BlaRo
Little Nudger
As many of you here know, I bought a Moto Guzzi V7 on March 29th. It had 11,000 miles. When I bought the bike, it had just undergone a full service 100 miles ago, including full valve adjust and oil change. It then sat for over a month.
When I bought it, the bike wouldn't idle - it would shut off when the throttle was closed. The dealer agreed to repair and deliver it for free.
Eventually, they diagnosed it (half a week later) as needing a new ECU. A week and a half passed while it shipped from Italy.
They put the new ECU in, and discovered that it now won't rev above 2,000 RPM.
They told me this yesterday...after I called them. (They've been nice so far but their communication has been crappy; usually I call them first.) The mechanic I spoke with had been calling a Moto Guzzi certified factory tech in Orange County (probably this one) for help on how to install the ECU, and diagnosing the new fault. He was being incredibly vague about it. "I can give you a list of 20 things I checked, but you won't have time for that." Well no, I do want that list.
Now the bike is being repaired "indefinitely" and I won't know when I'll hear from them again.
While I never expected my Guzzi to be Honda-esque, there's the lingering concern that I'll have an especially unreliable Italian bike - moreso than usual, if that can be believed. I've never been terribly good at electrics, and the idea of patching up a crackling wiring harness in the middle of a weekend tour is enough to miss my catankerous Honda (which I sold last year, for those of you playing along).
I am (trying to be) a patient man and I understand that the dealer is very busy, but if my bike turns out to be a lemon from the start then I should consider my options. Should I call the dealer and demand they throw in an extended warranty for free? Should I return the bike and get back my down payment? Should I take it to an independent shop and verify the repairs? (I imagine the tech might have spoken to the guy from that shop, in fact.)
I was really hoping to get it back this weekend and ride it.
When I bought it, the bike wouldn't idle - it would shut off when the throttle was closed. The dealer agreed to repair and deliver it for free.
Eventually, they diagnosed it (half a week later) as needing a new ECU. A week and a half passed while it shipped from Italy.
They put the new ECU in, and discovered that it now won't rev above 2,000 RPM.
They told me this yesterday...after I called them. (They've been nice so far but their communication has been crappy; usually I call them first.) The mechanic I spoke with had been calling a Moto Guzzi certified factory tech in Orange County (probably this one) for help on how to install the ECU, and diagnosing the new fault. He was being incredibly vague about it. "I can give you a list of 20 things I checked, but you won't have time for that." Well no, I do want that list.
Now the bike is being repaired "indefinitely" and I won't know when I'll hear from them again.
While I never expected my Guzzi to be Honda-esque, there's the lingering concern that I'll have an especially unreliable Italian bike - moreso than usual, if that can be believed. I've never been terribly good at electrics, and the idea of patching up a crackling wiring harness in the middle of a weekend tour is enough to miss my catankerous Honda (which I sold last year, for those of you playing along).
I am (trying to be) a patient man and I understand that the dealer is very busy, but if my bike turns out to be a lemon from the start then I should consider my options. Should I call the dealer and demand they throw in an extended warranty for free? Should I return the bike and get back my down payment? Should I take it to an independent shop and verify the repairs? (I imagine the tech might have spoken to the guy from that shop, in fact.)
I was really hoping to get it back this weekend and ride it.
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