Running Out Of Customers - Part 2

The article that originally upset the trade was entitled CONTRACTION OF THE UK MARKET LEAVES THE DEALERS WITH A CHOICE OF COMPLETE CORRUPTION OR ACTUALLY GIVING THE PUBLIC SOME KIND OF REASONABLE SERVICE. This, I still feel, neatly sums up the state of the trade.

Far from being run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, I was of the opinion that except for financial backing there was little difference between the new breed of slum landlords and large numbers of motorcycle dealers.

The collapse of the new bike market, the huge rents, rates and wages, and the large number of hastily renovated crashed bikes all combine to make things rather difficult for the straight, honest dealer.

Further, the used bike market has fragmented into two distinct sectors. On the one hand there are dealers (mostly in London) who are undercutting the prices in even private sales. The bikes they have on offer are either renovated crash jobs, stolen or about to explode. Very few of these dealers are members of the MAA/MRA, so have no restraint on their trading practices. On the other side we have what can be called the legitimate trade. These people trade out of fairly modern showrooms usually situated in expensive main road locations.

Their reputations vary from good to bad, and being squeezed from every direction even the most enthusiastic of enthusiasts amongst their number are beginning to adopt some of the dubious practices of the other end of the market. While it's probably true to say that a majority of dealers start out as enthusiasts, that enthusiasm often evaporates when faced by the hard edged reality of hard to shift stock, huge overheads and too few customers.

For instance. I know one dealer who, twenty years ago, used to race motorcycles and progressed from breaking bikes to running a showroom. These days his only enthusiasm is for making money at all costs. The number of times I've been in his showroom and heard him bombard some unsuspecting punter with a stream of lies defies comprehension. I think that he is not an exceptional case.

The main drift of that article, and the rest of this magazine, was that motorcycling should be fun. The days when young men were willing to sign away their excess money in exchange for three years HP and the latest superbike have long since disappeared. What I hoped and still attempt to show is that it's possible to pick up an interesting bike for a couple of hundred quid and get some kicks in the fast lane, despite various fractions within this country that would turn it into a dull, dreary, dead place.

The idea that someone should devote their whole life and income to the purchase of some expensive new or recent secondhand bike is still too prevalent amongst the trade. While there can be little objection to manufacturing companies making money out of producing motorcycles, the rest of the trade have to be rather more convincing to justify their profits.

The situation is, of course, rather more complex than just dealers making a profit out of selling a bike. If, in buying a bike from a dealer, I have to pay a large part of the money to parasitic bank managers, greedy landlords and free spending local councils, then I'd really rather take my chances in the private market.

There are still dealers around who give a good if expensive deal. But until they cut their charges, overheads and wages, I, like most of the readers of this magazine, will be content with a Haynes manual and a selection of large hammers.

It'll be with interest that I watch which way the trade goes.

Bill Fowler