Limited dealers, long wait times for repairs...

[RandomGRK]

*Note – This is a short rant.

My V7ll Racer with 4k miles on the clock has been in the shop for 4 weeks now, just for a rear drive leak. I've basically missed some of the best riding weather the North East has to offer and I'm not happy at all.

The closest Guzzi dealer is Eurosports in PA and they are over 1h20 away with no traffic. I dropped the bike off 4 Fridays ago and they are still waiting on parts to come in. Took over 2 weeks to get approval from Piaggio for warranty work to commence. Not sure if the delay is the dealer or head office.

I'm hoping this is a once off because none of my other previous bikes, nearly all Triumphs with 10s of thousands of miles between them ever spent more than a day or two in shops for service…they never needed repairs and they were all daily, all weather commuters. I don’t commute much on bike anymore, hence I purchased the Guzzi.

Love my Guzzi. For me it’s the perfect city bike and so much fun to ride but I am not willing to put up with useless dealers, a bike that might potentially give me more issues and a useless Piaggio head office.

Fingers crossed I don’t make it to 5 weeks of no bike, which looks very likely. And fingers double crossed I get her back and she is trouble free for 1000s of miles to come and my hand isn’t forced to do something I really don’t want to.

 

[GuzziMoto]

A dealer can make or break it, a good dealer can make it a great experience but sadly many Guzzi dealers are not so great.
That said, once you get through the initial teething pains, sorting out the issues that tend to crop on from new, Guzzi's tend to be very reliable and easy to maintain.
My wife has over 60,000 miles on her V11. The only time it ever came home on a truck was a couple weeks after she bought it.

 

[RandomGRK]

This dealer is definitely an issue though. Purchased a Triumph Tiger from them and they messed me around pretty badly. Took my business to another dealer and I was very happy with them and their service (Martin Moto - Exceptional dealership).

That's the issue with Guzzi...if my dealer sucks, he sucks. Nothing I can do. Piaggio really need to audit their network for customer satisfaction.

 

[GuzziMoto]

I can't really argue with that. But on the other hand, Guzzi really can't afford to be too picky as the alternative is NO DEALERS.
I believe it is the proverbial "Between a rock and a hard place".
My best advice is be prepared to drive as far as necessary. If you have to drive an hour and a half or two hours to get to a good dealer, do it. Even if you have to drive four hours to get it to a good dealer, it is worth it. As it should be pretty rare that you have to make that trek, and the rest of the time you can deal with that far away dealer via the internet or phone.
There is a pretty good dealer (at least that was my experience, but the mechanic I dealt with is no longer there) on the south side of Harrisburg, Pa. I seem to recall there being one or two good dealers up the way towards New England. Mike Rich is not a dealer but he is a very good Guzzi mechanic in Pa.

 

[Trout]

Until recent years most Guzzi owners did their own work many didn't even bother with warranty claims if it was something we could do on our own.
Times have changed & the buying public expects reasonable dealer service, something Guzzi has never been great with.

I no longer enjoy wrenching & that's why my Guzzi's are older with the bugs worked out & also why I ride a Victory.

Sorry you are having an issue & here is hope it will all come out good.

 

[Dinsdale Piranha]

I can't really argue with that. But on the other hand, Guzzi really can't afford to be too picky as the alternative is NO DEALERS.

My nearest dealer is 260 miles away. My next nearest dealer is 1,630 miles away. Lucky the bloke near-by is good to deal with .

 

[Kev M]

This dealer is definitely an issue though. Purchased a Triumph Tiger from them and they messed me around pretty badly. Took my business to another dealer and I was very happy with them and their service (Martin Moto - Exceptional dealership).

That's the issue with Guzzi...if my dealer sucks, he sucks. Nothing I can do. Piaggio really need to audit their network for customer satisfaction.

I remember when Coopersburg Eurosports WAS part of Martin Moto.... Hell I remember when Martins was about 10 miles south of their current location.

Anyway I don't know what it is with Coopersburg. Massimo seems pretty knowledgeable and treated us very well with Jenn's Duc (I told Jenn when she decided on a Duc that I'm happy to handle the basic stuff but it's going to the dealer for the valves/belts etc.).

So they've treated me and some of my friends well. They are also enthusiasts which I like.

But I've heard other reports of spotty customer service which suggests some of the staff might not feel the same way.

Thing is, I don't know what alternatives there are around here. Maybe Europa Macchina out near Harrisburg, but that's a haul.

I guess if I buy another new Guzzi and need warranty work I'd start with Coopersburg, but I might be a squeaky wheel.

 

[Raven]

I called my local dealer in Ottawa, On. The population with the suburbs is over a million people. They said they are no longer working on Moto Guzzi and when the last of their Guzzis are sold, they're done with them. They still have 2015 bikes they couldn't sell yet.
I've been riding to Montreal for service, 3+ hours away. The small motorcycle shop behind the used bike dealer where I bought my bike is excellent. The owner/ head mechanic loves working on Guzzis and is very knowledgeable.
My Norge has not had the rear suspension wishbone recall work done yet. I'll have to trailer the bike down to one of the Montreal Guzzi dealers to have the work done. It's not a while you wait kind of repair.

 

[Bill Hagan]

Regret to hear of your present experience, "Random." You have every right to be disappointed and annoyed.

That old saw about Moto Guzzi making mechanics out of riders since 1921 has been my fate ... but I don't especially mind that.

OK, at various times at the side of the road chatting with cows -- happened twice; I learned to like the beasts! -- or riding shotgun in the tow truck, or, or, and or, I did find it maddening.

And, I suppose it is simply an "it's an ill wind that bloweth no good" attitude that allows me to see the positives of the madness of the situation.

But 17 years ago, despite having owned mid-'60's 2-stroke Yamahas "back in the day," I knew less than my (always indulgent and darling) wife does about ICE's. Then, I bought the first of five Moto Guzzis; still have four of them.

I am no ASE-certified mechanic now, but I have learned LOTS about Guzzis, at least, and do my own work except tires -- may do that soon -- and major overhauls.

Better yet, I love doing it. I may not be good, fast, or talented, but, Lordy, I do enjoy my time in my Moto Grappa wrenching those sweet machines.

And, as I said, my wife is indulgent with our time and money and just smiles ... and, btw, has learned a thing or two while being moto-nurse to my moto-surgeon. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about being sued for malpractice! See pic.



OK, after all that blathering, I do understand, appreciate, and concur with your view of Piaggio and its handling of this. That said, I agree with GuzziMoto's comments about the challenges the suits there have a real challenge in finding and keeping competent dealers. If they don't solve that for reasons that Mike notes and more, it may soon be, sadly, Morto Guzzi.

Best wishes that you find the joy those of us who have become so enchanted with the marque that we stay with it. Better yet, may you find a dealer within reasonable reach that can get the job done when needed and in short order.

Bill

 

[roadscum]

Poor customer support, lack of parts, long waits, etc... When ya own anything Italian you just got get use to it. Maybe it's a cultural thing.

It's something I can handle with motorcycle, I got a few back up rides so not a major issue. My car's different, the Alfa Romeo makes a really nice car(Giulia) and SUV(Stelvio). After a few visits to the Alfa forum, a discussion with a local owner, a test drive, and a discussion with the service manager I've decided to stick with my German car..

Paul

 

[RandomGRK]

Poor customer support, lack of parts, long waits, etc... When ya own anything Italian you just got get use to it. Maybe it's a cultural thing.

It's something I can handle with motorcycle, I got a few back up rides so not a major issue. My car's different, the Alfa Romeo makes a really nice car(Giulia) and SUV(Stelvio). After a few visits to the Alfa forum, a discussion with a local owner, a test drive, and a discussion with the service manager I've decided to stick with my German car..

Paul

I'm originally from South Africa where we get the full range of Alfa cars and numerous dealers. They have the same negative reputation and when I purchased my Giulietta, everyone wished me luck...I had the car for 3.5 years before moving to the US and only had one issue which didn't prevent the car from driving. There was a notable clunk in the gearbox shifting from 1st to 2nd. Took it in, they gave me an Alfa Romeo Mito as a courtesy car and within a week had changed out the gearbox and admitted there was a "bad batch". Other than that, the car was a dream and I miss it so much, my Guzzi is now named Giulietta. Below is a pic of one similar to mine...beautiful to me. The Giulia is my dream car...alas, the funds dont allow for one.

 

[roadscum]

I'm originally from South Africa where we get the full range of Alfa cars and numerous dealers. They have the same negative reputation and when I purchased my Giulietta, everyone wished me luck...I had the car for 3.5 years before moving to the US and only had one issue which didn't prevent the car from driving. There was a notable clunk in the gearbox shifting from 1st to 2nd. Took it in, they gave me an Alfa Romeo Mito as a courtesy car and within a week had changed out the gearbox and admitted there was a "bad batch". Other than that, the car was a dream and I miss it so much, my Guzzi is now named Giulietta. Below is a pic of one similar to mine...beautiful to me. The Giulia is my dream car...alas, the funds dont allow for one.

It's good to hear you had no major issues.
I would like to have a modern Alfa Giulia but when I visit the forum I cry because they are having similar experiences to mine with my beloved Guzzi '09 1200 Sport. After 26K miles and about 26 months it turned to a POS. Leave me stranded at road side. Once.... shame on Moto Guzzi,, twice... shame on me, 3 times... bye bye !200 Sport!!. Dealer support SUX, and part are hard to acquire. My friends laughed at me when I bought my V7 III, when they heard it left me stranded 1200 miles from home because fuel filter a failed, they sent condolences.

Paul

 

[Godfrey]

The only automobile that ever left me stranded at the roadside was a Dodge B100 van. The only motorcycle that ever tried to strand me was a Honda VFR 700. The Dodge had to be towed to fix it. The Honda required I find a bolt to reconnect the battery—I'd just bought it and was riding it home, the previous owner had taken the battery out to charge it and hadn't securely tightened the positive terminal. Both I fixed and used for many thousand more miles.

Stuff happens. I rode coast to coast on Ducatis back when most people would never take a Ducati farther than they could catch a bus home. I've gotten Guzzi parts in days at most whenever I needed them; my local Guzzi dealer is wonderful ... but I never let myself be dependent on a motorcycle dealer. If a fuel filter crapped out, and was not available, I'd find another to substitute for it. There's always a way.

My Guzzis have always been amongst the most reliable machines I've owned, and I've owned a lot of different motorcycles. Even a single missing washer can strand you if you let it... Don't let it.