Accessories, we love them and need them, but do we recognize their impact completely? About 90% of the motorcycles I see have been modified from their "stock" form, my own included. Sometimes, the modifications are for purpose, sometimes for necessity, sometimes individuality. I love making motorcycles special, unique, but sometimes there are costs we should all be aware of before starting to modify our rides.

There are extra costs associated with removing then reinstalling accessories because they are in the way of a particular service operation. Every operation the Service Department "quotes" is based on a completely stock motorcycle, so any accessory we have to remove and then reinstall would be more time, therefore more costly.  Knowing this, some thought should be put into positioning our accessories so they have the least amount of impact on future operations. With many of these products, there aren't options for where to place them (crash bars, covers, etc) however with most of the electrical components we have a lot of say in where they're placed and how they fit. Making the accessory look like it belongs and won't get in the way should be the install goal. 

Whether your motorcycle comes in the shop for service or a roadside repair becomes necessary, the extra thought and effort will be noticed immediately.  We have entire catalogues full of gadgets, some good, some great! Don't hesitate to ask for our opinions and experiences with them; chances are some good ideas will come from it. 

A Message From Our Owners:

 

People often compare the motorcycle business to the automotive business, which upon reflection, seems reasonable.  From a business perspective, however, there are several major differences.   Motorcycle dealerships need more building than parking areas as our bikes are normally displayed undercover.  Auto dealerships need a few cars in the showroom with most of their inventory displayed outside.  Auto dealerships rely on their service areas to a much greater extent than do motorcycle dealerships.  And since they are able to charge higher labor rates their service areas contribute more to their operating budget than in motorcycle dealerships.  The parts departments in automotive dealerships primarily supply the service areas (when was the last time you went to a new car dealership to purchase parts?).  Motorcycle shops sell a lot of parts over the counter because bike customers often do their own work.  Further, motorcycle retailers normally have extensive accessory and apparel departments whereas automobile stores have just a small display of such items. 

In most families, cars are a necessity; motorcycles are a recreational vehicle.  Yes, many of us commute by motorcycle and use them in our daily lives, but we are BMW motorcyclists.  Most two-wheelers park them in the garage through the inclement seasons.  Which leads, of course, to the largest difference of all:  revenue.  Most auto dealerships well exceed the average motorcycle dealership in terms of money through the till.  But what goes around comes around.  Their costs are normally much higher too, for land, labor, flooring (the costs associated with maintaining the inventory---we do not own all of the vehicles, the bank does and they charge us monthly for it), debt, etc.

 

Where we are going with this is that it is all relative.  A friend of ours once owned a number of grocery stores and operated them for many years.  He sold them off and retired.  But it was short lived.  An ardent snow skier, he discovered a ski resort that was in financial difficulty and ended up purchasing it.  After an exhausting day of trying to keep up with him on the slopes, we asked him what the main difference was between the ski resort business and the grocery business.  He looked at us and said, "You know , it is all relative.  It's a matter of money in and money out.  The hard part is, how much of it you can keep".  But then he got contemplative and after several moments uttered, "No wait, there is a major difference.  The grocery business is work---this is fun".  

 

This is sort of the way we look at the motorcycle business.  Owning an automotive dealership has absolutely no interest to the authors of this missive.  That just sounds like a lot of work.  On the other hand, having been a part of this industry, and this specific dealership in particular, has been a lot of fun for the past fifteen years.  And it still is.

Ann and Keith Thye