 What would a good line up be?
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Ok guys (and girls), I have been kicking around a idea for a while now, most likley nothing will come of it, but here it is anyhow..
Lets say you open a motorcycle dealership. What would a good product line up be.. Dont even say HD, not gonna happen. I was thinking Triumph, of cousre, Victory, Indian, and one of the big name cookie cutter custom places. Like Orange County Chopprs..
Figure i could make my bills wiht the first 3, the OCC bikes would be mainly for show, to bring people in.
The main reason I picked these three is well the closest Triumph Dealer isi n Batesburg thats aobut 150 miles away, that and HD was a dealer for them but HD made then drop the line. The closest Victory dealer is aobut 100 miles away, and there are no Indian dealers ( this is if the new company opens mind you), and the factory will be in my back yard.
Dont want to go with a asian bike cause they are a dime a dozen here, and well I can think of 4 Honda ahops with in 20 miles of my house.
I figure i will have 2 or 3 American bike names in the show room as well as the Britt bike's as a icing on the cake.
Dont like what you see??? Big red X in the top right of your screen will fix it!
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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2005 America, Green, Thunderbike exhaust
LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET THE HE** OUT OF THE WAY!
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Learned Hand
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Triumph and KTM.
Not going to make a lot of money, but I think Triumph would bring in a good, non-traditional street segment and KTM would bring in the serious off-road and supermoto folks.
But whatever the lineup is, hire knowledgeable people! Guys who ride and know bikes. Put a couple of old retired farts on the payroll who know the answer to old bike questions, and some really smart young riders that can talk bike as well as they can ride! And that's just the sales staff! Make sure the service guys like to ride as much as wrench, and won't be docked for giving free advice! Parts guys who ride every day and know parts! The kind of shop where the sales staff could go find the parts and wrench if they had to, and the parts staff could jump in and help the service guy on a busy day!
And the Manager would take the time to have a cup of coffee and talk motorcycles with everyone who comes in the door (while he's helping out the sales, parts, and service guys/gals)!
I know, I'm dreamin'
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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These guys http://www.bdm.com/ have a decent line of "factory choppers" that might be worth stocking. If you can do it without a big initial investment, the Enfield line would be a good thing to have, largely because most of the parts interchange with the classic version. If there is a Brit bike community of any size nearby, you should get a lot of parts business.
Let's hope there's intelligent life somewhere in space 'cause it's buggar all down here. -- Monte Python
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Much depends on your potential customer base. To go along with Triumph, I would be thinking about Victory for home grown affordable, Indian for sure if it makes it to production, but I would take Big Dog over OCC for the custom?/upper $$ type clientele. BMW is a consistent seller through the years and might be a viable option. I know you no doubt know these things, but a staff that knows what they are doing at their jobs and are willing to help/answer/talk to the customers. As most of us know, there are great dealers  and good dealers  out there; then the rest of the nimrods who could really care less  
BA has Freak, 160mains, 44pilots, air mix3 1/2 to 4 turns, BUBS dresser dogs. Never had more fun on any bike - 2nd bike 2008 RIIIT
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Bikes: Triumph, BMW, Indian and KTM. APC for customs. Service: must be impecable Sales: knowledgeable and friendly... ideally should ride Location: To me this is a key factor. Any shop today can have good bikes, good service and good sales staff. What would really bring in the people is a destination location. Check out the Triumph dealer in Denver, CO. Take the "Tour" and you'll see what I mean. This place is AWESOME!!! http://www.ericomotorsports.com/
'06 TBA - Black, AI and Snorkel removed, K&N Drop In, Gutted Stock Pipes, 145/42, 2 turns out.
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
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Quote:
Triumph, Norton & Indian
Heh, two of those can't seem to stay in business. Bad idea.
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Quote:
Check out the Triumph dealer in Denver, CO.
Take the "Tour" and you'll see what I mean. This place is AWESOME!!!
Yes, it is awesome. I bought my Speedy there and have made friends with some of the staff. I will miss it so when I move to San Diego in the spring.
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Triumph and Honda.
Honda sell in their thousands and seeing as the idea is to make money then i would want a top selling brand to go along side the Triumphs.
If i could have a dream dealership then i would have a Motorcycle Supercenter and sell every brand. Like Motorcycle City in London. Are they still in bussiness.
Arsenalfan. AKA Mark Able
Seller of fine automobiles.
Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche of Chattanooga
423-424-4000
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Loquacious
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Triumph, Hyosung and Ural. I figure you won't have any trouble with cross marketing.
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Triumph and BMW would be the two I would go for. More diserning owners 
hmmm funny line to follow
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Quote:
Triumph and KTM.
Not going to make a lot of money, but I think Triumph would bring in a good, non-traditional street segment and KTM would bring in the serious off-road and supermoto folks.
But whatever the lineup is, hire knowledgeable people! Guys who ride and know bikes. Put a couple of old retired farts on the payroll who know the answer to old bike questions, and some really smart young riders that can talk bike as well as they can ride! And that's just the sales staff! Make sure the service guys like to ride as much as wrench, and won't be docked for giving free advice! Parts guys who ride every day and know parts! The kind of shop where the sales staff could go find the parts and wrench if they had to, and the parts staff could jump in and help the service guy on a busy day!
And the Manager would take the time to have a cup of coffee and talk motorcycles with everyone who comes in the door (while he's helping out the sales, parts, and service guys/gals)!
I know, I'm dreamin'
ktm is now owned by polaris...sooo you would end up selling victory as well.polaris 4wheelers would bring in the young kids as well
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Oil Expert
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Triumph and Ducati
new dealership set to open in Daytona right around 9/14..
In Between the Dark and the Light..
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Quote:
Triumph and Ducati
new dealership set to open in Daytona right around 9/14..
I second this recommendation. (especially Ducati's classic line-up) Sport 1000, Gt 1000, Paul Smith. I'll come work for you if you set this one up!
Definition of Insanity: "Doing things the same way over and over and expecting different results."
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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If you've got Ducati in the house, you might as well add Moto Guzzi. There is a dealer/race shop outside Philly with ducs and guzzis called - Fast by Ferracci - MV Agustas and Husquevarna too!!! I drool when I go in there. The stuff all looks like its going 100 MPH when it is standing still.
Women and cats will do as they please. Men and dogs should just get used to that fact and relax
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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If you've got Ducati in the house, you might as well add Moto Guzzi.
Damn you're good!
Definition of Insanity: "Doing things the same way over and over and expecting different results."
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Happy birthday jaymo. Just noticed the little birthday cake next to your name. People reading this tomorrow will say "what cake?".
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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I like those Husqvarna dual sports bikes they have. Wouldn't mind having one of these in the lotto winning garage.
The dealer I bought my Speedmaster from also carries Ducati, Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi. They've done well by them and built a nice big dealership which opened a year ago. Before they were in a small shop with the service dept that was seperate in a not too good looking back alleyway.
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Here's your Lotto bike... VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM  Bearing the name Senna, the F41000 has had new, exclusive modifications made to it. These modifications include a new engine that puts out 174 HP, a new Weber Marelli 5M injection system that provides more even power distribution and new Brembo radial caliper brakes for heart-stopping deceleration. MV Agusta are proud to offer this machine in honour of the legendary Ayrton Senna.
Women and cats will do as they please. Men and dogs should just get used to that fact and relax
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Sweet looking ride, but that kind of seating position on a bike is no longer viable for this gimp. It'd just be a garage queen in my lottery dreamland.
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Quote:
Sweet looking ride, but that kind of seating position on a bike is no longer viable for this gimp. It'd just be a garage queen in my lottery dreamland.
Me too. I'm 6'-3". I could only fold myself up and fit on that little bugger for about 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Of course, you could cover a lot of ground in 30 minutes on that spaceship! 
It's a "money is no object" kind of thing. C'mon Powerball...
Women and cats will do as they please. Men and dogs should just get used to that fact and relax
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Learned Hand
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Damn... I forgot about Moto Guzzi. They make a sweet bike!
'06 TBA - Black, AI and Snorkel removed, K&N Drop In, Gutted Stock Pipes, 145/42, 2 turns out.
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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ditchdr, every biker's dream, his/her own shop! If you are serious about this, the economy is pretty stable and motorcycles sales are still strong. Being in the south gives you 12 months of good riding and sales. Do you have a business plan, small specialty and/or large boutique shops appear to be the ones that are and can survive. Lot of $$$$ even for a smaller single brand shop to open. How many Triumph, Ducati, Victory, OCC models, parts, accessories, shop tools, equipment, salaries, overhead, etc. can you pay for vs (gasp) floor plan/loans. Not trying to be negative, I looked into this a bit myself. Good Luck!
BobW
It's all good, but it's all make believe
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Yeeessss!!!! Another Massimo Tamburini masterpiece!
Bedouin.
Blessed are those eyes that have seen more roads than any man! (Homer).
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Yes, it is awesome. I bought my Speedy there and have made friends with some of the staff. I will miss it so when I move to San Diego in the spring.
I tried to go there once on a Tuesday but they were closed do Memorial Day. Since they are normally closed on Monday anyway, they closed Tuesday for the holiday. I was rather irritated since I left work early to get there before they closed, and they are about 40 miles from my house. Two guys on Rocket 3's that were making their way across the country were rather irritated as well...
I can't fault them for closing, but I wish they would have made it easier to know that they were closed. I believed I had called earlier to get their hours, got a message but it didn't mention being closed that day.
One of these day's I'll make my way down there to check them out. But so far Foothills has been good to me.
(RIP) 2004 Black Speedmaster | Scepter Exhaust | ISO Grips | Black-Hex Shifter Rod | Willie&Max Bags
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Yeah, I don't now how many times I've wanted to go to Erico on a Sunday and then remember they are closed. I don't know what the "usual" days for motorcycle dealerships to be closed on, but it seems like Sunday isn't logical, weekend and all. It is in downtown Denver afterall, which I like to refer to as "the city that always sleeps." Just about everything downtown is closed on Sunday and after midnight.
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Re: What would a good line up be?
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Loquacious
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Around here, the usual days for dealers to be closed is Sunday and Monday. Only one open on Sunday I think is the Harley dealer.
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