Oxford Harley gone

[Arsey]

Another dealer gone .




HD really are in a mess in the UK . I guess they aren’t selling many bikes except to short handymen with access to a bulging handbag

 

[twizzle]

Just seen the email - picked up my RKS from them late November - were a pleasure to deal with ....

only 18 dealers left in UK now

 

[wessie]

another part of the Blade Group. How many more of their other branches will be closed? 6 left standing

Our Motorcycle Dealership Locations | Blade Motorcycles

With all of our brands, we're bound to have a dealership near you in the South West. Find out where all of our motorcycle Dealer showrooms are located.

www.blademotorcycles.co.uk

Honda in Abingdon & Stratford, HD in Cheltenham, Triumph in Cheltenham and Stratford and Ducati in Oxford.

Will they cull Honda and Triumph to a single franchise?

 

[Big Si]

another part of the Blade Group. How many more of their other branches will be closed? 6 left standing

Our Motorcycle Dealership Locations | Blade Motorcycles

With all of our brands, we're bound to have a dealership near you in the South West. Find out where all of our motorcycle Dealer showrooms are located.

www.blademotorcycles.co.uk

Honda in Abingdon & Stratford, HD in Cheltenham, Triumph in Cheltenham and Stratford and Ducati in Oxford.

Will they cull Honda and Triumph to a single franchise?

Was on the cards when they were "sharing" service and parts staff between Cheltenham and Abingdon HD. I can see them combining HD and Triumph under 1 roof in Cheltenham in the future.

 

[Lord Snooty]

"The ongoing financial challenges of operating this franchise" seems to say it all. Harley see themselves as a premium product so how much pressure do they put on dealers to look the corporate part and how much of their ludicrously over priced bikes are dealers being asked to keep in stock?

 

[wessie]

Was on the cards when they were "sharing" service and parts staff between Cheltenham and Abingdon HD. I can see them combining HD and Triumph under 1 roof in Cheltenham in the future.

I lived about 200m from the HD shop in Cheltenham for over 9 years. Never went in there even though I sometimes walked past the front door as I used to walk through the park next door to the train station or town centre. I did buy an Explorer from the Triumph shop. The latter is not big enough for a second franchise. Is the HD shop big enough to take a second brand or would they need a big shed, such as the vacant one in Staverton?

 

[steve hughes]

"The ongoing financial challenges of operating this franchise" seems to say it all. Harley see themselves as a premium product so how much pressure do they put on dealers to look the corporate part and how much of their ludicrously over priced bikes are dealers being asked to keep in stock?

I was in Bill Smith’s Chester yesterday and was struck by the number of Indian Mcs in the show room. There was an Ftr mid teens and quite a few full dress cruisers all starting with a £20. Potentially £200 to 250k of stock.

 

[Doc]

I was in Bill Smith’s Chester yesterday and was struck by the number of Indian Mcs in the show room. There was an Ftr mid teens and quite a few full dress cruisers all starting with a £20. Potentially £200 to 250k of stock.

Not sure what the problem is with having stock in Steve ?

 

[stever1]

Not sure what the problem is with having stock in Steve ?

Because it’s just dead money,

 

[wessie]

Not sure what the problem is with having stock in Steve ?

it's a costly overhead as most dealers have used and new stock on a finance plan. Manufacturers expect to be paid even if the bike is unsold. As interest rates have risen since the golden days a decade ago when they were almost zero, it seriously eats into the bottom line and cash flow. It was a lack of cash flow to service their debt that killed the Completely group.

 

[Doc]

Must admit I couldn't find a dealer with the bike i wanted to purchase but plenty willing to sell me one.
I generally don't go to bike shops unless I'm buying one or getting a service but I do expect to be able to view bikes.
Harley Leeds last time I went in didn't have a lot to view.

 

[Simon_100]

Did they used to be Oxford Motorcycle Engineers? I remember when they opened with a huge 2nd floor workshop down by the station. They stared by selling Guzzis and everyone was really surprised when they took up Harleys too - this would be 1978/79

 

[Big Si]

I lived about 200m from the HD shop in Cheltenham for over 9 years. Never went in there even though I sometimes walked past the front door as I used to walk through the park next door to the train station or town centre. I did buy an Explorer from the Triumph shop. The latter is not big enough for a second franchise. Is the HD shop big enough to take a second brand or would they need a big shed, such as the vacant one in Staverton?

Probably just about big enough at the HD location if they cut down on their stock of each a little. It's about the same size as their Stratford location which caters for Honda and Triumph.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Did they used to be Oxford Motorcycle Engineers? I remember when they opened with a huge 2nd floor workshop down by the station. They stared by selling Guzzis and everyone was really surprised when they took up Harleys too - this would be 1978/79

No,they're a completely different company all together

 

[steve hughes]

Not sure what the problem is with having stock in Steve ?

Not so much the stock Doc , just an observation on the number of bikes times their value. The same dealer has say four Mutts “ Chinese shit as Arsey would say”, thats not even half a Challenger Dark horse if you added em all up. They are also a Suzuki main dealer , but again the stock was under ten bikes, with an average of low sixes for price. The Indians start at £12k and go up.

Their Indian distributor maybe giving them extended terms eg 120 days , but as Wessie says above, the stock will have to be paid for at some time.

 

[steve hughes]

Must admit I couldn't find a dealer with the bike i wanted to purchase but plenty willing to sell me one.
I generally don't go to bike shops unless I'm buying one or getting a service but I do expect to be able to view bikes.
Harley Leeds last time I went in didn't have a lot to view.

You should swing by Bill Smiths if down near our neck o the woods, that is when your not “hoy poy loying” with the Laaandaner crowd. I think Smiths have been an Indian dealer for three or more years now and always have an impressive selection in shop.

 

[ATT]

Cheltenham close to Oxford, that made me laugh.

HD are on the way out in the UK, people do not have the money, no matter what you middle classes may think.
It is going back to the early 80`s it seems to me, when you could only buy a HD from London dealers or dealers who dealt in exotic machinery ad-hoc.

We are going back in time folks, to a place where cave wall paintings were an actual thing.

 

[Doc]

Generally I find once you have paid for your bike and ride it off they couldn't give a shite about you.
Not saying all of them so really I couldn't give a shite whether they are closing or not although I do feel for customers if they have lost money because of it.

 

[Richeyroo]

Generally I find once you have paid for your bike and ride it off they couldn't give a shite about you.
Not saying all of them so really I couldn't give a shite whether they are closing or not although I do feel for customers if they have lost money because of it.

This has been my experience many years ago at Clay Cross Kawasaki. I desperately wanted a blue ZXR750J1 so bought one new over the phone and went to collect it on the back on my mate’s ZZR600. CCK couldn’t give a shit and basically said “it’s over there mate.”
Fuck ‘em.
A pal of mine runs a very successful business out of 2 showrooms locally selling white goods, all because the price is reasonable but the customer service and particularly aftercare is brilliant. They’re renowned for it.
It isn’t complicated

 

[alan29]

Smiths took on Indian when Triumph took away their dealership and handed it to Completely (that went well, didn't it.) Smiths also have Honda on site but in its own building. The whole site has been re-developed over the last couple of years with brand new buildings. Its very posh and impressive. They are aiming for a certain market with plenty of cash - lots like that in Cheshire. Though they do RE and the usual Chinese too.
The guys there were telling me that servicing costs for Indians are astronomical, so there's income there.