[Guest]

Well, after four years of MVs and R1s, I'm back in the Ducati camp again!!!

Pro Italia and Jake Simoneaux made this the most enjoyable motorcycle purchase ever. Here's the deal:

1) 2005 999 Red mono. $16,500 OTD (tax and registration paid in AZ by myself). 2004 Yamaha R1 with 7,000 miles - $6,500 ($500 over blue book).

2) 2005 Red mono are getting hard to find since my local Phoenix dealerships don't have on and were trying to find on. Pro Italia has a red mono in its Santa Barbara office and could get it quicker. One of Pro Italia's owners personally made the trip to their Santa Barbara store (2 hours one way) to pick the bike up because I was riding the R1 from Phoenix and need ride out on the 999 back to Phoenix that same night. I had a 7 a.m. class on Saturday and had to be there..

3) Bike was prepped at Santa Barbara, however, Mark a service tech in their Glendale shop said he wanted to prep the bike again so they were sure it was road worthy (considering I'd be riding it 425 miles through the night.) No additional charge.

4) They said the battery wasn't fully charged and started to charge it. They also gave me a free trickle charger and installed the quick connect set up for the trickle charger.

5) I asked if they could lower the rear end since I'm a 5'5' rider. Mark then said he do the front so the bike remained properly balanced. No extra charge for lowering.

6) Paper work only took about 20 minutes and Jake when through the features and covered all loose ends.

Overall, I'm very impressed with their level of professionalism and commitment to make the deal happen and get the bike ASAP. I'm also grateful they took very seriously the fact that I'd be riding a brand new bike 400 miles in the middle of the night. I'd give them two thumbs up! Best purchase experience ever. :rockin:

http://www.proitalia.com/

 

[Guest]

Re: Great experience with 999 purchase at Pro Italia.... and I'm back!!! (Allan Gibbs)

Cool as hell

now the only bummer is you need to do the 600mi svc soon

 

[Guest]

Re: Great experience with 999 purchase at Pro Italia.... and I'm back!!! (Allan Gibbs)

watch the deer.

 

[Guest]

Re: Great experience with 999 purchase at Pro Italia.... and I'm back!!! (brettmess24)

Wow. I posted this like 2 minutes ago and have two responses.

Cyclemoto (AZSBK) is also a good dealership. And it was a tough call between the two. I went with Pro Italia because they could get me the bike faster. I've know some of the service techs and the owner for Cyclemot for years and it's a good shop too.

I didn't really want to ride the 999 back -especially since 12 hours earlier I drove the R1 there..had very little sleep and was incredibly sore. But it was the fast and cheapest way to get the 999 home.

Varying the rev's while straight line droning also keep me away.

But right now, I just want to get the thing registered. AZ DMV computer were down on Saturday and today, they gave me conflicting info on the need for inspection when you have a MSO. Hope to get it done tomorrow. It's okay. I need a few days to heal for the 800 mile ride.

 

[Guest]

Re: Great experience with 999 purchase at Pro Italia.... and I'm back!!! (Allan Gibbs)

I'm with you. Pro Italia did the prep on my 900SP a couple years ago when I I bought it and rode it from the Glendale shop to Minneapolis where I live. 2,300 miles and not a drop of rain or a single problem. They rock.

 

[Guest]

Re: Great experience with 999 purchase at Pro Italia.... and I'm back!!! (Allan Gibbs)

ProItalia.

 

[Guest]

Re: Great experience with 999 purchase at Pro Italia.... and I'm back!!! (Allan Gibbs)

I've mail ordered stuff from Proitalia and they went the extra mile when I purchased a jacket from them via the phone. In my experience they're up there with Section 8.

 

[Guest]

Yes, Jake and the other guys at Pro Italia are tops. My friends and I have purchased a number of bikes from them, and have always been very satisfied with their personal service and attention to detail. Jake is especially terrific, with no high pressure sales tactics, and a very personal demeanor. He knows his bikes and his passion for all motorcycling comes through when you call to simply pick his brain about "the next purchase". Some guys on this board have complained that Pro Italia was known to be "stuck up". I've never found that to be true. The atmosphere in the store (Glendale...I've not yet been to the Santa Barbara store) is relaxed and fairly quiet. Some of you guys in L.A. should try Del Amo Motorsports in Torrance, and you'll want to run out the door...it's like a super-sized car dealership and most of the sales guys treat you like you're a 19 year old with bad credit looking for your first Yamaha R1 super rice burner. I had a similar experience at Del Amo and I'm never going back again, even if I was stranded on the 405 Freeway (right next to them) with a flat on my 749R. I'd call Jake and say "I'm coming down with my R and it needs a tire...don't close yet". Thank God for MoTow with AMA.

Definitely "Two Thumbs Up" for Jake, Bill, John and the rest of the guys at Pro Italia".

 

[Guest]

Re: (wooleeboolee)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wooleeboolee »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yes, Jake and the other guys at Pro Italia are tops. My friends and I have purchased a number of bikes from them, and have always been very satisfied with their personal service and attention to detail. Jake is especially terrific, with no high pressure sales tactics, and a very personal demeanor. He knows his bikes and his passion for all motorcycling comes through when you call to simply pick his brain about "the next purchase". Some guys on this board have complained that Pro Italia was known to be "stuck up". I've never found that to be true. The atmosphere in the store (Glendale...I've not yet been to the Santa Barbara store) is relaxed and fairly quiet. Some of you guys in L.A. should try Del Amo Motorsports in Torrance, and you'll want to run out the door...it's like a super-sized car dealership and most of the sales guys treat you like you're a 19 year old with bad credit looking for your first Yamaha R1 super rice burner. I had a similar experience at Del Amo and I'm never going back again, even if I was stranded on the 405 Freeway (right next to them) with a flat on my 749R. I'd call Jake and say "I'm coming down with my R and it needs a tire...don't close yet". Thank God for MoTow with AMA.

Definitely "Two Thumbs Up" for Jake, Bill, John and the rest of the guys at Pro Italia".
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I agree Del Amo Motorsports is a joke.

 

[Guest]

Very true. Jake has low pressure and up front demeanor.

Truth is, I could have gotten a similar deal at Cyclemoto (now AZSBK) and I do really like Cyclemoto. However, it was Jake's demeanor and the fact they could get me a bike that I wanted the next day make the deal.

Incidentally, when I bought my first Ducati in 1998, I visited Pro Italia and Bert's Motorcycle. At the time, I felt Pro Italia was stuck up. For example, I told the Pro Italia sales rep at the time, "Bert's has a sale on a 748 for $12K. Can you match that?" His response was "Bert's gives bikes away. I'm an enthusiast." So, in the end, I bought it to Bert's and drove it to Phoenix (Cyclemoto) since my family lived in Phoenix at the time.

My recent dealings with Pro Italia was in October 2004 when I put my 2002 MV on consignment with them. That was when i first met Jake. While waiting for my ride, he offered to let me take a Brutale for a test ride. I didn't ask. He offered.

So, through the past few months, we've been exchanging e-mail about my purchasing an MV or 999. Last week, I finally pulled the trigger.

One thing I do really like about Pro Italia is their willingness to let SERIOUS shoppers take a bike on a test drive. This would have been a major factor in my decision on the 999 vs. the MV -if Ducati didn't have the finance special going on. So, thumbs up to Pro Italia. When it comes time to add an MV, I'll be back there.