Bennington Triumph Bash

C'mon, Jeff! What's the status of replacing Spitzies? Is Menneto's taking over or what? Inquiring Trumpeters wanna know!!! I need to get some stuff done before BTB!

See y'all in 4 months!

Jamie

I've been getting filters and stuff from Great Bay, as they are quick. I hesitated to do it, because every Triumph dealer with whom I have done business has either closed or dropped Triumph (Destiny, Ed's, Spitzies). When I talked to Menettos, the guy in parts told me the deal had fallen through, and they were not going to be taking Triumph. National Powersports in Pembroke is a good shop, but still too far away for my needs.
No disrespect to Jeff, but I think the Triumph years under the young ex-Harley exec. put too many small shops out of business. Hope they can turn this around and get a strong dealer network in our region again. Some nice bikes already here from Triumph, and some much nicer ones coming out in the future.

This phenomenon of closing dealers includes NW NJ's Jack Trebour Triumph (over 40 years in bikes at this location), Rockwell (just north of NYC) dropped Triumph but kept Ducati and Aprillia, as well as others who have kept Triumph under duress from accessories/clothing quotas as well as min floor space reqs.

However, a new Triumph dealer, Triumph of Westchester in White Plains, long in bikes in the region, took on Triumph last year and has a neat, well-stocked place. I just relieved them of this 4-month old lovely:

Nice new Tiger....the official bike of the B Tiger B....Good postings about dealerships...solid stability is needed

Read this soon-to-be-ex-dealer rant at the bottom: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Triumph-Daytona-2014-triumph-daytona-675-r-new-/281605939885?forcerrptr=true&hash=item419105a2ad&item=281605939885&pt=US_motorcycles

Courtesy of a NJ RAT captain.

That's very interesting. If Triumph USA management really is demanding enough showroom space for 17 bikes, that's going to exclude a whole lot of dealers. Including, I would guess, nearly all in less-populated areas. I really hope Triumph is only doing this in certain regions, or they're really going to shoot themselves in the foot.

--mark

That kind of nonsense isn't good for anybody at any level.

mark wrote:That's very interesting. If Triumph USA management really is demanding enough showroom space for 17 bikes, that's going to exclude a whole lot of dealers. Including, I would guess, nearly all in less-populated areas. I really hope Triumph is only doing this in certain regions, or they're really going to shoot themselves in the foot.

--mark

I've already seen this change down at Libby's in New Haven. More bikes and especially clothng than I've ever seen before.

Lot of bikes that just don't seem to move.

Might be some interesting discussion at the BTB this year...

I'd be shocked if Triumph were really being this inflexible about it. Bear in mind that we only have one side of the story -- from an irate dealer who had his franchise agreement terminated. Who knows what the real reason for that was -- probably a combination of factors, not just an inability to display 17 bikes on the sales floor.

Could be that Triumph is making some of these changes in order to help unload dealers who aren't doing a good job of fulfilling their responsibilities (which in this day and age are not just limited to having some bikes on the sales floor for people to buy if they walk in the door knowing they want a Triumph).

This is going to be an interesting situation to watch.

--mark

I thought Triumph had surpassed BMW in US sales this past year...was that correct?

While most of the dealers I visit, NYC Triumph, Locomotion in Suffern, and Triumph Of Westchester in White Plains are succeeding under the current management from Corporate, we have all mentioned dealers that have shared with us their concerns over their relationships with Corporate. Winchester Motosports in Clear Brook, VA and Trebour in NJ both told me they were unable to meet bike and clothing/accessories sales requirements. Trebour even said he had agreed to stop selling bikes and make a Triumph accessories/gear stand alone store, which Triumph was pleased with, but couldn't pull it off in the end. It isn't just Triumph though; a Honda dealer and a Victory dealer both told of huge display purchases that were mandatory ($30k) that were just normal glass display cabinets all tarted up in logos and custom mats for below the bikes.

Other retailers go through this too. If you wanted to open a music store, Fender and Tama wouldn't let you buy a couple guitars and drum sets; you'd need to commit to at least a million dollars annually in sales. Same with lacrosse stores and STX or Brine equipment, Scag and power equipment, etc.

I agree with Mark that there is nothing wrong with separating wheat from chaff in a sales force or dealer network. Most businesses cut their bottom performing 5% annually. It's natural selection in the business world as well as free market capitalism. Sales is the bottom line; running a bike dealer isn't a hobby.

I know for a fact that Ed's in Hyde Park tossed in the towel because of floor demands. They had been the longest affiliated dealer in the entire country, starting back in the Meriden days. Destiny in Syracuse was the same story. The market crash hurt everyone, but the smallest dealers took the greatest hits. Spitzies never seemed too interested in really doing much with their Triumph line, and the few times I went there for parts, that had no knowledge of my bikes whatsoever. Couldn't they have assigned at least one parts guy to learn the damn inventory, or at the very least to recognize the model names?

The rant on ebay was interesting, but I am not sure that I agree with the statement that Triumph's models do not compare favorably with other brands. Competition like Honda and Ducati have finally jumped on the retro band wagon, something that Triumph perfected with the Bonneville/Thruxton line several years ago. Likewise, the Speed Triple and Street Triple are certainly competitive in their classes, and the entire Tiger line has earned a great reputation for reliability with far fewer issues than their BMW counterparts. The fact that other brands retain their value better in the used market is not so much a reflection of a quality issue, but is instead, I think, more directly a result of the limited dealer network and the lower numbers of these bikes actually out in the street.

That brings me to my biggest issue with Triumph, which is the dwindling dealer network. Anyone who wants to tour really needs to consider the risk of purchasing a bike which may not have support readily available should the need arise. One of the main reasons that I ride a 95 Tiger and a 99 Legend (besides the fact that I can't afford a new one ) is that I can do all of my own work, and thus am not tied to a dealer for routine stuff that might pop up on a long ride. The new models with electronic traction control and ABS and mapping, etc., really force owners to rely more upon their dealer than was necessary in the past. If I was in the market for a new bike, I think I would probably go with another brand, someone who has extensive dealer networks here in the US.

sevy wrote:The rant on ebay was interesting, but I am not sure that I agree with the statement that Triumph's models do not compare favorably with other brands.

Agreed 100%. That was just sour grapes on the dealer's part, I think. He got spurned so had to be spiteful. Also, I saw that the place is also a BMW dealer, and I've noticed that it's not uncommon for dealers who carry both brands to favor BMW (the Harley-Davidson of the Euro-bike world, in a number of ways). So that may have been behind the eBay rant too.

sevy wrote:That brings me to my biggest issue with Triumph, which is the dwindling dealer network. Anyone who wants to tour really needs to consider the risk of purchasing a bike which may not have support readily available should the need arise. One of the main reasons that I ride a 95 Tiger and a 99 Legend (besides the fact that I can't afford a new one ) is that I can do all of my own work, and thus am not tied to a dealer for routine stuff that might pop up on a long ride. The new models with electronic traction control and ABS and mapping, etc., really force owners to rely more upon their dealer than was necessary in the past. If I was in the market for a new bike, I think I would probably go with another brand, someone who has extensive dealer networks here in the US.

I actually see this as a nonissue. First of all, Triumph's dealer network isn't THAT sparse, and second, it's just not very necessary. Triumph is building very reliable bikes. I wouldn't think twice about extended touring on any of them -- in fact, I've toured plenty on my Tiger. That bike, bought brand new in April 2011, now has 67,000 miles on it, and it's never needed anything aside from the usual consumables.

--mark