Deja Vu All Over Again

Donk said:
"If you don't have access to the group knowledge or a quality dealer, you could be in for a very dissatisfying experience if you get a less than well manufactured bike."

It seems that all brands have challenges and just because they have dealer in your area does not mean they do good work. I like Yamaha but the local dealer about chased me out of the brand. You pay your money and you take your chances.
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Yes that's true. I'm loving my V85! I'm somewhat luckier than most Guzzi owners, I have a dealer about 25 mile from home. Never needed them for anything other than a couple spare parts I wanted. But for some reason I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling when I'm there. But, I don't get one at my nearest Honda dealer either.
 
I own a MG Norge and a ST1300. They are different ends of the sport touring spectrum. They do share a similar ergo for the rider, but substantially different for the passenger. Mrs. Spare much prefers the ST. The suspension is better for two up riding as well. But the MG is noticeably more nimble and quicker acceleration. I prefer riding the MG when I am by myself, particularly when confronted with tight curvy roads. It's also easier to act like an idiot while riding the MG.

Fortunately the ST is agile enough to enjoy those same roads and because I prefer to ride with Mrs. Spare than without it fits us very well. Horses for courses as they say.

Another thing, the only reason I bought a Honda is I am waiting for parts for the Guzzi. Now that I have it and Mrs. Spare likes it so much the MG may be on its way out.
 
Sparebiker said:
I own a MG Norge and a ST1300. They are different ends of the sport touring spectrum. They do share a similar ergo for the rider, but substantially different for the passenger. Mrs. Spare much prefers the ST. The suspension is better for two up riding as well. But the MG is noticeably more nimble and quicker acceleration. I prefer riding the MG when I am by myself, particularly when confronted with tight curvy roads. It's also easier to act like an idiot while riding the MG.

Fortunately the ST is agile enough to enjoy those same roads and because I prefer to ride with Mrs. Spare than without it fits us very well. Horses for courses as they say.

Another thing, the only reason I bought a Honda is I am waiting for parts for the Guzzi. Now that I have it and Mrs. Spare likes it so much the MG may be on its way out.
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In another life I was the parts manager in a multi-brand motorcycle dealership with Honda, Triumph, and Piaggio Vespas, Aprilias Moto Guzzi's. Piaggio did not go out of their way one bit to support dealers with parts support. We had current model bikes waiting for weeks, even months for parts. When the parts finally came you might have ordered one of something and got 10, or ordered 10 and got one. That was then and apparently it still is the same way.
 
I found Norge parts readily available if you know where to look. None of the manufacturers are great about parts anymore. Yamaha orders x number of part 100Y and when they're gone you wait until the next batch gets ordered. May be in 6 months or a year. The current tariff bs isn't helping either whether from Japan or from Europe.
 
On a positive note it is interesting the improvements they made without telling anyone. My earlier bike had steering locks that let the front end turn about as far as on a Superbike. It made U turns and parking lot maneuvers harder than it should have been. On the new bike the steering locks allow for a much greater turn angle of the front end hence much better low speed maneuverability. Nice! and before anyone asks no the stops are not adjustable.
 
dduelin said:
In another life I was the parts manager in a multi-brand motorcycle dealership with Honda, Triumph, and Piaggio Vespas, Aprilias Moto Guzzi's. Piaggio did not go out of their way one bit to support dealers with parts support. We had current model bikes waiting for weeks, even months for parts. When the parts finally came you might have ordered one of something and got 10, or ordered 10 and got one. That was then and apparently it still is the same way.
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I can't say for the other brands but Guzzi in Italy takes their sweet time. I was doing a little project and needed parts that were very seldom ordered. The parts department actually called me to verify the number was the part I actually wanted. The ordered parts that come in a little dusty bag with part number and manufacture date. A couple of the parts were made back in the teens. They are not in a hurry to get them to you. If the dealer or the US warehouse (if there is one) doesn't have it, it has to come across the ocean, usually on a boat. On top of that they probably wait until a container (sea can) is full before the ship it. Back in the late 80's, from Jacksonville, Fl. to France was a 30 day boat ride. A shorter time could be had but at a greater cost.
 
All this lore is interesting and I am sure parts can be a problem but a couple of years ago I needed breather tubes for the Norge. Remember at the time the bike had been out of production for 8 years. There were no breather tubes available in the US, had to be ordered from Italy. Within 2 weeks I think more like 10 days they were at my house in WI. Of course the bike and I were in FL but that was on me. The world has gotten smaller. Getting parts from overseas isn't the ordeal it once was. I ordered a Wings exhaust for the KTM and had it from Europe in 5 days via DHL. Then again I admit sometimes Europe has a different sense of urgency than we do. Maybe we could learn from it?

All brands have their struggles. Go to Honda and try ordering parts for an ST1100 or 1300. It will be very hit and miss. My friend threw Honda out of his dealership because they were so bad on denying warranty claims. When Yamaha had the sixth gear recall on the FJR it could be up to 6 months before they had parts to do a bike. The list could go on and on for every brand. I have no illusions that Piaggio won't leave me hanging for some part at some point. I just don't think they are significantly worse than all the others anymore.
 
Donk said:
On a positive note it is interesting the improvements they made without telling anyone.
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If my short-term memory is working correctly, you recently owned a Goldwing and seem to have experience with a variety of bikes. I'm wondering what the intended purpose is for the V100? It's a beautiful bike to look at and I'm sure fun to ride, but did you buy it to tour, do day rides, commute, etc.? I could see myself owning one for all those reasons, but I would also want to be able to do multi-day solo touring in comfort. Having owned a Norge do you think the V100 can do multi-day tours in comfort? (I'm 5'10" with a 30" inseam if you think that impacts the ergo factor). Thanks
 
The V100 really will be a multi roll bike. I did tour on the first one and found it excellent. I intend to tour on this one too. I like taking day rides on it and it's great for overnight trips. Bike is a blast in the twisties. I did one 1144 mile in 20 hour MA to WI run on the first one too. Was cold and windy on that trip and the bike was fine. The V100 is sort of the Goldilocks bike for me, the right size with the right amount of weather protection. That varies for all of us but for me the V100 hits the nail on the head. The V100 has more leg room than the Norge and is about equal in how upright the seating position is. My guess it's at least 100lbs lighter. Once upon a time when I had an FJR I wanted a lighter bike that was more modern in design but not encumbered with more tech than I needed. Took a lot of false starts, I mean a lot of false starts but I'm pretty smitten by the V100. I was with the first one too so this is nothing new. We'll see how it goes.
 
Donk said:
The V100 really will be a multi roll bike. I did tour on the first one and found it excellent. I intend to tour on this one too. I like taking day rides on it and it's great for overnight trips. Bike is a blast in the twisties. I did one 1144 mile in 20 hour MA to WI run on the first one too. Was cold and windy on that trip and the bike was fine. The V100 is sort of the Goldilocks bike for me, the right size with the right amount of weather protection. That varies for all of us but for me the V100 hits the nail on the head. The V100 has more leg room than the Norge and is about equal in how upright the seating position is. My guess it's at least 100lbs lighter. Once upon a time when I had an FJR I wanted a lighter bike that was more modern in design but not encumbered with more tech than I needed. Took a lot of false starts, I mean a lot of false starts but I'm pretty smitten by the V100. I was with the first one too so this is nothing new. We'll see how it goes.
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I thought you owned a V100 before this one. Am I mistaken for another model MG?
 
dduelin said:
I thought you owned a V100 before this one. Am I mistaken for another model MG?
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Both! I had a '23 V100 and now have a '24. I also had a Norge until it fell off a tow truck on its way back to the dealer after the dealer messed up on service work.
 
I thought that was a pretty accurate review. Interestingly enough I set the flaps or wind deflectors to off before yesterday's ride. At 90 degrees air temp and 60mph you can definitely notice the increased airflow. Otherwise I do agree with most of the review. The bike has a very solid feel to it. Thanks for posting. Nice to read something positive.
 
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