Hmmm, I was driving by and there was "something" going on there, but it looked more like stock coming in rather than leaving.
....well apparently there will be sales,... just not in this hemisphere. http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/two-wheels-good-two-trees-bad-20110201-1acgq.html http://www.ultimatemotorcycling.com/World_Motorcycle_Industry_Market_Forecast
1. Carter Motorsports (Coquitlam) 2. Modern on Commercial 3. Pattison Suzuki (Burnaby) 4. Richmond Motorsports
Modern? When did they go tits up? I was there just before Dec. hmmm thats a loss. I don't think I'd trust the kids wrenching back there but the guys up front were always helpful and the prices for most stuff was "reasonable" - maybe that was the problem!
Modern appears to be still answering their phone and their website is up. Hope they stay around. Great people with a wealth of knowledge.
So another muti line dealership bites it. Here's the list just from the last few months in BC. Pattison Suzuki Aug.2010 Supermoto Vancouver Aug.2010 Carter Surrey (never really got going) June 2009 Carter Coquitlam June 2010 Barnes Coquitlam Aug. 2010 Harbour City Nanaimo Sept.2010 S/W Motorrad Kelowna Nov.2010 Mission Motorsports Dec. 2010 Richmond Motorsports Feb.2011 So keep on buying on the internet and smuggling stuff across the border and soon there will be no motorcycle shops left in Canada.
Some to the dealers on the list.... really didn't help themselves much. Don't want to name names.... but a couple of them don't treat the customers very kindly. Not going to keep the doors opens for ever... if you treat the guys with the money like crap Navi
I will most definitely keep shopping online and, I am happy to pay my fees at the border. Remember everyone, no duty on Motorcycle parts and most places ship free!
Ya know, I used buy the odd accessory from those guys. Not that the prices or selection were any different from anyone else in town, but the location was real handy -- I could hop off the train on my way home from work, and pick up what I needed without having to drive through city traffic. When I saw their 'Going Out of Business Sale' advertisment (and even discussed on some local bike forums), I thought, "shit there goes another dealer,...well strike them off the list" So they advertise that they're going out of business, then change their minds, and 'oops-a-daisy' don't bother to advertise that they're still in the game?,.......what kinda of fucking way is that to run a business? :huh Well, just the same, it's good to know that they are still going to try and make a go of it. There is a little Honda Dealer close to home in Burnaby that, I think might sell one or two bikes a year, however have a steady stream of service work which is done out of, oh, maybe a fifth of the floor size that Valk's dedicates for shop work. And they seem to make a go of it, a-n-d their prices on parts are far better than <STRIKE>Pirate</STRIKE>Carter Honda in Vancouver, go figure.
I'll definitely keep shopping online. No smuggling here, I claim everything and still save $$$. The sole reason for a business to exist is to make money, because of that, I will not relinquish my right or ability to choose where I purchase a product and save money. Removing the hyperbole from your statement, there will always be a varied supply of motorcycle shops around in Canada for years. The ones that provide reasonable pricing, combined with good selection and customer service will thrive while those that price themselves out of the market and/or provide indifferent customer service will perish (and so they should).
If those shops can't compete with online sales to sell parts they will probably have to close their doors. Bikes don't need the constant maintenance that they did years ago, so nowadays aftermarket addons can be a bike business' biggest earner. I don't mind spending 10-20% more for parts at a favorite dealer, I want him to stay in business. It is too bad some of the posters here don't realize how tight the margins are sometimes. oh well.
did all of these shops close there doors, when Shails for instance has been around for more than 30 years? Most of the shops I have been too have attitude, including a few listed in an above post; and the ones that treat you like a customer stand out. I don't know why, but I find I get consistenly better service in the U.S.
If the price difference, on average, only was 10 to 20%, a lot of the people shopping online would likely go to their local shop for their parts and accessories. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and when you see price differences approaching 100% or more, you get pretty sour pretty fast. For example $325.00 for a rear TKC80 tire for my GS here when they sell in the US/online for $159.00. I could buy both tires online for less than the rear up here. WTF?!:huh And I've heard the answer, "that's the price set by our distributor." Well, if that's the case, those shops should be suing Parts Canada et al. for pricing them out of business. The other thing is, if the farkles are the, or a, big part of the business these days, then you better pick a market group and carry the farkles for that group. Alas that's not the Canadian way, where every shop has the same sh*t as the next, and lots of it more expensive than online. What the hell kind of business model is that? And finally, some motorcycle stores, will only order you parts if you prepay and then wait 5 or more days for it to arrive, so you can go for a second trip to them to pick it up. I can do that myself, its called shopping online. My favorite was a very nice lady at a reasonably large motorcycle shop in the north Okanagan, that was trying to sell me an Arai XD helmet. The standard sizes were not fitting me correctly, but she assured me that she could make the helmet fit perfectly (probably:huh) if I ordered a size medium helmet in white (which they didn't stock) and the pads for a size large helmet. She would then take the medium pads out of the medium helmet, put in the size large pads, and let me try it out. If it fit great, if not, well I was only out about $900, prepaid, for having tried; sorry, no, I would not get my money back if it didn't fit.:huh:eek1
Yes,...The Honda Centre! http://www.hondacentre.com/ 3766 East 1st Ave,.. in bucolic, socialist, Olympic-debt free, Burnaby.
Well, not to hijack the thread too much - but apparently they won't be too happy to see you for service if you didn't buy the bike there. I went in to see about a warranty for a battery and the first question (with a lot of attitude) was "did you buy the bike here?" when I asked what did that have to do with anything on a warranty matter, the response was, "oh well we don't make anything on battery replacements". Like that is supposed to be my problem? I was then grilled on why I hadn't bought the bike there, etc. Anyways, I'd been buying parts there for years, but no more. Rant over, back to the regularly scheduled thread.
