ishy

I think you hit the nail on the head Zippy, most do buy parts online, importer direct cut's chaff and should lower the price because of this, if bikes need to be setup and checked for a customer, the small part time dealer could be a shipping and setup location for the importer or distributor, a fee of say $150 paid by the importer goes to fella setting the bike up, this gives them a bit for there time and knowledge and allows the importer to control the bike price. East west, distribution , the importer may need a good man in each, if so they would be the one shipping bikes to doorsteps and if desired by a customer to part time dealers for setup and PDI.

Hello flower I would chat to you in live chat if there was one

I can agree with this, when you look at the dealer location maps and see how many there are for how few bikes sold per year, it isn't hard to see why no one is making any profit, three main dealers east coast, central and west coast, selling all brands stocking a good selection of parts and offering a good mailing and online service may be able to make a go of it, the truth is the rest of us are just p***ing in the wind.

Kinell is sending her majesty's representative Andy over to Tennessee in April to answer all questions on the subject, and show you how to properly consume said beverages

I know it's a touchy subject D, and what I'm suggesting to cut out the man like yourself who has a lot of money invested, is going to touch a nerve or two. If the importers are struggling to make a go of it, what chance has the little fish got, and I don't mean making a living, I mean not loosing a few grand each year, if a larger profit margin goes to the importer and they take more of the risk, doesn't a small commission and no risk make more sense to the little guy who is only in the game for fun, hobby, passion whatever. I have had new bikes stood around and if they don't sell by July, chances are the customer will want the next year model or a very good deal on the end of year bike, simple solution to the problem, was don't stock bikes, but then again at times if you had a new bike on the floor you could of sold it. From what I see all the US importers put everything they can, then some more back into the sport, sales and economy at this time are poor they have to make a living, many of us are doing it as enthusiasts and an hobby that is not our primary source of income. I'm not trying to p*** anyone off, and think all have the best interest of trials at heart, I also know your not in it for the money

D: or they could use them for indoor remote controlled boat racing

I think it would be in the importers interest to floor bikes in areas where they have the best sales, and give those dealers a fair commission on any sale. My point is the total new bikes sales for the US isn't as many has people think, importers will stop importing if it looses money, they maybe able to ride out one or two lean years but after a while you have to cut losses. I think if the trials market in the US doesn't pick up in the next year or two you will see importers getting out of the business. With the exchange rate and the US economy both ****, do you think it's a smart move to streamline a business that depends on the customers having a fair chunk of spare cash to spend on their hobby, or ride it out and hope for the best?.

You'll figure that out when there is no room left in't back of the shop Munch

JMck, Clarkp, you make good points, I'm not cotesting how it should be in the perfect world, I'm stateing what the truth realy is. Could you tell me how many dealers in the whole country all brands incl sell more than twenty bikes per year, 1? 2? 3? And what amount per year would you consider making a living at it?

I don't think total bikes sales in the US would come close to half of what is sold in the UK. When you consider the size of the country and how many bikes are sold in a given area, there is no way for a person to make a living at it. The ones selling the bikes for the most part just enthusiasts trying to promote the sport, the down side is it adds to the price of the machine. In today's world with the internet it is lot easier to order parts, bike, clothing online and have them delivered to your door, for the majority in the US the local trials dealer isn't just a mile or two down the road, and the only option is to get stuff online Giving the importer a greater margin by cutting out a middle man will give them more flexibility in price and more chance of them soaking up some of the exchange rate.

Are you thinking of doing a bit of twin shock trialing K ?

You think it's more supply not being able to meet demand, than too many trying to get what little there is of the same pie?

With the Euro doing a number against the US $ and sales of trials bikes down, is it time for a rethink of how they are sold?. In our local club only, one 08 model has been sighted, and nearing the end of February this is definitely way down on prior years,I read this is the case in other parts of the world too. Instead of many making nothing, wouldn't it be better for a few, to at least make enough profit to keep afloat and still be able to lower cost to the punter?. My thoughts are! Would it be better for the importer to sell to the public direct cutting out the dealer margin, they could still sell the bike through a dealer and pay a flat commission for bikes that needed to be shipped and set up for the customer, but many times they could also be shipped right to the customers door. Many people go into a car lot with no $ and come out with a new car a few hours later, would a $500 down and x amount per month done direct through the importer entice more to buy?. In the US we have many so called dealers who sell two or three trials bikes a year out of their garage, and offering financing to the customer isn't an option, so in order to buy a new machine from one of the small dealers, the customer has to come up with a large amount in cash, the truth is financing may not be an ideal way to buy anything, but it is how most high cost items are sold in today's world. To be competitive with other back yard dealers, I will often sell the bikes close to cost, I'm not in it to make a living just trying to promote the sport I love, but this also makes it harder for anyone to make it viable and probably Why you don't see many trials bikes for sale in the large motorcycle dealerships? stocking a $7000 to $9000 specialty machine on the off chance a punter will buy it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and when you consider how small the profit margin is I think it doesn't make a lot of sense to the big motorcycle dealer ether. I think it is time the US importers got together and came up with a way to sell to the public direct, offer financing, which I do believe can be done through a company who will take on the contract and pay the importer the cost of the item sold plus a commission for getting the contract. As a back yard dealer, I don't want to take the chance and stock a bike that costs $7000 + and at best will make a couple of hundred profit, but is more likely to loose a couple of hundred. I would rather see the US importers making a bit more money and offering other options to make it easier for the customer to get on a new bike, than see less bikes sold and no one make any profit. I could be way off, but I don't see many knocking on my front door with check in hand what do you think would improve sales in a slow economy?

What can I say Cope, I couldn't turn down a good deal, after a month on the Scorpa, I tried compare my 250 sherco two stroke, big mistake Takes half the effort to get the same result, and I know I ride it better, but always get on the four stroke when I go down back for a rev, why ? that's the appeal of the four banger. The Scorpa is plush, I notice the Scorp rides up stuff while the Sherco seems to kick the back end up more, no complaints about the Scorpa, it does run well but as you say, feels big compared to the 2 stroke, first trial this weekend, so we will see how I compare on results. For me the 3.2 is my favorite so far, had a couple of test rides on the Beta rev 4, ultra smooth and good at finding traction from nothing, I was able to get on it and feel comfortable right away, would need more time on one though, a couple of test rides don't give a full picture. Mont and Ish just don't seem to get along, no fault of the bike, I just can't ride it well in the sections. Only Gas Gas left to get their plonker on the market, hope the flat head system works, if it performs as good as it looks, then it will be all the fourstrokes going at it just has they were with the two strokes a few years back. I would love to see a 200F Scorpa air cooled motor in the 250F frame, I think it would be a good seller.

TART!!

Honest answer. Lot of fun riding a four stroke and I'm a fan, rode the 3.2 Sherco for 2 years, rode the 4rt in two SSDT's and now riding the Scorpa 250F, having said that! price, weight, maintenance and performance in the section, I think the two strokes have the upper hand. Most of us only ride for fun, I know I do, and as I stated above four strokes are a lot of fun.

I think you need to call the Englishman at Lewisport up near Stockton, he has plenty of bikes and info that should get you sorted in your area. 209 785 6878

Any results? good to see some of the top riders working the other side of the fence.

Perce, I was talking to Dennis on Tue, he has round trip airfare to the UK that he has to use or loose from last year. I told him to get an entry in for the reeth, send him a nudge.

Mr Bean is worth watching

If I go I'm flying out Andy, it would cost 5 times more 6 extra days to drive the gas pig out there, have you thought of renting a mini van and buy a cheap sleeping bag and pad, Big Al will take you to the water hole each morning for a dip.

Are you leaving some room for expansion, it will push coolant out of the overflow until it finds the right level. Or maybe the system is pressurizing through a failed oring or head gasket.

Kenechi, Cobos, Fajardo all had costly spills indoors, I think it is why the younger riders do better indoors, pain becomes a bigger factor when you start getting on a bit, only indoors I do is restricted 'T couch.

When you say you had it happen before when the fan give up, did you make sure when you refilled it all the air was out of the system ?