Dealer Backlash!

kdharri

moped
Below is a notice from an SF Bay Area dealer who is dropping Triumph, best we all check in with our local dealers to see who's staying at the party....



It is with great sadness we announce that CalMoto will no longer be a Triumph Motorcycle dealer. Effective January 24[SUP]th[/SUP], Triumph Motorcycles will no longer be available at our Mountain View store and at our Livermore store as of February, 7[SUP]th[/SUP] 2017.


21 years ago, a reborn Triumph Motorcycles Ltd. approached CalMoto (then California BMW) as a potential dealer. As a small dealer we looked at this small private British manufacturer with a storied past as a big gamble to add to our growing BMW dealership. With a willingness to give Triumph a chance and a desire to expand our business, we added them to our location.

Despite many early teething problems and the difficulties that surround reviving any brand, together we were able to make it work and eventually to be a sustainable part of our dealership. We are proud of our long and recognized history as a top dealer for Triumph in the United States. We have been honored to serve our Triumph customers and friends for the past 21 years.

Many dealers who took on Triumph in the 1990s, had abandoned the brand by the early 2000s. We stuck with them.

When their factory burned down in Hinckley and they couldn’t supply enough product, we stuck with them.

When the 2008 economic downturn took out dozens of motorcycle dealers in the Bay Area, we stuck with them.

Recently, Triumph has announced multifaceted changes for its dealership network. We have examined their vision carefully and with an open mind. To meet their vision would require many changes. Changes to our business hours, staffing levels, inventory levels and business capital requirements. In addition, significant and costly building construction would be required. Some of these changes would be manageable and others nearly impossible. As with all relationships, there are ups and downs. Sometimes you grow together, as we did with Triumph, and sometimes there are profound disagreements. Unfortunately, Triumph’s vision for the future, and ours of how to best achieve success for our family run business, are no longer in alignment. This time, we cannot stick with them.

In light of this new reality, it is with reluctance, and sadness for our many Triumph customers, that we have to end our business relationship with Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.

As we move forward into the New Year, the CalMoto team will continue to provide service and parts on Triumph Motorcycles for our customers for the foreseeable future. We will unfortunately not be able to perform warranty work after February 4[SUP]th[/SUP], 2017. Our staff will continue to help our customers with recommendations and support for Triumph products where we can and our customer should know that we will always stick with them.

Sincerely,



Mike Meissner
Dealer Principal
CalMoto BMW KTM Vesp
 

beemerrich

Street Tracker
Same thing happened when Harley went from small, family-owned shops to boutiques. If Triumph is demanding the same sort of dealership "upgrades", then all I can say is 'yuck'...
 

drlapo

Hooligan
this does not bode well. my local dealer is a small single brand shop in a poor part of town in an old industrial building = perfect. I hope they are not affected.
 
I don't know...The two Triumph dealerships I just bought from were far from the glitzy newer H-D dealerships. They were re-done, but in a basic, brick factory style interior. Kind of said "cheap industrial look" to it. Didn't look like it would cost a dealer much $$ to conform.
 

owenbrau

moped
To be honest, having watched my local go through this successfully, It seems a bit one-sided. But yes, it can be expensive. So I'll ask you all; do you support your dealer? Do you get service done there, buy accessories and maintenance items (oil, etc) there? Or do they only see you when it is time for a new bike?
 

kdharri

moped
Hi, my name's Kevin and I am a Mechanical Incompetent.
It's been 35 days since I touched a tool more complex than a spoon...


Sad but true, I do not come from a tool-wielding people. If I touch tools, it is either a bad idea or a desperate situation...usually both....
While I am new to Triumph (3k/mi), I feel like Norm on Cheers when I walk into my Yamaha dealer, everybody knows my name.

The dealer services my bikes, and I'll bring in outside farkles and let their wrenches install.
For me, it amounts to cheap insurance against my bungling & having to buy new hardware & tow it to fix it.

In the words of Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke), "A man's gotta know his lim-tations"......
 

Clyde12

Scooter
Hmmm. Going to have to pop into my local dealer and see what's up. They are a small Suzuki/Triumph dealer. Can't see them making a huge investment to keep Triumph.
 

rbirkey

NBRAdmin
Staff member
One fact about life and about people is that change will happen... no matter what we think or do about it! The same is true for businesses and brands because they are in fact made up of people. The culture and marketplace around us is changing more rapidly than ever before in history. As much as we all might prefer the small family-owned Triumph dealerships more common in days gone by, other forces are at play that make that existence less likely to succeed. Businesses and brands like Triumph exist to serve customers. If they don't deliver on this basic principle, they won't survive. The demands and expectations of the customer are therefore fundamentally important. Triumph recognises this and is seeking to step up their dealership capability to deliver on the brand promise. It is possible to remain a small family-owned Triumph dealership and not only survive, but excel! A prime example is Team Power Center in Janesville, Wisconsin (recently renamed from Team Triumph - http://www.teampowercenter.com). This small family-owned dealership consistently performs at the very top of Triumph's dealer network in sales, service and customer satisfaction. Not every small dealership is in a position to do this, but for those who have the drive, commitment and vision, it is possible. I don't know the full story regarding CalMoto... a public announcement is not enough to make a judgment by. There are probably many more factors that affected their decision. I seriously doubt that it is ALL Triumph corporate policy related. It is in all of our best interest that the best Triumph dealerships survive and flourish and the ones that can't deliver on the brand and customer experience expectations, fall away.
 
Joe's Cycle Shop in Dayton Ohio told them to get lost too. Very similar story to the one above. Joe's has been in business since 1963. They know their customers better than some suit in Atlanta. I have bought 4 Triumphs from them since 2009. They were always one of Triumphs top dealerships. I have nothing nice to say to any of the airheads in Atlanta, and my long relationship with Triumph is over. They make great machines, but their North American marketing people are clueless, and I really think they don't care about selling bikes in the States anymore. Thankfully Yamaha is poised and ready to supply my need for new bikes and I have no problem giving them my money. Sadly though, Triumph will no longer get one penny from me.
 
Hmmm. Going to have to pop into my local dealer and see what's up. They are a small Suzuki/Triumph dealer. Can't see them making a huge investment to keep Triumph.
Clyde, they just announced no more Triumph and Suzuki for them. No dealers around us now for 60 miles.
 
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