Asphalt & Rubber Article on 2018 Yamaha Sales

Sierra1

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Are we sure about the source of this article? At the bottom of the article it shows the source as "Bothan Spies". I googled bothan spies and discovered they are Star Wars characters who stole the plans for the Death Star. Lately, I'm skeptical of everything I read; or even see on TV.
 

AdvToorer

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I'm sure Bothan Spies is legit and probably a contender for a Pulitzer in journalism. ;)
I did consider this could be a hyped article attempting to pump up A&R clicks, but it does have a some feel of truth based on my extremely limited view of a couple dealerships in Denver.
 

Sierra1

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The other reason for the skepticism was that every time I go into my local dealer, his inventory has changed over. But, he also sells side-by-sides and watercraft.
 

WJBertrand

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Surprised to read this as just observing the new bikes out on the road, I had the impression Yamaha was on a bit of a roll. I see a lot of the 900 triples and 700 twins around. FJRs are pretty common too, but I'm not sure if I'm looking at new ones or not. Don't see many Teneres, but I'll spot one or two a week around here. I have not seen any of their new big tourers like the Venture yet. I almost never seen any new Hondas on the road anymore, possible exception being the Africa Twin and one or two of the new 'Wings.
 

fredz43

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This is referring to big bike sales and I know that my local Yamaha/Honda dealer is doing very well with the new Gold Wings., while not so well with the new Venture. A month ago he told me that he had sold 50 of the Wings (48 were DCT) and only a few of the new Ventures. Bad timing for the Ventures, as they are an improved model, but the new Wings are a major change that has gone over well with many Wing owners, as well as others that are interested in a sportier version of that bike. From all the interest I read about concerning the Tenere 700, I believe that it will be a successful model for Yamaha.
 

WJBertrand

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Thanks Fred, That article defined "big" bikes as 500cc or larger, so that would include the 900 and 700cc models.
 

OldRider

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This is referring to big bike sales and I know that my local Yamaha/Honda dealer is doing very well with the new Gold Wings., while not so well with the new Venture. A month ago he told me that he had sold 50 of the Wings (48 were DCT) and only a few of the new Ventures. Bad timing for the Ventures, as they are an improved model, but the new Wings are a major change that has gone over well with many Wing owners, as well as others that are interested in a sportier version of that bike. From all the interest I read about concerning the Tenere 700, I believe that it will be a successful model for Yamaha.
But your local dealer is a mega sized dealer with a huge internet footprint. Most average sized Honda dealers have probably struggled to sell two or even one Goldwing. The closest Honda dealer to me just went belly up after 50 years in business and the next closest dealer is on it's death bed. The motorcycle business overall across the board is in a lot of trouble. The parts distributors are hurting too. Marshall the #4 dist. in the country went out of business 3-4 years ago. Parts Unlimited the #1 player is giving free shipping to any dealer on as small as a $75 order and they are excepting returns with no return fee. They have never been this nice to their dealers. Tucker/Rocky the #2 player just came out of bankruptcy protection. That leaves #3 WPS. They have been working hard and have stole a lot of PU and TR"s business, but they're still not real happy with the state of the business. You can support you small local dealers or watch the internet eat them alive as it has done to hundreds of dealers in the last few years. I've been in the business for 45 years and last year was the worse I've had since the early 80's and 2018 isn't shaping up to be any better.
 

fredz43

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I'm sure that Brad Niehaus will be glad to hear that he is a mega sized dealer. Pretty impressive for a family owned Midwest dealer in a town of less than 7,000. He does have a large following of Gold Wing riders, for sure, but he is far from a mega sized dealer, such as Big St Charles, World of Power Sports, to name two in our area, or Russelville Honda in AR. If you search the internet for Gold Wing prices, you will find many selling for less than Niehaus Cycle Sales, but in spite of that their dealership does well, primarily because of customer service. Yes the motorcycle industry in the USA is not doing as well as in the past, but the subject was Yamaha sales. This so called "mega sized dealer" sells both Yamaha and Honda and in the big bike sales class, the new Wing is doing at least 10 times better than the new Venture at this dealership.
 

OldRider

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My bad Fred, I thought WOPS was your local dealer. Good for Niehaus, in my opinion any dealer that puts out 50 Wings in a season is a mega dealer, maybe not in square foot or number of employees, but in sales. Tell them to keep up the good work.
 
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