The Irony Of It All!

[Steve G.]

Saturday morning as I write this, just home after picking up fencing supplies, and stopping by Chapters to check out the bike magazines. I opened up the June issue of Cycle Canada, an eastern Canadian mag, with fairly decent, but regionally scoped [read eastern Canada] coverage. Open the cover to the first page, and there is a full page advert of the Breva 1100. You know the one, the barefoot guy who looks like he's having a post sex snuggle astride the seat/tank of a red Breva.

The Irony?? As of May 20/06 as I write this, not only are there no new Guzzi models avaliable in Canada since spring of 2005, but they have yet to disclose to anyone, even the present dealers, who is going to be a dealer. Yet, they run a country wide advert campaign in the largest most read mag here!

The one difference I have noted through the decades I've been into bikes, the fact that while in our closest foreign country [uSA] the importers of each brand has basically a country branch of the home company. Canadian distribution has always been, and in Piaggio's/Moto Guzzi's case here, been relegated to a specific "marketing company" of general capability, that same company basically acting as an "area agent", with no specific skills in bike sales, but in general skills selling/distributing anything from liquor to food, to clothing.

It would seem they have nailed the timing exactly the same time Moto Guzzi arrived in Canada, in 2001, after a 20yr absence. It is now bike buying season here, people with money in hand ready to go, yet, as before, it appears we will not see anything made in Mandello until the fall of 2006, when the buying season is over. Absolutely bizzare!!

Ciao, Steve G.

[Guest Nogbad]

Pretty wasted.

 

It is a worse idea to advertise something that isn't available than to do no marketing at all. They will raise the profile of the brand and simply associate it in the mind of the punter with broken promises and unavailability.

 

Hopeless!

[callison]

This is why I now have a 2005 Ural Patrol instead of a Breva 1100. I had the money, but the USA deliveries slipped so many times that the money eventually burned a hole in my pocket. I'll never know if I made the best decision or not but at least the Ural won't fall over on the @#$^%(* gravel road to my house.

[DeBenGuzzi]

Pretty wasted.

 

It is a worse idea to advertise something that isn't available than to do no marketing at all. They will raise the profile of the brand and simply associate it in the mind of the punter with broken promises and unavailability.

 

Hopeless!   

89774[/snapback]

THAT didn't work for excelsior-henderson

[DeBenGuzzi]

This is why I now have a 2005 Ural Patrol instead of a Breva 1100. I had the money, but the USA deliveries slipped so many times that the money eventually burned a hole in my pocket. I'll never know if I made the best decision or not but at least the Ural won't fall over on the @#$^%(* gravel road to my house.

89781[/snapback]

shoulda got a Ulysses

[Guest Nogbad]

Sad to say this but in 10 years time I doubt there will be a Guzzi or a Ducati, never mind the rest of the rag tag European bike makers.

 

The truth is that the nannying safety police have the EU in thrall, and increasing legislation like stricter licensing, chips in vehicles etc will mean no new bikers. Most bikers I know are aged 40 - 60 with the majority around 50. When our generation hangs up its collective helmet biking will be consigned to history.

 

I can't see that happening in the States yet where there is still a healthier attiude to risk and the individual's responsibility for his own death, so I can see H-D being the last volume bike maker on earth. They just have to wait long enough. Even BMW will be stuffed.

 

Also, cometh the apocalypse, a Harley is probably simple enough to convert to run on corn alcohol. Try finding a working BMW ECU after a nuclear strike....

 

Damn - Call me Ratchethack!

[DeBenGuzzi]

Sad to say this but in 10 years time I doubt there will be a Guzzi or a Ducati, never mind the rest of the rag tag European bike makers.

 

The truth is that the nannying safety police have the EU in thrall, and increasing legislation like stricter licensing, chips in vehicles etc will mean no new bikers. Most bikers I know are aged 40 - 60 with the majority around 50. When our generation hangs  up its collective helmet biking will be consigned to history.

 

I can't see that happening in the States yet where there is still a healthier attiude to  risk and the individual's responsibility for his own death, so I can see H-D being the last volume bike maker on earth. They just have to wait long enough. Even BMW will be stuffed.

 

Also, cometh the apocalypse, a Harley is probably simple enough to convert to run on corn alcohol. Try finding a working BMW ECU after a nuclear strike....

 

Damn - Call me Ratchethack!

89788[/snapback]

well then youll see a lot of old guzzi's around too like cuba and their buicks I can see your point laverda...gone...mv gone back and now probably on the way out...well I could go on for days there are so many but I think youre over looking one that will survive the end like cockroaches and twinkies.....honda! I could see suzuki and kawai taking a dive but honda has such a strong foothold worldwide. HD would take a lot to kill in the states but they almost died 20 years ago so who really knows