The truth about Moto Guzzi

For some reason, a number of people are actually considering buying their first Guzzi :-)

Happy Guzzi owners are fine ambassadors to the brand, so its important to all of us that the wannabees make what is the right choice for them. Even if it means that they'll go for another kind of bike.

This list of wisdom from long-term owners has its origin in a post in the Wildguzzi forum. The author; Daniel Kalal has allowed me to use his fine text.

This is what we believe is the truth about Moto Guzzi's

1. Moto Guzzi is not a bike for everybody.
   This means that if you plan to buy a new Guzzi, you should be thinking long-term ownership. When you are selling you'll have to be patient, or lower your price for a quick sale, because you wont find a buyer on every corner. You'll find that long-term Guzzi owners buy their bikes to ride and give no consideration to resale value. If you put 150,000 miles (or more) on a motorcycle, it hardly matters what it is worth, anyway. If you want to ride a well-known and popular motorcycle, there are several to choose from--just not from Moto Guzzi.
2. A Moto Guzzi is not fast.
   If 130 mph is scary-fast for you, then a Moto Guzzi can be made to go fast enough. But, there many much smaller motorcycles out there that can run circles around most any stock Moto Guzzi. A Moto Guzzi is plenty fast for what its owners want. Forget horsepower for a moment; the power delivery and overall feel of a Guzzi engine is what makes it enjoyable. A Guzzi is a very satisfying motorcycle, but if you want to win at the drag strip, or run with an R1, do not buy a Moto Guzzi.
3. There are not very many dealers.
   If you expect to find as many dealers as with Honda, then you will be very disappointed. What Guzzi does have, though, is a level of enthusiasm that makes up for some of this. Overall, the Guzzi dealers are the best bunch of people you'd ever want to meet in a motorcycle shop. It's not likely that anybody becomes a Guzzi dealer with the intent of getting rich. Consequently, they're far more likely to be enthusiasts, just like you, who are in it for the love of the sport.
4. Parts are not that difficult to find.
   While there are few dealers, if you are not close to one there are several very good shops that will be more than willing to work with you for the parts you need via mail-order. It may be surprising to know that compared to an equivalent year Honda (for instance) an older Guzzi will be much easier to get parts for.
5. The owner support network is amazingly strong.
   You'd be hard pressed to find a more eager and helpful bunch of owners willing to help you with any problem you have. There are many long-term Guzzi owners who are fanatical about the brand, and will what they can to keep yours going. Is there any other brand that has the equivalent of Dave Richardson's book “Guzziology”?
6. A Guzzi is easy to work on for most of the things that need working.
   Guzzi parts are robust and easy to work on. It's not hard to get to most of what you'll need to be working on, and the parts are generally well enough built that there are few throw-away things on the motorcycle.
7. A Guzzi is reliable.
   If you're squeamish about taking this obscure motorcycle on a long trip, don't be. These are very reliable motorcycles.
8. The Factory and Distributor support is not large.
   This is a small company. The total Guzzi sales in the United States are likely exceeded by just a couple of Honda dealerships. You will not find a multi-story office complex full of people in suits all working for Moto Guzzi. You'll find a handful of people doing their very best.

Thats it – now make your choice !

/Jens