Is Moto Guzzi "DEAD" in Florida and America?

[Larry Malinoski]

Curious as I looked at Florida and there are 5 listed dealers. Inventory at them range from some with just one in stock to just one listing showing 12. Most in stock seem to be V85's and really, they are either 2022 or used ones listed. My take there is the few listed dealers are dropping Moto Guzzi. The dealer I bought my V9 from has just one used one. The dealer in Tampa looks to be out of them any more. Now lots of those dealers have a growing interest in Royal Enfield.

Motivated on this as last year Rheumatoid Arthritis robbed me of my clutch hand. I have a little use but not enough to control a clutch in traffic and I will not ride my wife for that reason and newly weakened knees. Bought a new Can Am trike. Keeping my old Moto Guzzi, multiple BMW's, BSA and Harleys. Just figured I would sell my V9. Many ads since mid-December have generated zero interest. My Roamer is both "trick" with multiple accessories and near perfect.

Looks like I figuratively can't give it away. No big deal as it is so pretty to look at, even if I can't ride it. Curiosity has got to me. Seems the past few years has shown me a drastic reduction in Florida dealership involvement with Moto Guzzi. Is it like that everywhere?

 

[Louisv97]

Curious as I looked at Florida and there are 5 listed dealers. Inventory at them range from some with just one in stock to just one listing showing 12. Most in stock seem to be V85's and really, they are either 2022 or used ones listed. My take there is the few listed dealers are dropping Moto Guzzi. The dealer I bought my V9 from has just one used one. The dealer in Tampa looks to be out of them any more. Now lots of those dealers have a growing interest in Royal Enfield.

Motivated on this as last year Rheumatoid Arthritis robbed me of my clutch hand. I have a little use but not enough to control a clutch in traffic and I will not ride my wife for that reason and newly weakened knees. Bought a new Can Am trike. Keeping my old Moto Guzzi, multiple BMW's, BSA and Harleys. Just figured I would sell my V9. Many ads since mid-December have generated zero interest. My Roamer is both "trick" with multiple accessories and near perfect.

Looks like I figuratively can't give it away. No big deal as it is so pretty to look at, even if I can't ride it. Curiosity has got to me. Seems the past few years has shown me a drastic reduction in Florida dealership involvement with Moto Guzzi. Is it like that everywhere?

I'd say that California has an abundance relative to everywhere else. Plus in SoCal you got Todd's shop. I got a local dealer that's a walking distance that always has inventory along with 3 other dealers within a 100 mile radius. Hell they got a healthy amount of orders for the V100.

 

[GerryAZ]

There are 3 dealers in Arizona. At least 2 of them have current inventory. I have not yet visited the dealer in Tucson.

 

[GTM®]

Search and read a little on this topic on this Forum Larry. It always feels like the sky is falling when it comes to Guzzi. Many dealers have come and gone in the last 20 years that I've been watching. Guzzi will be around for a long time... dealers not so much. It's a game that many tire of fast. Piaggio makes it nearly impossible to allow it to be a profitable venture; I’ve spoken with them three times in the last 6 years. Impossible demands and expectations for such a small sales brand.

 

[Larry Malinoski]

Glad to read there are active dealers around. In Europe, Moto Guzzi is a common brand. Obviously being Italian makes it a "home" product. Yet, around here there seems to be far more Ducati, BMW and Royal Enfield interest away from the Harley and various Jap machines.

Been an owner of multiple bikes since the 50's. Can't remember such a lack of interest in any of my bikes until I got this V9 a few years ago. It is a good running bike and super good looking. Just something the local motorcycle community has near no interest in based on my recent experience. That must channel over to the low dealership participation.

 

[Raven]

It's not nearly as bad as the lack of MV Agusta dealers and support. I can't find an MV dealer in Eastern Canada with a single new bike in stock. You're really on your own with them.

 

[Vagrant]

The V9 just didn't sell here! Gas tank was too small for me so I have since bought three v7's. The dealer who bought all the remaining v9 from Piaggio sold them for $5500. Most Guzzi customers remember that price. Spring is coming, maybe, I hope. It should turn tnen.

 

[Mayakovski]

Now lots of those dealers have a growing interest in Royal Enfield.

Royal Enfield actively supports their dealers, Moto Guzzi (Piaggio) actively abuses them.

 

[GTM®]

Glad to read there are active dealers around. In Europe, Moto Guzzi is a common brand. Obviously being Italian makes it a "home" product. Yet, around here there seems to be far more Ducati, BMW and Royal Enfield interest away from the Harley and various Jap machines.

Oddly enough, Guzzis do not do all that well in Italy of all places. Germany seems to be the strongest from what I hear.
With high volume sales (BMW, Duc & HD) comes more dealerships... that or cheap prices (RE). Unfortunately Florida has never been even remotely a strong Guzzi state. Doesn't seem you're going to search and read on this topic, but you should. Pages of data to back what I say here.
And yes on what @Mayakovski above says.

 

[Larry Malinoski]

It's not nearly as bad as the lack of MV Agusta dealers and support. I can't find an MV dealer in Eastern Canada with a single new bike in stock. You're really on your own with them.

Interesting. The former Moto Guzzi dealer in Tampa has MV Augusta. I have looked at some of their offerings there. Tiny sport bikes with confusing and cluttered design. Liked older ones but these overpriced midgets looked like a confused can of worms.

I have owned multiple Moto Guzzi models since maybe 1970. Hunchies Moto Guzzi was in Greensburg, Pa. and a mecca for riders in the area. My small sample of local interest clouded the overall picture. Still have a 1980 500 I bought new way back then. All the old 750's, 850's, 650's and I think I had a 1 liter model way back are all long gone. Well, do have some pictures for the memory bank.

Did not have a clue some new V9's sold for as little as $5.5K. Dummy me paid way more than that for a slightly used one a few years ago. It is a super nice bike. According to this conversation that even with the special seats, leather "Goose" bags, dual racks, shields and more it is not worth close to the $7K I advertised it at.

Oh well... life goes on until you're gone but the road goes on forever.

 

[Larry Malinoski]

The V9 just didn't sell here! Gas tank was too small for me so I have since bought three v7's. The dealer who bought all the remaining v9 from Piaggio sold them for $5500. Most Guzzi customers remember that price. Spring is coming, maybe, I hope. It should turn tnen.

Interesting thought about the fuel tank. I consistently get 55-60 mpg. Just using regular or occasionally mid octane fuel. Never noticed a "ping" or any sign of detonation. Bike runs strong.

Now granted I am not a fast rider after initial testing. Yes, the bike goes over 100 mph easily. Traffic speeds of 75-80 are easy cruising on this bike. So the range with the 4 gallon tank is easily just over 200 miles. I normally saw that low fuel light come on about 130-140 miles. Fuel it then and you normally just put 2 1/2 or 2 3/4 gallons in. I only ran it one time to about 165 miles, adding 3.1 gallons that time. Not one of my better mpg's but still representative.

My Harley Fat Boy has a 5 gallon tank. At 41 mpg of premium fuel ... do the math. The V9 has more range. The new Can Am trike I just bought gets me 33 mpg or slightly more on regular gas with a 5 gallon tank. Do the math on that one. My old BMW twins did do over 200 miles per tank easily as they got what the V9 gets with a 5 gallon tank. Don't ask about my old sportsters with the 2.2 gallon tanks. I once had to push at 92 miles going to a road race at Mid-Ohio.

Just never gave the great fuel mileage of my V9 a thought of being too small for normal riding. Maybe on a major cross-country trip a larger tank would be desirable.

 

[Vagrant]

It all depends on where you live and how you ride. I will never ever buy a bike again that can't go 200 miles at 75-80.
My V85 and all three V7's can. So did my Gold Wing and 1050 Tiger. The old 2001 and 98 Ev, not so much.

 

[Larry Malinoski]

Mine is like mint with lots of extras. Actually a long list of optional things will go with it. Imagine I could move it fast if I, "gave it away". Not really interested in that. Actually like the bike but left hand has me unable to control a clutch lever. The wife keeps saying I have too many bikes, boats, trucks, guns, camps, etc. Phooey.

I just saw an old MZ for sale. Check out Facebook Marketplace in South Florida. I toured that factory in Deutsch Democratic Republic (West Germany) in the later 80's. Owned a couple at one time. Royal POS by design but ran peaky like two-strokes do. Was thinking of buying that just for giggles. Things that ugly need love. Should not tell that to the wife.

 

[Larry Malinoski]

That is MZ. Stands for Motorradwerk Zschopau.

The plant walk through was interesting. Finished bikes were stacked sideways on an open truck for delivery to local Communist dealers. No sure how many made it out of those Soviet markets.

After President Reagan helped end the Soviet Union and freed so many countries, it started marketing to world markets. There were some sold here. The one I saw was a 1974 model. No clue how it got here but some here came from Cuba.

My Roamer is "Sweet". Hoping someone local buys it and keeps in touch.

 

[Speciality]

MZs were quite popular here in the UK; I bought one in 1981. Actually in some respects they were well made. The alloy used for the crankcases was polished like it used to be on British bikes. The alloy used for the wheel rims was of good quality too. For a two-stroke, the last thing they were was peaky. Mine rode nothing like a Suzuki twin I had years before and would happily take my wife as pillion. It was also very smooth, having a rubber-mounted engine.
Don’t forget that Ernst Degner defected with Walter Kaaden’s two-stroke tuning to Suzuki, leading to the two-stroke engine’s dominance in racing.
Because the then East Germany was desperate for hard currency each bike sold to the West was subsidised. They always undercut Japanese bikes of similar capacity by some margin and didn’t rust at the first sign of rain.
They did have issues - the original main bearings didn’t last long, though I never replaced mine. The original tyres were rubbish and many replaced the original drum front brake with one from a Honda twin. The later version of the Supa 5, the ETZ had positive oiling and a Brembo front disc brake. The bikes were what they were. I liked mine; I also liked the Jawa and CZ I owned during the financially harder years with a young family.
As for the Roamer, it was never very popular here; of the two V9s only the Bobber is still imported and I doubt that sells particularly well. I’d say the 85TT is the biggest seller. The local dealer has V100s in stock - the roads are not awash with those yet. Moto Guzzis are still a bit niche here. I’d say they don’t sell anywhere near as well as RE, who seem to be on a roll at the moment, launching a raft of desirable new models in recent years, now that they’ve dropped the older UCE 500 single and introduced better-made fresh designs.

 

[Larry Malinoski]

When I left Pennsylvania for Florida in 1999, a neighbor farmer bought a new MZ right after I left. Went back to visit in 2001 and he still had it. Visited again in around 2015. He was still alive and riding another MZ. This time it was a four stroke. Nice bike.

Always liked MZ and Moto Guzzi. Guessing today they both have horrible resale.

 

[GTM®]

When I left Pennsylvania for Florida in 1999, a neighbor farmer bought a new MZ right after I left. Went back to visit in 2001 and he still had it. Visited again in around 2015. He was still alive and riding another MZ. This time it was a four stroke. Nice bike.

1999 MZ was a 2-stroke? Don’t recall that. There was a handful of Yamaha-powered MZs on street and track (I raced against several) in the 90s. I didn’t remember until your photo that they used a Rotax engine. I raced on a (Ron) Wood Rotax pictured below. Still one of the best for dirt-tracks around the US. Fun memories.

 

[Larry Malinoski]

Did not recognize the Rotex engine in that MZ. Ron Wood did some neat things with Rotex.

The new Can Am Ryker I bought has a 900cc Rotex engine. They have a great reputation. With only 3,000 miles on mine I am getting the feeling it is super powerful. Just does not have a good sound like twins and singles have.

AS for my V9 MotoGuzzi - still advertising it with literally no interest, even with a grand price drop. If my hand heals enough to pull a clutch in, that bike could be my first ride back as the clutch pull is the easiest of all my bikes.

 

[abmaps]

One dealer in Illinois. NW suburbs. Here is the website; topgearpowersports.com

 

[moparmutt]

Curious as I looked at Florida and there are 5 listed dealers. Inventory at them range from some with just one in stock to just one listing showing 12. Most in stock seem to be V85's and really, they are either 2022 or used ones listed. My take there is the few listed dealers are dropping Moto Guzzi. The dealer I bought my V9 from has just one used one. The dealer in Tampa looks to be out of them any more. Now lots of those dealers have a growing interest in Royal Enfield.

Motivated on this as last year Rheumatoid Arthritis robbed me of my clutch hand. I have a little use but not enough to control a clutch in traffic and I will not ride my wife for that reason and newly weakened knees. Bought a new Can Am trike. Keeping my old Moto Guzzi, multiple BMW's, BSA and Harleys. Just figured I would sell my V9. Many ads since mid-December have generated zero interest. My Roamer is both "trick" with multiple accessories and near perfect.

Looks like I figuratively can't give it away. No big deal as it is so pretty to look at, even if I can't ride it. Curiosity has got to me. Seems the past few years has shown me a drastic reduction in Florida dealership involvement with Moto Guzzi. Is it like that everywhere?

Bought my V9 at dealer in Largo about a year ago. From the ads I see they don't hold their value well. I like mine, wish there was a dealer in Orlando