Why No Dealers...?

[chickenstrip]

I ride a lot in the central area of Wales, as I'm sure many of you do. Great roads, good cafes, great scenery; in short, when you get the weather, it's biking bliss.

So why are there no major (or even minor as far as I can see) bike dealerships there? Were there any, but maybe they went under? Do you think such a business would survive? How could it be made to work?

Thousands of bikers around every decent weekend, surely you have a guaranteed customer base right there, especially if you were open Sats & Suns?

What gives?

[esullivan]

How many dealers are there in the middle of the Dales or in the Cotswolds? It's biking heaven precisely because there are few people and traffic is light. It's a bad place to put a dealership (or most any retail establishment) for the exact same reasons. Also, I want any dealer I buy a bike from to be local, in case there are problems.
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Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
Previous: '12 NC700S, '11 CBF 125, '04 SH 125.

[slowlydoesit]

[Islander]

[sidewinder]

We have a dealership in newtown

[James83]

The other factor is that people don't buy bikes when they are out for a ride. Sure, they will stop at a dealer for a rest, have a look round, maybe even test ride something if its really nice. But after that, they ride home, then go to their local dealer to buy.
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Jonathan A wrote: tart.

[Vincent]

[chickenstrip]

Yeah, kinda missed the obvious there, didn't I?

No punters, no feckin sales
Unless there's a sideline in umbrellas for sheep maybe...

It's really just me wishing I lived somewhere like Wales or the Lakes region, and wondering how I can engineer getting myself work and a roof over my head in such a place, having worked in the bike trade for some years now.

So I can do parts/service manager, obviously bugger-all general business savvy though

[esullivan]

Everyone daydreams when touring. Could I stay here all the time? The stumbling point is always work. You can't eat the scenery.

When I used to freelance write/edit, it was barely possible, but freelancing is a brutal job: you can never turn down any work, because you never know where the next bit is coming from. You end up working 18 hours a day, seven days a week, which makes the country pile kinda pointless. You might as well live somewhere where you can easily walk to the pub (during your two hours of leisure time a month).

Plus, Internet speeds generally suck in the countryside, which also makes freelancing difficult.
____________________
Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
Previous: '12 NC700S, '11 CBF 125, '04 SH 125.

[chickenstrip]

I could have got work in the Lake District when I did a 2 month walking/camping holiday there. It would only have been retail, outdoor pursuits type shops, but there it was. But how to get a roof over my head when just starting with nothing? I guess I lack something in the smarts department, as others have done it

[Islander]

[slowlydoesit]

[chickenstrip]

After speaking to some people in the retailers in Keswick, it was suggested to me that Carlisle, maybe even Penrith might be more affordable, with a not unreasonable commute. One woman even offered to put me up in her spare room - didn't really know me from Adam!
And there's a bike shop in Penrith, few more in the region.

One guy who was running an outdoor gear shop said he did it by living in a tent until he'd scrimped and scraped enough to rent a place. Not sure I could cope with that kind of thing anymore though.

A move to such a region might be a possibility in a while, but depends on one of those things that you'd rather didn't happen though - can't completely remove it from my mind all the same.

[KLR600]

[chickenstrip]

[slowlydoesit]

[KLR600]

[chickenstrip]

Thanks for taking the time to write all that KLR, appreciated. Seem to have hijacked my own thread here - deviousness is apparently a trait of mine!

I think I'm gonna be looking at the job situation in the area, see if I can't put some kind of plan together.

I am very familiar with much of Wales, having walked from Chester to Conwy and done a fair bit of riding there too. For the walking thing I researched for all the best kit and so have a reasonable level of knowledge in that area (tents, waterproofs, cooking gear, general camping gear etc) - my knowledge seemed to compare favourably with people working in the shops in outdoor gear places in Keswick, Lakes, so that's a possible area of interest to look for work in. Climbing and many of the other outdoor sports I can't do as I've buggered myself up pretty comprehensively over the years - so it's camping/hill walking or motorcycle parts/service management or related stuff I'd be most interested in workwise.

Having lived in an around London most of my life, I'm used to any rowdier elements there might be, doesn't faze me as I largely keep myself to myself anyway - not much of a nightlife person anyway, biking is my no. 1 interest, would be nice to get back to the hill walking, need to get fit again! so I use my days more than evenings for entertainment anyhoo.

Once again, thanks for your replies

[Ribenapigeon]

Its understandable why you don't find a bike dealership in the middle of nowhere. What's not understandable is why there are only two dealerships in a city like Aberdeen where there's an abundence of well off punters. Two dealers here have Honda, Yamaha, Triumph, Kawasaki and Suzuki but nothing else and the local BMW dealership only sells cars. You have to go to Glasgow for Ducati and Perth for KTM.