Why are there so few Guzzi Dealers?

[Curtis Harper]

Firstly , I am not using this quote to shame the original user, which is why I am not using his name and starting a new thread. I am using it to make a point, it is the content of the statement that has really drawn my attention. Daily, I get phone calls from people who complain about the low number of Guzzi dealers in the United states or their area of the country where ever that may be. Read the following statement, and ask yourself one question. Have you ever been mad at Wal-Mart for causing the demise of the local small business owner?

I would turn to the dealer if I had no luck elsewhere, but I thought my prospects would be better if I just went to an industrial supplier. I suppose I was afraid that the dealer wouldn't stock such a small item, and that their recourse would be to have the part shipped from Italy!

The ability to find part sources besides the dealer is certainly everyone's right. And of course we all do it to a point. If I can go down to the HVAC parts house and get a 40 dollar part for my air conditioner and not pay a $100 service call, I'm gonna do just that. But I don't call the local AC guy for advice either.

However there are certain things that warrant (In my opinion) supporting the local merchant. For instance my mountain bike, I have a Specialized dealer three blocks from my house and he knows the product, he knows me and he stocks parts. If I need a tube, I walk in and get it. I get a nice appreciative conversation, look at some cool new widgets and go home. If I am feeling ultra lazy, I'll drop the bike off, have it fixed and tuned up and come back next week.

If I opt for plan B, I drive 6 blocks to walmart, park 4 blocks away, go in and find the tube myself, get my feet stepped on by out of control kids running around the bike area. Try to find someone to ask a question? HAH. Get frustrated, go screw around with the self check out line, cuss at the computo register, grumpy cashier comes over and repeats process. Return home look at bike, it's two hours later and I have other crap to go do. Saved $1.33.

Point being, Every Guzzi dealer out there is a small independent local merchant. And every time someone wants to outsource their parts at Napa or Wal-Mart or the bearing house, what ever, less and less profit is being made by that local merchant that is your link to parts and service. Thus, it is not worth his floor space to handle the product. I see this played out on every forum that I read. And I read many more of them than I post on. The dealer is usually the last place people reference when discussing parts. I'm not talking about buying parts just from my shop, I'm talking about from your closest Guzzi shop. Make them your first call, not your last.

If you want to see more dealers, it has to be worth their while.


My rant.

[bad Chad]

 :1:

[elvisboy77]

 :1:

I have to agree 100%.  It really is a chicken-egg thing. 

I never saw the use in saving a couple of bucks on a non factory filter and risking some sort of problem.  For this same reason, I take my car to the dealer for service.

My local dealer (Scoot Richmond, 125 miles away!) has been awesome to work with, in spite of being a pretty new dealer.  They are well worth supporting.

I try to save money where it makes sense, but this is not one of them in my opinion.

[tonyduc]

What is worse then them first going to Walmart, is first coming to your shop, asking you to research what parts and part numbers they need (or try something on to see what size fits), then say I'll let you know! After they get the info they need from the shop owner they go right to hopping on the net to get the best price. Happens to my shop often. Some even do it right in the store on their smart phone!

[cookiemech]

Well, I agree with you 100% in principle, but I have very good (documented) reason to believe that my "local" (~25 miles away) Guzzi dealer is less than honest. I spent considerable time and some money having a bike repaired because this local dealer allegedly performed the cam/lifter update (but he did not). I expect better.

I support those that I have found to be honest and forthright. My local dealer is not one of them, in my opinion.

[ITSec]

As the former lead for Guzzi and Aprilia at a dealer that was sold (and then pulled from the Piaggio fold by the new owner despite constant claims of no plans to do so), I have a bit of personal stake in this.

Dealers deserve respect, courtesy, and opportunity.

Dealers earn customers, loyalty and success.

When it comes to minor service parts, it is often much faster to get a machine back on the road using parts that are common to many machines, The dealer may not be in practical distance (my nearest now is more than 200 miles), the dealer may not have the part (my nearest dealer stocks almost nothing, he can't afford to). When it comes to more significant materials or work, I would certainly put the dealer at the top of my list - if that's where the competent techs and educated salespeople are. If the dealer's face to the customer is a KFOOS (kid fresh out of school) with an attitude, then there's little incentive to support that dealer.

The majority of Moto Guzzi dealers I have dealt with are above the mean when it comes to knowledge, skill, and professionalism; not all of them, but most. Some are so idiosyncratic that they may be experts in their specialty but barely deserve consideration when it comes to other things. Not to name anyone, but we all know at least one Guzzi dealer that barely acknowledges the existence of fuel injection, or conversely never heard of the brand till this century. These characteristics are not the thing of which success is built...

The thread was started with the encouragement to make a call to our nearest dealer our first recourse, rather than our last. That's not a bad idea, but it works best when that dealer is within an hour or two by road, or within a day by shipping. Once that distance is passed, then every dealer becomes 'your' dealer, and non-traditional sources have to be considered. The only way out of this loop is one that requires investment and perhaps some innovation. If dealers can't stock all the parts (and they can't), then perhaps it's time for Piaggio to adopt the model of vendors like Motorcyclegear.com - or even Amazon. Let the dealer take the order and process the payment - and then drop-ship from one or more central warehouses. Parts for dealer installation can go in bundles, parts for consumers can go direct, with surcharges for urgency if needed.

Finally, dealers and manufacturers have got to come to grips with the fact that consumers are as educated as they choose to become. I recently had to replace the starter on my Norge. With no local dealer, I checked for availability and price from a number of sources outside my state and area. No one had one on the shelf; all wanted a relatively high price. A starter is a sourced commodity, requiring little skill to pull and replace, and is not specific to the Norge - it isn't even specific to a motorcycle, since the same starter is used in Renaults, the Smart Car, and other small European cars. At that point, the dealer has not earned the business by investing in availability of parts (prompt service), and hasn't engendered loyalty in the customer (competitive pricing). I ordered from Amazon, had it two days later (less time than any of the estimates from dealers by a factor of 4), at half the price, which meant my bike was back on the road.

Customers can influence dealer success and viability, but dealers have to be partners in that process. Most of all, Piaggio has to undertake a major, aggressive campaign to enable and support its dealers in succeeding, something that has been only half-hearted in my (direct) experience.

[RinkRat II]

When I lived in the "Big City" my first inquiry was to the dealer,and usually bought my parts there.I also made myself known to the parts persons and service manager. In doing this I received  a discount on parts for being a regular customer. In most of today's dealers nobody knows anybody,if it's not in the computer "they can get it" for you
and discounts are few and far between. However all the shelving and displays in the showroom  are where the profits are being spent not on parts inventory. I now prefer to do my own parts chasing and price comparison as it has mostly become a dumbed down society when it comes to mechanical knowledge.  I realize it is a tremendous investment to carry a good inventory but if that's what it takes to keep customers, so be it. Most shops are just botiques nowadays and I'll take NAPA over that every time. Don't get me started on pricing and mark-up.


     Paul B.

[jim_W]

I would love to have a local dealer who stocked some parts for my bikes but after every attempt to buy parts locally I've been disappointed  I find it is just much easier to just order what I need from on line suppliers. I can get most everything I need from Harper's or MG Cycles in a day or two.
  I owned an auto dealership at one time and I can relate to the need to support local dealers as much as possible but having no luck buying valve cover gaskets or an oil pan gasket for my CalVin from my local dealer I pretty much gave up going there. (They did offer to order them for me.)
  I think we will just have to admit that if we are to ride Moto Guzzi motorcycles, most of us will not have a local dealer who does enough volume to be able to give us the service we would like. There has to be profit for the dealership to stock a large assortment of parts.
  If we just look at the different models of new bikes, we can see that it takes a lot of parts to just take care of the needs of currant models, let alone trying to have what one might need for a past model. most of the people I know who ride Guzzi bikes would never think about going to the selling dealer for routine service. That means the only potential for profit at the dealership is new and used sales. I don't think we are likely to see a surge of new Guzzi dealerships opening up with out the potential for profits from the service department and parts department.

[atavar]

I had the same sort of issue with the local grocery store in the small town I lived in.  Their prices were higher than the big city stores and their stock was more limited, but I wanted to have a grocery store in my town so I spent money there when I could. If people didn't shop there it would have been a 30 mile drive every time I wanted a jar of peanut butter.
When I stopped thinking of it as a small grocery store and started thinking of it as a huge convenience store it was a lot easier to swallow, and it was actually very reasonable and well stocked for a big convenience store!!   

Some times the perception of reality is more important than reality.

[Peter from Sch'dy]

It's a tough thing, small retail business. Someone is always looking for an advantage to exploit and it's normally to someone else's disadvantage. There is another well known (to us) after market Guzzi parts supplier who found a niche which needed filling, and seems to have built a fair small business around that need. What's the need? Business acumen. Stocking the parts we mostly need and letting us know up front if they are in fact in stock. Getting them to us in a timely fashion. Opportunities like this still exist in the Guzzi world in my view. There are plenty of stories out there, and we've all heard about poor dealer support. Here's a familiar one: When I bought my most recent CARC Guzzi, I also bought 10 oil filters. You know the rest of the story. Some leaked, some didn't...AN OIL FILTER FOR HEAVENS SAKE!  The dealer wouldn't help and blamed Guzzi. If the Guzzi dealer I buy my bike from can't get an oil filter that holds the oil inside the engine, then what am I if I keep buying them from him. Instead, I'll go find one that'll work and never look back. Sometimes I'm more likely to find a part I need in McMaster-Carr than my closest Guzzi dealer. I find it annoying to hear dealers publically complaining about customers.  Really, if they want to thrive in business they should instead listen to them.
Best,
Peter

[Rotten Ralph]

Sad to say that our local Honda dealer closed doors after 46 years. They did wheel spoking for my classic bikes and new tires for my entire stable (none of which were Hondas). I used them as much as possible and did receive a discount.

Their problems were complex but boiled down to:

1. Ever increasing local taxes (this is NJ after all!)

2. People using the store for fitting and then buying internet.

No easy answers here.

[M0T0Geezer]

So few Guzzi dealers?

Half the $$$ sales from the Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki lines come from:

Water Craft
4 Wheelers
Snow Machines
Scooters
Generators
Outboard motors  etc etc etc

Where are the Guzzi Scooters?  Guzzi Golf Carts?

Might have a few more dealers interested in Guzzi motorcycles if there were a broader, year-round market for Guzzi branded alternate seasonal vehicles.

'Geezer

[catneck]

I understand and support my local small dealership.
Used to carry 3 brands. In the last year they were squeezed out of 2 of those brands.
Now down to 1.
But they really take care of that brand.
And me.
They greet me by name.
I sold my non supported bikes in protest.
I buy all my tires there. And oil. And clotbing.
Lots of little items I could get elsewhere.
Their presence in the area is highly appreciated by local motorcyclists.
If only they took on Moto Guzzi!

[canuguzzi]

Dealers sell products, they don't make them. When someone buys a Moto Guzzi and then are never seen from again until they need some part for which the customer is unwilling to wait for shipping if it isn't in stock, there is part of the answer.

There is no miracle of business that prevents more shops from being MG dealers except demand for the product. If the models are designed for stuck in yesteryear riders, there are only so many of them and not enough to support more than a very sparse dealer network.

Look what happens anytime a MG that has been modded in some non traditional way is spoken of. You'd think people were being asked to ride naked with pink body paint. Oh no, can't deviate from what a Moto Guzzi is supposed to be. Well, there aren't enough people who want what Moto Guzzi is making to support more dealerships.

Take the horsepower for the V7 as an example. OK, it is what it is but it should be obvious that relatively few people want one. Stuff in more HP? No, but does that mean nothing else that does have more? The market demands it and those in that market just find it elsewhere. Telling customers they don't need something only works if your company is Apple, everyone else better listen up or find out what supply and demand really means.

[HoboRob]

Firstly , I am not using this quote to shame the original user, which is why I am not using his name and starting a new thread. I am using it to make a point, it is the content of the statement that has really drawn my attention. Daily, I get phone calls from people who complain about the low number of Guzzi dealers in the United states or their area of the country where ever that may be. Read the following statement, and ask yourself one question. Have you ever been mad at Wal-Mart for causing the demise of the local small business owner?

I would turn to the dealer if I had no luck elsewhere, but I thought my prospects would be better if I just went to an industrial supplier. I suppose I was afraid that the dealer wouldn't stock such a small item, and that their recourse would be to have the part shipped from Italy!

The ability to find part sources besides the dealer is certainly everyone's right. And of course we all do it to a point. If I can go down to the HVAC parts house and get a 40 dollar part for my air conditioner and not pay a $100 service call, I'm gonna do just that. But I don't call the local AC guy for advice either.

However there are certain things that warrant (In my opinion) supporting the local merchant. For instance my mountain bike, I have a Specialized dealer three blocks from my house and he knows the product, he knows me and he stocks parts. If I need a tube, I walk in and get it. I get a nice appreciative conversation, look at some cool new widgets and go home. If I am feeling ultra lazy, I'll drop the bike off, have it fixed and tuned up and come back next week.

If I opt for plan B, I drive 6 blocks to walmart, park 4 blocks away, go in and find the tube myself, get my feet stepped on by out of control kids running around the bike area. Try to find someone to ask a question? HAH. Get frustrated, go screw around with the self check out line, cuss at the computo register, grumpy cashier comes over and repeats process. Return home look at bike, it's two hours later and I have other crap to go do. Saved $1.33.

Point being, Every Guzzi dealer out there is a small independent local merchant. And every time someone wants to outsource their parts at Napa or Wal-Mart or the bearing house, what ever, less and less profit is being made by that local merchant that is your link to parts and service. Thus, it is not worth his floor space to handle the product. I see this played out on every forum that I read. And I read many more of them than I post on. The dealer is usually the last place people reference when discussing parts. I'm not talking about buying parts just from my shop, I'm talking about from your closest Guzzi shop. Make them your first call, not your last.

If you want to see more dealers, it has to be worth their while.


My rant.

Curtis, I really do appreciate the thoughtful way that you advanced your point without shaming the author of the quoted passage (me!). But since I was the fellow who made the comment, I just wanted to go on record to say that I do understand the importance of supporting local dealers and that I intend to put my money where my mouth is.

In fairness, though, I was just looking for an o-ring. A single o-ring. That is just about as ubiquitous an item as you can find. I never really even thought of it as being a "motorcycle-specific" item. In any event, I'm pretty sure everyone would "lose" money (or valuable time) when the purchase and sale transaction concerns a single o-ring. It's a bit like writing a cheque for $0.02...

Anyway, that is the context in which I made that comment.

[Wayne Orwig]

I'm not talking about buying parts just from my shop, I'm talking about from your closest Guzzi shop. Make them your first call, not your last.

But,

I have often been led to believe by the shop that dealing in small parts is a money drain on them. They have told me to mail order stuff on a number of occasions. Also understand that I have directed a number of people to my local dealers to keep the local business going. And on a couple of large dollar items, that they gave me a deep discount on, I verified that they were good with those discounts, because I prefer for them to stay in business, then for me to save a few $. But they say they are good. So I take their discount, and I buy online parts, at their recommendation. Basically, they make most of their money on new bike sales, and tires, so I have been told. Parts are a hassle.

There is also the issue of being able to get some parts online in a few days, versus the local dealer needing to go through the Piaggio warehouse, and taking three months. In those cases, the three months often can't be tolerated.

[Testarossa]

I'd love to support a local dealer. At one time, the sole Guzzi dealer in the area was a well-known shop not too far north of Coors Field -- about 30 miles from me. When I worked in Denver (and commuted on the T) I went in there a couple of times with a list of parts, to be told that they wouldn't stock parts for a bike that old. Not even a clutch cable. So I'm a loyal customer at Harper's etc.

There's a newer, smaller shop in Fort Collins, with some new Guzzis in stock. 35 miles north. I may try them, but frankly I don't expect to hear that they have parts I need, other than tires, tubes and plugs.

[oldbike54]

 We had an old multi line dealer in Tulsa that had everything in stock for MG and BMW going back to the '60s . Really handy , sad day when they shut down .

  Dusty

[Scud]

Lucky me. I have two Moto Guzzi dealers within a short ride. The well-established GP Motorcycles in San Diego - and the BMW dealer in Escondido has recently started to carry MG.

I love to drop in at the local dealers, buy a few things, and leave a little drool on the new bikes... and I use them for any service I can't do myself (which is rare).

But Harpers and MG Cycle are my closest dealers. They're on my phone and on my computer. The definition of local is changing. With so few Moto Guzzis out there, it makes sense for a few companies to specialize on the brand and try to be "the everything store" for the brand. No local dealer can afford to keep all parts for all bikes in stock (especially the older models) - too much money on the shelves.

[boatdetective]

I have supported Harpers, MG Cycle, Moto Intl, and MPH - all fine folks. I just bought an Aprilia from my closest guzzi dealer. However- the very closest shop- with a long reputation for working on BMW & Guzzi hosed me to the point where I took him to court...and won.

People are people.  There are plenty of greedy, ig'nant people out there. The whole retail thing is a two way street. If I get treated like I'm the one who owes the shop a living- I take my business elsewhere.   

[HoboRob]

Curtis,  I just noticed that you surepticiously edited my original comment by removing the reference to an "o-ring". My earlier post in this thread emphasized the importance of context. Do you care to comment on why you felt compelled to edit that context out of the original quote without saying that you did so?

[canuguzzi]

Promoting the brand can also increase demand and get people into showrooms. Buyers of new bikes buy other stuff.

It is rare to see a motorcycle ad on TV but then the big brands already have name recognition, someone wants a motorcycle, what do they think of? Almost guaranteed it ain't Moto Guzzi.

In this day and age when the kids down the street throw up 30 second TV ads why can't MG do something novel like advertise? I bet most new riders buying a Harley aren't reading Harley ads in motorcycle magazines, they already know the brand and their friends take them to the dealer.

MG can't figure out that relying on some halfassed writeup in some motorcycle mag where the MG is an also ran doesn't drive sales?

If someone were to ask you for a few words that describe MG what would you say? Quite a few of us would say fun. Heard MG say that lately other than when preaching to the choir?

One TV ad. Just one, showing people having real fun with  a MG as the focus and interest would follow. More bikes sold, more demand for stuff. More demand for stuff, more money for dealers.

The first time I told someone I was going to buy a Moto Guzzi their words were, " yeah, but the maintenance".  The only people that can change the perception of what a Moto Guzzi is is Moto Guzzi. If the idea is to keep with the exclusive privilege thing of owning one then the rest of the answer is right there as to why there aren't many dealers. Dealers need to sell bikes and it doesn't matter about much else, no bike sales no parts sales no customers.

Boutiques are for flowers, wallflowers.

[RinkRat II]

After re-reading all the comments, I did a little research and if I go to the dealer as suggested I'd pay $2.20 for a $.30 o-ring. If you can't see what's wrong here I'm not the guy to 'splain it.



   Paul B.

[rodekyll]

I'd love to support a local dealer. At one time, the sole Guzzi dealer in the area was a well-known shop not too far north of Coors Field -- about 30 miles from me. When I worked in Denver (and commuted on the T) I went in there a couple of times with a list of parts, to be told that they wouldn't stock parts for a bike that old. Not even a clutch cable. So I'm a loyal customer at Harper's etc.

There's a newer, smaller shop in Fort Collins, with some new Guzzis in stock. 35 miles north. I may try them, but frankly I don't expect to hear that they have parts I need, other than tires, tubes and plugs.

I've been there.  I asked if I could look over a new guzzi (forget which one).  They said sure, there's one in the back and I was welcome to go check it out.  If I had any questions, just ask.

The "back" comprised poorly-lit, shoulder-to-shoulder and nose-to-tail rows of bikes with no way to get to anything inside the perimeter without moving all the bikes to that point.  There was no point in even attempting to identify the guzzi in the mix.  They didn't even have a t-shirt my size.

To the original topic -- One of the attractions of the Tonti guzzi to me is that there's not a lot about it that ties me to a dealer or shop of any type.  With a little resourcefulness I can be geographically isolated from the dealer network and survive quite well for most things.

[Yukonica]

Well, 'a local dealer'; there's a thought. I probably have more spare pieces for new model V7's than anyone within a thousand miles.
... and that's why: there's nobody within a thousand miles. I try to pre-plan my needs as much as possible which leaves me with the luxury of choosing my source based on principle, economics, or expediency. My first choice will always be based on principle. If a company is involved in the community I'll try to help keep them alive even when it costs me either dollars or time. My second choice is often based on expediency. "I need it NOW! and I don't care what it costs: my riding season is very short". Saving $100 pales compared to three weeks down-time. Finally, I will consider economics if the other factors are more or less equal.
I'm currently waiting on parts that appeared to be 'in-stock' on the website but have to be ordered by the vendor. That wait is physically killing the last riding opportunities I'll have until late March 2016 (if we have a warm spring). I could have cancelled the order and bought the ignition piece elsewhere; even possibly salvaged a week or two riding. But I chose to stick  to my principals and support a supporter. 
Unless you are incredibly short sighted and self absorbed you will see my position is best for everyone in the long run. A 'little pain/expense' shared around is bearable.
How do I know? I closed down a 116 year old specialty outdoor retail store because it wasn't sustainable to be an unpaid consultant to yuppies who wanted my knowledge so they could buy the right gear at MEC (or online). Ironically; MEC isn't much of an outdoor store these days; caters to a lot of yuppies and their kids. Probably in direct competition with Walm...

[pikipiki]

Having only recently bought a Guzzi privately first thing I did was check Guzzi official website for dealers. I found 3 dealers all just under 50 miles away.
Only last week I find another dealer only just over 30 miles away not listed on Mg site. Just been there this morning, back home before 10:30am.

[Dwight Sisk]

After re-reading all the comments, I did a little research and if I go to the dealer as suggested I'd pay $2.20 for a $.30 o-ring. If you can't see what's wrong here I'm not the guy to 'splain it.



   Paul B.

I agree. The entity selling the o-ring for $.30 made money. Not as much $ but the customer was happy!
True, Walmart captured the market, why? Inventory AND price among other things.! If I had more money than I knew what to do with I wouldn't care, but I don't. The majority putting Walmart on the map were concerned with making their few hard earned dollars go further which helps explain the "falling prices" ad campaigns. Who is mad at Walmart?, I ask myself. The business owner who sold the overpriced o-ring? BTW Harbor Freight sells oring assortments in both metric and standard for little $.

[Perazzimx14]

Heck my local Guzzi shop performed the 1st service on my 2007 Griso and used a NAPA oil filter and dog only knows what weight/brand oil. I could have somewhat understood if the 1st service was free but it was not. Hard to go back after that.

[segesta]

Maybe if the local Guzzi shops had 25 checkout lanes but only staffed one of them, they would be as successful as Walmart.

But seriously...
I'm the opposite of many: I use the internet (like Revzilla etc) to do all my research, then I go to my local dealer to have them order the part or accessory.

[tazio]

art 

  Dusty

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
― Pablo Picasso

Replace "art" with "Guzzi"

carry on, all...