Guzzi Dealer in Pensacola

[Sheepdog]

I'm in Pensacola as I type; getting the Vintage serviced. My local Guzzi dealer in Baton Rouge discontinued our favorite marque, making this where I must go. The ride out here was sort've a bore, but Adventure Motorsports of NW Florida seems to be a great place. The shop is immaculate and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The customer lounge is great and there are all manner of restored German and Italian vintage bikes sprinkled throughout the building. They also have an unused 2014 White Norge for $11,600 and a 2016 Stornello (with an Arrow Pipe) for $8,800. I'll have to let you all know how the service work goes. According to the service manager, the owner and the GM are both Guzzi-aficionados. Hopefully, this means they'll hold on to their Moto Guzzi franchise! They also deal in BMW, Indian, Ural, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and those three-wheeled things that look like cars. Check out these photos,,,





The V7 and the Eldo were gorgeous, as was the Laverda RGS, the BMW R90S, and the fifties-vintage Vespa 150. The sales guy made me an offer for a '16 R1200RS that's got me thinking...

[davedude]

I'm very interested in hearing about your experience.
DB

[blackcat]

Tod the GM is a personal friend of mine, that is his Eldorado in the top photo. Unfortunately, I don't think they will be a dealer for very much longer unless MG let's them be one in name only, as it is unlikely they will be acquiring anymore rolling stock.

As a side note, the service manager hates Moto Guzzi's.

[Sheepdog]

I sorta got that vibe when I spoke to him. He told me he was a Beemer/Ducati guy. There were more restored Guzzis in the showroom than new ones! Still, I'm hoping they hold on to them...if I can't have a local dealer, at least this one is right close to the beach.

[blackcat]

Yeah, same shop manager who told my friend with the stripped drain plug on his Norge that they would just replace the transmission instead of helicoiling the threads.

For regular maintenance, you should be OK.

PS. This isn't dealer bashing as I like Tod and would have no problem buying a bike from him.

[Sheepdog]

So far, everything has been super. I don't have the bike back yet, but the quoted price was reasonable and the service techs are sharp (both that I met are MMI grads and BMW-certified). I rode the 190 miles to get here. The return home should tell the tale...

[wavedog]

Hope you had a great ride home.

[DaSwami]

That is the only dealer I have near me too, it's a 90 minute rode for me, not too bad. 

Not sure if he was the service manager, but the dude in service who did the 600 mile service on the Stone seemed to pan the bikes, made for "little 175 lb people" and that Guzzi owners were "a weird bunch" lol


Don't understand how he can not love such a lovable brand??

Tod is good people.

[flip]

Not sure if he was the service manager, but the dude in service who did the 600 mile service on the Stone seemed to pan the bikes, made for "little 175 lb people" and that Guzzi owners were "a weird bunch" lol

Sounds pretty accurate to me...

[Sheepdog]

Those techs did a great job on my bike, BMW-bias notwithstanding. The engine felt fantastic, especially in the upper-midrange. More importantly, they sorted the setup of my Advanced brake pedal perfectly and the Hyperpro fork springs have imparted far more steering precision and stability. The Ikon shocks and Matris steering damper were waiting for me when I got home. It should make for a pleasant couple of hours putting them on and trying them out. Oh yeah.

I give the dealership a solid "A-" for a nice lounge, lots to look at, and a professional staff. My service was prompt, complete, and well executed. The minus was because I wished they developed the Guzzi marque a little more. Overall, a pleasant experience in a town I like to visit anyway.

[wavedog]

Sheepdog, if you don't mind me asking, which model of the Ikons are you installing?

[DaSwami]

Those techs did a great job on my bike, BMW-bias notwithstanding. The engine felt fantastic, especially in the upper-midrange. More importantly, they sorted the setup of my Advanced brake pedal perfectly and the Hyperpro fork springs have imparted far more steering precision and stability. The Ikon shocks and Matris steering damper were waiting for me when I got home. It should make for a pleasant couple of hours putting them on and trying them out. Oh yeah.

I give the dealership a solid "A-" for a nice lounge, lots to look at, and a professional staff. My service was prompt, complete, and well executed. The minus was because I wished they developed the Guzzi marque a little more. Overall, a pleasant experience in a town I like to visit anyway.

  Great to hear.  My Stone runs like a champ after they did their first service, the Special will be making the trip in a few weeks.

[Sheepdog]

Sheepdog, if you don't mind me asking, which model of the Ikons are you installing?

I got these:

http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=197_200&products_id=4475

They are an all-chrome version of the 7610 with springs to suit the California.

[wavedog]

Looks good. Thanks for the info. Looking forward to hearing how the suspension upgrades work out.

[Sheepdog]

I installed the Ikon shocks yesterday. I adjusted the preload to the 2 of 3 position and the rebound damping to the 4 of 5. Along with the Hyperpro fork springs, the shocks gave me some additional ride height. They appear to be about 1/4" longer than the Sachs stockers and spring sag is much reduced. The forks deliver far greater stability and steering precision. The shock's longer length probably affects the steering also, but tracking and and wheel control are clearly the biggest advantages. Overall, control is greatly improved and though the ride is a bit stiffer, I did not find it at all harsh. I have not yet installed the Matris Steering Damper. My big Rifle windshield does affect high-speed stability in crosswinds or when I'm around semis, so a damper is probably a good idea. The Sebac stocker is sorta lame and in time will wear out (I'm on my second one), so the Matris should be a nice upgrade. I have some fasteners on order to complete the install (my front bracket mounting screw needs to be replaced), so that review will have to wait. However, I can say that it's a beautiful thing to look at and will look great on the bike.

[Dean Rose]

I did the same thing to my '02 EV, what an improvement it made.

Dean

[wavedog]

Thanks for the suspension update.

[DaSwami]

Well you learn what your MG is worth pretty quickly when you offer it up as trade bait.  V7II Stone 2100 miles less than a year owned....mint... $3700.  I mean, there is depreciation, and there is I don't know what.  I got a good deal at $8400 OTD but dang, it doesn't feel so good now, lol

Love the bike, hate its market situation.  What a shame.

[Devildog]

My son in CT was quoted a trade in value of $3500 for his 2012 V7 Classic w/ 6k miles, and included a $1,900 discount off the ' 16 Ducati Scrambler list price, so DaSwami's trade in value seems very low.

[blackcat]

Well you learn what your MG is worth pretty quickly when you offer it up as trade bait.  V7II Stone 2100 miles less than a year owned....mint... $3700.  I mean, there is depreciation, and there is I don't know what.  I got a good deal at $8400 OTD but dang, it doesn't feel so good now, lol

Love the bike, hate its market situation.  What a shame.

The local dealer doesn't want your bike. What bike did you want to purchase?

[DaSwami]

The local dealer doesn't want your bike. What bike did you want to purchase?

The local GUZZI dealer doesn't want the bike, that's the rub.

[leafman60]

A DINO  (Dealer In Name Only) may be worse than no dealer at all.

A half-assed, reluctant effort for a brand can do more damage than no effort at all.

Guzzi has not sold at this dealership.  They haven't pulled their own weight.  Business is business and if money is not made then something must be changed.

Anyone familiar with this dealership (as well as the machines Guzzi builds) can argue about WHY Guzzi has not sold but money has not been made here. 

I am not sure BMW has sold in droves either.

Well, they've now taken on the Jap bikes with 4-wheelers and Jet Skis.  Time will tell but the idea is to keep the doors open.

[rocker59]

I'm in Pensacola as I type; getting the Vintage serviced. My local Guzzi dealer in Baton Rouge discontinued our favorite marque, making this where I must go. The ride out here was sort've a bore, but Adventure Motorsports of NW Florida seems to be a great place. 

Did you take US-90, or did you run I-10 ??

90 is pretty scenic from New Orleans to Pensacola...  But slow-going...

[leafman60]

Did you take US-90, or did you run I-10 ??

90 is pretty scenic from New Orleans to Pensacola...  But slow-going...

Hwy 90 is a nice road all the way from Pcola to the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville.  Yes, you have some bottlenecks in one or two places of high growth but much of it meanders through the scenic parts of north Florida.  This was once the main east-west route and, as such, goes through the historic parts of all the towns along the way.

90 was once a part of the Old Spanish Trail, an early 1900's motorcar passageway, that linked St. Augustine with California.

[Sheepdog]

Did you take US-90, or did you run I-10 ??

90 is pretty scenic from New Orleans to Pensacola...  But slow-going...

Anytime the weather is remotely warm, US-90 is a snail's-pace slog from Pass Christian to points East. I sometimes use US-49 through Poplarville, MS, but it adds nearly an hour and deposits me in Gulfport at I-10! The roads near the farm are much nicer. Very light traffic, hilly/curvy terrain, and some really beautiful estates to check out along the way.