Allan
Tuned and Synch'ed
I stopped by Vespa of Long Beach. They are located right downtown on Long Beach Boulevard. It is on a corner lot with good parking and a large store front. Immediately you understand that the prime reason for this dealership is scooter sales. The large picture window is dominated by scooters - probably a hundred of them.
Nicely displayed in the interior of the store was a Stevio and a Norge. That was it for Guzzi's. There was at least one each of the Aprilia models, even their sweet 125 'track-day' toy with lights. There were some Guzzi T-shirst but that was it as far as accessories. I walked around the store for about 10-minutes and no one said a word to me. There were five or six employees on the floor and only one customer so this didin't exactly garner favor from me.
I walked around to the service department and spoke with the 'Service Manager.' He was pleasant and seemed truthful in that he said that both he and his mechanic had "Moto Guzzi training" but neither had experience on the bikes. There was only one lift and the place looked a work in progress.
I returned to the showroom, walked around some more - still no one seemed to care I might be interested in buying something, so I left. As I was preparing to mount my bike the General Manager, Givorg Simon, came out, apologized and asked me to come back in. He told me they want to get bikes on the road. He said he didn't care at this point in time if he made anything on the bikes; he just wants to get them out there. He said he would sell me an Aprilia or Moto Guzzi at his cost. He told me he would give me store credit if I brought someone in to buy a bike. He also offered sponsorship to the SoCal Guzzi Club. What he means by sponsorship I couldn't tell you.
The fact is that this dealership is 10-minutes from my home and the next closest dealer is 70-miles, and they to are a Vespa store. I would never take my bike here for service; certainly not until I knew they hired a guy with a positive reputation as a mechanic. I would buy a bike from them, and if the 1200 Sport 8V arrives stateside I will sell my 4-valve'r or possibly a Griso 8V is in the cards. Buying aftermarket parts and accessories I have always dealt with two or three long time dealers (out of state) who have always provided excellent customer service - that probably won't change. There simply are no good dealers in souther California so I am willing to give these folks a chance.
Nicely displayed in the interior of the store was a Stevio and a Norge. That was it for Guzzi's. There was at least one each of the Aprilia models, even their sweet 125 'track-day' toy with lights. There were some Guzzi T-shirst but that was it as far as accessories. I walked around the store for about 10-minutes and no one said a word to me. There were five or six employees on the floor and only one customer so this didin't exactly garner favor from me.
I walked around to the service department and spoke with the 'Service Manager.' He was pleasant and seemed truthful in that he said that both he and his mechanic had "Moto Guzzi training" but neither had experience on the bikes. There was only one lift and the place looked a work in progress.
I returned to the showroom, walked around some more - still no one seemed to care I might be interested in buying something, so I left. As I was preparing to mount my bike the General Manager, Givorg Simon, came out, apologized and asked me to come back in. He told me they want to get bikes on the road. He said he didn't care at this point in time if he made anything on the bikes; he just wants to get them out there. He said he would sell me an Aprilia or Moto Guzzi at his cost. He told me he would give me store credit if I brought someone in to buy a bike. He also offered sponsorship to the SoCal Guzzi Club. What he means by sponsorship I couldn't tell you.
The fact is that this dealership is 10-minutes from my home and the next closest dealer is 70-miles, and they to are a Vespa store. I would never take my bike here for service; certainly not until I knew they hired a guy with a positive reputation as a mechanic. I would buy a bike from them, and if the 1200 Sport 8V arrives stateside I will sell my 4-valve'r or possibly a Griso 8V is in the cards. Buying aftermarket parts and accessories I have always dealt with two or three long time dealers (out of state) who have always provided excellent customer service - that probably won't change. There simply are no good dealers in souther California so I am willing to give these folks a chance.