Italian reliability mantra -- no mas!

["Cuadra" <cuadra@domain.elided>]

Every time I pick up a motorcycle magazine -- especially the randy English
ones (busty supermodel astride the latest Yamacati) -- I read something
along these lines: "we love the new Ducati 996...but worry about
reliability" and "we're concerned about the dodgy electrics of this
(Italian) bike."  

I'll be the first to admit that Japanese bikes are realible. However over
the past couple of years there have been major recalls for all the major
superbikes from Japanese manufacturers -- Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, & Suzuki.
Parts recalled included clutches, cam tensioners, fuel lines, etc. And yet
performance reviews of these bikes never delve into reliability issues. It's
as if Honda et al were underwriting these publications...  

More likely there is a an ingrained bias in the Anglo-American mindset which
begins a sentence with "Italian performance & style" and ends it with
"reliability concerns."

Although hardly a superbike in the 996/R1 sense my Moto Guzzi has been
utterly reliable after 15K miles. A taillight bulb blew out at 12K. The
factory replaced the external oil cooler line with one with a tighter weave
and fittings. And that's it. A close friend with a Ducati 900SS reports no
mechanical flaws or problems. And I've heard of a local Bay Area woman who
has put 70K on her Monster. You get the picture.

(I had a Yamaha FZ750 that literally disintergrated over one mild
(comparatively) California winter. It refused to start after heavy rains and
started to rust everywhere.)

As far as the 164 is concerned, after owning it for the last two years I can
say that I'm similarly impressed with it's build quality and reliability.
The bottom line -- modern Italian machinery has made incredible strides over
the years. 

Let's toss the old manta and bring in the new: Cuore sportivo, hare hare.

Paul cuadra@domain.elided

164LS 5-speed
Moto Guzzi Sport 1000i

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