Euro Cycle dealer; any good?

In my welcome [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], I admitted to my unbridled lust for a GRiSO. There are two local bikes for sale though, and through some interwebbing, I found one (or more) through Euro Cycle. They list one at both their Reno and their Sonoma locations. And for an attractive price, I might add.

However, after reading up a bit here in the Ghetto and talk to a local Guzzista, it sounds like they pile on the fees. My initial phoner with them seemed to be with a lead qualifier or biz dev skippy who was not the salesperson. They did mention that the bikes are 'leftovers.' Not sure what that means, but again doing some homework, sounds like they might be some bikes taken back from Moto Guzzi from some Euro dealers and re-equipped for sale here in the states, now that Euro 5 emissions are in effect. That sound right?

If I decide to go new and buy from this dealer, what can I expect? Are they reputable? What about the bikes; anything of note since they are most likely re-equipped and unsold European bikes?

Grazie!

Hello Bobcat, I got my GRiSO from their Reno branch. A new "leftover" 2013 from a Guzzi warehouse somewhere, it was a US spec model.

Yes they did want to pile on the fees. After a couple phone conversations and emails a price was agreed upon. To my surprise when the invoice arrived the fees remained but the cost of the GRiSO had been adjusted down. I had stated to the sales rep that I didn't care about the fees, I was just interested in the final price. Did I pay more than their advertised price, yes. Although removing shipping from the equation it was only a few hundred bucks more, still a good deal I thought. Long story short, I have a GRiSO, I'm happy with the experience.

Now, I received a little more education when I titled the GRiSO. Indiana charges sales tax on the final price of the vehicle. Including dealer set up, dealer freight, etc and shipping to final destination. Had I to do it again I'd ask for two invoices, one motorbike and the other "fees".

So, yeah, negotiate. Every deal is different.

ratso88 wrote:

Hello Bobcat, I got my GRiSO from their Reno branch. A new "leftover" 2013 from a Guzzi warehouse somewhere, it was a US spec model.

Yes they did want to pile on the fees. After a couple phone conversations and emails a price was agreed upon. To my surprise when the invoice arrived the fees remained but the cost of the GRiSO had been adjusted down. I had stated to the sales rep that I didn't care about the fees, I was just interested in the final price. Did I pay more than their advertised price, yes. Although removing shipping from the equation it was only a few hundred bucks more, still a good deal I thought. Long story short, I have a GRiSO, I'm happy with the experience.

Now, I received a little more education when I titled the GRiSO. Indiana charges sales tax on the final price of the vehicle. Including dealer set up, dealer freight, etc and shipping to final destination. Had I to do it again I'd ask for two invoices, one motorbike and the other "fees".

So, yeah, negotiate. Every deal is different.

Good stuff, thank you.

How were they to deal with when you were talking about the price of the bike and the fees? Open and transparent? Shifty? Just pushing the sale through?

I thought it was pretty straight forward. It was clear that the rep I was dealing with had no actual deal making power, each conversation had to go through a manager before any numbers were communicated to me. Once a verbal agreement was made I received an emailed PDF document to review, print, sign and send back with a check.

The strange part to me, still feels a little funny, was withdrawing money from my savings, getting the check and sending it (via UPS, union content) after nothing more than an internet add, couple phone calls and emails. Funny, modern world meets my trust issues.

GRiSO was delivered to my door some weeks later. All good

I'm just one guy with one experience and have read that not all Euro Cycle deals have gone as well. If at all.

I would advise: Do your homework. Shop around, see what the landscape looks like.

After further bump start of additional brain cells, I was dealing with their Las Vegas branch not Reno. Bike actually shipped out of Scottsdale AZ according to the driver making the deliveries.

Good luck with your search.

Much appreciated. Thank you.

I’m dealing with the branch in Sonoma. My idea is to do a fly and ride; catch a flight from Portland to SFO, hop a shuttle up to wine country, snag the bike, and take two days to ride back in this wonderful fall weather.

It sounds like they have four bikes on site in Las Vegas though they seem to want to charge me to shop up to the dealer in Sonoma. Lame.

I’m glad you mentioned the many levels of management. I’ve now talked with three different guys there most recently, the sales manager. Le sigh. Just give me one person with which to deal.

In any case, there are two used bikes for sale locally, so that helps. Though no opportunity to ride highway 101 and 1, and the redwoods.

I feel your pain with the layered sales approach. I'm a cash n carry guy with bikes and other toys. So yeah, just get me to the person I need to talk with.

A fly/ride to Vegas, or where ever they warehouse the bike, may be nice too. The weather going over the Sierra Nevada can be a very mixed bag this time of year. Redwoods are awesome. I spent many fine weekends riding and camping the Lost Coast.

If passing through San Fransisco for a beer hit Lucky 13 on Market by Church or the Tornado a couple blocks away on Haight near Fillmore. Couple decades ago lived in SF and they still represent the local Motorcycle Culture as much as possible. Techie Hipsters have pretty much over run everything.

Good Luck on the GRiSO hunt.

Thanks!

I love me some San Francisco and spent a few nights at Toronado's. My brother lived there for a better part of a decade. Katana-Ya, Smuggler's Cove, Buena Vista Cafe, and so on. And while I work in tech and down there often, I hear you about the influx of money. It's changed that city considerably. Though change is inevitable...

As for the dealer; it goes. Quoted $1200 on top of the asking price, plus more fees. Meh... Then there's the whole issue of getting the bike all the way up to Sonoma. It sounds like the shipment landed in Vegas and they aren't yet sure if they can get a bike up to the Sonoma or if there's a cost to do so. Round and round we go. What a pain.

I've been fortunate to ride the Redwoods and Lost Coast a few times. It's a big motivator to do this fly-and-ride out of Sonoma. It's an easy two day ride up the coast back to the Portland area. While I could do the Vegas ride; it would add considerable time and mileage. So, we'll see...

One other strange thing ... I think the guy that puts the ads up on craigslist is just some sort of independent broker. Seems he gets some of the crazy fees like the ridiculous $365 doc fees!

If you call the Sonoma shop directly they seem like decent people. They still stack on the fees but at least they know what they are selling.

Plan to spend some time carefully looking the bike over ... you will want the oil level mid way on the stick vs. full. Don't buy the bike on Saturday and take off. I'd buy it one day, ride around in the area and plan to stay back near the shop. Check the bike over carefully after your day ride. If you find issues then take it back to the shop.

You'll think "oh, BMW dealer, Guzzi dealer, nice guys ... " but still check it over like you are buying it from a 15 year kid that took it out of a crate (not saying they do that! but treat your check out like that)

Oh, one other odd thing ... so there is Sonoma, Reno, and Las Vegas ... they tend to be a bit sketchy on where the bike really is. If you call Reno for example, they'll act like they have a GRiSO but it is really in Las Vegas. I guess they have trucks that run bikes between their shops.

I read where one guy had a real pain getting the MSO (Manufacture Statement of Origin) from them ... so he had the bike but could not title it and get a plate. So hopefully you can get your hands on that as you close the deal in person.

No personal experience, just observations from others.

- As others mention, they play around with fees.
- Spotty QC on setup and prep, about 50% of the bikes I am aware of had issues that could/should have been caught at prep.
- A few people had to wait over a month for the paperwork to title got to them

Bottom line, there is a deal to be made, and money saved, but its not like Geico or Staples, you gotta work for it. If it were me, I'd look for a well cared for 4V, but then again I am biased ;-)

usedtobefast wrote:

One other strange thing ... I think the guy that puts the ads up on craigslist is just some sort of independent broker.  Seems he gets some of the crazy fees like the ridiculous $365 doc fees!

If you call the Sonoma shop directly they seem like decent people.  They still stack on the fees but at least they know what they are selling.  

Plan to spend some time carefully looking the bike over ... you will want the oil level mid way on the stick vs. full.  Don't buy the bike on Saturday and take off.  I'd buy it one day, ride around in the area and plan to stay back near the shop.  Check the bike over carefully after your day ride.  If you find issues then take it back to the shop.  

You'll think "oh, BMW dealer, Guzzi dealer, nice guys ... " but still check it over like you are buying it from a 15 year kid that took it out of a crate (not saying they do that!  but treat your check out like that)

Oh, one other odd thing ... so there is Sonoma, Reno, and Las Vegas ... they tend to be a bit sketchy on where the bike really is.  If you call Reno for example, they'll act like they have a GRiSO but it is really in Las Vegas.  I guess they have trucks that run bikes between their shops.  

I read where one guy had a real pain getting the MSO (Manufacture Statement of Origin) from them ... so he had the bike but could not title it and get a plate.  So hopefully you can get your hands on that as you close the deal in person.

I found the ad on Cycle Trader and when I did; no bikes were in stock. Which I find shady, but such is the precarious state of the motorcycle industry.

I hear you on bike location. Since I've started this whole process, it's gone from, "Bikes are in-bound from Italy, not sure where or when," to "Bikes just hit Las Vegas but we need a deposit to get yours to the front of the line," to now "bikes are on their way up from Las Vegas, but we're not sure when they'll land in Sonoma." Holy hell... no wonder the industry is taking it in the shorts.

And so the game goes. If I wasn't so bent on another Redwoods and Oregon Coast ride, I'd buy local used bike.

Thanks for the tip on the check-over and the MSO. I'm usually trusting of the dealer when I've taken delivery of new bikes. Though I've been rather lucky to have good dealers who care for the bikes. If I end going in this direction, I won't leave without the proper paperwork. Just for fun, I double-checked DMV and new vehicle taxes and there were nearly a half percent higher on tax and over double on fees and such. Le sigh...

In any case, I'm still excited about it all.

Bulldog9 wrote:

No personal experience, just observations from others.

- As others mention, they play around with fees.
- Spotty QC on setup and prep, about 50% of the bikes I am aware of had issues that could/should have been caught at prep.
- A few people had to wait over a month for the paperwork to title got to them

Bottom line, there is a deal to be made, and money saved, but its not like Geico or Staples, you gotta work for it.  If it were me, I'd look for a well cared for 4V, but then again I am biased ;-)

I'm smelling what you're cooking. There are two bikes local-ish to me that seem to be well cared for and a much easier transaction. If it weren't for this fanciful idea and a fly and ride...

Bobcat Sig wrote:

Bulldog9 wrote:

No personal experience, just observations from others.

- As others mention, they play around with fees.
- Spotty QC on setup and prep, about 50% of the bikes I am aware of had issues that could/should have been caught at prep.
- A few people had to wait over a month for the paperwork to title got to them

Bottom line, there is a deal to be made, and money saved, but its not like Geico or Staples, you gotta work for it.  If it were me, I'd look for a well cared for 4V, but then again I am biased ;-)

I'm smelling what you're cooking. There are two bikes local-ish to me that seem to be well cared for and a much easier transaction. If it weren't for this fanciful idea and a fly and ride...

Hey Pal...............  NO WAY I'm selling my 4V GRiSO..... If you have the opportunity, ride both. No skin off the 8V, it is a brilliant bike, but I prefer the feel of the 4V motor. It's slower, less power, but suits me fine. Of course the 1400 of the MGX has spoiled me a bit and I really feel the lack of power on the GRiSO, but that only lasts an hour or so. Then the blood and joy and intoxicating elements of the GRiSO take over.

My 07 has been flawless. I am the 2nd owner, and the PO is here in the Ghetto too.  I wouldnt hesitate to buy a used GRiSO. Buying a 'sorted Guzzi' is sometimes a better option than new..... But enjoy the hunt, you are in the right place for GRiSO info.

Bulldog9 wrote:

Bobcat Sig wrote:

Bulldog9 wrote:

No personal experience, just observations from others.

- As others mention, they play around with fees.
- Spotty QC on setup and prep, about 50% of the bikes I am aware of had issues that could/should have been caught at prep.
- A few people had to wait over a month for the paperwork to title got to them

Bottom line, there is a deal to be made, and money saved, but its not like Geico or Staples, you gotta work for it.  If it were me, I'd look for a well cared for 4V, but then again I am biased ;-)

I'm smelling what you're cooking. There are two bikes local-ish to me that seem to be well cared for and a much easier transaction. If it weren't for this fanciful idea and a fly and ride...

Hey Pal...............  NO WAY I'm selling my 4V GRiSO.....     If you have the opportunity, ride both. No skin off the 8V, it is a brilliant bike, but I prefer the feel of the 4V motor. It's slower, less power, but suits me fine. Of course the 1400 of the MGX has spoiled me a bit and I really feel the lack of power on the GRiSO, but that only lasts an hour or so. Then the blood and joy and intoxicating elements of the GRiSO take over.

My 07 has been flawless. I am the 2nd owner, and the PO is here in the Ghetto too.  I wouldnt hesitate to buy a used GRiSO. Buying a 'sorted Guzzi' is sometimes a better option than new..... But enjoy the hunt, you are in the right place for GRiSO info.

Terrific, thank you. Given the experience I'm having with the aforementioned dealer, buying used seems like a great option, even if it means no fly-and-ride.

An update: to answer the question I posed in the title - no, they are not any good.

Several dubious fees were added to the quote on the bike and they were unwilling to budge on both the price of the bike and the freight + set-up fees. All in all, there were over $1800 in additional fees over the listed MSRP of $7995. Factor in sales tax and state-required licensing fees and the bike is nearly $10,500,

I'm buying used.

I traded in my 2017 GRiSO a couple weeks ago. Very well kept, 4200 miles, Beetlemap for stock exhaust. It's located here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, and I do sometimes think I made a mistake (traded for a showroom fresh Hypermotard SP.) This dealer wasn't my favorite (GP Motorcycles in San Diego IS,) and they do tack on some fees, but nothing to the extent listed above.
I have a spare shock at home that I'll send you if you buy my old bike.
I have no association with Harrison Eurosports, and aside from my 1000km lookover, they probably won't get another dime from me.

Mbeach wrote:

I traded in my 2017 GRiSO a couple weeks ago.  Very well kept, 4200 miles, Beetlemap for stock exhaust.  It's located here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, and I do sometimes think I made a mistake (traded for a showroom fresh Hypermotard SP.)  This dealer wasn't my favorite (GP Motorcycles in San Diego IS,) and they do tack on some fees, but nothing to the extent listed above.
I have a spare shock at home that I'll send you if you buy my old bike.
I have no association with Harrison Eurosports, and aside from my 1000km lookover, they probably won't get another dime from me.

Oh? Thanks for the heads up. I'm mostly set on a red one though that's a great price on a gently used Diavolo Nero. I like the aftermarket headlight you installed. What is that unit?

Harrison is just ok. Way back when, I bought a Multistrada 1100 S from a guy down in Salt Lake and stopped in there for a few parts before I rode the bike back to Montana, where I was living at the time. No one staffing the floor and no one at the parts counter. They seemed to be barely holding it together.

As for your new Hypermotard, you'll love it! I had an 821 SP, which I traded for a KTM 690 Enduro R. Recently, I picked up an 1100 S Hypermotard with unobtanium Ducati Performance cams. They are wonderful bikes, especially if you want to ride like a hooligan around town. If you can find them, slap on some Hypserstrada bags and you'll have a terrific do-all bike.

Re: headlight. If you do a search on here, I linked it to someone else's thread. Inexpensive, but and excellent upgrade, it really draws drivers attention. I always felt the halogen headlight was a letdown to the overall styling of the GRiSO.

My schedule relegated the GRiSO to a strictly commuter bike, of about 30 miles a day, and no joyrides ever. The 939 SP, lacks the presence of the GRiSO, but makes up for it with a fun personality - kind've like a not-so-pretty girl that knows her way around the bedroom.
Where the Guzzi made me smile, the Hyper makes me laugh.

Mbeach wrote:

...The 939 SP, lacks the presence of the GRiSO, but makes up for it with a fun personality - kind've like a not-so-pretty girl that knows her way around the bedroom.
... the Hyper makes me laugh.

Yup, that just about sums it up.

I'm not sure which Hyper you have, but you should be able to wire in the factory heated grips. I did that on my 821 and it was most excellent.

Mine, in all its farkled glory:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I was shopping heated grips this morning...
The Ducati solution is pretty slick (integrated,) even if it costs 3x what it should.

Mbeach wrote:

I was shopping heated grips this morning...
The Ducati solution is pretty slick (integrated,) even if it costs 3x what it should.

Yes, true. But they work and there's no faffing about with wiring or finding a spot to mount the switch.

I had an experience with Eurocycle Las Vegas last year. It was a good day visit in the Fall of 2019 while the wife and I were vacationing Death Valley and Grand Canyon with some time in Vegas too. Euro cycle was formerly Freedom Cycle Las Vegas and Reno. They were owned by the Yuill Brothers. Great guys. I purchased my Triumph Rocket III from Freedom Cycle Reno back in 2007 and got a great deal on a leftover 2006. $5,000 off list price and 30% off the accessories I added. Even the Corbin parts. So I had to check out Eurocycle to see if these guys were as good. The folks at Vegas treated us well and were enthusiastic to help me find a bike that would be better than my then current 1200 Sport 4V.

We spent several hours there looked over the large selection of Italian brands and a huge number of used bikes on hand. My true interest was the Moto Guzzi line including the new V85TT and several other discontinued leftover bikes including the Stelvio and GRiSO. They had several of the 2017 leftover GRiSO bikes he had for $7999. He had both orange and silver. He said they had 20 of them at one time and they were selling like hotcakes. The salesman insisted I take a test ride which I would have asked for anyway. I planned to stop there on this trip so I had all my riding gear in the car. So I decided to try the 2017 GRiSO. WOW ... what a difference from the 1200 Sport. I wanted one.

After the test ride we talked money. Shipping it home to Idaho was only $350. OK. I liked that as we were driving our 2 seat mid engine sport car on this trip. Then the bottom dropped out. Fees Fees Fees. Now we are at over $10,000. That soured the deal for me.

But it didn't sour my desire for a good used GRiSO. Just a few weeks ago I purchased a really nice 2013 with only 9760 miles on it. It has another 1,000 miles on it since then.

Bill Dee wrote:

I had an experience with Eurocycle Las Vegas last year.  It was a good day visit in the Fall of 2019 while the wife and I were vacationing Death Valley and Grand Canyon with some time in Vegas too.  Euro cycle was formerly Freedom Cycle Las Vegas and Reno. They were owned by the Yuill Brothers.  Great guys.  I purchased my Triumph Rocket III from Freedom Cycle Reno back in 2007 and got a great deal on a leftover 2006.  $5,000 off list price and 30% off the accessories I added. Even the Corbin parts.  So I had to check out Eurocycle to see if these guys were as good.  The folks at Vegas treated us well and were enthusiastic to help me find a bike that would be better than my then current 1200 Sport 4V.  

We spent several hours there looked over the large selection of Italian brands and a huge number of used bikes on hand.  My true interest was the Moto Guzzi line including the new V85TT and several other discontinued leftover bikes including the Stelvio and GRiSO.  They had several of the 2017 leftover GRiSO bikes he had for $7999.  He had both orange and silver.  He said they had 20 of them at one time and they were selling like hotcakes.  The salesman insisted I take a test ride which I would have asked for anyway.  I planned to stop there on this trip so I had all my riding gear in the car.  So I decided to try the 2017 GRiSO.  WOW ... what a difference from the 1200 Sport.  I wanted one.  

After the test ride we talked money.  Shipping it home to Idaho was only $350.  OK.  I liked that as we were driving our 2 seat mid engine sport car on this trip.  Then the bottom dropped out.  Fees Fees  Fees.  Now we are at over $10,000.  That soured the deal for me.  

But it didn't sour my desire for a good used GRiSO.  Just a few weeks ago I purchased a really nice 2013 with only 9760 miles on it.  It has another 1,000 miles on it since then.  

I'm glad you were able to find a nice used example. I'm still on the hunt for a well sorted GRiSO.

Like a big dumb animal, I inquired EuroCycle Las Vegas about a V11 Scura they have listed... they want to charge a $600 pre-purchase and intake fee. Le sigh...