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Only $10 for all 2024 SX, MX, and SMX series (regularly $30).
Yeah.
They advertise them for $1500, but the OTD price is nearly double. On a percentage basis, that's outrageous. WTF is there to even put together on an XR50?
I can't wait for the day when I can order a bike online.
The Shop
i almost bought a KTM dealership that wasn't willing to talke to me after 4 minutes of staring at a new 350cc machines
How you been doing anyway's Ryan? Been riding?
Good man, still in Texas riding every weekend! Bought me a Yamaha a month ago and loving it.
You been riding? I see shougal is open this weekend! My dad is running Motosport now, so if you see the crew around ask for Scott. He needs a riding buddy!
And new 19' YZ250? I was thinking maybe you moved back up this way? And I did not know about Washougal this weekend , but if it's a practice day I may go there. Was thinking Albany , so I can get the 250 broke in on something a little easier. Get in touch with me if you make it up here this next spring / summer so we can go do some roostin'!
Stayin for Texas for a while. Can't beet the riding. I'm hoping to make it up and hopefully race the national this year.
I'll definitely give you a shout!
Is how you see it
Advertised internet pricing is why you search dunlop mx33 and it comes up for 33 dollars
Then you select your bike and its 85....
In the internet world advertised price gets you into their door - you still go to a car dealer in almost all car buying experiences these days.
The reason the dealers are dying is consumers are assholes and the industry is slowly dying but business owners who do this are passionate still and clinging to that passion.
A fair profit on a 7500 dollar investmet in a bike, plus a multimillion dollar dealership - should be more than 1000 bucks imho. Most smart money people on this forum can take 7500 and turn that into 8500
back in the good days - before the internet - a dealer could discount the bike to cost and sell you parts all year - slowly make some money
Now the consumer buys the cheapest bike he can find then goes online and buys all his parts (not at a great deal frankly) and screws the dealer
You can visit a couple of dealers, window shop, see the real prices,
Simple, painless and no one walks away feeling fucked over.
Number 1 - how much money does that no nothing salesman make to sell you a 450 at rmsrp plus assembly, plus freight? How much does that dealer make?
Local power dealer in my area wont touch dirtbikes outside of their manufacturer required minimums. Their sales crew describe motocrosses as “hands out palms up saying “gimme””
The sales guy will take 1 hour walk through on a bike or bikes, 20 minutes of going over numbers, then 10 phone calls with the customer leveraging every other deal he has found trying to drop the price down to nothing, 1 hour processing the guys credit app
Then a 1 hour closing process where the customer tries every last minute tactic to drop price, all to make less than 50 bucks commission on zero base hourly if he sold it full pop retail.
He can sell 1 side by side in the same time, 5k of accessories he gets a cut of, and make 5-10 times the money depending on his month
Number 2 - the dealers are a response to the consumer. Thats capitalism for you, its not the other way around.
Number 3, said asshole customer will tell all his buddies he got that 2018 yz450 for 5995. He will neglect to tell them he paid fees and shipping and whatever else
Then his buddies will be the biggest assholes to their next buying experience because they “know” that the “dealers cost” is 5995 when the reality is its not
Dirtbike margins are 10-15 percent off msrp
the dealer pays a shipping company to deliver these bikes - go ask fed ex for a free shipment!
The dealer pays a kid 15 bucks an hour to put it together from the crate, and the dealer usually has a fork lift, dumpster/trash service to dispose of the crates/boxes and finally they have a showroom to put the bike in, phone lines, cleaning staff, lease or property taxes etc
All for 10-15 percent at retail!
As I said - in the good ole days you gave the bike away (they still do) then earned it back in parts and then a little extra
The online game ruined the parts business for dealers - and the consumer never forgot the deals they used to get. Now they demans the deal, and take their parts business online
Even worse they bitch when a local dealer HAS the part they need in stock and wants retail for it...
Im a consumer too. Im guilty of all of the above consumer habbits. Its just not the dealers fault he is trying to lure sales and make a profit while doing it
For instance your number 1 perspective. Every bike I have bought has been a simple email/phone/text exchange and maybe an hour tops in the dealer doing paperwork. Sure not every customer is like this but not everyone is as you listed above. And not sure where that MX stereotype comes from but guess that's your perspective.
I get it Side by Sides are what's keeping lights on. Walk into any dealer and look at the inventory and one would easily gather as much.
Your number 3 and 4 again are your experience / perspective. From mine and my dealer, such is not the case, maybe wherever you're at, but most guys know how much these bikes cost and how much fees/title/tags/etc. cost., my Yamaha dealer has shown me invoice on a few of the bikes I bought from him. Most people with common sense who hear their buddy at the track say they bought a bike at a ridiculous price , can easily smell the B.S and won't expect that price. I always laugh inside when I hear guys saying what you quoted above.
I get what you're saying and can see your perspective but it certainly is not the reason why the industry is dying along with dealers. Just like retail stores, there needs to be a way to adjust to a changing world. I know for one my dealer here will price match RMATVMC or BTOSports if I ask, and though it wont come in 2 days like the online places I will still order it from the dealer because of a relationship built on them not screwing me over on a price/treating me fairly.
What pisses most of us off here and turns us into assholes is when a dealer marks a bike down like said in this thread, then quotes fees that are in excess of $2000 over MSRP, that's just trying to screw customers over. And so the cycle continues. I've bought a bike almost every year and understand the need for give and take on both sides and I think most here would agree, but far to often especially here in this market (AZ) and dealers like Ridenow they are not interested in building customer relationships but instead trying to overcharge and maximize profit.
Pit Row
They don't care if our bikes blow up if they've got more than an hour on them, they can't give us competitive prices on parts any more, and trying to get an out the door price has become like getting a colonoscopy, a real massive pain in the ass.
So again I ask, why is it WE need THEM and not the other way around?
But I sell bew bikes now too - and get it every day
The only reason I can stick around IS customers like you. A fair price - usually below msrp
Shipping
And tax if applicable.
But on the back end - its more work than that! Too much honestly - dirtbikes are just bad business all around
Your dealer ISNT the manufacturer. If a product breaks they have no reason to be responsable (minus a loose handlebar). Take up your beef with the oem - your dealer is an intermediate/advocate for you. You dont buy a “motosport 450f”
You buy a honda, or ktm, or kawasaki etc
You placed faith in that name not the dealers name
The dealer has to pay the technician they hire - he isnt free. So unless the OEM pays that bill and oems are like insurance companies - the dealer should have nothing to do with that side of your arguemen. When your asking for a free fix - the dealer is thinking why????
No dealer forces you to buy the brand you picked...
why do YOU need the dealer?
Do you want a motorcycle????
If so where do you plan to get it?
From the oem???? Why should they sell direct to you?
How do you plan to import the bikes since no current mxer is usa made?
You plan to import and ship just yours?
What about parts? Plan to order as needed?
Why should the oem do business this way?
They have a chain of command and network to best serve the consumer demand. To do so at the lowest possible price, an importer (all the oems have a usa division that serves the importer role) buys in bulk and orders massive parts in bulk to save shipping cost. They also assume huge financial risk.
The oem can trust this ONE account to pay their bill. Over time this trusting relationship is important. The importer has a closer finger on national demand and purchases accordingly far in advance helping the oem to know how many bikes and parts to produce
The importer then sells in minor chunks of bulk to dealers. The dealer can be trusted to pay their bill...and the dealer had their finger on a local pulse - with how
Many bikes are needed. It gets more complicated when you throw in coorporate pushing bikes to dealers but thats the idea.
When problems do arrise - which on a national scale happens every day - in multitude - the importer isnt flooded with too many calls to handle. Instead the network of dealers can filter that information up the chain.
The reality is the oems often have a few more layers than said
Big oem
National big importer
Regional outlet to dealers
Dealers
A lot like the drug business
Drug dealers exist because of consumer demand. Sure the dealer wouldnt exist without the junkie - but the junkie needs the dealer
And el chappo doesnt want to deal with every junkie...so he has a network
A lot like the drug business
Drug dealers exist because of consumer demand. Sure the dealer wouldnt exist without the junkie - but the junkie needs the dealer
And el chappo doesnt want to deal with every junkie...so he has a network
Love this. Lol.
I recently bought a 2018 HusqV FC350 new for $8200 OTD. Love the bike, but still craving a YZ. Will probably sell the Husky as soon as I hit 100hr. Hopefully will get $5500 at that point.
A significant portion of the mountain bike manufacturers have moved to direct sales, and it seems to be paying off for them. There is an Intense Cycles ad right on this page lol. They lowered the prices, and they are increasing sales. The law of economic demand. I hope that is the future of the MX market, simply because I am a consumer (don't understand the costs to run a dealership) and want the best deal possible. If I could buy a 2020 KX 450f for $6000, plus $400 shipping, direct from Kawi, I would in a heart beat. I would smash the shit out of my PayPal credit account for that stuff. Dear God. I would buy 2x the bikes if they were 1/3 less. It pays off for me, a consistent new-buying consumer, as well as the major manufacturers because they sell more bikes. Win-win, and I feel less apart of an Oligopoly. Except dealers go for a small loss and some go out of business. But the mountain bike industry is dealing with it, and the good dealerships are still in business. KTM/HUSKY, and from Japan Honda and Suzuki can stay dealer. Yami and Kawi should go direct to consumer.. I wish. Maybe 20 years from now that will be a reality.
That being said. If a dealership doesn't stand behind it's sales, there is no reason for the market not to go that direction. Shipping is getting a lot easier and more efficient for the big companies nowadays (not accounting for any governmental taxation). If a dealership helps out, then it will keep this current market alive and well. IMO.
Knailed it right here on anything regarding a properly ran dealership or any business. Kudos to you.
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