Bad news

[todd haven]

I got along well with Todd at the Laverda Rally in LA a few yrs back, great guy!

Steve

 

Steve, that was Mike you spoke with in LA at the Laverda shin-dig.

But, I like to think I am also a great guy.

 

Regardless, we will continue servicing Guzzis.

[Steve G.]

Steve, that was Mike you spoke with in LA at the Laverda shin-dig.

But, I like to think I am also a great guy.

 

Regardless, we will continue servicing Guzzis.

I'm sorry Todd. Well, if you are half as nice as Mike, you are nicer than 99% of the people I've met.

I remember him showing up at the main hotel in La Joia on that V11 powered Quota, beer in hand, big smile and happy to be there. He was probably too drunk to remember me, but the words he expressed hung large with most of us.

Steve

[pete roper]

I'm sorry Todd. Well, if you are half as nice as Mike, you are nicer than 99% of the people I've met.

I remember him showing up at the main hotel in La Joia on that V11 powered Quota, beer in hand, big smile and happy to be there. He was probably too drunk to remember me, but the words he expressed hung large with most of us.

Steve

 

Oh dear! 'Beer in Hand', probably NOT what Piaggio corporate would want. I have a feeling that Plaid and shriner membership is more their boat

 

Pete

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

The Canadian M.G. dealers have to deal with their own version of Piaggio USA, called Scooter Canada, bunch of clueless salesmen. Dealers here are spending alot of time shaking their heads.

 

One of the dealers here in BC may not be a dealer anymore. Fed up with receiving the wrong parts over and over again.

[callison]

Some yahoo at Piggio looked at the sales statistics for the Houston area and came to the erroneous conclusion that the Houston area was a hot market for Guzzis and a second dealer there would further expand sales. Of course, same yahoo completely overlooked the fact that a good dealer with good service and an ability to cut through the warranty crap and make the system work is going to sell bikes. So, MPH winds up getting their market share cut and probably had to take on the warranty repairs of the other dealership as well since the new dealer would be unlikely to have the same sort of knowledge and skills as Mike and Todd. Warranty work is a money losing portion of the business and to have your sales cut but warranty work increase is a death knell for a low margin endeavor like selling Moto Guzzis. I bought my Norge from MPH, I don't know who or where my future service will be at but I should probably count myself as lucky that my bike is no longer under warranty thus giving me the choice where to spend my service dollars. It's a bit of a haul to MPH (500 miles) but I have a brother near there, so I've combined the trip in the past and likely will again.

[Steve G.]

One of the dealers here in BC may not be a dealer anymore. Fed up with receiving the wrong parts over and over again.

Dare I say the good one???

Steve

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

Dare I say the good one???

Steve

 

I'll be visiting today to see if things have ben patched up or botched beyond repair.

 

Jim

[al_roethlisberger]

What a shame. MPH has always been such an official and grass-roots supporter of MG products.... it's a real blow to the community and brand.

 

Sorry to hear their hand was forced. I'm certain they made this decision under duress.

 

Al

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

I'll be visiting today to see if things have ben patched up or botched beyond repair.

 

Moto Guzzi still alive in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. Looks like the problems are being addressed. Many glitches with parts orders but assurances that the problem is being rectified.

[Skeeve]

Some yahoo at Piggio looked at the sales statistics for the Houston area and came to the erroneous conclusion that the Houston area was a hot market for Guzzis and a second dealer there would further expand sales. Of course, same yahoo completely overlooked the fact that a good dealer with good service and an ability to cut through the warranty crap and make the system work is going to sell bikes. So, MPH winds up getting their market share cut and probably had to take on the warranty repairs of the other dealership as well since the new dealer would be unlikely to have the same sort of knowledge and skills as Mike and Todd. Warranty work is a money losing portion of the business and to have your sales cut but warranty work increase is a death knell for a low margin endeavor like selling Moto Guzzis. I bought my Norge from MPH, I don't know who or where my future service will be at but I should probably count myself as lucky that my bike is no longer under warranty thus giving me the choice where to spend my service dollars. It's a bit of a haul to MPH (500 miles) but I have a brother near there, so I've combined the trip in the past and likely will again.

 

I'm just curious: why is Piaggio pursuing a policy of fractionating existing markets instead of opening up new ones? Dallas is as large a metropolis as Houston: does it have a Guzzi dealership already? What about Austin or San Antonio? Shreveport, LA?

 

How stupid do you have to be to piss off one of your halo dealerships while you've been losing dealerships left & right for the past couple years?

 

Someone needs to go back to B-school, or better yet, just fired outright so they can go to the best school of all, that of Hard Knocks! <_>

[Steve G.]

Moto Guzzi still alive in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. Looks like the problems are being addressed. Many glitches with parts orders but assurances that the problem is being rectified.

 

This is good news. I like Gordie.

Steve

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

Hey! The word is that they are going to be proactive on the problems!! All is well and I WILL get my Stelvio someday!

 

My V11 is being sorted for the sensor problem today and Gord wants to sell Guzzis. They are looking at getting some pseudo Army/ Guzzi jackets in that may or may not be cool. If they are cool - I want one!

 

This is the jacket I want! Guzzi Bomber

[Steve G.]

Hey! The word is that they are going to be proactive on the problems!! All is well and I WILL get my Stelvio someday!

 

My V11 is being sorted for the sensor problem today and Gord wants to sell Guzzis. They are looking at getting some pseudo Army/ Guzzi jackets in that may or may not be cool. If they are cool - I want one!

 

This is the jacket I want! Guzzi Bomber

 

Actually, I kind of like that jacket. I'd want to see the retail on that thing, considering we regularly see 50-60$ t-shirts at local Guzzi shops.

 

What's this sensor problem on your V11? Anything other owners should be looking at?

Steve

[sullvarni]

Dare I say the good one???

Steve

 

Dare i ask who,i'm in B.C. also though a little further north than you i think,near Smithers,i'm planning a trip across to Ontario

later this year and will probably get a service done before i leave,no M.G. dealers up here of course,there are two in the Okanagan,Kamloops and Kalowna,does any one know anything about these?

 

Went to the one in the valley on the way out of Van after i purchased my V11,the guy out front was real snotty,the guy out back was great,the chap i bought the bike off said he did'nt care for British Italian Motorcycles on Powel st for what ever reason any info you can give would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks Stu.

[Steve G.]

Dare i ask who,i'm in B.C. also though a little further north than you i think,near Smithers,i'm planning a trip across to Ontario

later this year and will probably get a service done before i leave,no M.G. dealers up here of course,there are two in the Okanagan,Kamloops and Kalowna,does any one know anything about these?

 

Went to the one in the valley on the way out of Van after i purchased my V11,the guy out front was real snotty,the guy out back was great,the chap i bought the bike off said he did'nt care for British Italian Motorcycles on Powel st for what ever reason any info you can give would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks Stu.

 

I'll try to explain Metro Vancouver's 2 dealers while straddling the centre of the fence, as I see it.

First off, both dealers, Valley MG/Yamaha in Chilliwack, and British Italian in downtown Vancouver, definitely have little time of each other. When you are both battling over a decidedly little piece of pie, it's understandable. Add to that the fact there's a landmark dealer just 100 miles down the road in Seattle, offering way better parts and accessory availability and prices, better knowledge, and except for the mechanical experience of the mechanic @ Valley, a way better service and parts situation. Gordie at Valley is definitely monotone by character, which could arguably be considered as snotty. Those who know him realize he's actually a quiet humble guy, what you see is what you get. The staff @ BI are a different bunch of guys. Salesman Mike has his own style, like it or hate it, but hey, he continually sells more MG than anyone else in Canada. Charlie is, well, Charlie, gruff, full of sharpe edged comment on just about anything, but again underneath all that a decent guy. The mechanics out back are a good bunch of guys, but perhaps because they have to deal with a multiple range of machine makes, their skills may be slightly diluted across their range.

If I was going to ever get servicing done by someone other than me, I'd go to Valley. Wanting to get a deal on stuff, I'd talk to Greg @ MI in Seattle. Scooter Canada, the rep for MG in Canada, are frickin' idiots, and hamper the Canadian MG dealers by offering sorry assed parts back up, warranty backup, parts prices that are unbelievably too high, and show that they have no idea how the bike industry works.

A few years ago, I was at one of the shops, and was offered a bike crate, which I loaded into my truck. It was a month later I was checking it out when I noticed the delivery sheet, and there on the paper was the dealer cost of the machine, which was a Griso. This price was essentially 50% more than MI's full retail price. Now instead of adjusting the price to something considered by normal people as close to reality, they instead go about the task of manipulating the powers of Transport Canada to essentially forbid Canadian purchasers of MG's to buy any bikes out of the USA. For this, I say F### you Scooter Canada. I shall never buy a new MG in Canada as long as Scooter Canada is the importer.

Steve