" Guzzisti stepped up and bought -smaller- V85 TTs. As they now get a little older (it's been seven years since the V85 landed), they're coming to the realization that tall TT's are not that much -smaller- or -lighter-. Particularly, when you push them around the garage with a full tank of fuel.

In addition to offering a more affordable path of entry into Mandello del Lario ownership, the Trip 500 will provide a viable alternative for aging Guzzi guys and gals. It's a base of buyers that the company very much needs to protect...which will ultimately help to perpetuate the brand. Myself included...

You could also say that the V7 offers that option, which it does...for some. But for a lot of us it's still more of the same. In my case and point, as the owner of a V50 and Breva 750.

Yes, new models do bring technological plusses and minuses with them. While all the electronic control might be a bit stupefying to some, there's no doubt that better braking and safety is a routine upside with the latest introductions. Which is also not a bad thing for an aging audience...

SR

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I had an MZ, a 660cc single, Sport Cup.  An East German with a Yamaha engine, but the engine was reportedly designed and built in of Italy.  I liked MZ, and we have one of their former MZ dealers and racers here in Mass, BikeWorx, now in Acton, MA.

https://www.bikeworx.com/

Yamaha owned Minarelli during that time period and the MZ's 660 engine was built there, but was Yamaha designed. Minarelli is now owned by Fantic.

[Scott Carpenter]

I had a SZR660 with the very similar engine to the Sport Cup, and loved that bike at the time. It was however a sales dud, and many a moto journalist did not like it. I did, and thats what mattered to me. To replace it in 2004 I got a Breva750, and have not looked back since.

[red stripeguz]

If it doesn't have a transverse twin and shaft drive, I'm not really sure what the point of buying a Guzzi is. There's plenty of other twin 500s out there with a more widespread dealer network that can get you parts faster than 2-3 months

[AJ Huff]

I'm not sure what took them so long. I thought for sure when the Shiver came out that was the prelude to a crossover bike for Moto Guzzi. That seems so long ago now.

-AJ

[SIR REAL ED]

I had a SZR660 with the very similar engine to the Sport Cup, and loved that bike at the time. It was however a sales dud, and many a moto journalist did not like it. I did, and thats what mattered to me. To replace it in 2004 I got a Breva750, and have not looked back since.

I always lusted after a Yamaha SZR660.  They never made it to the US.

It always looked like a blast.  I suspect if it was brought to the US, it would not have sold.

Practical Sportbikes did a story on a custom model that looked even better than the original (in my eyes).

[SLDMRossi]

Moto Guzzi ownership provides something that very few others offer ... Community! Such as this Forum,

SR

[Tusayan]

Moto Guzzi ownership provides something that very few others offer ... Community! Such as this Forum

And that community will die once there is nothing to distinguish the bikes from a field of increasingly generic competitors.  It's not just the name on the tank, its enduring values.

I've been to the MZ museum in Zschopau where they were made, and recommend it if you're ever in the area.  The factory was demolished except for a few buildings that were repurposed, so the museum occupies one floor of the castle in the middle of town.  I'd love to have an MZ 250 Trophy Sport.  They sell for real money in Germany.  People still appreciate the best of what MZ made even if an MZ1000 sells for peanuts.  The latter was just too generic.

I bought a used 2020 V85TT with 1700 miles hoping for a bike with character that matches its looks.  In the end despite trying to like it, I was disappointed and sold it with 12,000 miles.  It felt like a scooter, not a motorcycle, which as a Piaggio/Aprilia design should not be too surprising, and was replaced by a low mileage '92 BMW R100GS.  After upgrades and restoration the R100GS cost more than the V85TT and I do not anticipate selling it any time before I can no longer ride a motorcycle!

[SIR REAL ED]

Moto Guzzi ownership provides something that very few others offer ... Community! Such as this Forum,

SR

I can not determine from your text if you consider that a good thing or a bad thing...   

[SLDMRossi]

When it comes to the Moto Guzzi community, it's just as much about the people, as it is the bikes...that's the enduring value.

SR

[SIR REAL ED]

When it comes to the Moto Guzzi community, it's just as much about the people, as it is the bikes...that's the enduring value.

SR

Well said!  I concur. 

I suspect whether the bikes change or not, the positive aspects of the rider's personalities will remain the same.

Until the day we all get "Borged!"

[CoolBreezeBreva]

Resistance is futile!

[Offcamber1]

SR, I'm looking forward to seeing one, if I don't buy something else first.  Looked at the Aprilia 457 Tuono, Triumph 400 Thruxton, and RE Continental GT in the last few months.  The Tuono, upon which the Trip is based, was ok, but the styling didn't "trip" my trigger.  (Sorry!)  The Triumph is still under consideration since there is a dealer within 50 miles but I did not get to see one before the rumors of the Trip came out so I will wait, although if they came out with one with nickel frame plating and Rickman blue paint I'd be all over it.  The RE struck me as a bit agricultural and top heavy and has been ruled out.

You know, there is just something special about an Italian motorcycle.

I still might buy something used, though at my age and size I have the same rule with dog ownership as I do with bikes:  If I can't pick it up off the ground without assistance, I have no business owning it.

Hope you get serial #0001!

Kip

[Tusayan]

I suspect whether the bikes change or not, the positive aspects of the rider's personalities will remain the same.

If you look at the US BMW culture from say 2000 until today, I think you’ll find as I did that it changed completely with the bikes and their design philosophy.  The positive aspects are gone.