Motorcycle main dealer

cantdecide

So there's a distinct lack of motorcycle main dealers in my area. Lots of greedy independents who aren't well equipped or very commercially minded or service driven whose every second word is 'cash'. There's a proper Beemer and Honda dealer but there is one in particular which is one of the biggest names that has a main dealer in a manky smelly farmer's shed in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by scrap (which gives me hope, tbh).

I'm certain that sales are muck at the moment for obvious reasons but I know that workshops cover overhead in most bike/ car dealers anyway. How difficult is it to land a main dealership and what's involved?

Atlas_IRL

Whats your experience of the industry?

The budget would be huge to set one up, do you have access to a lot of funding?

Im sure most people would just go to Cork city centre to buy their bikes, no?

bladespin

As a main dealer you would be obliged to carry an agreed mount of stock, you'd have to be looking more at sales than workshop I'm afraid, hence why the independants stay away.

cantdecide

Atlas_IRL wrote: »

Whats your experience of the industry?

The budget would be huge to set one up, do you have access to a lot of funding?

Im sure most people would just go to Cork city centre to buy their bikes, no?

I mean there's damn all main dealers in Cork City. If I want a Harley, I must go to Waterford?? Cork is such a biker stronghold and if you want a genuine part for your bike or some dealer only service, you must leave the city and in most cases travel quite a distance. More and more bikes are becoming fuel injected which means that the technophobic wrench monkeys are falling behind. I've seen it time and time again.

I'm a major petrol head and am reasonably fluent in how the car business works. As a relatively new biker, it became patently obvious to me that there is an opportunity. Having said that, I haven't worked directly in the motor industry. Currently, I work in the family business which is having not insignificant success despite the recession (in other words, I have access to pretty sound, proven business advice). I've experienced the poor service in the bike business in Cork (with some exceptions) but I can see that there's more gap than market in a lot of respects.

I've gotten wind of a small bike shop locally whose owner wants out of the business. They are relatively legit and have a reasonable name. I think that if it's possible to get my feet under that table that it's not impossible to work towards becoming an agent. Two friends have done the devil by buying out existing businesses with their cash flow and credit ratings.

I've been in and out and I know for a fact that he effectively hasn't sold a bike from his small stock this whole year. More evidence that workshops are the crucial factor even if he's only keeping body and soul together IMO.

bladespin wrote: »

As a main dealer you would be obliged to carry an agreed mount of stock, you'd have to be looking more at sales than workshop I'm afraid, hence why the independants stay away.

Such details are what I am most curious about. I believe that the manufacturer/ distributor doesn't expect payment up front for new bikes. Hence why so many car dealers doors are still open despite massive hemorrhages due to depreciating new stock.

I was recently told by a friend who's a car dealer's service manager that you won't get a euro off a service bill because that's what's keeping the dealers open. This started me thinking. Then I thought that if I want my bike serviced, the average wait is a week...

These are my thought processes on the matter so far. I'm still only doing some mental doodling...