[Colbrt]

I was sad to see my favorite dealer, Steve Seltzer Motorsports in Altoona, PA no longer listing themselves as an RE dealer, but when I went to the web site to find where the nearest one is now, I'm not seeing any listed in Pennsylvania or ANY neighboring state. Uh... this is a fairly densely populated area. I was hoping to get a Continental GT in June, but... not sure I want to travel to Connecticut to buy something I can't even get warranty service done on without a 6 hour drive. I keep reading in the mags how RE is expanding and has these grand plans. How is this progress, and what is happening to all the dealers?   -Jim

[mevocgt]

I was having some questions about that too, here in MD.  Are you in Philly area?  There's supposed to be a new dealer opening in Philly.  RENA told me that they are just waiting on State approval for the current shop, which was the old dealer in my area.  They do have a black GT in stock if it's not too far from you.  PM me for the address.

[Farmer_John]

The solution is to move to Texas. 4 dealers in the lone star state!

[REpozer]

Sorry to hear about your RE dealer Colbert.
 It  currently seems to be a common theme .

I have read some third hand negative comments from ex- RE dealers about RENA. Seems they are dropping most Mom& Pop RE dealers in lux of motorcycle  super stores located in major cities( and few locations as of now).  I guess you can imagine the new business model. ( I loath going into H-D shops because of this kind hype. )

Don't even get me started on RENAs silly web page.

It would appear from my arm chair that RENA is a lot of talk and no go. We will see if they can" pull a rabbit out the hat."

I certainly miss the days when Classic Motor Works was the RE distributor. It was a good grass roots way of doing business and I give them 5 stars.

I would recommend a nice used RE motorcycle ( if you can find one) , this forum for tech support ( and fun) and our host at Classic Motor Works for parts.
Cheers!

[Arizoni]

While I agree that adding more, bigger, glitzier dealerships is a good thing for RENA, eliminating the smaller dealerships in the small towns is, in my opinion, a big mistake.

Having many "big & fancy" and small "mom & pop" dealerships to provide sales and service in as many cities and towns as possible can be a big selling point to potential costumers as well as existing owners.

Having only a few "elite", fancy dealerships without the present small dealerships works against them because there are too many well known brands with better customer support around.

[Ice]

It's not even been a whole quarter yet, give it time.

[Colbrt]

I did get a chuckle out there being 4 dealers listed in Texas. Yeah, y'all have a longer riding season but we do have a pretty big population base here in the northeast.    I hadn't really been following what was happening as far as distributorships and didn't realize that had changed fairly recently... just knew there were now no longer any dealerships in PA, nor any state that touched us.

[Richard230]

And the last time I checked there was only one dealer left in California, the largest motorcycle market in the U.S. And that dealer is about 500 miles away from me.   

[mc35803]

I dropped in on Heindl Engineering in Eaton, Ohio last week while visiting family near there.  They have a great Ural following and I bought my 2015 Royal Enfield C5 from them a year ago after driving 450 miles to fo so.   They are still negotiating with RENA AND still want to be a RE dealer.   I hope RENA sorts this out soon as they a great family run  dealership.   Small family owned or not, that customers will drive that distance to buy from them says a lot about their business ethic.

[mevocgt]

Walked into Cycles of Silve Spring in the DC area to find that they have a bunch of new Royal Enfields on the floor!  Mid Atlantic has a dealer!

[singhg5]

Walked into Cycles of Silve Spring in the DC area to find that they have a bunch of new Royal Enfields on the floor!  Mid Atlantic has a dealer!

Good to hear that new bikes are coming in.

Just this weekend, I had met a local guy in NJ who told me that Royal Enfield bikes are no longer coming to USA ! He had earlier seen an old RE dealer, who is no longer the dealer and there is no other dealer in the state. 

RENA does not list Cycles of Silver Spring, Maryland on their website . There is no one listed in the whole state of Maryland. 

[Narada]

RENA is a little slow to list them, I think.

The dealer in Seattle didn't get listed for a couple of months... at least since I knew about it.

[mevocgt]

Ya, I figured the website will be slow as it has always been.  The main RE site still has '14 events posted, last time I looked at it anyway.

[Narada]

On one of these threads there was a question as to whether a dealer needed a state license to become a Royal Enfield dealer. 

I just learned that the  new Seattle Royal Enfield can't put up any signs or advertise yet because the there is some problem with the old Seattle Royal Enfield letting go of the name, without which they can't be issued the new Washington state license. 

I was assured that it is just a matter of time before it is resolved and that in the mean time they can keep inventory and sell Royal Enfields all they want, just can't have a sign or advertise yet. 

I was also told that one thing RENA is doing right now is establishing a system for spare parts to satisfy the demands of doing business in America.  We tend to want everything, and want it now.  That was interesting, because I would really like a strong parts source, with instant availability, (like CMW has)!

BTW, I can't speak highly enough of their integrity at Seattle Royal Enfield / Triumph.  They just gave me a new dual header pipe system for my T-100 and a 500 mile service free, since my headers were already discolored by the air injection (which I wanted removed before starting my new engine) at the time of purchase. That was about a $1,500.00 value after tax. 

They say they do business like a small mom and pop dealer and treat everyone the best they can.  They got me my bike for a lower price than anyone else around here could, and have treated me better than anyone i've ever done business with.  When the new parallel twin does come out, I know where I'll buy mine.

[heloego]

   Nice to hear you have a good dealer...someone who truly cares about the customer, not just the almighty $$$.
   

[Richard230]

Here is an interesting contrast to RENA's U.S. marketing plan: The Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer, Energica, has just opened its first U.S. retail store in San Francisco. They appear to have very limited marketing expectations (as you might expect when your product costs $34,00) for the first few years. But slow and steady, while they further develop their product, might just work out for them. You can read more here: http://cleanrider.com/energica-opens-its-first-us-showroom/

[barenekd]

My dealer told me that RENA canceled ALL the dealerships the first of the year, went around asking the dealers if they wanted to keep the dealership. Many of them, including my old dealer, didn't take them up on the new deal, touting lousy service, no bikes, poor parts support and poor Warranty service since RENA had taken over. so now they are scrambling for dealers and apparently not having much luck with it. Royal Enfield, and the outfit that bought them out, really stepped on their dicks on this one one. I've talked to the guy, can't recall his name a couple and seems to be a pretty good guy, but the last time was last November before the axe was dropped.
Bare

[Ice]

Bare, it sounds like the dealer is misinformed or misrepresenting his side. RENA canceled nothing because there was nothing to cancel. The dealership agreements that existed between the dealers and CMW became null and void when the importation and distribution rights were sold. This is the norm in these things.   

 CMW ( god bless them ) is and has been and will continue working with RENA in a step by step left seat/right seat transition process since the change of importer took place new years 2016.

 I know that nobody enjoys hearing that and a few among us will react emotionally to it but the truth is the truth even if not all pleasant at all times.

 

 
 

 

[Ice]

 Is that what you honestly think ? 

[Arizoni]

A few months ago the list of dealers on Facebook was published by RENA.
That list consisted of 20 dealers for the entire United States.

They said they would update the list to add additional dealers but as I was looking last night, the number of dealers still seems to be about 20.

In the vernacular of my youth, it appears that RENA's dealer policy has "screwed the pooch".

[Ice]

 20 dealerships in 7 months.
That's 2.875 dealerships per month and the first year is barely more than half over.  Not bad, not bad at all.

[Arizoni]

I just did a little web search to see how many dealers some of the less widely known motorcycles have in the US.  (Yes, I know you all know these motorcycles but the average guy on the street probably doesn't).

Also, because these numbers came off of the web they can't be totally trusted but I think they might be close to right.

MV AGUSTA = 42 dealers
URAL = 65 dealers
INDIAN = 70+ dealers
ROYAL ENFIELD (prior to RENA) = 80-100 dealers
DUCATI = 140 dealers
MOTO GUZZI = 158 dealers
KTM = 427 dealers

[Farmer_John]

Hell I'm pretty sure Motus has more US dealers than RENA has setup.

[Otto_Ing]

Hell I'm pretty sure Motus has more US dealers than RENA has setup.

I've just counted 22 Motus dealers in the US. 

[Ice]

 At RENA's rate of 2.875 dealerships per month instead of:

42 dealers, MV AGUSTA
 should have 552+ dealers
65 dealers, URAL
 should have793+ dealers
70+ dealers INDIAN,
 should have 278 dealers ( only counting since the last bankruptcy)
140 dealers DUCATI,
 should have wait, how long have they been importing to the US ?
158 dealersMOTO GUZZI
 how long have they been importing to the US ?
427 dealers KTM,
 should have 1131 dealers
22 MOTUS,
 should have 197

Looks like they had all better get busy if they want to match RENA's average!

  

[Ice]

 I'm fairly certain Ural, Indian, Ducati and KTM are better known than Royal Enfield.  Those brands are all recognized by the majority of the neighbor kids. Perhaps successful product placement in movies has something to do with it.

 At least I think so because when I asked about theses bikes their responses were along the lines of " like >insert actor or charter name< had in >inert movie title< Yah" or "yah, it's in >video game<.

 They all know there was a side car rig in a Harry Potter film but they don't recognize it ( hint )

[Desi Bike]

I think what a lot of people fail to realise here in North America is that Royal Enfield as a brand are just beginning to sell motorbikes in North America.
Prior to RENA the motorbikes were being sold through a large private importers (CMW in the USA and a different group in Edmonton for Canada) and now the manufacturer, Royal Enfield is going to be the direct seller.
CMW and Edmonton had their own networks of dealerships to sell and service the bikes.
RENA is doing a great job of building a network from the ground up in great time.

[Kevin Mahoney]

If I had a dollar for every person that told me that RE should easily be able to sell thousands of bikes in the US, have hundreds of dealers etc. I would have retired 15 years ago. Because the bikes are so cool looking and reasonably priced it looks easy but is anything but.

As you are seeing, the reality is much different. Dealers (much less good dealers) are hard to find and even harder to keep. Being a motorcycle dealer is a brutal business. While the bikes look great, they wisely look at how many they can realistically sell, the quality and support track record a brand has, parts availability and how it fits into their business plan. Getting any bike into a dealership is tough under the best of circumstances and keeping it there is tougher. We (CMW) were ever mindful that we were a guest in a dealers showroom which guided our behavior toward that dealer and their customers. If as a distributor you think the shoe is on the other foot you are destined to fail no matter what brand you represent since no dealers "needs you" to feed their family.
A lot depends on how much money they are asked to risk and what the requirements to play are. Will they sell until their market is full or will they keep selling etc. Will they get unquestioned backup from the company etc. There is no one answer to the question that fits all dealerships. Not only is it difficult, it takes time. It took me a year to break 50 (and I had inherited 4-5) and we didn't get to 70 for at least two years. In general most brands have to replace 20% of their dealers annually just to keep up which also doesn't help. Corporate stores which now abound sometimes have decision making processes that are lengthy etc.

On the retail side it is even tougher - just ask any dealer. People have a lot of choices and there are some really good bikes out there for good prices. Just looking cool is only a small part of the equation. Dealers always told us they had traffic but getting customers to pull the trigger is tough.

[Kevin Mahoney]

I really don't feel qualified to comment on the efficacy or direction of RENA's marketing strategy. I know from the CEO of RE India that he believes that the young "Urban Hipster" in the US is the market RE will be successful with. I don't know if that is RENA's focus or not.
They are smart people and I think they will do well.

[Richard230]

The problem that I see in focusing on "hipsters" is that it may be a fading fad.  There are a ton of hipsters in San Francisco, all wearing man-buns, beards, flannel shirts and riding clapped-out 1970's Japanese motorcycles, over short distances around town.  (Likely trying to find a parking space.     )  If I was RENA I would be really tying to find a dealer in San Francisco to take advantage of this current trend while it lasts, or at least open up a "flash" store (like Aerostitch did a couple of years ago) in the South of Market area and see what sort of response they get. Still, the problem that I see with the 20-something generation is that they tend to get bored with whatever is trending now and will move on to something else in a few years - or when they finally get priced out of the area. Or decide to get married - and that will likely put an end to the flannel shirts, buns, beards, bell bottom pants and good times at the local bar with their friends.   

[Kevin Mahoney]

Speaking of "Man Buns", I understand that wearing one increases your chance of cervical cancer significantly.

[Arizoni]

Only if they use talcum powder.

Oh, wait.  My error.

You said "cervical" not "ovarian", didn't you?

[Otto_Ing]

Interview with the RENA chief....

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonfogelson/2016/08/01/a-conversation-with-rod-copes-president-north-america-for-royal-enfield-motorcycles/

[Ice]

 You are absolute correct about beating a dead horse. FWIW the odds favor that the hand wringing will continue despite the subject having been repeatedly discussed to the same conclusions ad nauseum.
 
 What some fail to realize is how truly significant signing twenty dealers in only eight months really is.

 These are committed stocking dealers. Restated for emphasis, committed stocking dealers.

 That's a much different proposition than an authorized but non stocking dealer that stocks little to nothing and only orders your bike or parts after you pay or a dealer holding the agreement and sitting on it to suppress it from competing.   

 When a dealership is signed on they are given an exclusivity for their geographic area. Some may clamor for a dealer in MY area NOW while forgetting the difference between a stocking dealer and a non stocking authorized dealer. It is more logical to drive 90 miles to a stocking dealer than the same miles to an authorized but non stocking dealer. Which would the consumer prefer to have exclusivity over there area ? That should be self evident.

Rome wasn't built in a day. CMW wasn't built in a day. Neither will be RENA.

 RENA's parent company has plenty of seed capitol for advertising to incdrease awareness and fuel growth of product demand and network expansion on the national scale to, flesh out and bulk up the skeleton as so to speak once it's built. These things have never happened overnight.

 

 


 

 

[ace.cafe]

There's nothing we can do anyway, so it isn't worth fretting about.

[Ice]

 Yes ! But I am sticking to my plan of twin first, GT second.

[Leonard]

Speaking of "Man Buns", I understand that wearing one increases your chance of cervical cancer significantly.

If this were Facebook I'd be hitting the like button.

[The Old Coot]

The only thing I can say is RENA needs to understand IF they want to make a go of it here they need to sell to any and all. Heck The Hipsters? OK, How about the Amish...if they want one go for it. And Old Coots like me better take my money. These days you can't turn your back on anyone if you want to make a go of it. Look at the mess HD is finding itself in with they customer base getting older and older their sells are going down. And they had the whole show to themselves at one time but threw it away.   

[Kevin Mahoney]

I see that RENA just added a dealer in Cleveland. Looks like a pretty cool "lifestyle" place. Also noticed several other new ones I hadn't noticed before. Check it out:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/royal-enfield-north-america/royal-enfield-north-america-dealers/922168437904795

[Jellyroll]

It figures. The shop I got mine from in Killeen dumped the brand. Sounds like I got lots of dealers to choose from, you are wrong-Texas is a freakin' HUGE mass of land, over 400,000 square miles. Each and every dealer now is well over 250 miles in each damn direction. I cannot and will not make two round trips to drop off and pick up this bike. Winter's coming, and my Virago is close to 75% finished, on the road by Spring. With such low mileage on the GT I'm thinking of packing it up and storing it for a year or two, especially since it doesn't have a scratch on it. With the mods I can probably get back close to what I shelled out for it. But, if more dealers pop up in that time I may keep it. Just like the Presidential Debate and the End Of The World, I'll just make some popcorn and see what happens for now.

[The Old Coot]

I see that RENA just added a dealer in Cleveland. Looks like a pretty cool "lifestyle" place. Also noticed several other new ones I hadn't noticed before. Check it out:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/royal-enfield-north-america/royal-enfield-north-america-dealers/922168437904795

Not really caring about a "Life Style Place" there are H-D dealers all over the place for that. I'm looking for a shop where the mechanic had grease under his nails for working on the bikes and knowing what he's doing. I'm a shop that had parts and spares in stock and I don't have to order every think. I'm looking for a shop that carries the trick stuff we all look for, and has it in stock. Oh a "T" shirt wouldn't be bad BUT I'm not looking for a clothing store that sells a few bikes on the side. Like I said there are H-D dealers for that.

[barenekd]

When RENA took over the distributorship from Kevin, they cancelled all the dealerships in the country, then polled the ones they might to keep to see who wanted to retain the dealerships, Many of the old dealers told them to stick it because of poor support from the factory, My dealer was one of them. So now RENA is looking dealers, but they want legitimate motorcycle dealers as opposed to a lot of the old scooter dealers that got REs to hide in the backs of their showrooms. The LA area had six dealerships, now they have one.