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Good news for Guzzi/Aprilia.

P

Penis Rotor

GT Godfather!
Joined
Oct 28, 2008
Messages
2,833
Location
Bungendore, NSW Australia
I read on one of the baords I frequent, (I don't think it was this one :roll: ) that because the Euro is in the terlet Aprilia products especially are getting really competitive with Japanese bikes in Europe! Hopefully it will knock-on to Guzzi as well but who would want an R1 or a Gixxer if you could have an RSV-4 or a V4-Tuono instead? Or even a (shudder!) Ducati :p

Given that they are able to sell Griso SE's in the US for $12,500 I'd say there will be some profits to be gleaned from the disastrous situation,

Pete
 
pete roper said:
...Given that they are able to sell Griso SE's in the US for $12,500 I'd say there will be some profits to be gleaned from the disastrous situation,

Pete
Click to expand...
Only $12,500 for a brand-new Griso SE???
I got screwed!
 
No, Pete, this ain't gonna happen: The crotch rocket fans here do not trust italian bikes for the usual reliability plus competent dealer coverage reasons. Also, most are addicted to the four-cylinder revving madness and do not appreciate engines that they cannot constantly bump on the rev limiter without fuss.
 
Make the RSV V4 'cheap' enough, and enough of the crotch rocket crowd will buy one. In fact, last year all the big Jap makers sold less new bikes (except Honda, +7%) here in France, whereas all the bigger European makers sold at least 10% more than the preceding year. Guzzi was the big winner, with 72.5% increase, followed by Royal Enfield (+60%). Ducati and Aprilia each gained about 10% only, while MV Agusta increased sales by 37%.

What we don't know is how many of those Guzzi sales are due to the 'Premium' dealers ... nor how quickly the true new owners will want to get rid of their new bike (but I know it's more than 1) :-/
 
The dealer issue is a big one for Guzzi. As we know even the new bikes can have a few teething troubles so if a newbie owner isn't prepared to stick it out until their bike is sorted they will trade in early on other brands. A few people I've bumped into said that they'd bought a Guzzi but had problems. When questioned further it seems that the issues were typically small things but the dealer support was not up to standard.

My local dealer is clueless. Guzzi's seem to be a sideline to other major brands and the staff just smirk if you mention the bikes. Luckily there's a good old school Guzzi guy an hour up the road so he gets my business.

I seem to recall that maybe Pete Roper has mentioned the problem of dealer mechanics not reading the tech bulletins for example.

Guzzi have got the bikes and the mystique to attract new customers but they need to find a way to keep them locked in.

Yes this post is a sweeping generilsation but it seems to be my experience.

I was told early on that you don't own a Guzzi, you have a relationship with it! MMMmmmm!!! A love/hate relationship I'd say! :D
 
Guy R said:
The dealer issue is a big one for Guzzi. As we know even the new bikes can have a few teething troubles so if a newbie owner isn't prepared to stick it out until their bike is sorted they will trade in early on other brands. A few people I've bumped into said that they'd bought a Guzzi but had problems. When questioned further it seems that the issues were typically small things but the dealer support was not up to standard.

My local dealer is clueless. Guzzi's seem to be a sideline to other major brands and the staff just smirk if you mention the bikes. Luckily there's a good old school Guzzi guy an hour up the road so he gets my business.

I seem to recall that maybe Pete Roper has mentioned the problem of dealer mechanics not reading the tech bulletins for example.

Guzzi have got the bikes and the mystique to attract new customers but they need to find a way to keep them locked in.

Yes this post is a sweeping generilsation but it seems to be my experience.

I was told early on that you don't own a Guzzi, you have a relationship with it! MMMmmmm!!! A love/hate relationship I'd say! :D
Click to expand...

+1

As a recent, first time Guzzi owner that had issues with the dealer breaking my new Griso after only three weeks of ownership, a few possible lies (or at least extreme lack of knowledge) from them during that same time, AND Piaggio's customer service not responding to my emails.
(I'm certain they received them; because I run my own mail server and can see in the logs their mail server accepted my emails.)

I can say that although I'm very happy with the motorcycle it's self. The lack of dealership support just may cause me to switch back to Japanese rice rockets.

Guzzi may have the same issue that Buell had. Which is great bikes; but dealers who had no interest in them.

--ET
 
I've not owned a Jap bike for 20 years, Triumph, BMW and Guzzi have served the purpose very well.
Talking to my local Yamaha dealer he is really struggling because in the bad times brand loyality is thin on the ground when it comes to Jap bikes and the craze for ultra sport bikes is drawing to a close in the U.K.
Triumph have got the edge now and can sell cheaper due to the pounds weakness and a strong range of bikes.
Guzzi should and could do better but a 'cottage industry' dealer network does a dis-service to the product, which I believe is good enough to compete in todays market.
Go into a Honda dealer, does it set the pulse racing? hardly. A lot of Jap bikes are ugly, soulless and over priced. They make there profits from selling small capacity machines in Asia with little return from larger capacities and frankly it's beginning to show.
 
What do you think Guzzi, pardon, Piaggio make their profits from? Answer that question, and you may understand their after-sales service attitude (even if it is broke, don't fix it ... sell a new one).

A dealer with an interest in the bikes is of course a first necessity, but with Guzzi they need more than that in order to provide satisfying service, sadly.
 
Manufacturers make the bulk of their profit from new bike sales.
Dealers make the bulk of their profit from spare parts and servicing.

So it beats me why a dealer would treat their clients like crap after initial purchase.
 
I agree about Piaggio but why take on Guzzi/Aprillia in the first place and not invest in the dealer network?
Buying Italian bikes from multi franchise dealers is not a good move. They require expert product knowledge plus a detailed understanding of the warranty systems. These shops are just not set up to do that.
What we are seeing is a shrinking of the industry and the growth of large multi bike showrooms selling bikes all over the country via the internet, the downsides are apparent.
If you are in an area with a good dealer with off-shoot tuning and parts services, owning a Guzzi, Ducati, Aprillia can be very rewarding indeed, get off the beaten track and the nightmares start.
I would no longer buy a bike that isn't supported locally by a competant dealer if that means a limited choice so be it.
 
ghezzi said:
Manufacturers make the bulk of their profit from new bike sales.
Dealers make the bulk of their profit from spare parts and servicing.
Click to expand...

Not true here. The margin on spare parts is very small (and fixed by the brand AFAIK) and most motorcycle dealers charge less per hour than their car colleagues. It is in fact not that uncommon that dealers refuse to service/repair bikes they didn't sell (and the only places that do only service work are multi-brand and part of large chains).

Buying Italian bikes from multi franchise dealers is not a good move. They require expert product knowledge plus a detailed understanding of the warranty systems. These shops are just not set up to do that.
Click to expand...

Again, mileage here differs. Currently the most successful dealerships are large, multi-brand operations, that move enough cash on high-volume brands to give satisfactory after-sales service to the niche brands like Guzzi. Otoh, one of the best-known Guzzi-specific dealerships in the Paris area is probably not going to be able to keep their franchise as they are not doing good enough according to Piaggio...
 
RJVB said:
...and most motorcycle dealers charge less per hour than their car colleagues...
Click to expand...
Really? Maybe that's true in Paris, but where I live having a simple oil change and valve-clearance check done at the nearest Guzzi (or, god forbid, Ducati or BMW) dealer can be more expensive than dating three women at the same time...
 
Last time I paid 52€/hour... A standard revision with the 3 oil changes, valve check etc. costs me around 400€.
 
RJVB said:
Last time I paid 52€/hour... A standard revision with the 3 oil changes, valve check etc. costs me around 400€.
Click to expand...
...and after all that cash has left you wallet, it wouldn't be uncommon - at least where I live - to find out that they couldn't even manage to do the job right...
 
Here in Brisbane, the local Harley dealer has been a family owned business for damn near 100 years.
They were the original South Pacific Importor/Distributor of Harley until a few years ago. They have had labour rates in excess of $110/hour for years, yet refuse to work on anything other than late model Harleys.

Recently their business was sold to Team Moto, a multi dealer / multi outlet conglomerate with more than 12 shops alone in South East Qld. Team Moto (Homo) is now owned by Archer Capital who specialize in acquisition and break up of large corporations. Where does this all go from here? ..................................... :evil: :angry: :sick:

I tow a lot of bikes with problems, almost religiously each customer will ask me, "Do you know a better place to get my bike serviced"? Other than the major dealer from whence they have purchased said steed.

One customer reported of a major BMW car dealership that also sells bikes, he was told labour of $150/hour. :(
Not sure if the in house cafe' offers free Filet Mignon and a glass of red with that.
 
My dealer mainly sells Ducatis. He had 2 Guzzis and 3 Aprillas on the lot when I bought mine. I don't know how good they are for repairs, but he changed out my tank because the Griso sticker was loose. Did it without my asking even. For those of you counting at home that's a $1500 tank and probably $100 labor to fix a stoopid sticker.
 
I really worry for my local dealership, I live in Toledo, Ohio and if you are not familiar with our city, it's a blue collar and financially depressed (more so than even the rest of the country) town. On top of that as with most of American blue collar towns, Harley dominates. Don't get me wrong I love to see an American company succeed however, it would be nice to see more diversity. If you are familiar with Toledo then you know that having a MG dealership in our town is mind-blowing. And for said dealership to have a MG certified mechanic and a excellent staff is the cream on top. With that said they had to be creative with revenue streams and their showroom is full of snow blowers for sale. Well guess what, we have had virtually no snow this year.

As for the MG brand, why doesn't Aprilia start marketing their bikes on TV? A little marketing can go a long way. Additionally, they were noticeably absent the last two/three years from the International Motorcycle show. It's virtually impossible to find any clothing---Aprilia should take a look at how much of Harley's merchandizing is a percentage of their overall revenues.
 
ecka00 said:
...they had to be creative with revenue streams and their showroom is full of snow blowers for sale...
Click to expand...
Not that unusual for an MG dealer in the US, especially in a "depressed" area - my local dealer sells and services golf carts, and I suspect that's the most profitable part of their business :S...
 
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