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END OF MY TETHER

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G

Glenn.1

Just got it firing!
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
9
Location
Bradford, Yorkshire
Hi All
Just thought id voice my opinions about my 08 stelvio that ive owned for about 6 months. previously had the BMW 1200 GS which i had for 5 years and never had an issue in all that time. A few weeks after i bought the bike i had the 15A fuse blow...which resulted in a van back home. i posted on this forum about the fuse and in a nut shell came, the response 'that fuse has been a problem for the last 25 years and guzzy has chosen to do nothing' just bung a 20A in or you can rewire the starting circuit. Next came the oil warning light coming on occasionally , after looking again on this forum, came comments such as ive changed mine about four times already but there only £14 each ( a right b******d to change though!!). Ive just come back from an Ireland trip of over 1000 miles and now the bike sometimes just clicks when the starter is pressed... apparently battery current insufficient... a common problem it seems.....next came the speedo not working after a downpour until it dried out...another common problem. All this coupled with me almost dropping the bike on several occasions because the weight is so high and the uneven throttle response at walking pace (curable by remapping ....For £500) has led me into deciding to let the bike go... which is a shame because theres a lot i like about the bike...the modern yet old school feel to the bike....the exhaust note..the comfy riding position and the look of the bike ...which first attracted me to it...but all the little faults which members on here may describe as 'character'. are in fact poor electrics and Moto Guzzi indifference to long known about faults...which is a shame because theres a great bike in there dieing to get out. ive just been looking at the triumph 800 tiger forum ...and there seem to be about 5 known issues with the bike...all minor and all ADDRESSED... just take a look at the archive section on this forum....enough said...and rant over
 
pete roper said:
Well, its obviously not the bike for you. See ya. Don't let the door hit you on the arse on the way out.

Pete
Click to expand...

Pete, you've been a great help to me and many other people on this site and the aprilia forum we are both members of :D but I feel the same as Glen, You say it isn't the bike for him, that could be said of me too but consider this, I have been riding since 1972, 1978 on the road and have never been without a bike so I know bikes and I know what I wanted.

The stelvio in my opinion is for me, it ticks all the right boxes, style, power, handling, ability to carry two people with luggage with ease etc. BUT! all this without the confidence that it will get there and back from a given destination without something failing that renders the bike un-ridable regardless of how minor the fault is is little comfort to the owner.

I have made a point of reading all the positive stuff about the bike and the many long and uneventful trips that have been had along with the high millage bikes that have been spoken about to give me peace of mind but it's all for nothing when you're stranded on the Whitby moors in baking hot sunshine waiting for a tow truck or at the services at Toddington waiting for a tow truck which put an end to a trip to France, I could go on...

I accept there are many very good guzzis out there and if I had one of them it would be a keeper but for me it's back to aprilia or maybe even a Kawasaki, the only none Italian bike I would consider...

Cheers all for the site and the help, enjoy your Guzzis...

Best wishes

windy (Martin)
 
If I saw these problems on a regular basis i'd agree. Thing is I don't. Almost without exception the bikes that come through my workshop are boring as batshit reliable. This is nothing to do with any magical powers on my part, I simply service them by the book.

While I cannot understand though is why people, especially poms, seem to feel that if they don't like their choice of motorbike, (Their choice mind you. Nobody was holding a gun to their head!) they need to give the marque a huge, general spray when what I consider minor issues occur.

Before I make any major purchase I do a lot of research because I consider it MY responsibility to find out if I could live with the prospective purchase. This isn't always enough, I've made some bitty purchases. Thing is it was MY responsibility to find out about reliability, service, parts availability etc.

I cannot understand why the service situation in the UK is so bad. Having recently returned from the US where there are similar concerns I have to say my interactions and service from dealers was superb I tend to nowadays get a bit cynical about accusations of incompetence.

At the end of the day if you are so needy and feeble you can't cope with the slightest inconvenience or take responsibility for proactive maintenance you're setting yourself up for perennial disappointment.

I often say to whiners that they should get a Toyota Corolla or a bus-pass. This always provokes either more whining or spluttering outrage? Why? If you want 'Safe' or 'Utterly Dependable' those options work.

If you want to do anything in your life that might be fun you sometimes have to take a risk. If it doesn't work out? Suck it up and be more careful next time.

Pete
 
I chose the bike based on what it should do not what it might do if I was lucky. I'm not slinging mud at Guzzi in general just the one I bought.

Check through my early posts, I was very positive throughout my problems despite being stranded many times

My Stelvio is just coming up to 4 years old, it's had two oil leaks that kept it off the road while parts were ordered, a bad O2 sensor, a bad injector, failing fuses, bad starter motor, failed steering head bearings plus various electrical problems.

You are very quick to condemn or deride anyone that has had problems and moaned about them but it isn't right in this day and age that you should need to be a mechanic before owning a particular make of motorcycle.. maybe if you're after a classic or a winter hack but £10k for a new bike... you gotta be kidding...

Martin
 
A mate bought a 1200 triumph explorer over a norge. The norge g1 failed on low speed throttle response he said it was ok when it got going. Any way the triumph start making a top end clattering sound. Design fault Triumph took the bike to HQ replaced the cylinder head and any other part on the bike with a mark on it. Now that's what I call customer service. Here in the uk dealers are only stocking the V7 cause thats the only one that sells. I think Guzzi UK needs a price cut to sell bikes. Looking at loads of as new Tiumph Tiger 800s on ebay I think I want one.
 
nel said:
Looking at loads of as new Tiumph Tiger 800s on ebay I think I want one.
Click to expand...

Very soft rear suspension, had a test ride solo and took it back with half the off side peg ground away... needs sorting if you're going two up..

where are you? my brother has a burger van at Staffordshire Triumph.. :whistle:

BTW, I love the Stelvio, even thought of p/x'ing for a 2013 but while I'm changing I thought I'd take a look at what's out there..but! with the nearest dealer 70 miles away and parts weeks getting it's more likely I'll go more main stream.. I know all makes of bikes have problems and maybe I've just been unlucky with the Guzzi but it's left a bad taste... :blink:

windy
 
I'm down on the south coast with my reliable B11 @65k. Can't afford a newish Guzzi because and pre 11 plate has a chance of the chocolate cams therefore has a ? trade in. Cause I'm no spring chicken (50) a soft rear end is good for my back and out roads are all pot holes. Triumph after sales impress me. The bikes are affordable probably because they are built here and as new for less than 7K with big touring screen panniers etc. the tiger 800 has won awards. Do the aussies make bikes?
 
Windy, its not the fact that the bike isn't for the OP or that he has had problems that have made him move on to something else. Its the spluttering indignance about issues that fifteen minutes of research would of revealed as occasional issues and the fixes for them. If the problems are of the sort that make ownership untenable for him then surely fifteen minutes spent on research is far better than whining feebly after the fact?

Nel? Your little jibe about whether there are any motorcycles manufactured in Australia shows a deep ignorance of matters both geopolitical and industrial. Once again fifteen minutes of research would of told you the reasons why we don't have a domestic motorcycle manufacturer or for that matter a car manufacturer any more in real terms.

Pete
 
I tend to agree with Pete.

It doesn't take a lot of research to realize that Moto Guzzi is not the 'Toyota Corolla' of motorcycles. When you manufacture anything at the low volumes that Guzzi is working with, then you either have to charge Rolls Royce prices for the quality and engineering people to get the bugs ironed out, or charge normal (or even lower relative to BMW) prices as Guzzi does and you are going to have some quality issues.

At low volumes, and reasonable costs, on ANY product, you have to be prepared for a bit more 'character'.

With over 40,000 miles on my Stelvio, it has only spent a few hours in the shop for anything. It has been one of the most reliable motorcycles in my 40 years of HondaSuzukiYamahaKawasakiGuzzi ownership.
 
pete ..im with windy on this ... i actually like the bike ... a modern bike but an old school feel...fantastic looking and an engine that will pull all day long... but like windy i was incensed to discover that my dead starter, that ended my days ride before it had begun..was down to a 50p fuse that has been a known problem for at least 25 years....a break down is a break down wether it be a fuse or a gearbox failure ... as i say i like the bike ...but i like to ride it... not wonder what the next sensor failure or moisture ingress will spoil the day.... i suppose its all about confidence...and mines running out. as for the 15 minutes research, pete, your absolutely right ... but your gunna need a lot more than 15 mins to run through the myriad of unaddressed and continuing problems with the stelvio. i guess some people are die hard Guzzi fans and whatever anyone says against Guzzis will be refuted, but over the years ive had many bikes , Jap, Italian, German and British and all have been brilliant bikes....just check out other forums, they discuss meets and ride outs and rallies etc...all we seem to discuss is 'this is broken, that has failed, and who knows how t repair' on a £11k bike in 2013 .. its laughable
 
You guys are all great, you gotta be you're all bikers... :D

I read all the bad stuff but figured like most forums it was only the problem bikes that made the headlines, a bit like when I researched aprilia some years back, only I hadn't realised it was the majority of guzzis that had issues.. it's no biggy, don't like? simple, change.. :D

Keep the rubber side down chaps.. B)

Pete, I'll be keeping an eye on your ramblings on the other forum.. :pinch: loved the write up on your cali trip..

windy
 
Thing is Windy if I found modern Guzzis to be unreliable shitters I'd be first to say so and then I'd try to fix it!

The problem is that apart from a couple of porous head castings, a bad switchblock or two and a couple of 'No Start' issues NONE of the recent bikes that have been through my workshop have given any problems at all. I've had lots through that have been messed about with by people who shouldn't be messing about with them, some of those people are/were mechanics at other workshops but the PRODUCT on the whole has been stupidly reliable, even my own bike which is smack bang in the middle of all and every 'Issue' with the early 8V's simply refuses to go wrong.

I'm sorry. I don't think its a 'Product' problem. I think it is a combination of dealer/importer problem and owners who expect infallible perfection in every aspect of their lives. Generally I find these people work for government and have no understanding of engineering or even how the world really works. They will never be satisfied .

Pete
 
pete roper said:
****
I'm sorry. I don't think its a 'Product' problem. I think it is a combination of dealer/importer problem and owners who expect infallible perfection in every aspect of their lives. Generally I find these people work for government and have no understanding of engineering or even how the world really works. They will never be satisfied .

Pete
Click to expand...

Oh oh. I am a retired guvment worker and have no real clue about engineering, but do have a glimmer about how the world really works. And, happily, I am easily satisfied in most everything and certain;y know that a Guzzi isn't a Corolla.

Hmmmmm. Wonder if Wayne is about ready to buy something new and would part with his Stelvio? He's surely addressed any issues at 40K and we live in the country now with lots of dirt and gravel roads. :lol:

Bill
 
[I'm sorry. I don't think its a 'Product' problem.

That's odd, the bike is the product and the bike I have is the problem, doesn't that make the product the problem?

I think it is a combination of dealer/importer problem and owners who expect infallible perfection in every aspect of their lives. Generally I find these people work for government and have no understanding of engineering or even how the world really works. They will never be satisfied .

Government worker? I'm ex Royal Engineers, I am now the MD for a timber company, I look after the commercial side of the company which involves, transport, machining etc. 5 HGV's, 3 Side Loaders, 2 Forklift Trucks, 1 six head cutter, 1 seven head cutter with a universal head, 1 Multi rip, 1 Beam saw, 1 Edge Bander and a few other saws, oh and 1 lacquering machine.. We turn over approx. £6million a year, I bought a hardwood company a few years back and I'm presently negotiating for another company to add to the two I have.. But I have no understanding of engineering or how the world works... generally speaking... :whistle:

Pete[/quote]

Some people get to a certain age, you know, when their broad mind and narrow waist change places... :lol: :p :pinch:
 
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