The Guzzista are hilarious. I got sucked in by the story of the journey to the arctic circle. If I weren't of Norwegian descent, I wouldn't have fallen so foolishly. I owned my Norge for 3 months, and that was all I could stand. 3000 miles of fun, drama, mystery, adventure, and heartburn. I was glad to be get it, and I was gladder to be done with it. I usually have 3 to 5 bikes in the garage, so the Norge's drama wasn't ever a show stopper for me.... just for the Norge.
For someone who has lusted after a Guzzi, I'm curious what the problems were with the Norge?
There's not enough room here for the list, but here are a few of the highlights. I do hate to hijack the thread though.
1. Dealer said bike had sight glass for oil checking (it does not). To check oil you have to remove three covers with brittle tabs, its a 20 minute tedious job.... or you can buy Noel Cassidy's dip stock removal tool and flex the fairing to get the dipstick out through the opening at the head.
2. Dealer said he had Axone diagnostic tools, which Guzzi requires for service of their current models. He did not. Not only didn't he have Axone, I would bet that fewer than half the dealers have it. I called every dealer from Tennessee to Maine last summer trying to get my throttle position sensor reset. I found maybe 3 or 4 dealers in 1300 miles who had the gear, and of these only one (Seacoast Sportcycle in Derry, NH) who could work me in.
3. Since dealer didn't have Axone to do correct service, dealer fudged around with attempted mechanical solutions to electrical problems.
4. Right side turn signal lens was ordered with correct part numbers. Correctly numbered bag arrived, with left side lens inside. Parts manager said "Oh, we've seen this before. I'll order the left side, and it will contain the right side part." Sure enough, he was right.
5. Moto Guzzi specs Agip 10W60 4T full synthetic for the oil. No one carries it. I finally got a case from the importer in Connecticutt.
6. Moto Guzzi says they offer 24/7 roadside service.... but they don't send any follow up after the sale, and they don't make it easy to get the number. I don't know what would happen if you called the number. Reports from others who needed the service were generally poor.
7. There is a wire in the headlamp that gets melted causing shutdown without warning. Some folks had this happen at 80 mph in the left lane.
8. There are a handful of excellent dealers who are out there on their own supporting this marque. Seacoast is one. MPH in Houston is another. Steelhorse Classics in the Williamsburg, VA area is another. If you call the dealers on the Piaggio USA Moto Guzzi web site, a large percentage of them will say "I'm sorry, but we don't carry Moto Guzzi anymore."
9. The Norge rear suspension is way too soft, so that it scrapes with only mildly aggressive riding two up.
10. When I wanted to trade the Norge on an 08 BMW at the BMW/Moto Guzzi/Ducati dealer where I bought it, the owner blew off our appointment and sent his son to deal with me. The deal was "No, we don't get many calls for the Norge any more. I wouldn't want to take it in trade." This was from the selling dealer, and I wasn't even asking for him to take a bath... I expected to take the bath myself. I ended up at BMW of Daytona Beach where I was treated excellently.
11. Norge has serious chronic decel popping issues. It bothers the daylights out of a lot of the pillion passengers.
12. The Norge is advertised with 95 hp, but I don't know where they find it. Maybe indicated hp. It isn't brake hp. I doubt that it delivers 70 to the rear wheel.
13. The heated grips had a reputation for failing if you used them.
14. The rotors had a reputation for warping if you really grabbed a handful of front brake.
15. They come from the factory with out of spec TPS so they can pass emissions. This affects the access to the whole fuel map.
16. The seat was horrid.
17. Trying to get the onboard computer display to change to set things like clock, reset mpg, etc. was a hit or miss operation. The buttons worked correctly about a third of the time.
18. You can't see the display very well under a lot of lighting conditions.
19. The electric windshield adjustment mechanism had a terrible reputation for failing with very minimal use.
20. I know there's more, but I sold it early last November, and I've distanced myself quite a bit. I've had three new bikes since then. Two of them have gotten to stay. No bike I have EVER owned has distinguished itself like the Norge. What an expensive POS.
Moto Guzzi is the Harley Davidson of Italy. Its the oldest continuously manufactured Italian marque, and they're still doing air/oil cooled twins. Function always follows form with both companies. You buy a Moto Guzzi and become a member of the Guzzista Apologista, or you move on. I moved on. Life's too short to be making excuses all the time for why this or that on your bike doesn't work like its supposed to.
In fairness, I should also say something good about the Norge. It was a very pretty bike with an unusual appearance.
