Posts
300
Joined
11/28/2021
Location
Paducah, KY
US
Do the majority of moto enthusiasts shop on the major sites and local dealers and pay MSRP less the random sale/black Friday? Are most of you hooked up with a "parts guy" who is selling stuff a little above cost? Is there a better way to get parts than just paying up for whatever you need? I miss the days of good coupon codes and now everything is pretty locked in, the only draw is customer service and your sticker of choice (usually).
Poll
Had an insider that got me 50% off FXR, but he has since retired. Back to avg Joe pricing..
Last place I would go is the local dealer.
The Shop
Free shipping: VITALMX
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Now, I have a small deal with Motosport.com, and I only go to the dealer to get new bikes.
Whatever you do, just be loyal to a place, develop a relationship, and it will work out for both you and the company. A local dealer will give you 20 percent off if you are spending thousands there a year.
Like dude, I’m a consumer, if I like Suzuki, you should like Suzuki too, just saying, so that I spend my money there. Dude wasn’t moto at all, asked me what bike Eli Tomac rode and I said Yamaha and he was confused but realized I knew my shit.
I just hate that the guy was trying to act all cool and like he knew his shit when he didn’t. Plus I wanted to look around at the gear and stuff they had for sale IN PEACE, but nope he followed me around making small talk and trying to “win” his little Suzuki sucks argument. So annoying. I’ll never go to that fucking place again. They can change my god damn tires though. Here’s my rim and tire I bought from EBay or Motosport, change it for $30 since you wanna be assholes.
I assumed(my bad, I know) that they would charge me $25-30 per wheel to mount the tire, but NO, they charged me a full labor hour per tire! I ended up having to pay $200 for them to mount 2 tires.........
That was the last time I spent a dollar at a local dealer.
Pit Row
I have gone into dealers looking for things like sprockets, chain guides, brake pads, levers and other items that they will absolutely sell if they had in stock, but they never have them. I typically just look online first now, it just sucks when you need something with short notice and are willing to pay a premium.
Hondas & Honda parts at Donnell’s Motorcycles in Independence, MO (also Suzuki & Beta).
Kawasakis & Kawi parts at Lee’s Honda Kawasaki Polaris Beta in Redding.
I have “no such complaints” as those of you that have dealers that don’t stock what’cha need. Fator’s and Donnell’s…these shops are owned and operated by Bad Ass Off-Roaders! Lee’s is run Moto-family-types that have been selling me bikes, just like Fator’s has, since the 90s (when I moved to Redding).
AEO Has there own SX/MX TEAM.
Donnell’s? Met the owner at St Louis or ATL SX…some years ago…Vital member, too…btw. Made me a deal on a new Honda 450 in DECEMBER of 2020…remember trying to FIND dirt bikes back then…?
Fator’s sold me a MINT 2007 RM125 around that same time for $3500 and this thing was BETTER than new with over $2K in new aftermarket “very hard to get goodies”. Recently picked up a GasGas 300 at Fator’s, too.
Lee’s sold me the 1st 2022 KLR650 Adventure they got and gave me A DEAL on it! (People we’re paying mark-up on them all over the web/on forums). I went back and bought another as a Buddy Bike.
EVERYONE of these dealers gave me some great deals and excellent service DURING THIS COVID DEBACLE…
All of them.
Deals on “very hard to get bikes”.
OEM PARTS IN STOCK when most dealers and even RMATVMC didn’t have’em (yes, I get some stuff there, too!)
Hell, AEO had KTM 450 Complete Gasket Kits when NO ONE-else did (I bought 2…”just in case”/the spare kit is in my race-day parts box…someone will need it!)
My dealers are run by great people and they ALL ride.
I dig all of them.
Bike parts: Usually alternate between Rocky Mountain + Motosport
Incidentals (oil, lubes, sometimes tires): Local Cycle Gear
Random vintage parts: Ebay and FB Marketplace
Also very fortunate that they (and other shops around here) do a great job at stocking parts. I'm talking thousands of oem and aftermarket parts in stock for the brands they sell, and a super knowledgeable staff that you can bs with when buying parts, watch sx with them on a Saturday and ride together on Sunday. Same with gear, there is a ton of options there, multiple brands ect. Just estimating from when I was there today, maybe 100+ sets of gear from the major brands, and a ton of boots/helmets ect too.
I think it's a shame when I hear that others don't have shops like that close to them, but it also makes me realize how fortunate I am to have a shop like that close to home. I picked up a new 350 and 300 recently, they treated me good as always. But I love brick and mortar shops and want them to make money.
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