Tell me what you know about the Guzzi 1400's

Thinking of an 2016 Eldorado, while I wait for Module Masters to develop a fix for my TWO iABS failed servo pumps....grrrr....

Anyone ride one ?

The little experience I've had with the newer Guzzi's, the issue seemed to be the availability of parts.

The shop I worked at serviced a few and the parts manager and I knew each other forcyears and she said it was very challenging to get things. She would quote a price, then automatically use the dealer locator to tell me what dealer had it in stock .

I asked why she wouldn't just order it and her answer was that parts would be sometimes quite a wait and communicating with MG was just well, bad.

But no matter what the bike. I always suggest checking to see what the cost would be to run one 12k and 24k miles. Call a dealer and see about care and feeding.

I've seen a decent dealer rob a new bike in stock for parts so that parts availability might be something to research. Getting parts for old Moto Guzzis' isn't much of a problem though. Sorry I too can't report on riding this new king size Guzzi. The newest I've ridden was a 1200 Norge and it was nice.

I have owned a 2007 Norge since new, have put 50K on the bike, very solid. I have ridden a 1400 California. Wonderful bike. Dealer network is dismal. Getting more scarce all the time. Damn shame, it seems MGNA is miserable for their dealers to do business with. If you have a good dealer, or if, like me you are a mechanic and do your own work, the modern Guzzis are a great bike.

like me you are a mechanic and do your own work

I resemble that remark.

I have BTW found a few well established dealers that have been reliable for getting parts for my now vintage 86' model like MG Cycle for one example. There is a long time Moto Guzzi Owners Club in the US as well. MGNOC

Thanks guys, your thoughts are aligning with what I have found out and researched. I have a dealer 20 miles away, and he has only returned my email once in 4 tries. Might be an attitude I do not want to deal with. My concerns are mostly around warranty support if needed, after that, would do as much work as possible on my own. Never owned a cruiser, and the Eldo 1400 seems to be a bit of a sporty one, so perfect for me. Thanks for the web pages.

I know very little about them. There was a MG/Triumph dealership here ten years ago. I never got the nerve to ask for a demo ride. I do know it is one of the few brands I've never ridden. I've lusted over the Griso or the Norge repeatedly. Good luck.

I have a 2013 Norge and use AF1 Racing in Austin, Tx. AF1 has been a good parts source. They do a lot of parts shipping for Guzzi.

Regards,

Ron C.

Guzzis are awesome! So much character and soul (the opposite of the cold, clinical BMW feel.) But yes, the dealer network is very crappy indeed. The closest one to me was an hour away, and just went belly up. Now it's 3 hours. Luckily, my Guzzi is only my occasional Sunday bike, so I only put on about 400-500 miles a year on it. Don't need much service at that rate.

-MKL

Guzzi has always been a hard sale because of the lack of horsepower. They are cute though

Guzzi has always been a hard sale because of the lack of horsepower. They are cute though

No lack of horsepower with a Cali 1400 thank you.

They are great, for the right situation.

For most, many, the typical rider, someone who wants parts, service, et al, not so much, IMO.

At the dealership we sold the same LeMans 4-5 times in 2-3 years.

Kept getting the beautiful bike back as a trade in when the new owner realized the reality of owning a Guzzi.

Not bashing.

We had a local place that rented out a variety of bikes, including a Norge.

It got thrashed and was never the same, or rentable after a while.

Other marques they had, no problem.

NIce looking, sound fun, Italian all good.

Italian service, parts, dealer network, etc, not good at all.

Objectively, the best bike of that type by a mile is the Ducati Diavel (the X-Diavel even has a belt drive). The question is, would you have one?

The Triumph Thunderbird might be worth a look.....

The little experience I've had with the newer Guzzi's, the issue seemed to be the availability of parts.

 

The shop I worked at serviced a few and the parts manager and I knew each other forcyears and she said it was very challenging to get things. She would quote a price, then automatically use the dealer locator to tell me what dealer had it in stock .

I asked why she wouldn't just order it and her answer was that parts would be sometimes quite a wait and communicating with MG was just well, bad.

 

But no matter what the bike. I always suggest checking to see what the cost would be to run one 12k and 24k miles. Call a dealer and see about care and feeding.

The problem with Italy is that they are the kings of red tape, legally/government and otherwise too. Everything takes a lot longer to accomplish. The motto is why put off tomorrow what you can put off to the day after tomorrow. India is worse. You have to bribe people to get things done or get out of trouble.

Objectively, the best bike of that type by a mile is the Ducati Diavel (the X-Diavel even has a belt drive). The question is, would you have one?

 

The Triumph Thunderbird might be worth a look.....

Good call John. The T-Bird is a great bike. Been discontinued so any new ones left are discounted big time. I love mine, have 38K on the clock with nothing but routine maintenance. And of course a new rear tire every 5K. The big bird does devour the rear tires. The LT model uses a narrower 16” rim so there are touring tires available for that model. STD birds have a 200/55 17 rear, no long lasting tires available.

I bought a '16 RT last year, mostly for summer touring, and a '16 MG Eldo this year, more for around-town. When I saw the Guzzi, I fell in love with it. It rides incredibly smooth interms of acceleration and tranny. It communicates every bump in the road, though. It turns heads like nothing I've ever had (except, perhaps, my R1200C). All that being said, I, like you, am hesitant about the reliability ahead of me. A couple weeks ago, I rode it to work (only about a quarter mile). When I went to take it to lunch, the front (brakes?) had seized, and the wheel would not turn. I had to have it towed. Oh, did I mention the bike has under 6k miles on it? It's been over two weeks and I have not heard from the dealer (although, in their defense, I stated I was not in a big hurry to get her back).