Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Skier wrote: My point of view is a pessimistic one: the dealers are only there to make a buck and if they can't compete with Internet sales, why bother stocking those items?

Sorry what I meant to say is trying to get people to change their ways about this practice is futile. I was calling you an optimist for asking someone to not save money to preserve the future of the local helmet shoppe.

Brackstone wrote:

Skier wrote: My point of view is a pessimistic one: the dealers are only there to make a buck and if they can't compete with Internet sales, why bother stocking those items?

Sorry what I meant to say is trying to get people to change their ways about this practice is futile. I was calling you an optimist for asking someone to not save money to preserve the future of the local helmet shoppe.

Take away all the money making accessories, next thing you know, bike shops start closing...


Choices choices...


Another thing to consider; a lot of people are turning their hearts to keeping local, (within 100 miles) shops/stores open , by doing business with them before looking elsewhere. This is also being done with locally mfg/grown products as well.

I know in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area, several major motorcycle chains and shops have closed over the past year because of the increasing costs of the sport and the availability to get just about anything and everything for motorcycling on the internet. Here in the Halifax area we only have 4 shops to choose from - fortunately, there is a fair variety of stock to try in order to find the best fit. I know I have benefited greatly from the experience and advice shared by the staff at the local Honda dealer.

koji52 wrote:

Skier wrote:

R3sp4wN wrote:

RhadamYgg wrote:I want to buy a helmet, but I can't seem to get the time to go to a dealer to get one and I'm leary of buying something so personal online.

Once you do have time to go to a dealer, try the different sizes of each brand and see which one suites you. Then go home and order your helm off the internet. I highly recommend NewEnough.com; they have great prices, excellent customer service, and an awesome return policy.

I am in no way affiliated with NewEnough.com or its subsidiaries*

Don't do this. If you try a helmet on in a store, buy it there. If everyone follows the "try then buy somewhere else" plan, dealers will have no reason to carry helmets at all.

+1

Well, If I like the dealership and the people there - I usually have no problem paying extra for a helmet - especially if that is where I'm going to buy a motorcycle.

In this case, however, I am trying to get it before I go to the MSF course - so I might buy the helmet first. I'm still debating this in my head.

Motorcycle dealers pretty much have to carry helmets - at least where I live where Helmets are required. But companies and sales people aren't stupid, they can figure out ways to recoup costs - like including a helmet with motorcycle sales and a couple other things - which might be a good deal for a small fee - if they garuntee to move x number of units each year.


Not that I'm particulcarly against trying at a store and buying online. Eventually motorcycle shops might just have sample helmets that people try on a bunch for a fee or something. Usually someone figures out a business model that works.

RhadamYgg

I have four helmets - a full face, a modular, a motocross, and a dual sport (interchangeable mx visor/faceshield). I bought all of them at my local dealership, even though I 'might' have been able to get them cheaper online. The drawback to buying them online is the added shipping costs (being in Canada, shipping is more expensive, and god help you if you choose to have them shipped by courier) and the wait time. Customs fees might also be tacked on to whatever you are having shipped in.

Some things I have ordered online, for the simple fact that with the favorable exchange rate I could get the items cheaper than I could buy them from my local shop, even with shipping factored in.

I'll support my local shops before I order online.

I can also pay cash or debit with my local shop, something you can't do with an online store.

When I bought my bike just recently, they gave me a gift certificate worth 20% off accessories including my helmet, saddlebags clothing etc. which no doubt is helpful for the dealer but also helped me out in getting a good discount of the start-up necessities. Might be something worth asking the dealer for when considering the purchase of a bike.

in addition to possibly losing the convenience of being able to try on different products in the store, you also run the risk of poor online customer support.

If you're going to order online, whatever you do, don't go to leatherup.com...they screwed my order and it literally took over 20 phone calls and emails before they got back to me three weeks later.

Is the $50 saving worth the hassle? Not to me.

Just got back from my local dealer and slapped down some cash on a helmet - they were great in helping me with the right fit and the information on the different makes etc. I was able to walk around with the helmet on for over a half hour and they checked on me from time to time to see how it was feeling. I was convinced when they said exactly what you have all suggested - get the right fit. I am thrilled with my new lid. I'm not sure I would have been as confident ordering it off the web.

dr_bar wrote:

Brackstone wrote:

Skier wrote: My point of view is a pessimistic one: the dealers are only there to make a buck and if they can't compete with Internet sales, why bother stocking those items?

Sorry what I meant to say is trying to get people to change their ways about this practice is futile. I was calling you an optimist for asking someone to not save money to preserve the future of the local helmet shoppe.

Take away all the money making accessories, next thing you know, bike shops start closing...


Choices choices...


Another thing to consider; a lot of people are turning their hearts to keeping local, (within 100 miles) shops/stores open , by doing business with them before looking elsewhere. This is also being done with locally mfg/grown products as well.

The great thing about capitalism is that people will drive the market and there will always be people wanting to make money any way they can. If dealers stop making money on gear, they'll make it other places. Increased cost of used and new bikes and such. Also, if dealers stop having gear in stores, the demand for trying on gear will get fairly high. The market will then respond in some way to this demand. Gear could come flying back at the same price as before, or maybe newenough.com outlets anyone? Maybe newenough will respond by having you pay a deposit and send you 2-3 sizes of the gear you want, with free shipping for the ones you send back?

Any way, its great if you want to be loyal to a store you love, but changing your habits of frugal shopping just to artificially save a business that can't compete any longer will only hurt the market in the long run and delay the change. The stock market crash and the depression sucked, but we got a ton of experience and insight from the screwup. FDIC for one thing, general public knowledge of economy, etc.

Pittance wrote:

dr_bar wrote:

Brackstone wrote:

Skier wrote: My point of view is a pessimistic one: the dealers are only there to make a buck and if they can't compete with Internet sales, why bother stocking those items?

Sorry what I meant to say is trying to get people to change their ways about this practice is futile. I was calling you an optimist for asking someone to not save money to preserve the future of the local helmet shoppe.

Take away all the money making accessories, next thing you know, bike shops start closing...


Choices choices...


Another thing to consider; a lot of people are turning their hearts to keeping local, (within 100 miles) shops/stores open , by doing business with them before looking elsewhere. This is also being done with locally mfg/grown products as well.

The great thing about capitalism is that people will drive the market and there will always be people wanting to make money any way they can. If dealers stop making money on gear, they'll make it other places. Increased cost of used and new bikes and such. Also, if dealers stop having gear in stores, the demand for trying on gear will get fairly high. The market will then respond in some way to this demand. Gear could come flying back at the same price as before, or maybe newenough.com outlets anyone? Maybe newenough will respond by having you pay a deposit and send you 2-3 sizes of the gear you want, with free shipping for the ones you send back?

Any way, its great if you want to be loyal to a store you love, but changing your habits of frugal shopping just to artificially save a business that can't compete any longer will only hurt the market in the long run and delay the change. The stock market crash and the depression sucked, but we got a ton of experience and insight from the screwup. FDIC for one thing, general public knowledge of economy, etc.

There's nothing artificial about choosing to purchase gear at local stores vs. online to preserve the convenience of being able to try on gear. Markets aren't 100% efficient and completely based on money (although cost is probably the strongest influence). There are many other factors in why people choose to order online vs. in store. For example, many people prefer to do their holiday shopping online for the convenience of not having to go out to the stores. In this case, convenience plays a stronger factor than price.

Tied together with the fact that motorcycling is appealing further into the college grad and older, higher income population, I don't think that the marginal savings of purchasing gear online really has a significant effect in the overall picture. I don't think the whole "trying on gear in the store then driving home to order the stuff online and wait a week to get it" is a normal consumer behavior.