I went for a FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket, dark. Revzilla $287.95, Sloans Honda $289.00.
Let's see, order online and save 2 bucks and hope you ordered the right size and it looks better than that crappy web picture, or go to the dealer and try them on and then go outside and order it online for a 2 dollar savings or let the saleslady earn that commission and also build your relationship with that dealer and take it home today, right now, wear it home and spend 2 dollars more for it and take it back that day if you change your mind...hmmmmm...I suggest the last option is the first and only option to consider.
Now, maybe one can find it somewhere online for much less but who really wants to since buying from your favorite dealer, your favorite dealer because you chose to buy from that dealer not because he happened to be a Honda dealer and had the best deal for a few extra bucks off, but because he/she has a great reputation in the community over years, did right by you also when you bought the bike and so begins a long relationship with that dealer that favors you. You buy the dealer and not the bike because you can buy the bike anywhere but great dealers are few and far between.
This is just my humble opinion. Thanks for listening. - Art
I agree, Buy Local !! If we don't all that will be left is the internet !
I would love to give most of my business to my local dealer, the one who I buy my bikes from, but he carries zip squat (well he carries a ton of dirt bike and quad stuff...just no street bike stuff). The best he can do is "I can order it for you, prepaid, and it will take about 7 to 10 days, and we will call you when it comes in" .... and he only quotes retail.
I have tried explaining to him that if he doesn't want people ordering on the internet he has to increase his stock in accessories. He claims there are just too many people, wanting too many different things, to be able to stock what everybody might want, but he can order it for me (yep heard that).
Here's the thing, he can order it for me, get it in 7-10 days, at retail, costing me 2 trips to the dealership, one to order, one to go back and pick it up..... or I can order it myself, get it in 3 or 4 days, probably save 25% and not have to drive anywhere.
We do have an accessory shop in town that carries pretty much stuff, so I can buy some stuff and carry or wear it home, but they are still mostly I can order it for you and have it in 4 days, prepaid, 2 trips.
There is a store in Cols, Ohio maybe 140 miles from me that carries a ton of stuff but it's an all day trip and a tank of gas, on the outside chance they MIGHT have what I want in stock.
Consider yourself real lucky if you have a good shop that will sell you something for $2 dollars more than mail order and has it in stock. Not like that here.
I try to buy my gear and accessories from my local Honda dealer. The parts guy is awesome and is willing to help me track down the things I need even if he doesn't stock them. That said, there are some things, especially apparel, that I have had to order online. In general, though, I'm a huge "shop local" proponent even though I have had excellent buying experiences dealing with Revzilla and the folks at Heat Demon.
And let's see a pic of your new threads, NightRider.
when possible and practical.
not to many motorcycle dealers carry Dainese.....
[url=http://www.dainese.com/us_en/stores/#%7B]http://www.dainese.com/us_en/stores/#{"geo":{"country":"US"}}
My very local Honda dealer closed two years or so ago. They were great and I always tried to buy from them. A different dealer about 20 or 25 minutes away is now my "local" one. They really dropped the ball when I was looking to buy my Honda NT. They have the attitude where they can take you or leave you, so I have no qualms about buying anything I can elsewhere. I've had great success buying gear from motorcyclegear.com and have had great customer service for returns or exchanges. Helmets, jackets, pants, gloves, etc.
It's business, and I don't have unlimited funds, so I'm going to buy where I get good value and good service. If it was a dealer that treated me right I'd buy from them, but for me, it's not.
When I was in bis. we tried to carry the name brands
Frist Gear and Tourmaster/cortec , etc. and in the models that we
could sell. (size runs) . We never sold at retail prices.
What a lot of people don't know is a lot of the name brands have a
"map Policy" that makes the internet stores can not sell below 10 or
15% below retail.
Once a customer came into our store you could sell a item to them at any price you wanted just so long as you did not put it on the internet. Yes our good repeat customers got the best prices and if
we did not have it we could get it in under 24 hours.
(We were less then 70 miles from our PU warehouse and less then 100 miles from our TR warehouse. )
We ordered every day from both mainly because we did so many tires.
The genie is out of the bottle. The internet is slowly squeezing the life out of local dealers accessory wise. Additionally the choices available to us the consumer make it a prohibitively expensive proposition to carry an inventory that will entice the buyer to stay local. For many years I had a friend that owned a high end sport bike dealership in AZ. Ducati Aprilla and Hinckley Triumphs and Guzzi's. I bought many bikes from him over a 10 year period, about 9 bikes actually. I would always buy a new jacket, helmet and gloves every time I bought a new bike from him. I started shopping the internet when my friend decided he no longer wanted to compete with internet retailers. We had a long discussion about this back in 2014 just before he finally sold out to the largest multiline dealer in AZ. I've recycled many of my jackets on ebay over the years. Now I actually prefer to purchase my accessories via the Web. Return policies are generally excellent and Pay Pal adds an element of security. I recently bought a new Schott leather jacket on line and I couldn't be more happier. This is the new world of retail.
(03-01-2015, 05:31 AM)EmptySea_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I try to buy my gear and accessories from my local Honda dealer. The parts guy is awesome and is willing to help me track down the things I need even if he doesn't stock them. That said, there are some things, especially apparel, that I have had to order online. In general, though, I'm a huge "shop local" proponent even though I have had excellent buying experiences dealing with Revzilla and the folks at Heat Demon.
And let's see a pic of your new threads, NightRider.
Sure. Thanks for asking. Give me some time as I'm not very good at putting pictures up on here. I think there is some website I need to upload them to and then do something else here to point to it, cross my fingers, pray to the Rlet gods and it happens.