Honda of Houston

mattyhamz2
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mattyhamz2
Edited Date/Time 1/19/2018 9:11pm
Closing it’s doors. Sad to hear because it feels like they’ve been around for so long! Such a bummer

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DavetheVintageGuy 1/18/2018 8:38pm
1/18/2018 8:38pm
The multiple thefts recently perpetrated by people we can't talk about on Vital no doubt have contributed in part to the demise of this dealership.AngryAngry

This is a huge loss to the dirt community in the Houston area.
40acres
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40acres 1/18/2018 9:37pm
1/18/2018 9:37pm
The recent break-in was more of the straw that broke the camel's back. But the biggest factor was the motorcycle community as a whole in the Houston area, and you are going to see it continue to happen. It also didn't help that they were a single line dealer. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised that you don't hear of at least 2 or more shops in our area close their doors within the next calendar year. Keep haggling your dealer down to invoice deals on bikes and begging for parts discounts ladies and gents so they don't make a dime. Pretty soon your only option is going to be big bad Macuso. It's a sad day for Houston indeed.
Highflier
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Highflier 1/18/2018 9:40pm
1/18/2018 9:40pm Edited Date/Time 1/18/2018 9:41pm
Don’t know why they’re closing, but when I’ve stopped by 4-5 times over the last few years it’s been a ghost town in there compared to 10-15 years ago.
Place used to be packed with customers.

Internet sales kills retailers, IMO

The Shop

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racingfortheson 1/18/2018 10:27pm
1/18/2018 10:27pm
Our local shop will match any online price, and the suppliers are helping them compete. The dealerships that are unable or unwilling to change, will go away. When a local repair shop can charge half the hourly rate and get bikes in and out in half the time, because the mechanics at dealerships are just trying to do the gravy jobs, what do they think will happen.
EZZA 95B
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EZZA 95B 1/18/2018 10:42pm
1/18/2018 10:42pm
Shit, even I remember their presence on the scene back in the day.
Rockinar
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Rockinar 1/19/2018 12:36am
1/19/2018 12:36am Edited Date/Time 1/19/2018 12:39am
Damn. I bought my 1997 CR250 from them when they were a little shop in a bad part of town. It was my first new bike and I put it on a credit card that had 19% interest. I was young and got a quick lesson in "compounding interest" and had to get a financial bailout from my mom. LOL. Will never forget that.





DL
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DL 1/19/2018 12:43am
1/19/2018 12:43am
Will miss them. Huge thanks to the support they provided for Michael for the few years he rode for them. Good people.
Flip109
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Flip109 1/19/2018 1:47am
1/19/2018 1:47am
Damn this is sad. But yeah with the Internet sales age, this will continue to happen until we are down to hardly being able to go look at a new bike to buy one. Also I’ve heard of 2-3 malls in Houston area about to close up shop due to the Internet shopping era. I guess eventually we will just sit inside the house and wait for a drone to drop
off our riding gear and a pizza lol. Just the times we live in. R.I.P. Honda of Houston.
fullysicmate 1/19/2018 2:27am
1/19/2018 2:27am
Its a shame Honda have let there products slide so far that dealers, that once were doing well now struggle to make sales. Yes the new 450 is good but the loss of 2 strokes bit them hard. Their road bikes aren't as good as the competition either. I am a Honda fan at heart, and dreamt of owning a Honda dealership once upon a time. Now I am just sad about what the direction the company has taken.
mxwells216 1/19/2018 2:34am
1/19/2018 2:34am Edited Date/Time 1/19/2018 2:51am
I never heard of Honda of Houston til around 2001 went to texas with the Hahns and seen bikes with HHR on them. Then fall of 2003 Hahns switched to Honda, which was HHR at that time. It's a bummer HHR has been around a long time!
richardwhite
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richardwhite 1/19/2018 6:14am
1/19/2018 6:14am
I'm heartbroken! Dave, Shaun and the staff of Honda of Houston past and present are great people that had passion for motocross in every aspect. They raised the bar with trackside support. They gave us an incredible race track(lake Whitney) for years. If you look at the history of many of the pro riders now Honda of Houston touched their career,too many riders to list. As just plain good people they have endured floods theft and hurricanes. During the last hurricane they sold generators at cost to their community. Great people thru and thru. Best wishes to them and the crew for whatever the future holds.
HHR21
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HHR21 1/19/2018 6:26am
1/19/2018 6:26am
racingfortheson wrote:
Our local shop will match any online price, and the suppliers are helping them compete. The dealerships that are unable or unwilling to change, will go...
Our local shop will match any online price, and the suppliers are helping them compete. The dealerships that are unable or unwilling to change, will go away. When a local repair shop can charge half the hourly rate and get bikes in and out in half the time, because the mechanics at dealerships are just trying to do the gravy jobs, what do they think will happen.
you sir are an idiot
holeshot100
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holeshot100 1/19/2018 6:44am
1/19/2018 6:44am
Big thanks to Shaun and Dave for your epic commitment to the motorcycle racing community!
kaptkaos
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kaptkaos 1/19/2018 6:50am
1/19/2018 6:50am
I hear Honda is not easy to work with as a dealer. They want you to be exclusive. I have seen a new Honda Powersports Dealer open up here, and we dont even have any places to ride in Miami! But its all Honda, you wont find another brand in the store.

Our biggest shop down here, Palmetto Motorsports has most brands EXCEPT HONDA.
Squirrelings 1/19/2018 6:58am
1/19/2018 6:58am
kaptkaos wrote:
I hear Honda is not easy to work with as a dealer. They want you to be exclusive. I have seen a new Honda Powersports Dealer...
I hear Honda is not easy to work with as a dealer. They want you to be exclusive. I have seen a new Honda Powersports Dealer open up here, and we dont even have any places to ride in Miami! But its all Honda, you wont find another brand in the store.

Our biggest shop down here, Palmetto Motorsports has most brands EXCEPT HONDA.
Not really a shocker that the shop which has all brands except Honda is a lot bigger than the local Honda dealer. I wish they were all separate personally. Would be better for the consumer and probably help growth in the sport to have a rivalry like that between dealerships.
nc_mx_kid
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nc_mx_kid 1/19/2018 7:35am
1/19/2018 7:35am
bummer to read, long history in the sport. Hate to see them go, Would be neat for them to partner with another multiline dealer to continue the Honda Of Houston name and honda brand in Houston area.
Mini Elsinore
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Mini Elsinore 1/19/2018 8:08am
1/19/2018 8:08am
This is very unfortunate. They were a heavy supporter of mx-----not all shops are.
Best of luck to the good folks at HHR.

Pit Row

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davistld01
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davistld01 1/19/2018 8:18am
1/19/2018 8:18am Edited Date/Time 1/19/2018 8:18am
Always sad to see a dealer from my hometown go down, especially one like this one who was so actively involved in our sport instead of being 99% street bike focused.

But, the talk of them going down because of customers negotiating prices down to invoice and asking for parts discounts is not a reason for it. I'm in the automobile industry, and have been for 34-years...and know a whole lot about customers negotiating down to invoice and below. We get it all the time...and we are still not only in business, we are thriving! If a dealer is losing money...motorcycle or automobile...to make sales, then the management team is to blame. There is always a "dealer invoice" amount that's paid to the factory, and a "dealer holdback" that the dealer receives back from the manufacturer at the end of the year no matter if the car or bike is sold at invoice or not. Nobody actually loses money unless they are idiots...and I doubt HH is/was.

I don't pretend to know why Houston Honda is shutting it's doors, but if the truth were known it may be more a in-house reason than simply not doing enough business. Either way, sad to hear and I wish the owners and management well in future endeavors.
JAFO92
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JAFO92 1/19/2018 8:28am
1/19/2018 8:28am
Im a Zook guy these days, but have nothing but respect for Honda and grew up on Honda products. HoH has always been an attribute to the MX and Offroad communities, such a bummer to see them go.

Ive heard that Honda was strict about not having another brand in a Honda store, is that true? if so, I can imagine that makes it tough for a brick & mortar enterprise survive these hard times as well.

Thanks HoH for all you did over the years.
JRT812
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JRT812 1/19/2018 8:32am
1/19/2018 8:32am
JAFO92 wrote:
Im a Zook guy these days, but have nothing but respect for Honda and grew up on Honda products. HoH has always been an attribute to...
Im a Zook guy these days, but have nothing but respect for Honda and grew up on Honda products. HoH has always been an attribute to the MX and Offroad communities, such a bummer to see them go.

Ive heard that Honda was strict about not having another brand in a Honda store, is that true? if so, I can imagine that makes it tough for a brick & mortar enterprise survive these hard times as well.

Thanks HoH for all you did over the years.
I have heard the same
three9zero
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three9zero 1/19/2018 8:33am
1/19/2018 8:33am
davistld01 wrote:
Always sad to see a dealer from my hometown go down, especially one like this one who was so actively involved in our sport instead of...
Always sad to see a dealer from my hometown go down, especially one like this one who was so actively involved in our sport instead of being 99% street bike focused.

But, the talk of them going down because of customers negotiating prices down to invoice and asking for parts discounts is not a reason for it. I'm in the automobile industry, and have been for 34-years...and know a whole lot about customers negotiating down to invoice and below. We get it all the time...and we are still not only in business, we are thriving! If a dealer is losing money...motorcycle or automobile...to make sales, then the management team is to blame. There is always a "dealer invoice" amount that's paid to the factory, and a "dealer holdback" that the dealer receives back from the manufacturer at the end of the year no matter if the car or bike is sold at invoice or not. Nobody actually loses money unless they are idiots...and I doubt HH is/was.

I don't pretend to know why Houston Honda is shutting it's doors, but if the truth were known it may be more a in-house reason than simply not doing enough business. Either way, sad to hear and I wish the owners and management well in future endeavors.
Except that most people who buy cars/trucks finance them....So the car dealer makes big money on finance fees and "other" fee's like undercoating, etching, doc fee's etc. I have worked in the motorcycle industry for 20 years and can tell you less than 20% of people finance bikes, most pay cash. The Cash Cow the the car industry has to fall back on when the sell at invoice is a baby calf in the bike industry. Of course we can build added value to deals, finance, extended warranty, accessories, install/labour etc.
dcg141
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dcg141 1/19/2018 9:08am
1/19/2018 9:08am Edited Date/Time 1/19/2018 9:18am
davistld01 wrote:
Always sad to see a dealer from my hometown go down, especially one like this one who was so actively involved in our sport instead of...
Always sad to see a dealer from my hometown go down, especially one like this one who was so actively involved in our sport instead of being 99% street bike focused.

But, the talk of them going down because of customers negotiating prices down to invoice and asking for parts discounts is not a reason for it. I'm in the automobile industry, and have been for 34-years...and know a whole lot about customers negotiating down to invoice and below. We get it all the time...and we are still not only in business, we are thriving! If a dealer is losing money...motorcycle or automobile...to make sales, then the management team is to blame. There is always a "dealer invoice" amount that's paid to the factory, and a "dealer holdback" that the dealer receives back from the manufacturer at the end of the year no matter if the car or bike is sold at invoice or not. Nobody actually loses money unless they are idiots...and I doubt HH is/was.

I don't pretend to know why Houston Honda is shutting it's doors, but if the truth were known it may be more a in-house reason than simply not doing enough business. Either way, sad to hear and I wish the owners and management well in future endeavors.
You make valid points but its not really an apples and apples comparison with automotive retailing. So much is different not the least of which is the sheer volume in automotive. Also as you probably know the automotive world has become huge companies with multiple dealerships. There is some of that going on in motorcycles but not to the extent you see in automotive.
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moscrop940 1/19/2018 9:09am
1/19/2018 9:09am
When someone like HHR goes down, that to me is strong indication of scary times in the industry.

I have not a clue what the fix is, but someone needs to figure it out, and quick.
mattyhamz2
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mattyhamz2 1/19/2018 9:18am
1/19/2018 9:18am
moscrop940 wrote:
When someone like HHR goes down, that to me is strong indication of scary times in the industry. I have not a clue what the fix...
When someone like HHR goes down, that to me is strong indication of scary times in the industry.

I have not a clue what the fix is, but someone needs to figure it out, and quick.
I'd have to think the same thing.

I do hope someone figures it out soon, but I would have to think that a bike being over $10k otd (basing this off of MSRP prices and no deals) isn't really helping much either. I know that subject has been beat to death, but I cant help but think that its a big part of why things are the way they are. I'd have to think there aren't a whole lot of guys our age jumping at the chance to go buy a brand new bike from a shop. I mean I would love to have an 18, but my 14 has 38 hours on it and I cant justify selling it and trying to come up with another $5000+ for an 18.
Superdave19
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Superdave19 1/19/2018 9:26am
1/19/2018 9:26am
Dave and Shaun are friends of mine, and they've supported my moto addiction since 2001 in some form or another.

I can tell you those guys went over and beyond to make their customers happy.


Such a bummer.
Rockinar
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Rockinar 1/19/2018 9:55am
1/19/2018 9:55am
I think part of their issue is they built that huge fancy building and they are a single line dealer. Lots of overhead. Everyone else is in strip centers and old stand alone buildings that have been around since the 70s. That HoH building is like walking into a Rolls Royce dealership. They survived the 2008 recession so it's not the economy. I think it's tough to sell $10K+ bikes and also SxS are popular. Does Honda even sell them?
bultokid
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bultokid 1/19/2018 10:14am
1/19/2018 10:14am
Hate to hear that, have used them since they took over the old Hunziker Honda building on Bingle. Grant / Mark-RIP, Dave, Shaun, Nick and crew always did their best to help. Thanks for all and best of luck on the next chapter guys
stevee401
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stevee401 1/19/2018 4:22pm
1/19/2018 4:22pm
Rockinar wrote:
I think part of their issue is they built that huge fancy building and they are a single line dealer. Lots of overhead. Everyone else is...
I think part of their issue is they built that huge fancy building and they are a single line dealer. Lots of overhead. Everyone else is in strip centers and old stand alone buildings that have been around since the 70s. That HoH building is like walking into a Rolls Royce dealership. They survived the 2008 recession so it's not the economy. I think it's tough to sell $10K+ bikes and also SxS are popular. Does Honda even sell them?
I think u hit it on the head. Single mfg is a killer. Their crf line is great. Gold wing great. Until recently their trail bikes were kick start only. I just went to a JR50 instead of Crf50 for my daughter. Too heavy. Side by Side is a zero. Quads are good but sides selling more. Cbr isn’t a R1 or Gsxr. Genies are good but now Costco selling cheaper ones. Pwc market sucks. Honda has only a few GREAT dirt bikes. A bunch of Good bikes but when spending 6000-15000 on a brand new street bike GOOD isn’t cutting it.

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