[Craig McClure]

The first thing I would like the U.S. RE factory importing organization to do is to visit all of their dealers.  I don't know about other dealers in the U.S. but the one that I go to is actually in worse shape, both infrastructure and staffing, (well, their old gravel parking lot was paved 30 years ago) than when I bought my first motorcycle from them, a new 1970 Honda CB100. It really looks like a motorcycle shop right out of the 1950's, including a dirty floor with broken vinyl tiles and open metal shelving displaying a jumble of accessories. The service motorcycle storage area is just a big open dirt lot. Not a place that I really feel comfortable visiting - and I have yet to see anything moving in their service department since they took on RE last year.     I am really hoping for some improvement in the future.   

Hi Richard, Taken to the other extreme, I don't like plush carpeted showrooms with soft music & lovely assistants in evidence - that usually means your bill will be much higher.
I have also noticed many large Yama-Ho-Zuki dealers going under. I don't think many get rich in the motorcycle business. Then there are the hole in the wall independent shops you mention. IF they have some good people & treat you well, it actually helps your bill if there is low "overhead". But as you described your local dealer, would you trust leaving your prize possession with them? Is their mechanic competent?
Here is my observation, formed over many years, of motorcycling's dirty secret: IN THE USA, THERE ARE A LOT OF SORRY INDIVIDUALS INTO MOTORCYCLES. You must be VERY careful & know who you are dealing with. I have heard horror stories of disputes between customer & shop that have led to BIKES BEING HELD FOR RANSOM (payment) The customer in todays culture is not always right or even satisfied. Any lowlife can buy a business license, so Buyer Beware.
We in Florida are lucky to have HOLOPAW URAL, ROYAL ENFIELD. I have been buying my Ural parts from them for at least a decade. They are excellent folks.

[Ice]

 We got it straight from Kevin the gist of which is, this forum is staying put.
 CMW is getting deeper into parts supplies and accessories.
The Side car part of CMW is expanding and increasing it's sidecar mountings to more makes and models. I have no idea what else he is up to and he is not saying what at this time.  RE is dead set on expanding the dealer network, distribution and supply systems here in North America. They have the technical studios, desire and budget to make that and more happen. We will see more RE and related from both RE and CMW.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Also FWIW Siddarth Lal was and is a Bullet Rider, enough so that the guy rode his Bullet to his own wedding.  His love affair with the Bullet started way before his time at RE began. 
 
 I think the bike is safe on his watch.

[ace.cafe]

MY TAKE ON MOTORCYCLE SHOPS OLD AND NEW
Today most motorcycle shops in America are big box businesses selling multiple brands. These shops have no personality and customers are just part of their bottom line. Easy credit - lots of flash and pizzazz - but no soul.

Funny, they are just like the soulless motorcycles that they sell!
Birds of a feather, flock together.

I spent most of my early life working in the family run shops that you describe in the old days. We didn't need websites with shopping carts, or Facebook. It was the real world then, with real motorcycles, and real people.
 

[Ducati Scotty]

Vince's shop still has that feel.

[REpozer]

Maybe Kevin will get into something easier, like selling and repairing luxury watches, or running a food cart.
It might be a good time to ask the CMW forum to add a "for sale" section.
My concern is AVL parts becoming a problem.
Anyway...
Best Wishes Kevin, thanks for the fun run with my RE.

[Farmer_John]

Funny, they are just like the soulless motorcycles that they sell!
Birds of a feather, flock together.

I spent most of my early life working in the family run shops that you describe in the old days. We didn't need websites with shopping carts, or Facebook. It was the real world then, with real motorcycles, and real people.
 

I spent the better part of the 80s-90s between the largest dealers in the Detroit metro area, one of which was at one time the largest Honda dealer in the world (reportedly).  Neither were corporate and in a way were among the first of the "super dealers".

At one point, we had 16 people working the sales floor year round.  It was awesome, but hard to build clientele.  Lots of competition for bodies.  But we also handled Ducati, Triumph, MuZ and for a short time Moto Guzzi (in addition to all the asian stuff and all the watercraft/ATV/snowmobile stuff.

I started to notice a greater level of knowledge and loyalty among the guys/gals that were attracted to the more niche brands and gravitated towards them.  I ended up being one of 2 specialists with these units and am still remembered by some of my old peeps now when out riding or the rare  cafe nights I attend.

I know what is involved with being involved with YOUR customers, which just does't happen anymore within today's modern glitzy "dealerships".

Bought my RE from a "little guy" in a dusty old shop and as long as I have a RE (whick I'm sure will be a long time), I'll be bugging them a lot.  Their coffee is terrible, but it has caffeine,  That's all I require (plus, they and I have ties to one of the aforementioned dealers).

[Ice]

Maybe Kevin will get into something easier, like selling and repairing luxury watches, or running a food cart.
It might be a good time to ask the CMW forum to add a "for sale" section.
My concern is AVL parts becoming a problem.
Anyway...
Best Wishes Kevin, thanks for the fun run with my RE.

 Kevin said he's sticking with and expanding CMW besides, he likes running his own business as much as does motorcycles and that and he has a lot of time, money sweat and inventory in CMW.

 The AVL was launched in the home market 1999-2000 and production overlapped the UCE by a bit so that's about a ten year run. There are many tens of thousands of them out there. Also CMW quite literally has a tons of spares on hand. I think parts will be available for a long long time. The rest that is not AVL specific is generic Bullet. Those parts will be available long after we're gone.

[Farmer_John]

Kevin said he's sticking with and expanding CMW besides, he likes running his own business as much as does motorcycles and that and he has a lot of time, money sweat and inventory in CMW.

 The AVL was launched in the home market 1999-2000 and production overlapped the UCE by a bit so that's about a ten year run. There are many tens of thousands of them out there. Also CMW quite literally has a tons of spares on hand. I think parts will be available for a long long time. The rest that is not AVL specific is generic Bullet. Those parts will be available long after we're gone.

Specially given the long production run of the originals.

[Richard230]

My RE dealer also sells several Japanese brands. When I tried to buy an oil filter, I was charged $25 (more than I pay for an entire oil change kit from my BMW dealer) just for the filter, with no washers or O-rings.  The parts manager had no idea how to use the RE ordering system or parts fiche and couldn't figure out how to order parts. (After 30 minutes of struggling at the counter, I gave up and then discovered NField.) While the shop has been there for about 50 years, a year ago it changed hands and I was really hoping for some changes, but so far I am not seeing any.

I spent a lot of time during the 1960's knocking around the old classic motorcycle shops and I don't have any fond memories of them.  They were dark and dank, the sales people were really kind of nasty to customers that they didn't know and if you hadn't been a steady customer for at least 10 years you were not welcome to just hang out. I bought my first motor scooter because the BMW/BSA dealer that I visited said that I was too young to ride a motorcycle and that I should start out on a scooter first. Once I even got tossed out of a Harley dealership because I didn't look like I belonged there.

So I now appreciate motorcycle dealers with carpeted floors, a customer waiting room, free coffee and pastries and people that can order what you need in a minute or two.  You guys can keep the "good ole days". Been there, done that.

[Craig McClure]

Because I've always had to stretch a dollar to cover all the bases. I learned to work on my own machinery as a youth, & became proficient enough to make improvements & bulletproof.
  I consistently shopped by price rather than dealer proximity. The internet has helped a lot. You can find things you are going to need for much less there, guaranteed. True you may wait a few weeks, but its better than paying for some fancy dealers high overhead, & extravagant lifestyle.
  I've been in situations where I've wanted something right away, & was nearly reamed at the cash register. I have also encountered Dealers/Shops with customer dominating policies. Without fail I point out what I don't like
(loud enough to be heard) & why I'm leaving & never coming back. This probably does not change anything, unless other sheep take heart, but it soothes this Stalwart Swashbucklers heart.

[Farmer_John]

Moto dealerships profit centers.

1. Service
2. Parts/Acc
3. F&I. (Finance and insurance)
4. Powersports equipment.

For instance, at retail, average mark up on a bike is  around 17%. With another small percentage in "hold back". These figures don't include wheeling and dealing and paying floor planning on their inventory.

The units are the gateway drug. Parts/Acc and service work hand in hand to make the bulk of a good dealer's profit. 

Used to be a dealer's F&I department had tiered interest rates. Generally earning the dealer up to 5% of the financed amount as a thank you for selling their paper, plus choke and Croak (finance insurance) and service plans. Second most profitable department in any dealer, though I understand that the tiered percentages have gone away from most lenders.

So, if everyone were to work on their own bikes and order parts from Amazon, even the good dealers wouldn't survive just on bike sales alone.

Then what?

[Craig McClure]

Hi Farmer John, You have a good point there. But there will always be un-mechanical people needing service, & busy affluent types who will buy from the most convenient dealers.
  Capable, resourceful, people making ends meet are a small minority, & will not drive dealers out of business. Even I have purchased a few USED parts from a URAL dealer this year.

[suitcasejefferson]

Wow. Come back after a week or so and find all this. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Loss of this forum would definitely not be good. This is one of the best motorcycle forums I have ever belonged to, if not the best. Lots of good people here with a lot of information. And if you ask a dumb question, you rarely ever get yelled at or laughed at. I belong to a lot of forums where the standard response to any question is "use the search function" I see forums as more than just a source of information. They are also a place where, in this case, owners of an oddball brand of motorcycle (in the U.S.) can communicate with each other on a social level.

OTOH, if RE were to have a real distributorship, like the Asian and European bikes, more bikes might get sold, there might be more dealers, and parts availability might be better.

In the U.S.,RE seems to be second only to HD as far as owner loyalty goes. BMW might be up there, but there seems to be very little owner loyalty for Japanese bikes. I have owned many of all 4 Japanese brands, and they might as well all have the same name on them. Seems the UJM is still here after all. Enfield provides a great alternative.

[pmanaz1973]

Vince's shop still has that feel.

+1  Yup.

[Kevin Mahoney]

From the horses mouth
1. CMW, it's staff and I are not going anywhere.
2. The RE forum is not going anywhere. We have moved it to a CMW based web address.
3. NField Gear will be branded as a CMW site by the end of the year.
4. We will continue to sell parts (not with RE labeling or packaging), RE specific accessories (number and types are increasing every day) and sidecars. We will also still be supporting you with tech advice etc. as we have always done.
5. I and we have had a great run selling motorcycles but frankly we are looking forward to moving to a support role rather than the position we were in before. The reduction in pressure and stress have been a relief to all of us. We have ALWAYS had fun and spend most days laughing with each other and customers all day long, but the stress of having to constantly set up new dealers, retaining current dealers marketing, support, being the buffer between RE in India and the end users and dealers as well as extreme (and I mean extreme) travel will not be missed at all. There is no such thing as a typical retail customer or RE dealers and to be frank most are not under the "bell shaped curve". This is what has made this so much fun. Imagine how many interesting and nice people we get to talk to every day or meet at show! It makes it all worth while and we look forward to continuing.

RENA (Royal Enfield North America) is funded by the RE factory and as such has financial resources that we could never bring to the table. I think this will be good for our customers and new riders we have not yet met. All in all this is a good news story for all concerned