One bad mechanic can ruin a really good dealership. And a bad dealership can ruin a really good mechanic. Finding a good dealership with a good mechanic is like looking for the preverbal "needle in a haystack".

I own 2 Ducatis and an Aprilia Tuareg, I don't let my local dealers touch them except for resetting my oil change indicator lights.

i don't think these companies realize the damage they're doing to themselves by not having absolutely excellent customer service in the era of social media

Just made it back from the MABDR with 11,500 mi on the clock. Other than that stupid fuel gauge not working properly the bike has been flawless. Sorry you're having such a bad time right now.

Glad you’re keeping us posted as to what is going on, as I am curious to see what they do for you!!

Sorry to hear Keep us updated ❤

Sorry Matt. If they can’t guarantee Japanese levels of brand reliability, Aprilia should at least deliver on reliable customer service. Your video has swayed me to now not move forward with my purchase of the Tuareg. Never thought I would be riding a new V-Strom 800 DE, but I’m now confident about my decision. Thank you for sharing

Damn Matt, what an ordeal over a simple seal. I would have said to hell with the warranty, order me one and installed it myself. I won't say I told you so but one thing with my T700 is that motor has been around for 10 years, more so with my DR and KLR650. Parts are usually on the shelf or a few days away if needed. I hope you get it fixed and can ride the coast like you wanted. I did that ride on my T700 last year it was amazing on a bike. You had told me in a comment a year ago to ride the SF bay bridge when I was not sure about the homeless and SF city in general. I'm glad that I followed you advise. I hope Aprilia makes this right.

Friend of mine had the same bike . while on a 4 day trip, The air filter sucked in dirt due to not being secured properly from the factory and it shut down the bike and ruined his trip. He then had to have a COMPLETE new engine installed. Yes it was under warranty. He did not trust the new 660. then sold it !!!

Really sorry to hear this! I hope you get the bike fixed soon, and get out and enjoy it. I’ve got a relatively new Aprilia dealer 20 miles from me, and a very experienced dealer 100 miles from me. After watching your video I’ve decided to take my Tuareg to the experienced dealer for service and any needed warranty work (none so far).

V good of you to report this. Owners should know these things. It is v disappointing piaggio even need to approve such a problem, incredibly poor back up. Sorry for you…

Murphys law, it always seems to happen at the worst time. Sorry about the bad luck. One of the disturbing parts of the story is that they couldn't approve the warranty almost immediately. Best of luck!

Thanks for posting your issues with the Tuareg and the mechanical issues. PNW Voyager had issues with his Tuareg 660 as well. The Tuareg sounded like such a great bike. I rented one on RidersShare and was totally impressed with the bike, so I can relate to why you purchased one. Wish you the best of luck getting it back

Hi there Matt, This could have happened on any bike regardless of brand. And boy I would have been frustrated as well. What the hell is wrong with these dealerships who refuse to listen to a customer as well aquatinted with bikes as you. I had a countershaft seal blow out in Glamis on my XR650R, on my KTM 300 and my Beta 498. I'm sure you might know but the root cause of a blown CS seal is crankcase not venting or not enough chain slack. Sometimes the owners manuals are wrong on slack adjustment. Good luck my man. I still think you got a solid machine. Just a stroke of bad luck and poor dealership tech.

Sorry to hear about this Matt. The worst part of owning anything is getting it repaired. I would never go back to the 1st dealer ever again. Name ‘em and shame ‘em! As bad as dealers can be, and as frustrating as it is to wait - it could be a lot worse. I took my Honda ST1300 to an independent shop for its 30k service and got it back a year later - half put together - with a salvaged motor from another bike. The guy lost a shim into the motor, ran it, and cracked the block. It was a total disaster and cost me an entire riding season - not to mention the bike which I got rid of a week after I finally got it back. At least you have other bikes to ride!

Not that this will make you feel any better , but I have just over 5,000 miles on my Tuareg with no issues. IDBDR and COBDR and White Rim Trail. Hopefully your issue is an anomaly. I think you may want to establish a relationship with a more knowledgeable and reliable dealer for any future visits. This one really dropped the ball. Good luck with everything.

Thanks for the honest video. I am looking at the Tuareg 660 now. The closest dealership for me is 80 miles away, after seeing this and hearing about approval process, I’m going to keep my Africa twin.

Sucks to hear your trip got wrecked. I looked at both the Tuareg 660 and the Husky Norden 901 pretty hard in the spring of 2023 and came real close to pulling the trigger on the Husky, but in both cases I was extremely hesitant to buy either due to 1) the very small dealer network here in the U.S. - especially in my area, and 2) parts availability here in the U.S. Only reason I didn't end up buying the Husky was because the one and only dealer within 3 hours of me wanted to play games and jerk me around so I walked away. Ended up buying a new TransAlp 750 this February and couldn't be happier. Yes I had to add my own cruise control (Veridian) and yes it has tubed tires rather than tubeless, but in all reality tubed tires aren't the huge issue soo many keyboard warriors want to make it out to be.

Hey Matt, sorry to see you having to deal with issues right off the bat with the new bike. Nothing worse than that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when things go wrong so far from home, I know! Hope you get it resolved soon and can get back to enjoying the bike.

Thanks for sharing. I’ve been seriously thinking about getting the Tuareg but one of the things holding me back is the lack of dealerships. With this news of having problems with the dealership mechanics, I think I’ll stay away

In Arizona, we have a couple dealers that unfortunately have a reputation of having horrible mechanics working on Ducatis and other high end brands. A bad dealership that tolerates shoddy work from their mechanics ruins the reputation of the brand. The brands need to crack down on this problem by using a QC follow-up system like the car manufacturers use.

Wow that sucks bud. Sorry to hear that and...I wish the best😄.

Sorry to hear this. Other than a bad battery, my 23 has been flawless so far

Sorry to hear all of this matt. This is why I love the T7 so much but you already know how good and reliable that machine is. Hope u get this fixed soon.

The RS 660 a lot of guys complain about seals leaking as well.... good luck and best wishes

You really need to call out the dealership. You never know if this is a common issue with their business. Others in the local area need to know or be able to confirm shoddy customer service. Shop rates are way to high for customers to be treated like this. It’s one thing for dealership to be unable to replicate an issue but it sounds like this was pretty obvious. Imagine if what they might say to someone who has little motorcycle knowledge. Good luck with the bike going forward.

that sucks man, those dealerships should be ashamed robbing you of a good time with your bike on your trip.

Seals and bearings are easily sourced, I think I would have repaired it myself at a motel parking lot. This would have saved the cost of rental vehicles, motels and restaurants.

I took apart a 2022 660 engine from a RS660 that shows made in china on the internal parts and the bolts that holds the brackets of the gearbox assembly are so soft that you can squash them with hand held pliers. I just hope the Tuareg 660 engine didn't get that type of poor craftsmanship carried over. On the other side of the coin the Tuareg 660 is so balanced at going from road to off road it is so hard for me being an owner of a Tuareg 660 that I could end up with similar issues as a few others that had with their Tuareg 660s. Oh and I have been smelling engine coolant at times.

Sorry for your bad luck. I had high hopes for the Aprilia Toureg 660. The specs look very good. I like lightweight ADV bikes for good off road performance but bikes with enough power to comfortably cruise on the highway on the rare occasions I need to do that. The 660 looked like it was a lot closer to that goal than the other manufacturers would provide. They cripple their small ADV bikes to protect sales of their heavy mid size and bloated full size ADV bikes. I wasn't too worried about the Aprilia dealership network in the US because I prefer to do my own maintenance and minor repairs, but this story is a train wreck. One dealer is either completely incompetent or didn't want to do the warranty work and flat out lied to you about the mechanical failure. Another dealer can't even get permission to do what is obviously a warranty repair in a week and won't get around to it for who knows how long, forcing you to incur car rental, airline travel, and miss a moto camping vacation. I paid $4920 out the door for a new 2019 BMW G310GS, in late October when BMW Motorrad and the dealer wanted it sold. It had a comprehensive 3 year factory warranty and BMW roadside assistance. I never needed either, but that was a comfort. A friend took a test ride on mine and bought his own that week. Last month, he traded in his three year old G310GS and bought a new one, so he's covered with the warranty and roadside assistance again. The Toureg 660 seal should have immediately been covered as a warranty repair at the initial service and all dealers should have those parts in stock or at worst, two days away. The BMW dealer in my state is not good but I'm confident that most BMW dealers, including the one 80 miles north of me where I'd go for repairs would have correctly identified and owned the problem, and had the bike fixed under warranty before your trip. 20/20 Hindsight: I'd have told the local dealer that this wasn't chain lube, and I'm not leaving on a trip across the western US on that bike. I'd ask them to clean the excess oil from the inside links of the chain (none on the outside - that's a big hint) and the skid plate, take it for a short test ride and inspect it for leaks.

I would not trust the manufacturers guide on chain tension. A tight chain is a very common culprit on countershaft seal damage. I squat test every new bike. You can use a ratched strap over the rack to the axle on each side compress the suspension till countershaft is aligned with swing arm picot and rear axle. Use any straight edge, string line, mop handle for an alignment tool. Adjust chain to 1” total slack. At this point the chain is at its longest possible length during the suspension arc. Do not adjust beyond 1” total slack, the chain needs a little room to grow on its rotational path around the sprockets. Been my method for close to 40 years on hundreds of bikes, ultra long life 10-12k miles and spotless countershaft seals. I adjust chain tension every three tanks of fuel, 700-800 miles. Presently on a 22ktm modded 890 w/26k miles zero problems with this method, on my 3rd chain Also, DID xring chains go 8k miles+ without a drop of lube or wax. I remove them during service and soak in lucas gear oil. After completely dry and wipe down with a soapy mix (2 times per life of chain) …dry xring chains for the win and everything stays so clean and save money on all the worthless “loooobz” and waxes. 🤙

Im sorry to see your issues. Currently i found out my dealer sold me the extended yamaha warranty when i bought my T7 new in oct 2023. The only person i ever spoke to is now telling me i bought some 3rd party warranty insurance company that her employer also owns/runs. She may of "mispoke" she says.The world is full of garbage people sometimes. Best luck good sir🤟

Sorry to hear, having issues with a new bike is frustrating enough, but being away from home even make it worse. I hope you get it sorted without too many other hassles.

Matt! So sorry! Nobody wants to see a fellow rider stranded and dealing with these issues. I commented a while back about being a fellow Tenere and KTM 390Adv rider. I was excited about seeing some of your T7 content, and truthfully a little disappointed you didn’t love it as much as I do. However, you followed your heart and I always look forward to your videos. I consider your experience a worst case scenario. When one has to book a flight home without the bike-man, I feel for you. Sorry to see that. I look forward to some crazy shenanigans from you on the 390 in the meantime! Good luck with everything!

A bike is and always stay a bike. Any make and model can fail and break down. THe way dealership deals with a situation like yours is what's important. Obviously, this dealership has no consideration whatsoever for you and the fact you have to fly back (with all the expenses and logistics related to it). Aprilia are good bikes. Dealership network is not very well developped. But acting likethis one does, it certainly won't score any point in gaining general public's trust. Good luck to you and please let us know what's happening. Cheers from Calgary.

Pretty crazy to spend money on two plane tickets & an REI duffle over a $20 seal. It wasn’t leaking that bad, ride it home and add oil on the way if you have to or just change the seal yourself.. Adventure Riders require problem solving skills.. Thanks for posting though! I’m interested in the bike and the kinds of problems it develops.

I nearly got the tuareg. But my bike is my main transport. I'm so sorry you are having trouble. But I pick up my transalp this Sunday. I'm thinking it will be the safer bet

So sorry for you! Good luck with this.

They said Chain lube???? Jeez, It is weird how we are reluctant to question so called "Experts" even when all our own logic and experience screams "BS! BS!"

Good luck my friend- I've been forrunate with mechanics in general I hope good fortune regarding your bike comes your way.

Gday Matt sucks to hear about your situation esp when you had an awesome trip planned but I gotta say you’re being very civilised about it. Thumbs up for your approach even though it’s certainly will be testing your patience. Once she is fixed she’ll be back on the road better than ever with many more happy miles of riding to enjoy. Stuff the ‘I told you so’ comments and give yourself credit for how you’re handling this. Well done mate!

I feel your pain. I sold my reliable Yamaha Super Tenere 1200 for a Triumph GT 1200 Explorer and the thing was a lemon. I kept it for too long hoping it would get better and it never did. Left me stranded 2500 miles from home and cost me a fortune to get it home. Too bad as I really liked that bike, it just didn't like me.

Bummer Matt, as a rider of a T7, you know the solidness of them, so I'd never pee in ones Cheerios. Good luck!

Hi Matt, so sorry for your issues. Now you have me a little worried, I just traded in my 390 Adventure for the Taureg a couple weeks ago. So far, I absolutely love the bike and smile every minute I’m riding. I go in for the first service on Friday. 600 miles and no issues, but I will surely keep an eye on the seal. Don’t give up, I think this is a great bike.

I bought mine from that dealership. I can tell from the video which dealer it is! Very interested in updates on the outcome. They’ve been very good to me, but as some commenters have said, an individual mechanic can ruin an otherwise good dealership. Please update!

Damn! Sorry to hear about this! That dealer that blew you off should be ashamed. I’m still interested in upgrading to the Tuareg from my 390 Adventure next year but that new KTM 790 has me second guessing myself. Good luck Matt. I think the warranty will come through for you.

Matt, so sorry to hear about this problem. My Tuareg is doing well. However I only have 4500 miles on it. I love the bike. I think I would call out the dealership that made the poor diagnosis. Hoping this gets resolved. Best!

Dealerships don't seem to be able to approve anything by themselves, poor situation when something so simple could easily be fixed. Hate to see you got jammed up.

Wow! That sucks! I don’t know exactly what your schedule and dealership locations were, but if it wasn’t leaking enough to cause safety concern, I might have taken extra oil and went straight home.

wondering if you considered having it fixed on you, so you could continue on and argue with aprilia later. also I have experienced leaking countershaft seals and wondered if I was seeing a mess caused by chain lube or crankcase oil so I added uv stuff available in auto shops. my uv flashlight showed I had a leaking seal. just mentioned this for future/others as a way to get warranty service done. looking forward to hearing the outcome of your moto story. maybe my next bike will just be a v strom and nothing exotic though the tuareg gets plenty of good reviews. cheers bud.

Sorry to hear. That's everybody's nightmare. I don't think it speaks to the bike. It speak volumes about the dealer you took it to originally and the one in the Bay Area! That is unacceptable. Poorest customer service I've heard of in a long time. I've heard issues about getting parts but warranty should of been approved immediately. Hope this is the last of any issues and you have many super adventures on the Taureg. I'd let Aprilia know you have 10,500 subscribers and the longer this takes the more potential customers their going to lose.

I’m rolling through British Columbia and Alberta mountains. Thinking of you Matt

So sorry this has happened, the original dealership sounds terrible, Chain Lube for pity sake. Sounds like a KTM dealership I used for my 390 Adventure, they were useless. I hope everything gets fixed and you continue on your travels.

I had a Moto Guzzi v85tt , loved it. It had several completely avoidable issues, complete lack of interest from the main dealer ( he has since given up Piaggio) Piaggio will take your cash but then you are on your own. I bought a Suzuki v strom 800 , zero issues so far. Hope you get this problem resolved.

I'm sorry to hear you're stranded over a countershaft seal. I was stranded for a week in quebec when my tundra lost a wheel bearing. I was towing my DR650 + bicycle. I'm finding out the dealership didn't do a great job as I recently had to have the axle replaced. I ended up heading home 4000 miles after they finished with it as I knew they had messed things up just didn't know how bad. I had to return once for my brakes and they also put wrong oil in my limited slip differential.

Bad luck mate. After so many miles under your wheels they should have treated you with more respect. If it's any consolation I had an Aprilia Caponord, which was trouble free and a joy to ride. Hopefully once the seal is replaced you will have happy trails and will follow your gut instinct to do your own servicing.

I took the Tuareg 660 out of contention as my next bike simply because too many Aprilia owners have experienced reliability and service issues. Only considering a Transalp XL750, Tenere 700, and a V-Strom 800DE at this point. What a bummer, since, based only on specs, the Tuareg 660 is a perfect bike for my needs. 660cc is such a sweet spot...

I’ve got a crap dealership too. Hate letting them near my bikes. I’m lucky I can do it all myself but there’s always a slight risk of warranty claims with brand new models (like the camshafts on my 22 model Triumph Tiger 1200) 🍻

Of you never lube your chain, the dealer can not blame the chain lube! 😎 - Frank

Matt, that's a real bummer! I'm so sorry and hope it only gets better from here. On a lighter side, how did the bike do on the highway out there?

This is why I got the T7 even though the Tuareg seems to be better all around. I need 1000% reliability. Don't see these 'broke down' videos with T7's! Anyways, good luck with your bike and safe riding!!

Just convinced me to get the Transalp. So sorry for your no fault mishap. There's a reason they have their reputation.

I've put 8500 mile on my 22' in AZ summer-winter dirt and long street ride and no issues, thankfully. Sorry for you trouble and dealerships are good and bad ya never know.

Looking at buying another mid weight adventure bike, had a T7 and loved it, but my heart is saying Aprilia, my head is saying another T7 🤯

I owned an Aprilia once and it was brand new and it also left me stranded. Never again 😞. Sorry you're experiencing something similar.

Man, that’s a bummer. Hope it resolves soon.

The countershaft seal might not be the issue at all. The nut holding it in place can loosen and cause the leak.

And this is what drives us to do our own work. I’ve had too many bad experiences with dealer “mechanics” (I use the term in its loosest possible sense) to trust any dealer with any of my bikes. Of course, you _can’t_ do the work yourself if you can’t get the parts, which is often a problem with small brands like Aprilia. I love the Tuareg in theory. In practice, I’ll go with a Yamaha, or a Honda, or maybe, if I get a wild hair, a Triumph.

Don’t give up on it. Hopefully Aprilia will make it right and doesn’t become a service nightmare. Really enjoy mine so far. I’m in Redding and work in the Bay Area. Let me know if I can help you in any way.

Ah man, sorry to see the bad luck with the bike/dealer :/ Hopefully the CA dealer will get it sorted, but the extra expense, time without the bike, and early failure of a part would leave anyone a little concerned. I think I had around 9500 miles on my Tuareg, and they were (largely) problem free. Good luck!

These guys are like unicorn trainers they are one of a kind!! Italian dealership mechanics and parts departments. The shaft seal issue is in multiple languages, so if you are not finding examples of the common leak in English -KZfaq look further..

I was on the fence between the T7 and the Tuareg 660. I heard rumors of the Tuareg having some issues. I hate that for anyone but I must say I am happy I made the choice to purchase the T7. Aside from that, any dealer can make for a bad experience on any brand of motorcycle. Good luck and keep us posted. PS, my dealer didn't torque down my front end bolts when I purchased, thank goodness I put new tires on and realized at that time all the bolts were hand tight.

Did you take one from the team while you were down there?

dang that sucks. I rode my brandnew 390 adv for about 10 min when the first warning light started flashing. Had some issues with the screen and stalling after that for some time. It all went away by itself eventually. But there is nothing worse than not being able to ride a new bike. Hope they fix yours soon and obviously under waranty

How has the bike been treating you now? Still thinking about getting one at some point, but not sure I can let the little 390 go; I love the light weight.

I hate to say it, but many dealers need to have their work double checked. My local KTM dealer put the air filter in backwards after my 18k valve inspection. Luckily I checked it before a ton of dust got pulled into the motor. Hope you get it resolved quickly.

I'd never tell you "told ya so!" but dang man... what's up with that dealership? Had a similar issue with service at my local dealership...took over a month to get my Honda back. I guess you'll be second guessing not doing the work yourself in the future. Hope your KTM is still treating you well. Sending y'all love from Texas.

Some of us are just unable to deal with these kind of frustrations(so we ride Japanese) too many similar horror stories with brand new Euro bikes…😢 Hope it all pans out for the better 🍻🍻

You're too nice a guy!!

The Aprilia maybe a fun capable bike but that’s no good to anyone is it’s always in the shop! I’d worry about how much this bike will cost you when the warranty ends. To be fair I do really like the Aprilia it rides fantastic but there are just too many people reporting issues for me. (Especially as they don’t sell as many as a T7 for example)

Keep us posted. I'm curious how this turns out.

A $20 dollar part and half hour of labor added to your bill at the servicing dealer would have been the direction to deal with this problem. The difference between a Japanese and Italian motorcycle manufacture is customer satisfaction with its products and its dealer network. Use your warranty card only for big problems and just chalk up little ones as part of the cost of owning a niche Italian motorcycle.

Hi Matt. I just came back from “Americade rally” N.Y.. and demo 15 bikes in 2 days…..my first choice was the Tuareg, second F900gs and third Moto Guzzi Stalvio (if i’m looking for more road oriented). Now i ad T7 for one year, sold for many reasons….this summer i will go opposite, lightest possible, so bought 390 adventure…..now fun start, i got couple know issue with the bike, start at 250km brand new, have to argue with dealer, make video to proven what i said…..i start to be angry and not the good way…..KTM know all the issue with this bike, but at dealer i was the first all the time. What i understand over the year….is buy to the closer dealer you get, any brand anyway, as long as you get nice support it wiill make you happy and smile. I deal with all major japanese, over the year, with big problems…..but at the end, we are not aware of mecanical and this happen to ALL BRAND. Keep good work, be patient, hale and exhaled. By the way i see the CF moto Ibex 450, at the rally….nice machine👍

Many people have seen water pump seal leaks. This is the first that I've heard about a countershaft seal leak.

Brutal man, Is the mechanic at the first dealership really that lousy ? Or just would rather kick the can down the road and not deal with it? either way. that’s absolutely horrendous ! I almost picked up a new Tuareg but opted for the new 790 Adv , needless to say I’m rolling the dice with Ktm once again. I hope you can get this sorted out sooner than later Cheers

Hey @apriliaofficial you guys need to fix this situation and reimburse this guy for his troubles.

European... especially Italian... DON'T DO IT!! 38 years as a mechanic has taught me this😂.

When I picked up my motorcycle from the dealership it didn't have any chain lube on it. It had chain wax. I know you didn't want to ruffle any feathers in the moment but I would have looked them dead in the eye and said quit bullshitting me I know that's oil. Sorry I'm just a little pissed off on your behalf because of this because I hate dealerships because they do shit like this. The only time I ever brought my bike to the dealership was to get the quick shifter installed and activated and the first service light reset. Other than that I'm doing it all myself. I don't trust them. I have the service manual I know how to do the valve service on this motorcycle now All I need is the parts.

The dealer did not have a cs seal in their inventory? Should have been an easy fix,..... It sucks with this bureaucracy. Hope it will sort of fast, so that you can enjoy the bike. Fingers crossed.

Countershaft seals are relatively inexpensive and simple to install. Did you look to see if there were any available for shipping?

Seal is easy to replace and easy to get

Whats up with Aprilia seals?Who was their suplier?Its bad quality seals or bad surface finish that wears them...On my GSXR you need to split cases to change them hope Aprilia have better design

I TOLD YOU SO!!!! 😢 just kidding. Sorry this happened to you. I hope it doesn’t sour your joy of what is a phenomenal bike. Get it all squared away and ride it.

Not good. Hope things get better.

Recommendation to prove case: Clean all around seal immaculately while in dealership and with service manager watching. Then poof a cloud of baby powder over the area. Then don't touch it. Come back to it hours later or next day. Case closed.

Most motorcycle dealers are notoriously bad globally. Very unfortunate case. In Finland I kinda get it as there are no dealers that live off motorcycle business alone but I have seen so many bad shops abroad too.

Okay, I made up my mind. I wanted the aprili so bad, but I think I'll stick with the Suzuki. I need peace of mind with reliability.

Well that really sucks for what is in reality a $10 lip seal that can be bought from most bearing shops, that they can replace in less than 30 minutes That what they are on most bikes anyway. It’s the sad reality for many brands and many dealers these days they just don’t care

Bummer. No two ways around it. And it will cost Aprilia some sales for sure. Not sure Piaggo understands that reliability and service is key for non-japanese bikes. They have something to prove essentially. Japanese makers can sort of rest on their (well deserved) laurels.

Yes, the mechanic misdiagnosed, but also the bike failed and it’s a new bike. Doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in the Tuareg, which is a shame; seems like a great bike otherwise. At this point I’ll stick with Yamaha or Honda.