How is your local moto shop doing?

klein8
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klein8 7/27/2009 6:46pm
7/27/2009 6:46pm
where I work sales are down over 50%, mx racers are almost none existent. when they do come in ,its only because they can't under cut us with a mail order company and then they want to whine when they don't get a discount anymore!
Ing
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Ing 7/27/2009 7:18pm
7/27/2009 7:18pm
99% of the shops around here are WAY down on business. The one core moto shop just closed his doors after being open only a couple years. Super nice guy, but not much of a business man. A month after he opened I predicted he'd go under within a couple years. It was that obvious. Sponsored everyone and their buddy. I mean really sponsored them, not just in name only. Gave away $5,000 at a end of the year banquet, which is awfully nice but not real smart for a small, new dealer just starting out. Too bad but obvious.
nc_mx_kid
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nc_mx_kid 7/27/2009 7:54pm
7/27/2009 7:54pm Edited Date/Time 7/27/2009 7:55pm
THANKFULLY the shop that I work for is still rockinG, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Polaris, CanAm, Seadoo products. I know ALOT of dealers that are just barely floating along. www.matthewsfunmachines.com
andymoto
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andymoto 7/27/2009 8:56pm
7/27/2009 8:56pm
FreshTopEnd wrote:
We have a couple of really good local dealers, and some really bad ones. The bad ones don't deserve support.
So true. I know one that's always been awful good to me forever.

Went to a few dealers with my buddy not that long ago on east side; like ghost towns.

Never seen it as bad at those places.



The Shop

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BattlezFMX 7/27/2009 9:35pm
7/27/2009 9:35pm
It's bad out there for most shops. We deal with quite a few through distributors of the game. Many of the distributors have been left hanging when shops just close down with no advance notice. They have to fight for months if not years with the bankruptcy administrator just to try and get their inventory back. A lot of stuff was on consignment or terms. Your screwed then.
mxdad
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mxdad 7/27/2009 9:58pm
7/27/2009 9:58pm
You guys have local motocross stores? Damn. Never seen one in my lifetime.

Never understood why Parts Unlimited would waste money advertising at the Nationals when they don't even have a racer sales supply network in place. Who are they trying to advertise to? All the people attending that have the money to open a motocross store? That must be about 5 people out of 20,000.

The industry did this to themselves. Over produced. Wasted money on marketing. Paid riders to wear the gear. Sold chinese made crap. And most importantly thought the motocross racing community was stupid and rich. $600 helmets. $600 boots. $100 gogles. Thank the moto gods for eBay and all the desperate mail order companies that dump the unsold shit for 60% off every late summer/fall.

We are not the dumb harley screaming eagle crowd. We are broke ass spend 101% of our disposable income on the sport that makes us piss blood for a week.

You want my business? Then realize that you don't have to pay a pro racer $50,000 to wear the gear. Lower the prices so new participants can enter the sport.

The local dealers did not do anything wrong. The gear and aftermarket made the mistakes. They raised the stocking requirements and buy in's so large that there was no f'en way a "local" dealer could participate. We all went eBay and mail order. And now we are all going to wait 6 months from product release so we can save 50%.

Don't buy any 2010 gear until next sumer. Buy the 60% off 2009 helmets, boots, etc now.

The industry f'ed the dealers. The industry panicked and went deep discount with the mail order companies.

Supporting your local dealer is futile. They are out of the mx business for good reason.

The industry is killing the sport.

BallsOut
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BallsOut 7/27/2009 10:05pm
7/27/2009 10:05pm
mxdad disagree on the advertising. advertising is how i make my money a long with many others in the industry. im a graphic artist and design some ads so takin them away would eliminate my job and that would eliminate my bills which is someone elses income. its a small world bro we need each other.
mxdad
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mxdad 7/27/2009 10:27pm
7/27/2009 10:27pm Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 1:10am
BallsOut wrote:
mxdad disagree on the advertising. advertising is how i make my money a long with many others in the industry. im a graphic artist and design...
mxdad disagree on the advertising. advertising is how i make my money a long with many others in the industry. im a graphic artist and design some ads so takin them away would eliminate my job and that would eliminate my bills which is someone elses income. its a small world bro we need each other.
Welcome back (for now) mister Balls. I never spoke of the waste of money the companies blow on advertising. I subscribe to every USA motocross magazine. Base my buying decisions on the company that does not waste my time with the most ads. Same at the Nationals I attend. Block my view with your banners you are black listed for the next calender year.

I love advertising. I have waited for 30 years for a company to address my needs in a ad instead of talking about themselves or who wears thier gear.

Balls (if you still have any) advertising in the year 2010 is about the customers needs not the f'en companies offers, cool pictures, or who else wears the gear. It is about ME. The guys who spends the money. I don't give two shits about what gear the pro's wear. I don't give two shits about your "rad" new designs. Give me shit with a lifetime replacement warranty if the knee areas go to hell. Give me a lifetime buckle warranty if shit falls off after 1 month. At least offer one design of gear every year that does not look like a power rangers outfit.


You claim to work in graphic design. Here's a tip. Drop the shit already. Why the hell can't race bike look like high performance, purpose built, dedicated use, race f'en bikes?
Why does everything about our sport need to look like it could be marketed on the Nicolodean TV chanel?

These are serious times folks. Maybe we could have some serious companies in our industry?


IntenseRider
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IntenseRider 7/27/2009 10:28pm
7/27/2009 10:28pm
mxdad wrote:
You guys have local motocross stores? Damn. Never seen one in my lifetime. Never understood why Parts Unlimited would waste money advertising at the Nationals when...
You guys have local motocross stores? Damn. Never seen one in my lifetime.

Never understood why Parts Unlimited would waste money advertising at the Nationals when they don't even have a racer sales supply network in place. Who are they trying to advertise to? All the people attending that have the money to open a motocross store? That must be about 5 people out of 20,000.

The industry did this to themselves. Over produced. Wasted money on marketing. Paid riders to wear the gear. Sold chinese made crap. And most importantly thought the motocross racing community was stupid and rich. $600 helmets. $600 boots. $100 gogles. Thank the moto gods for eBay and all the desperate mail order companies that dump the unsold shit for 60% off every late summer/fall.

We are not the dumb harley screaming eagle crowd. We are broke ass spend 101% of our disposable income on the sport that makes us piss blood for a week.

You want my business? Then realize that you don't have to pay a pro racer $50,000 to wear the gear. Lower the prices so new participants can enter the sport.

The local dealers did not do anything wrong. The gear and aftermarket made the mistakes. They raised the stocking requirements and buy in's so large that there was no f'en way a "local" dealer could participate. We all went eBay and mail order. And now we are all going to wait 6 months from product release so we can save 50%.

Don't buy any 2010 gear until next sumer. Buy the 60% off 2009 helmets, boots, etc now.

The industry f'ed the dealers. The industry panicked and went deep discount with the mail order companies.

Supporting your local dealer is futile. They are out of the mx business for good reason.

The industry is killing the sport.

Uh...what about the $8000 bikes? For me at least, that is a bigger downer than the gear prices. In fact, I bought my kids new gear this year since we weren't getting new bikes.

To be honest, I still tell my shop that MX is a bargain compared to cycling. Unfortunately, that is my other addiction and I think that the prices in that industry are way overboard. You can get a decent set of MX gear for $150-175. Compare that to high end cycling stuff - $200+ shorts, $100+ jerseys, $400+ shoes, $200+ helmet, etc. Add in the cost of your bike ($4000-$12000 for high end road/mountain) and you got a boatload of money tied up in that hobby. Think $1000 bucks is too much for an extra set of Excel/Talon wheels? Try dropping $4K on a set of carbon road hoops. Yikes!

Oh yea, I also ski in the winter. Want sticker shock? Walk into a ski shop with the thought of outfitting a family of five. Kiss another 5-8 grand goodbye.

Aside from the cost of bikes, I still think that MX is a bargain when it comes to outfitting yourself with gear.
trentmanracing 7/27/2009 10:50pm
7/27/2009 10:50pm
As far as I know, my dealership the team goes through is doing fine. Seems busy everyday that I am there and I am there everyday almost.

iampkrfn
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iampkrfn 7/28/2009 8:06am
7/28/2009 8:06am
mxdad wrote:
You guys have local motocross stores? Damn. Never seen one in my lifetime. Never understood why Parts Unlimited would waste money advertising at the Nationals when...
You guys have local motocross stores? Damn. Never seen one in my lifetime.

Never understood why Parts Unlimited would waste money advertising at the Nationals when they don't even have a racer sales supply network in place. Who are they trying to advertise to? All the people attending that have the money to open a motocross store? That must be about 5 people out of 20,000.

The industry did this to themselves. Over produced. Wasted money on marketing. Paid riders to wear the gear. Sold chinese made crap. And most importantly thought the motocross racing community was stupid and rich. $600 helmets. $600 boots. $100 gogles. Thank the moto gods for eBay and all the desperate mail order companies that dump the unsold shit for 60% off every late summer/fall.

We are not the dumb harley screaming eagle crowd. We are broke ass spend 101% of our disposable income on the sport that makes us piss blood for a week.

You want my business? Then realize that you don't have to pay a pro racer $50,000 to wear the gear. Lower the prices so new participants can enter the sport.

The local dealers did not do anything wrong. The gear and aftermarket made the mistakes. They raised the stocking requirements and buy in's so large that there was no f'en way a "local" dealer could participate. We all went eBay and mail order. And now we are all going to wait 6 months from product release so we can save 50%.

Don't buy any 2010 gear until next sumer. Buy the 60% off 2009 helmets, boots, etc now.

The industry f'ed the dealers. The industry panicked and went deep discount with the mail order companies.

Supporting your local dealer is futile. They are out of the mx business for good reason.

The industry is killing the sport.

Amen - you nailed it. Very glad I closed my place about a 1 1/2 ago before it got really bad.
ebers
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ebers 7/28/2009 8:47am
7/28/2009 8:47am
catatonic wrote:
My buddy is a KTM dealer.......he's barely getting by.
what KTM shop is that?

and I help out at a local service shop, service work is up and keeping things going, but as far as everything else in the store, no one comes in to buy much these days. after being behind the counter, i'll support the local shop any day of the week. no one quite understands the importance of a local shop if your a racer until its gone. of course i'll buy online once in a great while for a deal you just can't pass up, but when it comes to parts and everything else, i'll stick to my local shop, there are times that having them around is invaluable.
Kinetic1
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Kinetic1 7/28/2009 11:37am
7/28/2009 11:37am
My local dealer said his internet business is doing really well but in house sales are horrible for both parts and bikes.
dsklein25
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dsklein25 7/28/2009 1:13pm
7/28/2009 1:13pm
My local shop is struggling. Internet is helping keep him afloat. He's been there over 20 years and is wondering if he'll make it through the summer! Sucks!
TomZ
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TomZ 7/28/2009 1:29pm
7/28/2009 1:29pm
Moto East Mag wrote:
It's bad around here...and the DC metro area is considered recession-proof because of all the government jobs and contractors. I was in a big mega-store on...
It's bad around here...and the DC metro area is considered recession-proof because of all the government jobs and contractors.
I was in a big mega-store on Saturday and the accessories department was a shell of its former self. I mean it looked weird with only a few racks of stuff. And the guy tells me "yeah, I have to send back another $100k in inventory on Monday".
He said the service department is the one keeping the whole store afloat.
As the owner of one of these shops....i can tell it doesn't get much harder then now.

Add to that, we are based in suburban Detroit and it is not fun times.

On a positive note, the industry will survive and thrive in the future. Times like these will make the industry innovative and resourceful.

Evans
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Evans 7/28/2009 3:19pm
7/28/2009 3:19pm
I am the general manager at a local shop. It is really sad to see people not want to come in and support there local dealer. They would rather bitch about the three dollar price difference,and how no buddy at the shop knows shit. The shop i work at is doing great in parts and service. Sales is down but that is because of lending companies. We still have good traffic. Any way support local businesses people keep your money in your town and it will all come around.
mjskier
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mjskier 7/28/2009 3:30pm
7/28/2009 3:30pm
The guys who do not work on their own bikes will miss the dealer when he closes up shop. Maybe the internet will start fixing bikes.

Do you have a phone number for the internet? There is no way I'm taking my bike to the local dealer.
My buddy had a top end and full service done and they forgot to put oil in the gearbox. His bike locked up during his first race. He brought it back to get that fixed, and when he picked up the bike was missing one of the front engine cover and one of the bolt that holds the seat...
And the other dealer doesn't want to sell me a bike. He quoted me more than new retail price for a used PW80.

Pit Row

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BallsOut
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BallsOut 7/28/2009 3:36pm
7/28/2009 3:36pm
i like going to chappy because them girls are hotties. you gotta admit some have attitudes and bark at ya but we like it. no daddies girls there just some chicks off the hard streets of san berdo.
Titan
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Titan 7/28/2009 3:36pm
7/28/2009 3:36pm
Evans wrote:
I am the general manager at a local shop. It is really sad to see people not want to come in and support there local dealer...
I am the general manager at a local shop. It is really sad to see people not want to come in and support there local dealer. They would rather bitch about the three dollar price difference,and how no buddy at the shop knows shit. The shop i work at is doing great in parts and service. Sales is down but that is because of lending companies. We still have good traffic. Any way support local businesses people keep your money in your town and it will all come around.
My local dealer isn't even close on price for parts/accessories...for example...Moose Racing radiator gaurds...$95 on the moose racing site...found them for $75 on another site. My local dealer? $125! Sorry, but I'm not gonna pay an extra $50 for parts.

And don't get me started on the labor costs...$72/hour! You kidding me? $800 for a valve job, so a $10/hour tech can do the work. Sorry.

And the guy at the parts counter has no frikkin' clue what he's talking about...absolutely worthless.

Anyway, I see your point, and I"d love to support the local guy, but they've at least got to attempt to be competative with the internet and things...
flarider
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flarider 7/28/2009 3:40pm
7/28/2009 3:40pm Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 1:11am
In my discussions with shops and distributors, bike sales are dead and I think I read they're down like 42% the last qtr over the same qtr last year, financing is the biggest problem.

If a shop depended solely on new bike sales to survive, they're in deep shit

If they're a shop who was a solid parts, accessories and service department, they're staying above water...some quite well.

People are investing into their existing bikes rather than buy new.


and anyone who's been reading my crap online for the last ten years or so know that I have always advocated supporting your local shop, because there the ones who will be there for the last minute/last second items needed to ride that day and they're the ones to help you when you're working on your bike and have a question

If they're a dick, fuck 'em

But pay the extra 5-15% or whatever to keep your local place alive if they're not.


I have nothing against the mail places and I think they serve a purpose, but I also think people need to "spread the wealth" and remember to support their local shop

BallsOut
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BallsOut 7/28/2009 3:56pm
7/28/2009 3:56pm
i agree local shops are cool. sometimes it cool to see the guys behind the counter or sales out at the track doing what they love. i always support local shops because you can ask them more questions than a internet purchase order. we really shouldnt communicate with our computers as much as we do.
72kiteboarder
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72kiteboarder 7/28/2009 3:59pm
7/28/2009 3:59pm
BallsOut wrote:
i agree local shops are cool. sometimes it cool to see the guys behind the counter or sales out at the track doing what they love...
i agree local shops are cool. sometimes it cool to see the guys behind the counter or sales out at the track doing what they love. i always support local shops because you can ask them more questions than a internet purchase order. we really shouldnt communicate with our computers as much as we do.
Maybe you should chime in on this thread since this is what you do?

http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Photo-and-Video,23/How-to-get-started-wit…
ThePipe
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ThePipe 7/28/2009 4:37pm
7/28/2009 4:37pm
Things are great for us
We only mess with the KX YZ CR RM (2 stroke Japanese MXers)
No 4 bangers
No street
No watercraft
No ATVs
No Snowmobiles

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