Motorcycle Marketing and Sales in the UK

Hello,

I am doing a research paper on motorcycle marketing and sales in Europe
and I was hoping you could answer a relatively simple question:

Are most motorcycles in the UK sold in standalone dealerships, or
alongside cars in the same dealership? This would be especially true
for marques which manufacture both cars and motorcycles, like Honda and
BMW.

Thanks for your help!

Regards,

Kevin Bonin

 

kaybo said...

If you got off your arse and walked round a few dealerships you'd find
out for yourself.

 

If you are after the answers to simple (very) questions you have come
to the right place...........Most posters on here are pretty clueless!

k

 

Google for it.

HTH HAND.

 

kaybo wrote

A focus group, yummy.

How much are you paying for our time?

 

Are you sure you want to do that? You don't seem to know the first
thing about it.

Generally the same as The Netherlands...

 

Didn't see the original post, but there seems to be scope for a gentle
bit of whimsy. Now, the first car my father had was a BSA. Really. Was
posted and had to sell it to settle his mess bill.

 

Peter wrote

I know what you mean. I can remember the first car my dad had, the old
bill made him give it back.

 

what a witty brit you are
kudos for reinforcing my image of both bikers and limeys at the same
time

 

Ah a merkin has crawled out from under its
stone.......................soon going to have your asses kicked by
Iran like your having done at the moment by
Iraq?.....................lol

k

 

Not sure where you are based, but seems unlikely to be UK.
You are in a newsgroup allegedly focussed on classic motorcycles,
so probably not the closest fit to your needs. Please do not judge
the demographics & courtesy of British classic motorcyclists by
some of the replies you have received.. Unfortunately, I cannot
pretend that NG courtesy is any better in other groups looking
more at the current motorcylcing scene.

UK sales practice since the start of motorcycling has been for
new & used contemporary motorcycles to be sold in general
dealerships. Dealers often had a subset of agencies, & the most
respected marques were more selective on channels. Scott,
Vincent, Brough were careful -- many others were not. Very
rarely mixed up with cars, even by specialist marque. The only
frequent area where that happens is for dealers in classic/vintage
machines, who will often sell both.

In the past two decades many independent sales outlets have
gone. Now the biggest national sales share is very much with the
multiples, who tend to concentrate on the volume manufacturers.
Specialist marques (low output; competition; off-road etc) tend
to be sold via smaller regional distributors, who often have more
type-specialist mechanical knowledge & facilities to provide major
ongoing maintenance. Many of the multiple sales outlets attract
post-sales criticism for being more interested in the sale than in
post-sales customer support beyond simple servicing.

There has often been limited marketing cross-community -- eg
advertising, test rides & promotions of sports motorcycles to
motor sport fans. Especially true in the '30s,'40s & '50s --
reduced steadily as the average useable performance differential
between upper quartile motorcycles & sporting cars has
reduced over the past three decades.

Cross-marketing normally directed at sporting motorists, or in
the '50s & '60s at sidecar-bound families targetted for small car
ownership. Not yet seen Ferrari advertising aimed specifically
at wealthy motorcyclists.

BTW, if you haven't seen it, I recommend Bert Hopwoods'
"Whatever Happened to the British Motocycle Industry" (or
similar). A sad, true, tale of poor management, commercial
complacency & lack of marketing. Often on eBay.

Colin

 

Watch out for the rattle.

 

kaybo came up with the following;:

Fire away then ...

Can't say it was much of a pleasure.

 

You probably don't, and that owed a lot to the music-hall, but never
mind.

There was BSA three rather than four or two wheeler that the MT [1]
squad had at school. Open, or with hood anyway. A vile thing, but no
doubt of historical interest nowadays, had it survived. There seems to
be a fine line between vintage and truly awful. As for the 1957 BSA
Dandy which I had, best buried, which in part it is. Absolutely the
worst vehicle I have owned.


[1] For anyone under 50 or so, Motor Transport.

 

I can though. 1931 or 1932 Riley Monaco, UR 8502

The BSA Dandy was the first vehicle I owned, and the worst. When I left
school the Ole Man took me into Colchester and set me loose near GBR
Motors and told me to choose a motorcycle.

For fifteen quid there was a shiny clean black and gold-lined Excelsior
Talisman twin, and it was LUUURVE.

When he arrived after doing his shopping he asked if I'd settled on one,
and I showed it to him. No, I was to have a new one - I'd have nothing
but trouble with a secondhand one, because 'I wasn't mechanically
minded'.

He chose the Dandy. Keep my suit clean, it would. I pointed out that the
talisman had leg-guards.

Since I wasn't 21, and it mattered in those days, I had the sodding
Dandy. It broke down - needed new a stator plate after 273 miles - it's
etched on my memory - stuck on the A12 at Marks Tey. I tapped the plug's
electrodes towards each other until they were all but touching, and
limped back into Colchester.

It could be relied on to break down at irregular intervals until I sold
it for a fiver. The Ole Man nearly went spare when I arrived home one
day with a 1941 ex DR G3 Matchless - well, it was ex-WD, but no DR had
touched it - it was straight out of a crate (one of five) a mate bought
at Bicester ex-Govt sales - predicting breakdowns at every turn. I
pointed out that he'd insisted on the Dandy just so I wouldn't have the
breakdowns, and I'd had nothing but trouble with it ever since. he never
had the satisfaction of saying 'I told you so' either: I took that bike
twice round the clock and more, with and without a sidecar.

Those BSA three-wheelers were good little cars too - well, with an
engine change. The original was an 800cc side-valve, and a friend
restored one of them to concourse condition and rebuilt an Austin A35
engine, stuffing it with Sprite bits and painting it green. He did a lot
of plumbing under the bonnet using copper pipe, and against the green of
the engine it looked rather smart. They were front-wheel drive, and the
suspension was leaf springs IIRC, and the damping was certainly friction
pads.

It flew. and with 90 on the clock, it went like a jackrabbit.

 

I had a 1932 Riley Woody estate XJ4744, had some fun in that and some near
do s.

Commiserations having to ride one of those heaps.

My uncle had one of those 3 wheelers in black and cream when I was about 10,
he used to hang the back end out on every bend he could, I used to love it.

Sorry for not replying to the other post but this box of tricks aquired a
gremlin, fixed now!

Martin