Is this the way biking is going?

[Redmurty]

Amazon will be launching it's own phone and net in the very near future, they are spreading into other area's, not sure about motorbikes though.

The internet is taking over and will continue to do so if we don't look after our own local businesses.

cheers Spud

[Nigel]

Same in the Peterborough area. We are really suffering badly.
We only have dealers for Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, BMW, Triumph, Aprilia, KTM. Ducati and Harley are out of town on the Leicester road, there is also a couple of dealers in Chinese bikes on the trading estate but no idea what they are called.
For second hand stuff, all of the above plus, Bikes and Trikes, World of Bikes, (Corby).

Trying not to buy a bike around here is bloody murder. Thankfully the only one with free coffee / tea and biscuits is Balderstons, BMW. All the rest have chuck wagon or café on site. Best egg and bacon rolls , Webs at Eye.

There are some charity shops in town if you need one. (thumbs)

Go to Baldies but it`s a 100 mile round trip for me that`s what you get for living out in the sticks, there is a Triumph dealer 13 miles away but don`t have a good reputation so it`s either Norwich or Peterborough.

[pegasso650]

Down in west cornwal there are a couple of good repair and service shops localy a Suzuki dealer in Camborne a kawasaki dealer in Lanner Yamaha about 40 miles away BMW Triumph Ducati and Harley nr Plymouth

[boristhebold]

?... Also as a full time worker with various commitments they just aren't open when I'm around.

This is modern life, we have made it like this.

I am always staggered that bike dealerships stick to their 1960s and 1970s opening hours. Bikes tend to be a hobby now with few people actually using them for transport to work as their only source of travel. So why the hell aren't they capitalising on it and opening until say 9pm on a Thursday Friday and Saturday and why so few open on a Sunday? It is like they are cutting their own throats and then moaning about it. If I were a salesman and was asked to work noon til 8 rather than 9x 5 two days a week, I'd love it, lie in, ride out for an hour or two and then into work.
Shop hours ? Narrow minded thinking IMO

[Brenhden]

?... Also as a full time worker with various commitments they just aren't open when I'm around.

This is modern life, we have made it like this.

I am always staggered that bike dealerships stick to their 1960s and 1970s opening hours. Bikes tend to be a hobby now with few people actually using them for transport to work as their only source of travel. So why the hell aren't they capitalising on it and opening until say 9pm on a Thursday Friday and Saturday and why so few open on a Sunday? It is like they are cutting their own throats and then moaning about it. If I were a salesman and was asked to work noon til 8 rather than 9x 5 two days a week, I'd love it, lie in, ride out for an hour or two and then into work.
Shop hours ? Narrow minded thinking IMO

Fowler's in Bristol have a parts department that is only open til 12 on Sunday! Sunday is the farkling day, I don't know what I need until about 12. Madness.

Opening hours confuse me, who is it that shops on Monday morning? All the people earning money to pay for things are busy out earning it.

I worked for an afternoon in an EE phone shop recently and they knew exactly when they would be busy and with what type of customer. 9-10am busy with quick sales before work. 12-1 lunch time shoppers. 330-430pm Mums after school. 5-7 people after work. They complained that Saturday and Sunday you couldn't move in the shop for customers. The rest of the time it was like a ghost town.

Surely bike shops can see that and adapt.

[Mad Cow]

Fowler's in Bristol have a parts department that is only open til 12 on Sunday! Sunday is the farkling day, I don't know what I need until about 12. Madness.

Your'e lucky, my KTM dealer is 33 miles from home or 19 miles from work and doesn't open on a Sunday.

It's not too bad if I'm on the bike as I finish work at 5.00, it takes me 30-40 minutes to get there and they close at 6.00.

Last Friday I had to get a replacement pipe after the exhaust fractured on the 990 , so naturally I was in the car. I had resigned myself to the 66 mile round trip on a Saturday from home but managed to get off work a bit early at 4.50, so went for it! The traffic was awful (it was Friday night after all) but I got there at 5.50 (Yep an average speed of 19mph). At least I could rebuild the bike that evening and actually enjoy it on the Saturday!

Mind you SBW Motorrad the BMW dealer in Hertford is shortly relocating to Welwyn Garden City, only five minutes from my office. Maybe it's time to buy another Beemer :laugh:

[sprintster]

OK, I hate to to be ripped to shreds here, but business is business.

I love bike dealerships but honestly I've never bought anything from them. They are so expensive compared to online. Also as a full time worker with various commitments they just aren't open when I'm around. The big Harley shop in Bridgewater has never once been open when I've been in the area. In Bristol there are a few and Fowlers seems popular but I think the cafe and the service depot are what keep it in business rather than the bike sales. That's certainly true of the BMW dealership in North Bristol.

This is modern life, we have made it like this.

I totally agree.It would nice to support local shops but I don't earn a huge wage so I can't afford to be shafted by them.Our local car accessories shop charges about three times the prices I can get online.I can't speak for the bike shops round here as they're never open on a Sunday when I might be tempted to go out for a spin and pop in by!

[hotbulb]

Crdiff's a biggish city, and capital, yet we have only a Triumph dealer (Bevan's - a very old bike firm, but now just Triumph) and Riders (Ducati & BMW). I'm surprised there's nothing for any of the Japanese 4. And since the demise of Hein Gericke there's no kit and accessories dealer either. When I were a lad .. a very long time ago, admittedly....there were several main dealers, as well as a number of general bike shops.
I suppose we're lucky that there are (Japanese 4) dealers within 20-30 miles.
Or am I just getting old and grumpy, hankering after a golden past that probably never existed ?

[Possu]

We need to support local bike shops or they'll close through lack of business. I've built a good relationship with an ex-Honda dealership here in Oxford. I get looked after and will still buy from them even when they're not the cheapest. The 'net was no use when I still needed parts a couple of hours before departing for Portugal, the guys down the road saved the day by having the parts in stock.

Building the relationship takes time and it's not always about the money, shops need decent customers, we need decent local bike shops. I know from experience that some people only use bike shops as "fitting boutiques" to establish what size helmet etc they need before ordering online to save a couple of quid yet are the first to moan when a dealer doesn't go that extra mile on their behalf or when the dealer closes through lack of business.

[Fried Egg Sandwich]

Possu you have hit the nail firmly on the head there. I do support my local dealer - Redline in Northfield - great service would not want to lose them. (thumbs)