Failing Dealers

[Trknomo]

Another to ad to the list is Fast By Feracci in Willow Grove Pa. Fortunately no problems with my Griso, but purchased it from them having past experience with Ducati's purchased and serviced by them. The ride to them was about an hour and now the nearest dealer to me is Eurosports which is about 45 minutes further. I do have the Motorcycle Mall in Belleville but no way I would trust them.

 

[john zibell]

Another to ad to the list is Fast By Feracci in Willow Grove Pa. Fortunately no problems with my Griso, but purchased it from them having past experience with Ducati's purchased and serviced by them. The ride to them was about an hour and now the nearest dealer to me is Eurosports which is about 45 minutes further. I do have the Motorcycle Mall in Belleville but no way I would trust them.

Did they just give up on Guzzi or are they closing the door?

 

[Trknomo]

Did they just give up on Guzzi or are they closing the door?

Nope, just Moto Guzzi..

 

[john zibell]

Nope, just Moto Guzzi..

Understandable. Drop the loser and head ache and stay in business with a brand(s) that makes money.

 

[pokeyjoe]

They'll probably still work on your bike.

 

[Ray1150]

It's no better here in the UK. On the other hand, the nearest Guzzi dealer is an hour and a half away, and abrupt to the point of rude. Once warranty is out of the way, I'll do it myself, like all of my other bikes.

Streffords Jenko? If so that only leaves - Corsa for new and Baldricks for servicing - left with any sort of a reputation. Or have I missed someone? Perhaps another problem MG have is that those who buy them are the sort who don't like other people messing about with their bikes.
I'm not sure but providing the service schedule is followed correctly does it have to be an actual MG dealer who services the bike to protect the warrantee in the UK. I know it doesn't have to be on cars.
I would certainly never but another new MG as long as Piaggio are in charge, but then again a loved MG should last a mighty long time.

 

[Hawghauler]

I just had my bike brought to AJ cycle in Gill Mass yesterday with a giant laundry list. He used to be BMW/Moto Guzzi dealer and he dropped BMW and went strictly Guzzi. Very nice on the phone, the owner spoke with me at length and was willing to give me all the time in the world. While I have never been there in the flesh, I got a strong feeling my bike was in good hands. We shall know soon enough. One thing I have always practiced, don't nickel and dime your dealer, especially the small guys. It is my sport and hobby, they exist to serve my addiction, not the other way around. I hope they make a good fair profit. I don't want any of them going under. If they are going to do work for me, I let them sell me the parts at their normal markup and I don't kick the crap out of them over labor. Their overhead and existence isn't easy, and cheap parts on Ebay hurt them. Dealers used to barely make a profit on the bike, and got much of their profits from add-ons off the shelf as well as clothing and accoutrements. The internet has sucked many of those profits off of their sales floor and they need those little sales to keep the lights on and a wrench on duty when your sled decides to cough up a ring. I like to do my own work and will always do so, but I will do my best to support the dealer at the same time. It is a symbiotic relationship the internet can't compete with.

 

[Alex.W]

I agree with Jenko,a definite lack of dealers in the UK. I have an hour's journey to get to a trustworthy mechanic, in a dedicated Guzzi garage for mot's etc. A similar experience as Jenko,I bought my first brand new Guzzi from the only dealer in Scotland,I had a major issue with it still in warranty lots of feet dragging and untruths told.........self service after warranty was out.

 

[abbienormal]

Has anybody ever spoken to a Guzzi dealer who did not bad mouth Piaggio's responses to their problems? From what I heard their warranty payments are terrible and response is slow. Give a dealer enough hassle and they will sell another product other than yours. While I have horror stories of some of Honda's treatment of the dealer in the 20 years I worked at a dealer I can also tell of times when they stepped up. Calling tech normally got a fast response with an answer.

 

[roadventure]

I just had my bike brought to AJ cycle in Gill Mass yesterday with a giant laundry list. He used to be BMW/Moto Guzzi dealer and he dropped BMW and went strictly Guzzi. Very nice on the phone, the owner spoke with me at length and was willing to give me all the time in the world. While I have never been there in the flesh, I got a strong feeling my bike was in good hands. We shall know soon enough. One thing I have always practiced, don't nickel and dime your dealer, especially the small guys. It is my sport and hobby, they exist to serve my addiction, not the other way around. I hope they make a good fair profit. I don't want any of them going under. If they are going to do work for me, I let them sell me the parts at their normal markup and I don't kick the crap out of them over labor. Their overhead and existence isn't easy, and cheap parts on Ebay hurt them. Dealers used to barely make a profit on the bike, and got much of their profits from add-ons off the shelf as well as clothing and accoutrements. The internet has sucked many of those profits off of their sales floor and they need those little sales to keep the lights on and a wrench on duty when your sled decides to cough up a ring. I like to do my own work and will always do so, but I will do my best to support the dealer at the same time. It is a symbiotic relationship the internet can't compete with.

Nicely stated.

 

[scrublink]

I just had my bike brought to AJ cycle in Gill Mass yesterday with a giant laundry list. He used to be BMW/Moto Guzzi dealer and he dropped BMW and went strictly Guzzi. Very nice on the phone, the owner spoke with me at length and was willing to give me all the time in the world. While I have never been there in the flesh, I got a strong feeling my bike was in good hands. We shall know soon enough. One thing I have always practiced, don't nickel and dime your dealer, especially the small guys. It is my sport and hobby, they exist to serve my addiction, not the other way around. I hope they make a good fair profit. I don't want any of them going under. If they are going to do work for me, I let them sell me the parts at their normal markup and I don't kick the crap out of them over labor. Their overhead and existence isn't easy, and cheap parts on Ebay hurt them. Dealers used to barely make a profit on the bike, and got much of their profits from add-ons off the shelf as well as clothing and accoutrements. The internet has sucked many of those profits off of their sales floor and they need those little sales to keep the lights on and a wrench on duty when your sled decides to cough up a ring. I like to do my own work and will always do so, but I will do my best to support the dealer at the same time. It is a symbiotic relationship the internet can't compete with.

Wonderful people there. They run a no-frills place but with excellent customer service. The owners are brothers, both very easy to deal with, honest and fair. I have dealt with them for a little more than ten years now.

When I decided to purchase a leftover bike, they actually encouraged me to buy it elsewhere as they would not be able to match the price. They received a large order for accessories that I am sure is a better profit than if they sold the bike, and that is their reward for being honest and up front with me. They have told me that Piaggio has been decent to deal with and that they have no problem getting parts that they need from them in a reasonable amount of time. Being a small shop, they do not stock everything imaginable but they will go out of their way to get it for you.

They also love visitors, stop off, especially on a Saturday morning. You will experience what a motorcycle shop used to be. Bench racing and bragging, talking about bikes and rides, and just a good all around bull session.

 

[Hawghauler]

Wonderful people there. They run a no-frills place but with excellent customer service. The owners are brothers, both very easy to deal with, honest and fair. I have dealt with them for a little more than ten years now.

When I decided to purchase a leftover bike, they actually encouraged me to buy it elsewhere as they would not be able to match the price. They received a large order for accessories that I am sure is a better profit than if they sold the bike, and that is their reward for being honest and up front with me. They have told me that Piaggio has been decent to deal with and that they have no problem getting parts that they need from them in a reasonable amount of time. Being a small shop, they do not stock everything imaginable but they will go out of their way to get it for you.

They also love visitors, stop off, especially on a Saturday morning. You will experience what a motorcycle shop used to be. Bench racing and bragging, talking about bikes and rides, and just a good all around bull session.

Thanks for adding to my dealer comfort level. If you want to have fun and rub some road dirt in my face, you could go visit my bike there and post a picture of it. I haven't seen it yet. Torturing me visually is allowed. My son is going to be the custodian of this bike and he plans on riding it often. He is brand new to biking so this will be a pleasant introduction to the 2 wheel addiction. As I only get to America once every blue moon, I hope he rides it often. He will be more gentle with it than I would be.

 

[craigclu]

An acquaintance is a multi-brand dealer (Japanese). Bike sales were down 60% last year and this year looks about the same. They more than make up for it with 4 wheeler and side-by-side sales (and the very good accessories-related sales for them). They sell many more trailers for those toys than they do bikes. Seasonal goods sales are tenuous (jet skis, snowmobiles, etc) anyway and if a dealer isn't diverse, it seems a ticket for instability. A bike trade-in becomes dusty capital sheltering any new bike profits. The typical consumer these days is drawn to the apparent stability of the bigger dealerships and it seems the passionate smaller bike shops with a Guzzi interest are a diminishing breed. I do most of my own wrenching anyway so the fact that the nearest dealer is 2½ hours away and booked out 3-4 weeks because of staff shortages only worries me because of warranty requirements. How many dinosaurs like me are still out there, I wonder?

 

[Jenko]

An acquaintance is a multi-brand dealer (Japanese). Bike sales were down 60% last year and this year looks about the same. They more than make up for it with 4 wheeler and side-by-side sales (and the very good accessories-related sales for them). They sell many more trailers for those toys than they do bikes. Seasonal goods sales are tenuous (jet skis, snowmobiles, etc) anyway and if a dealer isn't diverse, it seems a ticket for instability. A bike trade-in becomes dusty capital sheltering any new bike profits. The typical consumer these days is drawn to the apparent stability of the bigger dealerships and it seems the passionate smaller bike shops with a Guzzi interest are a diminishing breed. I do most of my own wrenching anyway so the fact that the nearest dealer is 2½ hours away and booked out 3-4 weeks because of staff shortages only worries me because of warranty requirements. How many dinosaurs like me are still out there, I wonder?

Well, there are more dinosaurs out there than you think. When I bought my Guzzi, one of the key factors for me was that I can do the servicing myself, however in Britain, the law is that to use the warranty, the servicing has to be done by a dealer, so I've no choice at the moment. If it was a Jap bike, I might think about ignoring the need for warranty, but personally, Guzzi have yet to prove themselves in the reliability stakes. I'm sure that will prompt a few heated replies, but it's only my personal opinion. After the warranty period expires, I doubt that it'll ever see a dealership while I own it.

 

[Moto_Max]

Guzzi have yet to prove themselves in the reliability stakes. I'm sure that will prompt a few heated replies, but it's only my personal opinion. After the warranty period expires, I doubt that it'll ever see a dealership while I own it.

Haven't they though? They are Europe's oldest bike manufacturer in continuous production and why the police and military use them.

 

[Jenko]

Haven't they though? They are Europe's oldest bike manufacturer in continuous production and why the police and military use them.

You're absolutely right and I concede that point! I only meant that I have yet to realise Guzzi's reliability on a personal level. If I had a poor opinion of the marque I wouldn't have bought one. It's just that I haven't had the most promising start with the dealer network yet, and once I've put another couple thousand miles on the clock I'm sure I'll change my mind.