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is a guzzi for me?

usrt66

Just got it firing!
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
1
i have been looking at moto guzzi motorcycles. i like the griso and the norge. after reading posts here on the forum, i am leaning toward a bmw. i have had japanese, and american bikes. i do not enjoy fixing things.even my harleys have been problem free. cams don't go soft, bags don't fall off. things don't have to be modified to work . parts are never a problem, since i have never needed any. i would like a european bike this time around. also, i have noticed that re-sale is not so hot. any help would be appreciated.
 
There is no such thing as a completely trouble free brand. You mention BMW. Biggest problem there is that their rear ends blow up. There is even a photo on line somewhere of one on fire-literally. There were some early new Guzzis with bad bearings in the rear ends, replaced under warranty. There have been NO cases of rear ends with the newer, better bearings going bad. On the other hand, BMW has still not figured it out, tried a couple different bearings, they still go bad. One poor guy had TWO of them go bad while he was trying to do the Iron Butte Rally. So the Guzzi thing is a supplier problem, subsequently corrected by changing suppliers. BMW problem is apparantly a design problem, that BMW is still trying to deny, still trying to fix-unsuccessfully so far. The 8 valve cam thing has turned out to be a similar supplier problem, now corrected-& irrelevant to the 4-valve motors in all Norge's, many Grisos, & in any case now resolved & being handled under warranty. Similarly, from what I can tell the saddle bag thing applies to the smaller bag design on Brevas & some non-US Norge's, not the bigger bags on the US spec & similar Norges.I'm unaware of any of those coming off except in an accident where ripped off, or possibly due to owner error, not put on properly. Or you could go Hepco-Becker, but I'm totally happy with my stock issue. Every brand, many models have had issues-Honda Gold Wings & V-fours, other Jap brands, you name it, there have been problems. You want trouble free, get a Toyota-oops, not that either, I personally know some one whose Camry oil pump went, toasted the motor while doing it at well under 100k miles, & I had a Honda Civic a number of years ago that lunched it's motor at about 70,000 miles. Guess maybe you need to get a bicycle.
 
I've owned a few BMWs and the last one, a new top of line 2001 K1200LTC caught on fire, burned to the ground and nearly killed me, 100 miles from home. The photo you see below is what is left of the License plate, front wheel and forks. I had the fire fighters spray the molten puddle of aluminum down with water so I could bring it home as a reminder of BMW's reputation for reliability. The bike had 25K miles on it and was still under warranty. Know what BMW's response was as far as a warranty claim? "There's no proof that any part on the bike failed and caused the fire." So basically, "Go pound sand and suck it up, sucker!" Luckily my insurance company paid the majority of the loan off. I was stuck with the remaining $1400 to pay out of my own pocket. Interestingly enough about 1 year after the fire, BMW issued a recall for fuel line hose clamps that could fail and spill fuel. That was my last BMW. That same bike had the cruise control fail, the gear indicator fail and the clutch slave cylinder fail, causing the clutch plate to get contaminated with clutch fluid. And yes I was waiting for the rear drive to go too as it was a problem with that model.

If you do decide to get a BMW I will give you some advice. Under no circumstances should you keep it out of warranty. BMWs are overly complicated and very expensive to repair, even if you work on it yourself.

I have a Norge and although it does have its warts I have way more faith in its reliability than any BMW they are making now.
 
usrt66 wrote:
even my harleys have been problem free. cams don't go soft, bags don't fall off. things don't have to be modified to work . parts are never a problem, since i have never needed any. also, i have noticed that re-sale is not so hot. any help would be appreciated.

Here is some help: Go buy your Harley back!
 
On every forum about a specific brand you'll read about problems the members have with their bike. That's quite normal. It's boring to just talk about how well everything goes. As I read a general motorforum here in Holland especially the tech-issues I find hardly ever a question concerning a Guzzi ( and there are enough Guzzi-riders among them). Every brand has it's weak and strong points.
There is also a risk of having a mondaymorning model. With lots of trouble. A friend of my had this with a new Mercedes a while back.

But if you haven't any good feelings about a brand, don't buy it. As for me, I'm not technical at all and the maintenance is done by my dealer. I ride Guzzi for over three years and about 40000 km's on 2 bikes and have had not one problem with them outside of the normal maintenance. (maybe I'm just one lucky bastard B) )

Good luck with your choice.
 
Buy whatever floats your boat. But if you think BMWs or Harleys don't have problems, you are seriously mistaken. I thought it was funny when I was sitting in line for service one morning at my local Harley dealer (oil leak) after being told many times by the salesman (yeah, I know) that they don't leak oil any more. Almost everybody in line with me was a new Harley that was leaking oil. They are much better then they were, but they are not anymore perfect then Guzzis. The difference between manufacturers is not so much "do they have problems" but what do they do when they have problems. How do they handle it. BMW have told many a customer that the fault lay with the owner, not the bike. Harley is much better in my experience and Harley/Buell is the only company I would rank above Guzzi on taking care of the customer (but I have not dealt with them in a few years). Honda, Suzuki, BMW, whatever. If you have a problem on some brands you get taken care of, on others you get taken.
If a Guzzi is for you, you would know. You would not need to ask others. Good luck.
 
G'day,

I recently traded my BMW K1200LT for a MG 1200 Sport. My BMW and all my past BMW's were very reliable although like all bikes their were a couple of issues. I changed brands to MG purley because of the passion of motorcycles and that I liked the sound and style of the Guzzi. Always liked them but never owned one until now. Missed the K and its creature comforts but did not miss the cost of servicing. I am wrapped with my 1200 Sport, The issues of the BMW's are not as common as most would suggest, I think with failures it is around 3% or something in that line.
My biggest headache was the dealer, won't go back their, on picking up the bike it had large scratches on the sump, delivery was poor as clamps to exhaust were loose and rattling, attitude of sales guy was a disgrace and then a week latter I keep braking down, found out they had placed a second hand battery in the bike that had died.
Some dealers need to really have a look at their business practices. Anyway I have a good dealer and mechanic now.
So I guess what I am coming to is if your passionate about what you want go and get it. Make sure you establish good liaision with your dealer. For me in comparrison between Mot Guzzi and BMW I would have to say the build quality of the 1200 Sport in not different than BMW, both really good products.

Ride safe and enjoy

Beemer
Melbourne Australia:)
 
my opinion is that if your not sure about buying a guzzi, don't buy it.
or better still, buy a new one and ill take it off your hands a year later for half the price :laugh:
a year ago you would find absolutely loads of nearly new, low mileage Griso's on e-bay, simply because they were the fashion bikers motorcycle of choice.
they looked different, and were cool.
now they are after something else, so the Griso's are up for sale, and being bought by people who appreciate them.
i love doing spanner work on my bike, if i can make it run a little better, or make it just that bit more comfy then i'm happy.
if you don't like doing maintenance then stick with jap bikes.
god help you if you buy a Ducati...:eek:hmy:
i've had untold brit bikes, a couple of hardly rideables, some big japs, but i keep coming back to Moto Guzzi
maybe its just somethng in my soul that pulls me that way.
good luck with your choice.
 
My 2004 Guzzi is the most reliable motorcycle I've ever owned. I've had no failures and have never been stranded and it has had nothing done to it but upgrades and tune ups. It's been up to Nova Scotia and most of the East Coast. The bike has about 40k on it now, and it gets ridden hard. I typically go through 2-3 sets of tires per season. It gets put away at the first snow and back on the road as soon as it stops.

On another note, I work with a guy that bought a brand new Sportster last year. The bike was one month old and needed the engine replaced. Yes they covered it, but he was without the bike for over a month.

Every manufacturer has the occasional lemon. It's a machine. It happens.

I've owned Honda's and Suzuki's and none have been as reliable as the Guzzi. They weren't as enjoyable to ride either.

Good luck with whatever you pick.
 
This is a question that just keeps coming up ... as if we'd be able to answer it! Clearly though we know the answer to the question "should I get a BMW instead?" So I'd say go ask about getting a Guzzi on beemertech.com (or however a similar forum might be called) :p

To add my (borrowed) cents, here's what a buddy wrote a couple of days ago in reaction to my remark that sadly our Guzzis don't run on water. He's had Beemers for a long time and is now very much in love with his Norge (auto-translated from French):

I attended a BMW rally in the Cévennes this weekend and we had a real downpour (a true "Cévenol episode" with flooding rivers, landslides, snow on Mount Aigoual). Some of the Beemers present did not like the treatment, nor the three Ducatis: as we often crossed deep pools (up to 20 cms) water entered the various sensors and switches, provoking a total failure on the Ducatis, and of the assisted braking system on several Beemers (initialisation could not be performed because of a detected failure, so no braking assistance at all on the series 1150 R and RT).
Under this downpour, my Guzzi Norge has had absolutely no issue (except the loss of the stock top-case, see previous post), to the point that my Beemer friends were impressed. They said that because of my happy experience of a year and a half with the Norge, they began to find the mark Guzzi something to consider seriously for their next purchase, especially as there had been a big epidemic of issues among the 1200 flat-twins during the preceding weeks (spi joints in shambles, two final drives blown, a toasted valve [?])
 
usrt66

There you have a lot of advice from people who've owned other brands but still choose to ride a Guzzi.

I've owned just two Guzzis - 2001 V11 Sport naked and 2005 Breva V1100. Both bought new and both enjoyed very much. Not trouble-free (initially) but what is? All brands can have troubles. It's how they are cured that really matters.

Having owned Europeon cars at times I now will own only a Japanese one because with cars reliability tops my list. With bikes it's a bit different because I ride them purely for fun and for that the japanese bikes aren't my favourites. The price for buying something non-Japanese doesn't stop at the ticket $, it also means accepting foibles and problems from time to time.

My Breva is nearly four years old. For some time now it has had about 40,000km on it. Despite running beautifully, I don't ride it much anymore except for min-touring because my other bike - 2007 Buell XB12Ss - is simply more fun. Would I buy another Guzzi? Probably not. That's not because of poor reliability but more because of poor dealer service and poor resale values. The reality is that I'll probably just keep the Guzzi indefinitely because the only way to quit it would be to trade it on a new Guzzi.

The Guzzis have not been the best bikes I've owned, nor have they been the worst, but they are amongst the most lovable. What matters most to you? Answer that and you'll have your own answer.

Graham
 
Graham correctly said:

Would I buy another Guzzi? Probably not. That's not because of poor reliability but more because of poor dealer service and poor resale values.

Thinking outside the box seems to be the rule rather than the exception with Guzzi riders. The "poor resale value" is a good thing if you love Guzzis and want to keep riding and collecting them. I got a good deal on a used bike several years ago. Had it been a beemer the deal would have not been as sweet.

So I say, keep the resale value down, and I'll just pick up the used ones cheap and smile all the way to the bank:)
 
" A man thinks carefully about reliability, value and performance... then he is smitten and buys a Moto Guzzi"

If you had to ask if a Guzzi is for you, you really should ask the question "Do I have what it takes to own a Guzzi?"

Do you love organic curves in steel and chrome?
Are you more excited by the journey than the destination?
Are you capable of working on your own bike?
Can you handle the envious stares of those who own lesser motorcycles?
Can you deal with beautiful women who sense your inner cool?
Is your chest hair listed on your donor card?

If you can answer yes to these questions... saddle up and feel the wind in your face.


Vida del viaggio!


The more I ride new bikes, the more I like my old bikes.
1997 EV 1100
1997 Suzuki DR650
1978 BMW R100/7
1985 Yamaha TY350
1974 Honda XL 250
1912 Harley replica motorized bicycle
 
You have to love Guzzi riders. The guy posts a question almost a month ago and never comes back to the site and you guys are still telling him the merits of the brand.

Thats what I like about Guzzis and the guys that ride them. A lot of passion!
 
...so years ago I had a Red Flyer wagon and it was absolutely trouble free. Now I never had problems like, oil changes or light bulbs burning out so is a Harley for me or should I continue to bounce around on this dildo:p
 
A friend of mine bought a new Honda Fireblade last year. The WHOLE wiring loom has been replaced due to an untraceable fault. Another mate had endless problems with his ST1300 over 12 months. No dealer, etc could find the fault. He finally parked in the front door of Honda Australia. Fortunately for him, the Moto GP was in town. The Moto GP techs diagnosed the fault on the dino to a faulty sensor!
 
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