March 2010 Newsletter
It looks as if 2010 will not be a good year for new Moto Guzzi Sales in Canada. Piaggio has not renewed the contract for the Canadian Scooter Corporation (CSC) to continue as the Canadian Importer for Moto Guzzi and Aprilia motorcycles and Piaggio and Vespa scooters.
It is difficult to know the full story, but Piaggio are apparently intending to sell their products in Canada through Piaggio Group Americas Inc., based in New York, through the network of dealers established by CSC. CSC, understandably, are not too happy about this and have responded with a lawsuit.
With litigation underway, it is difficult to believe there will be any new models on sale in the foreseeable future, but there may be some good deals to be had on unsold ’09 models, but what’s going to happen with service and parts is difficult to forsee.
Selling Moto Guzzis in Canada from the US has been tried before, but the results were not encouraging. The market is not a big one and after the people that cared about Canada left Moto Guzzi North America, things went downhill fast. Let’s hope the same thing doesn’t happen again.
The situation with Piaggio and CSC is undoubtedly the reason why the Ontario Guzzi Riders were left in the lurch when it came to paying for the Saturday evening meal at the 2009 rally, which CSC were supposed to cover. We appreciate them paying for the 2008 rally meal, but leaving us with a $1200 bill for 2009, when they must have known the way things were going, has destroyed any good feelings we had and should CSC get to remain in business when all the lawsuits are settled, they will need all the help they can get. With the stories flying around it is difficult to know who the villains are and who are the good guys, but let’s hope it gets resolved soon.
Other news for 2010 is that the Ontario Guzzi Riders rally is being held in a new location this year, at the Lavigne Tavern.
For the last couple of years, Guzzi rider and tavern owner Guy Fortier has held a Guzzi gathering in his home town of Lavigne, on the west end of Lake Nipissing, between Sudbury and North Bay. Travel plans will make it difficult for me to organize the usual rally this year and it’s too much for faithful helpers Klaus and Rose Schulz to handle alone, so we asked Guy if we could combine the two events this year on a trial basis. Lavigne is a great little town in beautiful country and there are several campsites within walking distance with tent, trailer or cabin camping. There is no rally fee but you’ll have to make your own arrangements for camping, and there will be a modest fee for the Saturday evening dinner. Breakfasts are a short ride away but there will of course be a large coffee pot on most of the time. There will be a free barbecue Friday evening and there will be live entertainment in the tavern. Guy is working on an arrangement with one of the campsites for a special deal for us for the weekend.
Phil T