Problem: no problems!

[RichMaund]

I believe Mike said it best.

And I'll add that I have had Yamaha switchgear catch fire at a redlight in traffic. I have had a Honda clutch slave cylinder lose it's seal and suddenly puke brake fluid all over the case. (Does wonders for engine paint!) I have had a old Kawasaki triple spit a muffler core outta it's pipe like a shot from a mortar! I have had to repair a Yamaha starter in a frozen parking lot at 1 in the morning after a tiring swing shift at a shipyard. Don't even get me started about my old B-M-W's instrument beating it's tach needle clean off on a cold day or the electrical gremlins that plaqued it through three years of ownership.

I could on and on. In fact, I usually do.

I don't care who makes it, if it has an engine and wheels it WILL drive you nuts at times. The key is to focus on the positive factors and work through the BS stuff as efficiently as possible.

When the BS gets too thick and frustrating, move to another machine to get some different BS going for you for a while. I have found that simply changing the things that annoy you from time to time make them easier to deal with.

 

Perhaps you're ready for a early 1990's Ural now?

 

I've owned and worked on 25 bikes over the years including 12 Guzzi's. The Guzzi's universally had more bugs in them when new due to lazy and ignorant plant workers doing the assembly. I have no solution there. Trying to get unionized Italian factory workers to "work" must be alot like trying to herd cats. But the bugs in all my Guzzi's were easily overcome by good dealer and owner mechanical skills and once sorted, the bikes were very satisfying to own and ride. I did step up and buy 12 of them over the years after all!

 

Taking a longer perspective on things often helps in these situations. Having the weather warm up so you can ride more and not go stir crazy helps as well! I just tell myself that Spring is just around the corner!

[jrt]

I'll paraphrase Rich, who was paraphrasing Mike.

If you've got a bike, you've got bike trouble.

Personally, I still advocate panicking...seems to work most of the time

J

[Guest Buck]

With regard to the comment about all manufacturers having issues I do agree. They all do. But Moto-Guzzi has PROBLEMS! I happen to share Captain Nemo's view to a certain degree, and I am beyond frustrated with MGNA. I'll explain:

 

I've been riding for 30 years and have owned 17 motorcycles and 3 quads, manufactured between 1972-2004. The manufacturers include all of the Japanese big 4, Harley-Davidson, Buell, Moto-Guzzi, and BMW. In addition I have 20 years in the auto biz as a Master Tech under my belt, and after becoming disabled from a work related injury I now have appx 2 years experience as Service Manager for a Harley-Davidson dealership. Motorcycles are my life. I don't tell you all of this to toot my own horn, but rather for you to make your own determination of whether or not the opinion I am about to offer is valid. I hope you find that it is.

 

First, a couple of statistics based on my own ownership experience. The most reliable bike I ever owned was a 1993 Honda Shadow 1100, purchased new. Nothing ever broke and the bike never even hiccupped, but that may be an unfair basis of judgement because I sold the bike with only a few thousand miles on it. Typical of Honda it was a bland, milk-toast riding experience. No excitement. Other than that the most reliable bike I've ever owned that I actually put some real miles on was a 1981 Suzuki GS 450, purchased new. It ate 1 shift shaft seal and the valve adjustment interval was too frequent, but it was a great bike nonetheless. And now the big shocker: All of the Harleys I've owned have been great! The grand total of failures on 3 different models was 1 leaking rocker box gasket on my 1998 Wide Glide.

 

Surprisingly my 2000 BMW R1100 RT was not as reliable as BMW's reputation suggests it should have been, with a broken driveshaft at 5,000 miles, a leaking oil sight glass later on, a rear end pivot bearing failure, and a plugged carbon canister. I sold that bike last June with 41,000 wonderful miles on it and I don't regret 1 second of ownership. Compared to Moto-Guzzi BMW is a stand up company that cares about it's customers much more than Moto-Guzzi, although certainly not as much as the Japanese big 4. Regardless the ownership experience was good enough that the RT was replaced with another BMW that has been great so far. Ditto with my girlfriend's BMW. Perfect!

 

Also in the garage is a 2003 Buell XB-9 Lightning that has had 1 oil pressure switch fail, and a drive belt that was cracking prematurely in 10,000 hard miles over 5 months. It's been a great bike so far and the ownership experience has been good enough to replace it with a 2004 Buell XB-12 this coming spring. I equivolate Buell to Moto-Guzzi in some respects because both companies have a period of poor quality and near-extinction in their past. Buell stepped up to the plate with the XB series and has really built a great bike that no longer has any major repetitive problems across the board. Moto-Guzzi has made improvements in build quality to fix well known problems, but now it seems there are some new problem areas based on information I've read.

 

And now we come to the Moto-Guzzi experience. I always thought they were odd and never had any desire to own one. But a year and a half ago I was out for a ride one afternoon and happened across the dealer. I took a LeMans out for a demo ride and was instantly sold. The bike had so much character. It wasn't the fastest or best handling bike I'd ever ridden, but it was just plain fun. I bought one 3 days later.

 

I won't bore you with all of the details except to say it spent just shy of 6 months in the shop during my first 9 months of ownership. It is hands down the worst, most unreliable motorcycle I've ever owned, having left me stranded 3 different times in less than 3,000 miles. Moto-Guzzi has spent over $4000.00 in warranty work trying to make it right, with no success.

 

You may try to rationalize this situation by calling it a lemon. It must be an isolated case, right? Read the internet. There are plenty of them out there from 2000-2003 that would clearly and legaly qualify as lemons. Yet in my mind that's still ok as long as the manufacturer steps up and handles the problem professionally. 20 years of wrenching taught me that no one turns out a perfect vehicle. There are always engineering oversights, unexpected failures, etc. The real test is the manufacturer's ability to invoke damage control procedures and keep the customer riding their product. When I called MGNA to discuss my issues, "just ride it" was the sage advice offered by them. I couldn't believe it. I contacted my state Attorney General's office. They reviewed the case and came to the conclusion that I had one of the most extreme cases of Lemon-Law they had ever seen. They contacted MGNA several times on my behalf. MGNA dragged their heels for several months. Finally MGNA did what they should have done in the beginning if they wanted to keep me as a customer. They offered a replacement motorcycle. But by this point I was so pissed and had lost so much faith in the product that I told them I wanted a refund instead, which is my right to ask for under the law. They refused and won themselves a trip through the court system. We're still in process and I don't know how it will turn out, but I am determined to see it through regardless of cost. I think MGNA needs to learn that lesson.

 

Thank God I have other bikes to ride. Hopefully the rest of you don't have the severity of issues that I have had, and hopefully you are getting them dealt with in a timely manner. No bike is worth that kind of hassle, frustration, and cost, regardless of how "fun" it might be. It's not fun when you can't ride it.

 

I once thought I might re-consider owning another Guzzi in a few years if Aprillia gets them sorted out. But this whole thing has gotten so ridiculous that I won't even own an Aprillia at this point, despite the fact that I think the Tuono has to be the most incredible naked bike ever built.

 

So in conclusion I agree, all manufacturers can have issues. But MGNA has a lot to learn if they expect to survive in the U.S. market. They seem to forget that we have lots of choices. Thank God we do.

[Guest captain nemo]

Thanks Buck, you lay the case out very well. I, too, have owned two new Harleys which gave me zero trouble. I do tend to have good karma when it comes to bikes, but I am quite aware of the experience others have and notice it. I also came very close to buying the new Buell 1200 Firebolt. I still may in a couple years. Buell has really stepped up, and if they make just a couple more changes with that bike, I will be ready for it. Frankly, I bought another Guzz because I am sort of addicted to the way it shakes. Now I want customer service and a company I can be proud of. I'll tell ya, I am also the happy owner of a brand new Toyota. You talk about customer satisfaction! Now there's a company with an outstanding product and peerless company support - and service with a smile. If only they could all do that!

[gthyni]

wow...

 

Harley and quality in the same context?

At least a few years ago Harleys fell to pieces just by looking at them.

 

All mechanical things have issues, and it seems most Guzzi issues is

due to MGNA (in America) and incompetent dealers.

If Aprilia integrated the MG service/dealer organisation into the their main

organisation most people should be happier.

 

Having to bleed the rear brake system once is the only trouble I have had

with 2001 V11. That was before they started to paint the engines for no good

reason. My friends black Yamaha engine has turned dark grey, looks more like

dirt then black today.

[al_roethlisberger]

...yes MGNA seems to be "the" major problem, but once out of warrantee that's sorta a moot point

 

But I do agree that we all wish the QA was a bit better, but also to Rich's point, excluding the rare major defects, once an owner sorts out the gremlins themselves during the first few months of tinkering, the bikes seem to generally be solid.

 

I have no faith in most dealers to however find and exterminate said gremlins though. In fact, every time I take the bike to the dealer, I cringe about what new ding or other problem will arise. In fact, I just bought a whole package of Polaroid film to document the bike before sending it in for the engine case replacement.

 

Anyway, it appears they've sacked a whole load of folks at MGNA including the head honcho, so perhaps we'll be lucky enough that they'll be replaced with people who care. Time will tell...

 

al

[Guest captain nemo]

Yes, It’s really a time for all of us to cross our fingers and hope the best. I really still feel hope for the Marque. This may be the very thing that finally turns the company around.

 

Also, you are right about dealers, Al. Most people have to suffer a dealer who is not exactly in the know. That is why this forum is invaluable, and particularly your contribution to it. Really, your thorough observations, mods and preventatives have saved many of us from addition problems. You are a rich resource of Guzzi enthusiasm. Thanks.