Dealers: Dodgy and Otherwise...

We are led to understand, and accurately so I believe, that dealers are under more pressure now than at any previous time, with showrooms full of unsold bikes and bank accounts written in red. I’m informed from reliable sources in the trade that the reason for the depressed market and its effect on bike shops is a complex one which I shall try to briefly explain.

That bike sales have plummeted is a fact we must accept. The contributing factors are as diverse as they are plentiful. The recent and past repressive legislation encourages few to start motorcycling, especially true of the 125 restriction and two part test. Throw in the lack of long summers over the past few years, add a lack of interesting bikes at reasonable prices and it’s not all that surprising.

Despite falling bike sales, the number of riders remains fairly consistent - bikes are being kept longer, creating a buoyant, if not thriving, used market. In an attempt to boost sales the major manufacturers encouraged their dealers to open bigger and brighter showrooms which merely moved unsold bikes from the warehouse to the High Street. To survive, many dealers had to discount drastically, relying on part exchanges, finance commission and parts sales to make a buck or two.

Naturally, we’re all sobbing our hearts out over the plight of dealers. But are they really as bad as they are portrayed? Some dealers are in it ’cos they love bikes, others for the money and some are really dodgy figures masquerading as genuine dealers, but many shops are having such a hard time that they dare not risk their reputation by cheating.

Not only dealers cheat, of course, these days it’s quite the done thing for Joe public to try to rip off dealers. Draining the forks of oil to hide leaks, transporting bikes in vans most of the way as the engine is about to expire, disguising cracks in frames, little tweaks to stop cams and camchains rattling, are a few among many. Unfortunately, you tend to get what you pay for. Spend the least money for a particular machine from a dodgy geezer, don’t expect the same service as if you’d spent a lot more from a reputable dealer.

Things get nasty when the former pretend to be the latter. A sharp deal, defined as trading in a near wreck (that doesn’t look it) for a pristine bike, eventually has to backfire on everyone because the dealer has to get rid of the bike and if he finds that it’s knackered and he’s going to lose money, then the temptation to hustle must be great. A lot of this must be down to knowledge and experience on both sides.

There is one other major problem. For many, myself included, buying a bike usually means buying from the lower end of the market, ’cos we're broke. This is the most vulnerable position to be in and the most disadvantaged. Whatever we buy is likely to be high mileage, abused, neglected and requiring work. Buying the kind of bike no-one else would touch with a barge pole can be entertaining, to say the least, requiring not only experience but luck. The dividing line between a bargain and a useless piece of junk hardly fit to be used for spares is a very thin one. Still, it’s a lot of fun.

Alik Wickford