I was probably the first in North America to put down money on the M1100, about a month before any pics surfaced. The Duc dealer is a close friend of many years and based on his discription of the bike when he got back from a Dealer meeting we wrote up the sale.
A week and a half ago the Ducati rep walks into the dealership and says they want their bikes sold in Ducati only "boutique" type stores. Like Honda and BMW have started doing. BTW this dealership is huge and the newest one in the city. Beautiful building with more than enough space. All Ducatis have been removed from the sales floor along with any signage. The dealer's website now shows no reference to the Ducati brand.
Long story - short. This dealer is no longer selling any Ducatis. This is the only Duc dealer in a city of over 1 million people. The closest dealer is now 150 miles away. Now I already have to bring my Benelli to this city for service so I don't want to have to do this with another bike.
When I spoke to Ducati NA they were totally clueless about any issues with this dealer.
Has any one else heard of Ducati wanting to make a move to boutique type stores?
To me it sounds more of a conflict with between this one dealer and Ducati so I'm hoping they can work out their differences.
I wanna M1100 bad. It's the first monster I've seen where I love everything about it.
Gary
I think I'd rather a dealer only sell Ducati. It makes a difference in the service department, as the wrenches get to know the bikes quite well. We have a dealer here in our area that sells Duc and also Suzukis and Kawasakis and Sea Doos and a whole load of other crap. As a result their techs can't find their own assholes. So I go out of my way to a Duc only dealer, and get things done right the first time.
That seems really strange my duc dealer sells suzukis, kawasakis, vespas, seadoos and other stuff but the whole front room is dedicated to ducati. It sounds like some issue with the dealer and ducati i don't see the economic sense in selling the bikes in ducati only stores. I doubt a lot of businesses can even thrive on just selling one brand.
Quote from: GLantern on October 09, 2008, 08:10:17 AM
That seems really strange my duc dealer sells suzukis, kawasakis, vespas, seadoos and other stuff but the whole front room is dedicated to ducati. It sounds like some issue with the dealer and ducati i don't see the economic sense in selling the bikes in ducati only stores. I doubt a lot of businesses can even thrive on just selling one brand.
Ducpond, AMS, Proitalia, BCM, Duc Omaha, Duc Seattle, Salt Lake, etc. At the shop I go to the lead tech has gone to Bologna for training. Won't find that level of expertise at a high volume multibrand motorcycle outlet.
Quote from: bergdoerfer on October 09, 2008, 08:19:28 AM
Ducpond, AMS, Proitalia, BCM, Duc Omaha, Duc Seattle, Salt Lake, etc. At the shop I go to the lead tech has gone to Bologna for training. Won't find that level of expertise at a high volume multibrand motorcycle outlet.
Not necessarily true. We have 2 Duc dealers. One is a boutique type, while the other also sells a few Japanese brands. Both have very good service departments.
It wouldn't surprise me if Ducati is moving towards boutique only dealers. They seem to be following the HD marketing strategy (which is admittedly very successful).
Quote from: bergdoerfer on October 09, 2008, 08:06:30 AM
I think I'd rather a dealer only sell Ducati. It makes a difference in the service department, as the wrenches get to know the bikes quite well. We have a dealer here in our area that sells Duc and also Suzukis and Kawasakis and Sea Doos and a whole load of other crap. As a result their techs can't find their own assholes. So I go out of my way to a Duc only dealer, and get things done right the first time.
Well said!!
I guess it depends on the dealer. Here in Seattle we have Duc Seattle and they have an excellent reputation. In the suburbs there is another dealer that sells Ducati. The knowledge level of the staff at the 'other' dealer is nothing like Duc Seattle. I hate to say it, but the last time I was in there, I asked one of their staff a question about one of the ducs, and he really knew nothing about them. He went and asked another guy, and he didn't seem to know much either. I'm talking basic questions like, "does this model come with a wet or dry clutch?". They didn't know, and didn't seem to have either the resources or the motivation to find out!
That sucks. My dealer is the opposite of boutique and I love it - old house converted into a shop, barely enough floor space, you can stand in the service area and BS with him while he is working on bikes, etc. And, he has been selling ducati in the US since they reappeared in the late 80's. He also sells small KTMs.
mitt
My town is too small to support a Ducati only dealership. If this is a nationwide policy then small markets like ours will not have a dealer.
We have almost a million people on our island and our Ducati dealer also sells Hondas, Yamahas and BMWs along with sea sports stuff. I don't think they could survive on Ducati alone. For sure the BMW couldn't survive on it's own. They have at least one good, very dedicated Ducati tech there. Don't know if any other tech works on them. BTW, we have three separate dealers that sell HD and they all carry multiple lines along with the Harleys. It works out pretty good overall.
No question some of the larger markets in the States can support a Duc only store but those markets are in the minority what about the rest of the country?
I am in Ottawa , Canada and with about a million people to draw on there is no way a Ducati only store would survive. It just doesn't make economic sense.
I'm hoping it's more and internal dispute between this dealer and Ducati.
Hell I even ordered a custom one pc leather suit for track days in Ducati red. Oh well it also matches the red on the Benelli.lol
I'm still hopeful something can be worked out.
I can guarantee that this is not the plan for Ducati NA, if your dealer lost his Ducati franchise it is more likely it had to do with something else and not because Ducati is pushing for single line stores.. Could had to do with them breaking their confidentiality agreement they signed that forbid them from discussing what we saw at the meeting, who knows.. I can promise you though that the situation didn't just happen over night, there had to have been some issues already boiling to the top..
Quote from: Toxic on October 09, 2008, 07:37:04 AM
I was probably the first in North America to put down money on the M1100, about a month before any pics surfaced. The Duc dealer is a close friend of many years and based on his discription of the bike when he got back from a Dealer meeting we wrote up the sale.
A week and a half ago the Ducati rep walks into the dealership and says they want their bikes sold in Ducati only "boutique" type stores. Like Honda and BMW have started doing. BTW this dealership is huge and the newest one in the city. Beautiful building with more than enough space. All Ducatis have been removed from the sales floor along with any signage. The dealer's website now shows no reference to the Ducati brand.
Long story - short. This dealer is no longer selling any Ducatis. This is the only Duc dealer in a city of over 1 million people. The closest dealer is now 150 miles away. Now I already have to bring my Benelli to this city for service so I don't want to have to do this with another bike.
When I spoke to Ducati NA they were totally clueless about any issues with this dealer.
Has any one else heard of Ducati wanting to make a move to boutique type stores?
To me it sounds more of a conflict with between this one dealer and Ducati so I'm hoping they can work out their differences.
I wanna M1100 bad. It's the first monster I've seen where I love everything about it.
Gary
I think Dave hit it right on the head.
Also I know from my experience the more a dealer deals exclusively with Ducati the better it is.
My closest Ducati dealer (23 miles) also sells Kawasaki, Suzuki, Aprilia, Husqvarna, and Moto Guzzi. They also have a rep for a bad service department. As for sales they just push what will sell, of course pushing something bigger then what you want.
My second closest, Modesto Ducati, sells just Ducati and Husqvarna. They are 60 miles away and this is the one I trust and take my bike to to get serviced. I haven't dealt with the sales part but I really hope to in the future.
I would have to agree that it is more than stand alone Ducati dealerships. I live in southern Ontario and most Ducati dealers down here are multi-line. I have been to the Ottawa location, which was quite nice by the way. There is something else going on.
Try GP bikes in Ajax and see what they can do for you.
Brett
Quote from: Dave R on October 09, 2008, 10:14:20 AM
I can promise you though that the situation didn't just happen over night, there had to have been some issues already boiling to the top..
I think that is most likely.
It may take some time to sort out which is fine as the bike won't be available in Canada until the new year anyway.
I just can't see Ducati not having representation in a city of 1 million, makes no sense. So if this dealer doesn't work out the issue I'm sure someone else will take on the line.
I bought my monster from a dealer, and have or will never take it to a dealership for service, so I could give a rat's ass.
Quote from: mitt on October 09, 2008, 09:20:31 AM
That sucks. My dealer is the opposite of boutique and I love it - old house converted into a shop, barely enough floor space, you can stand in the service area and BS with him while he is working on bikes, etc. And, he has been selling ducati in the US since they reappeared in the late 80's. He also sells small KTMs.
mitt
sounds like my dealer. [thumbsup]
He also sells everything Husqvarna (bikes, chainsaws, leaf blower/vacs, etc), Moto Guzzi's, and KTM. Also can weld to boot.
Quote from: Toxic on October 09, 2008, 07:37:04 AM
I was probably the first in North America to put down money on the M1100, about a month before any pics surfaced. The Duc dealer is a close friend of many years and based on his discription of the bike when he got back from a Dealer meeting we wrote up the sale.
uh maybe someone asked this, but you got your money back right?
There has to be another explanation. Ducati doesn't have the market to mandate boutique "Ducati Only" dealers. Even the boutique Honda dealers are relatively few amongst the mass of Honda dealers and the one I was in didn't seem all that busy. Yes, Harley can do it but only because they have the lions share of the American motorcycle market (and even it's slipping). This doesn't sound like a good marketing decision.
Quote from: superjohn on October 09, 2008, 05:56:39 PM
There has to be another explanation. Ducati doesn't have the market to mandate boutique "Ducati Only" dealers. Even the boutique Honda dealers are relatively few amongst the mass of Honda dealers and the one I was in didn't seem all that busy. Yes, Harley can do it but only because they have the lions share of the American motorcycle market (and even it's slipping). This doesn't sound like a good marketing decision.
a good dealer is a good dealer. if it's making ducati money, then there's only a couple of reasons to shut it down.
1- they dont like his business or him
2- he busted their policies
3- he's costing them dollars somewhere
4- they have another dealer that wants exclusive rights in town.
my bet is 4 if the current dealer was a decent place.
if a new guy wants to sell only ducati but doesnt want to compete he could have asked for that kind of deal with DNA. i know i would have if i were opening a one-make shop and trying to compete against a guy that can throw honda's out the door all day long to supplement his ducati business.
Quote from: Toxic on October 09, 2008, 10:14:01 AM
No question some of the larger markets in the States can support a Duc only store but those markets are in the minority what about the rest of the country?
I am in Ottawa , Canada and with about a million people to draw on there is no way a Ducati only store would survive. It just doesn't make economic sense.
I'm hoping it's more and internal dispute between this dealer and Ducati.
Hell I even ordered a custom one pc leather suit for track days in Ducati red. Oh well it also matches the red on the Benelli.lol
I'm still hopeful something can be worked out.
This sucks, I live in Ottawa as well and have an 07 S2R. Now I'll have to ride it to MTL or Toronto to get it's regular maintenance...
Mind you, I bought the bike from GP Bikes, much better deal and service than the dealership in Ottawa.
I have not seen a Ducati only dealer in the Bay Area and Sacramento area.
Quote from: burt69er on October 09, 2008, 02:35:36 PM
I would have to agree that it is more than stand alone Ducati dealerships. I live in southern Ontario and most Ducati dealers down here are multi-line. I have been to the Ottawa location, which was quite nice by the way. There is something else going on.
Try GP bikes in Ajax and see what they can do for you.
Brett
I bought my monster from GP bikes, great place.
The local Ducati dealer in Portland OR, MotoCorsa is a multi line dealer, they also sell MV Augusta & Aprilla. They were awarded the best Multi Line dealer award by DNA for 2008 ( & 2007), plus a bunch of other awards for service. [clap]
Ducati Indianapolis, Ducati only and they are doing really well. they also won 6 awards from DNA at the dealers meeting.
http://www.indyducati.com/
When the manufacturer moves that quick it is usually powered by the floor plan finance company..
Remember the movie Fargo....
Just a possible explanation...
QuoteI just can't see Ducati not having representation in a city of 1 million, makes no sense. So if this dealer doesn't work out the issue I'm sure someone else will take on the line.
I agree with that. Here in Reno, a lot less than a million people, the Ducati dealership has gone through a series of evolutions. For years it was a small shop, the kind where the owner went racing a lot and there is always a pot of coffee on the desk. He stuck with and supported Ducati during their hard times. However, when Ducati's started selling and this small dealership didn't sell many they yanked his dealership and gave it to the Honda dealer. I don't know the details but I suspect that there was some lobbying from the Honda dealer and it wasn't a case of Ducati unilaterally pulling his dealership.
The Honda/Ducati dealer was bigger and sold a lot more bikes, but it was Honda that allegedly told the owner that they didn't want to share their dealership with Ducati. The owner then opened up what I guess is called a boutique dealership down the street from his Honda dealer, selling Ducati's and Big Dog Harleys. This situation lasted a few years and the boutique dealer closed down and just recently the Yamaha/Suzuki dealership added Ducati. So, it seems like here the situation was reversed and the Duc dealership moved from a boutique shop to a multi-line big box store type of dealership.
I hope it doesn't take long for a new Ducati dealer to open up in a city of a million.
i get my gear and service from Crooked River Motorcycles in Akron. They sell pretty much Duc only, but also carry MV Agusta, although I haven't seen one on the sales floor before. Now that HD bought MV Agusta, I wonder if this shop will go Ducati Only.