streptoman
New member
I want to preface this by saying I had every intention of spending significant money at GP Bikes. I was looking to trade in a 2010 Ducati Streetfighter 1098 and purchase a new MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR — a transaction in the $35,000+ range. What followed was one of the most frustrating dealer experiences I've had in over three decades of riding.
It began before I even walked in the door.
I submitted an inquiry through GP's website regarding several MV Agusta models listed as in-stock. No response. Ever. I eventually drove out to the dealership — from Hamilton — only to discover that none of the models I had enquired about were actually on the floor. The inventory listed on their website bore little resemblance to what was physically available.
The trade-in.
Having been out of the country for most of the past decade, I wasn't fully current on the Streetfighter's service status. Once I reconnected the battery and pulled the odometer, I discovered the bike was overdue on its Desmo service — something I immediately disclosed, in full, to the salesman. With that information on the table, I was told to bring the bike in. I borrowed a friend's truck, rented a trailer, and made the trip — a not-insignificant logistical undertaking. The bike was dropped off with a verbal instruction to the service attendant: the Streetfighter had been sitting for 30 months and was not to be started until the belts had been inspected and the fuel refreshed. Basic protocol for any long-term storage bike, and something any competent technician should know without being told.
The following Monday I received a call informing me that a Desmo service could not be scheduled for another month. Understandable given the season — but what followed was not. When I contacted the sales team to request even a basic condition assessment to determine trade-in value, I was told the bike was outside their accepted model year range and had been "neglected" due to the missed service. The irony of that characterization — from a shop that was about to demonstrate its own negligence — was not lost on me.
At no point before I borrowed a truck, rented a trailer, and delivered the bike was I informed that a 16-year-old Ducati with a missed service interval was categorically outside their trade-in criteria. That information, had it been volunteered when I first disclosed the bike's history, would have saved everyone considerable time and me considerable expense.
The engine start.
I reinforced my verbal instruction via the GP Bikes service webform and a direct email to service@ — neither of which was ever acknowledged. When I stopped in approximately a week later to advise that I had arranged collection of the bike for the following morning, the service attendant informed me, almost in passing, that the Streetfighter had been started up — and that it had started "perfectly." I was told the fuel had been tested at 90% and they had proceeded on that basis.
Why was it started? I still don't know. I posed that question directly to both the Sales Manager and the Service Manager — in writing. Two weeks now, with no response.
Starting a desmodromic Ducati engine with 30-month-old timing belts and degraded fuel, against the explicit instruction of the owner, is not a judgment call any responsible technician should be making. The fuel, subsequently documented by my mechanic at the specialist shop I eventually used, was visibly cloudy, phase-separated, and contaminated with absorbed moisture — consistent with 30 months of storage. That fuel was cycled through the fuel pump, lines, and injectors by GP's team. My mechanic documented the condition photographically. Fortunately, preliminary inspection suggests no permanent damage to the injector tips — but that outcome was luck, not competence.
The pickup.
When I visited to advise of the next-day collection, I was assured the bike would be pulled from the warehouse and prepared. The transport driver I arranged arrived the following morning to find the bike had not been retrieved — he waited while staff located and extracted it from the warehouse.
The resolution.
There wasn't one. I ultimately flew to Montreal, where a dealer responded to my inquiry within hours, confirmed stock immediately, and completed the transaction professionally and without incident. I rode the Brutale home to Hamilton. It's an exceptional motorcycle. It deserved a better purchase experience, and so did I.
As for the Streetfighter — she's currently with a factory-authorized Ducati and MV Agusta specialist who, in contrast to GP Bikes, responds to messages, keeps commitments, and doesn't start engines they've been told not to touch. The Desmo service is underway and the bike is in good hands.
GP Bikes may be a large operation. But size and professionalism are not the same thing. Between the unresponsive web channels, the inventory misrepresentation, the trade-in process that cost me two trips and a trailer rental for information that could have been given upfront, the unauthorized engine start, the ignored service instructions, the unkept pickup promise, and the stonewalled complaint emails — I encountered a consistent pattern of indifference toward a customer who was genuinely trying to do business with them.
I'd encourage anyone considering GP Bikes for a premium motorcycle purchase to weigh this account carefully. There are other dealers.
It began before I even walked in the door.
I submitted an inquiry through GP's website regarding several MV Agusta models listed as in-stock. No response. Ever. I eventually drove out to the dealership — from Hamilton — only to discover that none of the models I had enquired about were actually on the floor. The inventory listed on their website bore little resemblance to what was physically available.
The trade-in.
Having been out of the country for most of the past decade, I wasn't fully current on the Streetfighter's service status. Once I reconnected the battery and pulled the odometer, I discovered the bike was overdue on its Desmo service — something I immediately disclosed, in full, to the salesman. With that information on the table, I was told to bring the bike in. I borrowed a friend's truck, rented a trailer, and made the trip — a not-insignificant logistical undertaking. The bike was dropped off with a verbal instruction to the service attendant: the Streetfighter had been sitting for 30 months and was not to be started until the belts had been inspected and the fuel refreshed. Basic protocol for any long-term storage bike, and something any competent technician should know without being told.
The following Monday I received a call informing me that a Desmo service could not be scheduled for another month. Understandable given the season — but what followed was not. When I contacted the sales team to request even a basic condition assessment to determine trade-in value, I was told the bike was outside their accepted model year range and had been "neglected" due to the missed service. The irony of that characterization — from a shop that was about to demonstrate its own negligence — was not lost on me.
At no point before I borrowed a truck, rented a trailer, and delivered the bike was I informed that a 16-year-old Ducati with a missed service interval was categorically outside their trade-in criteria. That information, had it been volunteered when I first disclosed the bike's history, would have saved everyone considerable time and me considerable expense.
The engine start.
I reinforced my verbal instruction via the GP Bikes service webform and a direct email to service@ — neither of which was ever acknowledged. When I stopped in approximately a week later to advise that I had arranged collection of the bike for the following morning, the service attendant informed me, almost in passing, that the Streetfighter had been started up — and that it had started "perfectly." I was told the fuel had been tested at 90% and they had proceeded on that basis.
Why was it started? I still don't know. I posed that question directly to both the Sales Manager and the Service Manager — in writing. Two weeks now, with no response.
Starting a desmodromic Ducati engine with 30-month-old timing belts and degraded fuel, against the explicit instruction of the owner, is not a judgment call any responsible technician should be making. The fuel, subsequently documented by my mechanic at the specialist shop I eventually used, was visibly cloudy, phase-separated, and contaminated with absorbed moisture — consistent with 30 months of storage. That fuel was cycled through the fuel pump, lines, and injectors by GP's team. My mechanic documented the condition photographically. Fortunately, preliminary inspection suggests no permanent damage to the injector tips — but that outcome was luck, not competence.
The pickup.
When I visited to advise of the next-day collection, I was assured the bike would be pulled from the warehouse and prepared. The transport driver I arranged arrived the following morning to find the bike had not been retrieved — he waited while staff located and extracted it from the warehouse.
The resolution.
There wasn't one. I ultimately flew to Montreal, where a dealer responded to my inquiry within hours, confirmed stock immediately, and completed the transaction professionally and without incident. I rode the Brutale home to Hamilton. It's an exceptional motorcycle. It deserved a better purchase experience, and so did I.
As for the Streetfighter — she's currently with a factory-authorized Ducati and MV Agusta specialist who, in contrast to GP Bikes, responds to messages, keeps commitments, and doesn't start engines they've been told not to touch. The Desmo service is underway and the bike is in good hands.
GP Bikes may be a large operation. But size and professionalism are not the same thing. Between the unresponsive web channels, the inventory misrepresentation, the trade-in process that cost me two trips and a trailer rental for information that could have been given upfront, the unauthorized engine start, the ignored service instructions, the unkept pickup promise, and the stonewalled complaint emails — I encountered a consistent pattern of indifference toward a customer who was genuinely trying to do business with them.
I'd encourage anyone considering GP Bikes for a premium motorcycle purchase to weigh this account carefully. There are other dealers.
