Ducati Monster Forum

Hi guys I am about to put a deposit on a new Monster 1100 Evo and wanted to know what your experience is with dealers in the SoCal area.
There is ProItalia, Newport, Beverly Hills,etc...

What considerations should I keep in mind when choosing a shop?

Thanks!

Where do you live? I would use Costa Mesa (Nope, it's still not actually in Newport) but I live in Orange County.

Yep, depends where you live. San Diego has GP and Moto Forza which are the main two I've dealt with and both are good and straight forward. There's also Spectrum in Irvine.

pro italia has a pretty good rep. last time I saw the costa mesa dealer it was still being built out, seemed like a good shop though.

Costa Mesa is done enough that they're open.

Iono, Pro Italia is not cost efficient for random parts. Spectrum will almost always be cheaper by at least a few bucks if not more. I dunno about bike prices though.

Always consider distance. Even if Spectrum is cheaper than Pro Italia for parts, if you live right next to Pro Italia you're going to lose that savings driving to Irvine. You can take your bike anywhere for service after you buy it so don't worry about that too much. The dealers might have different labor rates though so check that before you drop off for service.

Bought my bike used at the Brea dealer on Lambert that also sells Triumph.  No other experience there, and the purchase experience was just okay.

Had a bad service experience at the Newport store, but the sales guys seemed very helpful and knowledgeable in several encounters, and if you're looking for a good sales experience I'd consider them.

Spectrum I've only used for an occasional accessory, seemed willing to deal and I got good prices on stuff I purchased.

I've had really good experiences at ProItalia in terms of customer service and bike service, so I go there generally, though I try to give Speeddog my service business when I can, though he's a a farther drive.

I'd go with Proitalia for a new bike purchase all other things being even, mainly because I also feel comfortable with their service.

Thanks all!
This is helpful, I live in LA. Both Proitalia nad Newport have good reviews, it seems i could go with either of them.

I was wondering how much time scheduled services (600m, 7500m, etc..) take and if you need to drop your bike for more than a few hours.

my wife is from Tusten and we are kind of thinking of moving back there (from N.H.) Will love to be able to actually have
access to a range of local shops.

Not only GP and MotoForza in San Diego, but Southbay Motorsports as well...

Allow me to speak for all the Ducatisti not in a big city and say
<cartman voice> screw you guys.

oh, which of the 5 dealers in my city should i go to?
i get a choice of a 5 hour drive east, or a 6 hour drive west.  [thumbsdown]

Anyone have anything nice to say about Beverly Hills Ducati?

they have ducati's there

Ooops, did I forget that one? No. I made the drive last week to check that one out and was I disappointed. If you're not looking for a Ducati, then it's probably a good place. Talking to the sales person, they don't know a ducati from a Mercedes and said, "there's nothing really special about Ducati's, you're better off buying _____".

However, they do have a limited selection to look at if nothing else.

Have not heard anything good from BH Ducati.

Jeff, It's sweet to have a few dealers around... [moto]  How do you handle the services?
I am curious if these scheduled services are done quickly or need you to drop your bike in for a day or two.

7500 mile service is a major one, bike needs to cool off completely to do a proper valve clearance adjustment.
It can be done 'while you wait', but it'll be a while.

Beverly Hills Ducati is ok. The guys there are really nice, I think they remember almost everyone's name that has ever come in there.

I figure if you're gonna buy a brand new bike it doesn't really matter which place you go to, although some might offer better or more incentives?

If you plan on buying used I would NOT go to Beverly Hills, they tend to charge more than they should on used bikes. On the plus side though, most of their used bikes have very low miles. Prolly has something to do with us LA guys not riding a lot.   ;)

I wouldn't know about service at BH Ducati as I take my bike to Speeddog for all services. And as far as parts go, I've only ordered a set of grips from them and later found out I paid about $5 more than if I had ordered them online.

If you plan on buying accessories, parts, or using the service department, it's probably better to buy from your chosen dealer. A relationship usually means better service, pricing in the long run.

Since not only do we have a choice of multiple dealers but also the good fortune of having a genuine guru mechanic available to us (Scott Waters in Signal Hill), it doesn't really matter where you buy "a" bike. If you are of the "buy a new bike every few years" crowd, it's good to be a regular customer.

Ive had experiences with Both SoCal dealers:

First Spectrum:
Bought my S4RS from Spectrum. I had some issues, and had to fight back, but in the end, they made me a happy customer. The owner/manager Mike is really making strides to turn that place around. Also, there is a ton of toys around there to check out, so you wont be bored if you have a couple hours to kill there. Beautiful collection of cars, Porsche, Ferrari, and the like, and of coarse beautiful Ducs.
I had my 7500 major service and tank replaced there. Alan is a great guy, he runs service. All thought they replaced my tank while I waited, the big service you will have to leave your bike.

Newport:
I had some cooling issues, and brought the bike to Newport. they were all very cool and helpful. It took them like 4 hours to diagnose my issue, but only charged me for 1. I think its because they usually dont get stumped....

In the end, I believe both shops are good to go in my eyes. I would definitely at least visit your local shop, makes it much easier if you need to get anything fixed quick, or drop in for a quick part.

what Sean says is true, they do remember my name when I go in there.  but aside from that, in my experience, they have a certain "air" about them, and don't really seem to care about customer service or going out of their way to make sure you're happy.  they are salesmen in the bad sense of the word.  having said that, i take some of the blame for my experiences with them b/c i went there a few times without doing my research first, so i was not an informed customer.

on the service side, do yourself a favor and go to speeddog.  i went to the dealer for 2 years before i wised up.  Nick is honest, reasonable, and highly skilled.  you won't be disappointed.

I gotta agree Nick is the best as soon as I get back in the good old USA I am heading straight there, good prices and a honest guy that loves bikes.
Been to spectrum been to pro italia been to Beverly hills (the worst IMO). Spectrum has great customer service and free coffee bigscreen TV and a place to kick back and A LOT of bikes. Pro Italia has a more neighborhood feel to it the guys behind the counter are really cool and the sales guys are motivated. I wont ever step foot in Beverly hills again the worst experience I ever had at dealer in person and over the phone.

After looking around and through all your feedback.  I think in the LA area it comes down to ProItalia and Newport Beach.  They both have excellent reviews, the shops are nicely put together and the people working there are great!

Pro Italia is a distant second if placed on a list with Ducati Newport Beach. PI is known for their arrogance and their pricing is not very competitive. DNB is so far removed from the LA, "Entourage was filmed here," attitude. Call Aaron at DNB and get a price. Call PI. Your results may vary but mine never have.

Years ago I had a crash repair that didn't go very well at Brea.  Additionally after attending the shop day at Flight Cycles, Gil helped me discover that they put my rear wheel spacer on backwards and it was starting to mill my swingarm.  I don't go there for service unless I have to, but I do go there for parts.  I support their events as much as I can, but the service experience soured me.

I've bought parts at Spectrum and the guy in charge back there.. meh... he needs to work on his customer service skills.  I go because it's near work and conveinent when I need something on the way home and don't have time to go by Brea, but I go elsewhere when I can.

I've used Nick for my services lately.  I try to support those vendors who support DMF.

I bought my 2010 696 brand new from Pro Italia.  The sales people were knowledgeable, honest, and didn't try to sell me lo jack or any of that extra crap.  They gave me a killer deal on the bike 3k below MSRP.  I have bought multiple cars and 3 motorcycles (1 suzuki, 1 harley and 1 ducati) and this was by far the easiest out of all of them.  Good luck with your new 1100!

we can do the monsters ourselves when needed

I'm gonna throw the hyper in the back of the PU and take it to ducati seattle.
i'll give em a headsup we're coming so they get it done in one day.
get a hotel, have a nice dinner and come back the next day

or i might take it to Motocorsa in Portland...missus has a roller derby bout there this spring....if the mileage/timing works out
if i lived in socal, i'd take it to nick at valley ducati unless it was warranty work