(07-31-2013, 12:20 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote:

(07-31-2013, 10:37 AM)cb400four_imp Wrote:

(07-31-2013, 05:14 AM)The ferret_imp Wrote: Unfortunately there is not much of a career being a motorcycle mechanic, lousy hours, not much pay, no benefits, not much of a retirement, not much chance for advancement, have to buy your own tools, you work while others ride, good chance you will be laid off in the winter, and thats if the shop you work at doesn't go out of business...I could go on and on. Thats why shops get young guys without much experience, who eventually burn out and go somewhere else.

I spent 17 years in the motorcycle industry before finding a real job. My younger brother was a great mechanic for 7 years before he got a job as a Fireman. The other excellent mechanic at that shop went to work for the local water dept.

It's a catch 22 for both dealerships and customers. We both want the best, but the nature of the industry just doesn't allow it.

Ferret, do you think over time this will improve and the motorcycle dealership sales / parts / service divisions will become more professional to the benefit of the customers as well as the employees & business owners?

I think there has been a shift in the last 20 years toward professionalism in the automotive dealership area (not to say everything is perfect there, but on the whole...).

Ferret, do you think over time this will improve and the motorcycle dealership sales / parts / service divisions will become more professional to the benefit of the customers as well as the employees & business owners?

I think there has been a shift in the last 20 years toward professionalism in the automotive dealership area (not to say everything is perfect there, but on the whole...).
Well, the manufactures have really tried, going more toward single line dealerships, bigger more professional better displayed dealerships to the point that many new ones actually look like car dealerships. Unfortunately you also get the car dealership experience in many of these. I know of one locally that has at least 12 young sales men and women. they jump on you when you come in the door, and when you say you are just looking they drop you like a stone and run off looking for a hot buyer.If you did buy a bike there, you are lucky if your salesman remembers your name, much less the owner, manager, parts guys or service guys the next time you came in. Nobody waits on you in the accessory department, but it doesn't matter because they don't carry anything anyway. If you have an issue with a bike you just bought they " schedule you in" rather than walking out to see if its something that can be fixed easily and right away. The parts department carries spark plugs, oil filters and oil. Anything else needs to be ordered, 5 to 7 days ( if you are lucky...some dealerships only order one day a week. miss that day and it may be 10-14 days) prepaid of course. I don't mind paying more if the dealership has what I want, I want to support my dealer, I want him around, but if he is just taking orders and ordering stuff, I can do that myself off the internet, for less money and generally get it quicker, generally with less hassle and without 2 trips to the dealer and one call to see if my stuff is in yet. In one respect the internet has put a few nails in the coffins of most dealerships.

The other side of the coin is the little dealer that has been around forever and is just trying to make it till retirement or until he finds a buyer for the franchise. Everything in the shop is filthy, nobody even talks to you when you walk in, and you can spend 20 minutes looking around before leaving with no one from the dealership even spoken to you.

The banks don't help by turning down 7 out of 10 people that apply for a loan. insurance takes a bite by charging excessive amounts on the most popular bikes. Sometimes a customer can afford the bike, or afford the insurance but not both.

In the meantime for both dealers, things get slow in the winter, sales of everything drops off, the flow of money coming in stops, they lay off valuable employees trying to just keep the doors open, and pay the heating bill and the note they carry at the bank. The employees although young eventually get married, have a kid or two, and can no longer afford the winter lay offs. So you lose the guys with any skill and knowledge.

Damn that was long. Short answer to your question no, I don't expect things to get any easier for the dealer, or better for the customer.We are all just getting by.

(07-31-2013, 11:34 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: Truth is most dealerships these days are not owned by motorcyclists, rather they are owned by businessmen. For them it's simply columns of profit and loss and nothing more. My brother and I rode motorcycles to work everyday, as did several of the other employees in the shops we worked at in the 70s and 80s. When I pull up to my local dealership there is only 1 employee motorcycle rider, the Service Manager BJ. Rides every day rain or shine. Good guy. The owner, the parts people, the salesmen, none of them ride...and it's evident by how they treat their customers.