This is why I shop online...

JustMX wrote:

So, You have a cable but didn't take it with you to an area that you are not familiar with as far as parts availability, and...

So,

You have a cable but didn't take it with you to an area that you are not familiar with as far as parts availability, and you say that you have never needed it before, and then feel like you need to come on here and bitch that a dealer doesn't keep one in stock in case somebody needs one and can't wait.

Ok, makes sense

early wrote:

This. For $100 or $200 you can be your own parts guy. When you buy a new bike go ahead and order a set of levers...

This. For $100 or $200 you can be your own parts guy. When you buy a new bike go ahead and order a set of levers, cables, spark plugs, brake pads, tubes, and a spec bolt kit then you don't have to worry about dealers. The extra money is easily made up in time, gas, and frustration.

Tonynz wrote:

I’m like that , have raced KTM’s for ever, so I most always have spare parts with me, trouble with that is everyone else knows I...

I’m like that , have raced KTM’s for ever, so I most always have spare parts with me, trouble with that is everyone else knows I have spare parts as well. Always lending out parts at the track. 🤣

MOTO1313 wrote:

A $15 part that sells once or twice a month at 30-40 points is a no brainer. That's called stocked inventory to any decent businessman.

MOTO1313 wrote:

A $15 part that sells once or twice a month at 30-40 points is a no brainer. That's called stocked inventory to any decent businessman.

BobPA wrote:

And what are these magic pieces of inventory you speak of? You strike me as someone who does not quite understand the margins that dealerships operate...

And what are these magic pieces of inventory you speak of? You strike me as someone who does not quite understand the margins that dealerships operate under. Dealers make jack on that $9k bike you buy...it would really open your eyes if you could see the numbers.

MOTO1313 wrote:

Here's the bottom line. If a dealership isn't going to stock the absolute bare necessities to support your $9,000 purchase, a purchase of a bike that...

Here's the bottom line. If a dealership isn't going to stock the absolute bare necessities to support your $9,000 purchase, a purchase of a bike that quite honestly is known to crash and break. They KNOW certain parts will absolutely break and wear out and they won't stock these parts...then fuck them. Buy online. When a dealer has to order a brake lever, a clutch cable or chain, it's time to close the doors or stop pretending they support MX.

mxtech1 wrote:

I don’t agree with that at all. Motorcycle dealerships these days are running on razor thin profit margins and doing everything they can to stay open...

I don’t agree with that at all.

Motorcycle dealerships these days are running on razor thin profit margins and doing everything they can to stay open. Carrying tens of thousands of dollars worth of spare part inventory, just to support their product lines, is crippling for most shops.

The burden of carrying spare parts is on the owner and/or the mega-online retailers these day, NOT the local dealership.

There’s nothing stopping you from organizing a list of common wear parts, taking that list down to your local dealership to order, and then carrying those spares and maintaining the replacement inventory over the life of bike ownership.

MOTO1313 wrote:

You must be fucking joking. If you have been in the bike industry very long and don't know what parts break and which ones don't...you are...

You must be fucking joking. If you have been in the bike industry very long and don't know what parts break and which ones don't...you are a friggin idiot. Now we are supposed to do the dealers job and stock our own parts? Then we sure as hell don't even need dealerships. Just order your bike directly from Honda or Kawi at retail price and have it shipped to your door. Most dealerships charge retail on bikes and then don't want to stock parts? And people wonder why dealerships are going under.

MOTO1313 wrote:

You must be fucking joking. If you have been in the bike industry very long and don't know what parts break and which ones don't...you are...

You must be fucking joking. If you have been in the bike industry very long and don't know what parts break and which ones don't...you are a friggin idiot. Now we are supposed to do the dealers job and stock our own parts? Then we sure as hell don't even need dealerships. Just order your bike directly from Honda or Kawi at retail price and have it shipped to your door. Most dealerships charge retail on bikes and then don't want to stock parts? And people wonder why dealerships are going under.

mxtech1 wrote:

STFU newbie

Hudd_421 wrote:

Margins on bikes, tires, parts and apparel are all different. 30 to 40% margins on a part or piece of gear is totally normal.

MOTO1313 wrote:

You must be fucking joking. If you have been in the bike industry very long and don't know what parts break and which ones don't...you are...

You must be fucking joking. If you have been in the bike industry very long and don't know what parts break and which ones don't...you are a friggin idiot. Now we are supposed to do the dealers job and stock our own parts? Then we sure as hell don't even need dealerships. Just order your bike directly from Honda or Kawi at retail price and have it shipped to your door. Most dealerships charge retail on bikes and then don't want to stock parts? And people wonder why dealerships are going under.

MOTO1313 wrote:

A $15 part that sells once or twice a month at 30-40 points is a no brainer. That's called stocked inventory to any decent businessman.

BobPA wrote:

And what are these magic pieces of inventory you speak of? You strike me as someone who does not quite understand the margins that dealerships operate...

And what are these magic pieces of inventory you speak of? You strike me as someone who does not quite understand the margins that dealerships operate under. Dealers make jack on that $9k bike you buy...it would really open your eyes if you could see the numbers.

MotoMan12345 wrote:

Down in Florida for a moto vacation and I break a clutch cable. Yes I should’ve brought my Extra clutch cable with me but it didn’t...

Down in Florida for a moto vacation and I break a clutch cable. Yes I should’ve brought my Extra clutch cable with me but it didn’t cross my mind since I’ve never snapped one. Anyways long story short I called over 10 dealers and not one of them carried a clutch cable for a 2019 CRF450r....yet they complain we need to support our local dealers. Luckily I’m borrowing a buddies bike so my trip is saved but come on dealers...

MOTO1313 wrote:

A $15 part that sells once or twice a month at 30-40 points is a no brainer. That's called stocked inventory to any decent businessman.

BobPA wrote:

And what are these magic pieces of inventory you speak of? You strike me as someone who does not quite understand the margins that dealerships operate...

And what are these magic pieces of inventory you speak of? You strike me as someone who does not quite understand the margins that dealerships operate under. Dealers make jack on that $9k bike you buy...it would really open your eyes if you could see the numbers.

SPYGUY wrote:

Are you the business owner?

reded wrote:

I shop online because my nearest KTM dealer is 60mi away. It’s a half day ordeal to get there and find out they don’t have the...

I shop online because my nearest KTM dealer is 60mi away. It’s a half day ordeal to get there and find out they don’t have the part. I can order online as late as Thursday, choose FeEx delivery and still receive parts on Saturday. The Big Four dealers near me stock very few parts, aren’t knowledgeable about their products and don’t act friendly towards customers.

Thisusernameisavailable wrote:

You wanna get yourself a phone! Then you'll be able to call your dealer to see if they have it before you go drive all that...

You wanna get yourself a phone! Then you'll be able to call your dealer to see if they have it before you go drive all that way.

reded wrote:

I shop online because my nearest KTM dealer is 60mi away. It’s a half day ordeal to get there and find out they don’t have the...

I shop online because my nearest KTM dealer is 60mi away. It’s a half day ordeal to get there and find out they don’t have the part. I can order online as late as Thursday, choose FeEx delivery and still receive parts on Saturday. The Big Four dealers near me stock very few parts, aren’t knowledgeable about their products and don’t act friendly towards customers.

Thisusernameisavailable wrote:

You wanna get yourself a phone! Then you'll be able to call your dealer to see if they have it before you go drive all that...

You wanna get yourself a phone! Then you'll be able to call your dealer to see if they have it before you go drive all that way.

O&GDriller wrote:

Most millennial's don't realize those things surgically attached to their hands/body that I call a "phone" are capable of making a "phone call". Hell, they don't...

Most millennial's don't realize those things surgically attached to their hands/body that I call a "phone" are capable of making a "phone call". Hell, they don't even know what a "phone call" is. You ever see a millennial try to have a conversation with somebody they don't know such as a cashier or a waiter. They don't even know how to have a conversation.

aFACEdismembered wrote:

Bro. You live in Temecula. That's not surprising. It's also not surprising when someone who lives in Abilene, TX can't get one at their local dealer...

Bro. You live in Temecula. That's not surprising. It's also not surprising when someone who lives in Abilene, TX can't get one at their local dealer because they're more worried about stocking side by sides and their parts. I live in a giant metroplex and this is an issue with numerous shops at my disposal. They follow the money like any good business should. There's no money in stocking $15 parts that sell once or twice a month.

agn5009 wrote:

Moral of the story: if you're fortunate enough to have a good dealer nearby, try to buy from them. If you're like a lot of us...

Moral of the story: if you're fortunate enough to have a good dealer nearby, try to buy from them.

If you're like a lot of us who dont then buy online. We have great online stores such as Rocky Mountain, BTO, Motosport, AOMC etc who have fantastic customer service and even better employees. Oh, and they support our tiny sport significantly.

49weasel wrote:

Here’s my 2 cents. I was a parts manager for a few different dealers in Ohio over a 15 year period and I am currently an...

Here’s my 2 cents. I was a parts manager for a few different dealers in Ohio over a 15 year period and I am currently an inside sales/parts manager at a distributor. We deal with dealers, so I see both sides of not stocking stuff. We do about $25 million in parts and another $40 million in equipment. We have a 97%-98% fill rate on parts for most major lines and low 90’s on minor lines.
On our side of things small to mid-size dealers do not like to stock parts because of our level of service. Most of our territory if orders are in by 4:30pm they will have it next day.

Dealers need to remember:
• It’s hard to get a sales history if you don’t stock stuff
• Every manufacture produces a suggested fast mover list for dealers to stock
• All oems do an annual or quarterly return so you can circulate fresh inventory. Most do not charge a restock if
you’re in good standings.

My son wrecked on his PW and broke a brake lever, so I swung by Iron Pony(mega dealer) on the way home. I asked for a rear brake lever for his PW and the guy argues that motorcycles don’t have rear brake levers. After a few minutes of this dumbass looking for a foot brake pedal I looked up the part number on my phone and gave it to him. Of course they didn’t have it. There’s no way they don’t have enough sales history not to justify stocking a part that has been unchanged for 30+ years.

This just happened Saturday. I never ever buy tires local but I decided I would over pay for a set at a local dealer. I called to confirm they had a front and rear 10” tires , guy on the phone said yes. I drove down there and lo and behold they only had the front. So I wasted 2hrs of my Saturday for something I was willing to over pay $25 for.

I’ve kind of gave up on buying local other than bikes. Dealers don’t stock anything and very rarely employee knowledgeable people.

Stock the basic shit and people will order the odd ball shit.

reded wrote:

Show of hands for those of you who have called ahead to see if the part is in stock and told that it was. You show...

Show of hands for those of you who have called ahead to see if the part is in stock and told that it was. You show up and the dork behind the counter says the computer shows we have one but it’s not here.

The last straw was when I ordered a shift shaft for a CR500 from my local Honda dealer. They called a week later and said that it was in. I show up the next day, the parts guy throws it on the counter and I could instantly tell that it was for a 250. I told him it wasn’t the right part, that’s for a CR250, to which he replied, “We charge a 25% re-stocking fee for special ordered parts.” You ordered the wrong part, you pay for it. I left, never went back, they went out of business a couple years later. Fuck em.

deluxeman wrote:

I am the Parts Manager at a Ford/Lincoln dealer, that sells over $14,000,000.00 per year in parts. Here is the truth about parts and parts sales...

I am the Parts Manager at a Ford/Lincoln dealer, that sells over $14,000,000.00 per year in parts. Here is the truth about parts and parts sales.

Number 1, you have to have sales history to be able to stock the correct inventory. If nobody is buying it you shouldn’t be stocking it. that being said you must log any lost sales to build adequate history. If someone asks for a part and you don’t stock it, you log a lost sale. That starts the process. You get enough hits, the part gets stocked.

2. Holding inventory is very expensive, we keep nothing longer than 12 months without a sale. We aren’t running a museum, we have to make a profit.

3. If you never come in to buy anything, we won’t stock anything other than what the service department needs. It can always be ordered, but you may not like the time frame to get it. Lots of stuff now is next day or two days so that is less of a issue.

4. If your not supporting your local parts department buy purchasing parts from them, it is no surprise they don’t stock what you may need. It is a demand driven business. There is no crystal ball to figure out what the demand for a part will be.

The parts business is all about turning products on the shelf, and taking care of your customers. It’s a very fine line between too much and not enough. Some dealers are really good at it and some just aren’t. If you find a good one use them, so they can afford to stock the stuff you need.

Sometimes it’s the whole chicken and the egg argument. Did you not sell it because you didn’t stock it or did you stock it but never sold any so you sent them back. It’s a tough business to get right and make money doing it.

The big online retailers have the advantage of lots of sales data that the little guys don’t have. They know how many bikes are out there, what the top selling part numbers are and a nation wide customer base, as opposed to a city/county wide customer base. They play on a significantly larger scale than the average local dealer. More sales history more inventory.

Accessories and clothing is a whole other issue that I know nothing about. Getting the right mix of that is a black art that I don’t fully understand, nor want to. I”ll stick to selling car parts.

Support the good guys, they need you and you need them.

MotoMan12345 wrote:

Down in Florida for a moto vacation and I break a clutch cable. Yes I should’ve brought my Extra clutch cable with me but it didn’t...

Down in Florida for a moto vacation and I break a clutch cable. Yes I should’ve brought my Extra clutch cable with me but it didn’t cross my mind since I’ve never snapped one. Anyways long story short I called over 10 dealers and not one of them carried a clutch cable for a 2019 CRF450r....yet they complain we need to support our local dealers. Luckily I’m borrowing a buddies bike so my trip is saved but come on dealers...

hanzhongluboy wrote:

Still dont understand the SxS phenomenon in West Texas

Madmax31 wrote:

You can bust dealer balls all you want. Until there is a turn around and people start buying local again then you're not going to have...

You can bust dealer balls all you want. Until there is a turn around and people start buying local again then you're not going to have competent employees or an inventory of parts. They are staying lean to try and survive.

They'll stock the stuff that tends to sell goggles, helmets, oil, etc but that's about it.