That's it. They've merged with Blackpool Honda Motorcycles. New superstore. I'm not a happy chappy. Hopefully they'll still collect my bike for servicing. If they don't I'll be even more unhappy and may have to take it to a non franchised dealer. Will Wigan Honda survive as they are part of the same group. I shouldn't be surprised really, the government doesn't really encourage two wheelers and the neither do the motorcycle industry.
That's a bad sign when a Honda dealer closes its doors. We're talking the top selling brand here. Sales must really be taking a hit. On the plus side though, it does make us aware that the industry must be very competitive and anyone seeking a new bike (or used, for that matter) should really consider pushing for the best deal. I remember our friend @aWozza just about taking his dealer to the cleaners with his SP deal. All sorts of extras and inclusion he wrangled. Actually pissed me off cos I thought I was a good negotiator but I cleared less than half he got - and my bike was a tad dearer! But I learnt my lesson. If I do proceed with the 2020, I'll contract Woz to act as agent!
Far too many licence obstacles for new riders these days. Xbox and PS more interesting. Weather doesn't help Easier for kids to get cars For its age a Fireblade is far too expensive. Not really changed much for a decade. Massive price hikes around 2008ish for no apparent reason apart from rip off Britain. Does a dealer really need to be multi franchised to survive. Maybe Honda started putting nails in this coffin when they wanted Honda dealers to be of the Solus variety.
Most every dealer here is some kind of "Mega-Dealer" thing, franchised with every other brand imaginable.
Honda don't allow it here. The honda dealer must be under their own roof. Recipe for disaster in today's world.
Could well be. And that's perhaps why the companies with multi franchises operate under different names. In my case Blade Honda and Performance Triumph are under adjacent roofs owned by the same parent company. I know from way back in the 70s Honda was like that, but one dealer I worked for shared Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki under the one roof. Put it down to Japanese or Soichiro Honda's pride.
wheels motorcycles in Peterborough have Suzuki and Kawasaki in one unit with the used machines and service dept. and Honda and Honda used in a completely different building on the same compound. Never knew the reason why, I always thought it was a space thing but now I know otherwise!
Bizarrely the local Yamaha dealer to me (Webb’s in Peterborough) don’t even have a R1/R1M/R6 in the showroom, no demo or nothing. When I asked why the sales team told me there was two reasons; one, they don’t sell any, most of the sales are the MT07/09/10 and two, when they did have demos of the R1 3 or 4 got written off by over enthusiastic, under skilled riders. It seems the sportsbike market is dying a death and I can see why; the power isn’t usable on the roads (potholes, cars, police etc). In my opinion Honda doesn’t seem to offer a sports inspired naked machine especially that is on or with MT10, 1290 super duke etc. I hope I’m wrong but we could see a decline in Honda dealers especially with the hoops dealers seem to have to jump through to sell their products. If other brands make better bikes that sell better in the current market and are easier to have on board, as a dealer it’s surely a no brainier?
We have honda montessa yamaha kawasaki ktm under one roof. Husky under same roof but building next door.
That is a classic illustration of the negative outlook business model. It costs next to nothing for a dealer to have bikes in a showroom because they're on a reasonably inexpensive 'floorplan'. If a person can't view a product, there is less likelihood of their purchasing it. Yamaha has elected (for some reason) to swing to 'online only' ordering for its R1M. This raises the highly likely prospect of us seeing, perhaps in the not too distant future, an 'Argos' style motorcycle dealer where we stand at a counter, view a glossy catalogue of bikes (complete with smeared chocolate and lolly fingerprints) enter the item number with a blunt, stubby yellow pencil, and process our £15,000-plus order through a pimply-faced Customer Experience Officer. Frig me - the bloody thought of it. This might already be in process for Blade Yamaha in Swindon (Glos) because their customer service is non-existent as I found just last week when trying to order a 2020 R1M. Friggin' incompetence. It riles me.
I don’t think you’re wrong Nigel; unfortunately now-a-days many consumers just go online to buy something, I not only think this is a price thing but also a lack of customer service at some establishments. Bad service really boils my piss. Even if it’s the cheapest I’ll walk away for bad service. Riles me right up.
Same with cars now go I. The showroom out comes the iPad,,,,,spec the car ....you can order but can't drive one sales people no clue about product you are just a number no passion or pride and they don't care if you don't go back again those days long gone also doesn't matter what conditions in just get what the book says....
