your motorcycle shop

[ducpainter]

Well you guys DO cause global warming

Only in California.....

[Langanobob]

The most important thing IMHO is to have knowledgeable staff.  There's a small shop here in Reno (DynaReno on 4th Street) where the owner absolutely knows everything, or has at least been able to answer every question I've asked over the years.  In contrast I had a problem with the hydraulic timing chain tensioner on a BMW a few years ago and when I went to the BMW dealer to buy parts I also asked a question about the purpose of a drain or bleed hole in the system.  The chief tech didn't know and obviously didn't care either.  That kind of staffing sends me out the door never to return.

Also, bigger is not better and the new style Mega-dealers are probably great for their non-riding investor owners but are a step backwards as far as riders are concerned.  I like shops where the ownership is actively racing and also providing some sponsorship support. Understood that an independent bike shop is not a hugely profitable enterprise in the overall scheme of things and you can't be giving away parts and money all the time.

I'm personally not real big on the need for a place to hang out.  The bike shop needs to be making money by working on bikes and selling parts and a constant stream of coffee drinking non-paying customers is a distraction.  I try to buy something every time I stop by my local shop.

Good prices are also important and I think difficult for a small shop.  Serious competition from the high volume internet stores.  One of the main criteria for me is a shop that generates loyalty and makes you willing to pay a higher price for parts in order to support them, rather than getting parts cheaper via the internet.  That seems to be tough for small local shops to do these days.

[LMT]

A place to try on gear that does not smell like a bathroom and someplace to put your cloths other then the floor when trying on gear would be nice.

[Ddan]

The most important thing IMHO is to have knowledgeable staff.  There's a small shop here in Reno (DynaReno on 4th Street) where the owner absolutely knows everything, or has at least been able to answer every question I've asked over the years.  In contrast I had a problem with the hydraulic timing chain tensioner on a BMW a few years ago and when I went to the BMW dealer to buy parts I also asked a question about the purpose of a drain or bleed hole in the system.  The chief tech didn't know and obviously didn't care either.  That kind of staffing sends me out the door never to return.

Also, bigger is not better and the new style Mega-dealers are probably great for their non-riding investor owners but are a step backwards as far as riders are concerned.  I like shops where the ownership is actively racing and also providing some sponsorship support. Understood that an independent bike shop is not a hugely profitable enterprise in the overall scheme of things and you can't be giving away parts and money all the time.

I'm personally not real big on the need for a place to hang out.  The bike shop needs to be making money by working on bikes and selling parts and a constant stream of coffee drinking non-paying customers is a distraction.  I try to buy something every time I stop by my local shop.

Good prices are also important and I think difficult for a small shop.  Serious competition from the high volume internet stores.  One of the main criteria for me is a shop that generates loyalty and makes you willing to pay a higher price for parts in order to support them, rather than getting parts cheaper via the internet.  That seems to be tough for small local shops to do these days.

There used to be a shop near here that encouraged you to spend time in the shop while they worked on your bike.  I don't think I ever left there without buying something I didn't need.  The techs were all friendly,  didn't give you shit for asking stupid questions and generally made you feel like you were part of the process, not just the funding.  If you want customer loyalty, that's a great way to do it.

[Duck-Stew]

Having ran FlightCycles full time for three years (it's a part time thing for me now btw), I tried to do a lot of what's listed but ran out of time and money in the process.  I always encouraged people to hang around and ask questions if they needed/wanted to.  Heck, I've walked people through all the stuff I did during a 6K service....only to have them return for me to do it because they knew that I really knew how to do it.  I built a lot of trust that way and unfortunately, I didn't garner enough local service biz to keep my doors open full time.  Now, I'm a full-time employee somewhere (non-moto btw) and do my custom stuff (the fun stuff for me) on nights and weekends.

Bottom line?  It's a hard nut to crack but there are some things that can be done to help make a place a success.  Access to parts quickly.  HONESTY.  Good prices (not killer deals, but good honest pricing).  Activity in the local 'scene'.  Knowledgable staff.  Good atmosphere.

I wasn't able to hit all the points listed above (the old shop had just about ZERO atmosphere, and my time was limited so my activity in the local scene suffered as a result) and I did suffer from other business mistakes, but I did do quite a few things right...

If you want to focus on the bikes only, try subleasing out a corner of the shop to someone to provide coffee & pastries & such surrounded by a few sofas and TV's.  That way, the 'moto' section of the shop isn't sending someone out for scones and/or coffee sundries and can focus on the motos.

Good luck with your venture, and this was my experiences with a moto-shop...not anyone elses.  YMMV (and likely will...)
--Stu

[herm]

Only in California.....

and then only if you use dark paint

[ZLTFUL]

Having only been there once, I can say that this place is heaven on earth. No wasting space with crap like a showroom...

http://www.bouldermotorsports.com/

Thanks to Randy for forcing me to tag along there. 

[toaster]

the one thing that pisses me off about the shops around where i live is that nobody ever has parts in stock.  if you sell a particular bike, you should have the main maintenance items in stock.  one of my local shops is big into mx, but if you went in there on a monday needing a piston for your 08-09 mx bike, they wouldnt have one in stock and would take a full week to get it in.

i work at a local shop that me and my dad run and we try to keep all the "new" bike parts in stock like pistons, rings, gaskets, clutches, oil and air filters. 

oh yeah, and the shop needs to be open on monday.

[NvrSummer]

Having only been there once, I can say that this place is heaven on earth. No wasting space with crap like a showroom...

http://www.bouldermotorsports.com/

Thanks to Randy for forcing me to tag along there. 

Big X2 on that.  I pretty much leg humped around that place for hours when they were doing my service last year!  Check it out... my testimonial is at the bottom here:

http://www.bouldermotorsports.com/shop/testimonials.php

[swampduc]

Having only been there once, I can say that this place is heaven on earth. No wasting space with crap like a showroom...

http://www.bouldermotorsports.com/

Thanks to Randy for forcing me to tag along there. 

Wow. No performance shops down here unless you ride a Harley 
I've got to move west.

[superjohn]

A knowledgeable staff
Fair treatment
Quick service
And I want to be treated like I actually know what I'm talking about

[ducatiz]

good selection of used bikes
option to pay extra to hang out with mechanics while they are working on your bike (add 25/hr?)
cool bathrooms
loyalty discounts
good selection of DIY materials such as copies of shop books and factory tool rentals (yes, i will return it if you make me put down a $500 deposit)
at night, part of it opens as a bar (away from the bikes of course)
all the bike sales ppl are hot chicks with superior knowledge of bikes, engines and racing.

[Popeye the Sailor]

If you could run your own motorcycle (repair, parts, paint, and custom) shop, what items/services/ aspects would you like to see? What things would constitute the perfect shop to you? This is my attempt at market research. 

If I was running the shop? I'd like to see a string of patient, know nothing, rich assholes who bought 1098R's and the like for about twice what they were worth. I'd like them to buy every piece of moto wear for exorbitant prices, and bring the bikes back, rashed up in various ways, for expensive, extended repairs.

I'd like to have an unscrupulous shop manager with a severe ex-wife alimony problem who would show up for work faithfully (because he had to) and deposit the checks in my offshore bank account while I lived on my yacht in the Carribean with at least 50 beautiful women and a small team of experts who would figure out new ways for the women to be nice to me.

That would constitute a perfect shop to me.



Now if I was a customer, it might be different. Or is that what you meant to ask? 

[804monster]

If I was running the shop? I'd like to see a string of patient, no nothing, rich assholes who bought 1098R's and the like for about twice what they were worth. I'd like them to buy every piece of moto wear for exorbitant prices, and brought the bikes back, rashed up in various ways, for expensive, extended repairs.

I'd like to have an unscrupulous shop manager with a severe ex-wife alimony problem who would show up for work faithfully (because he had to) and deposit the checks in my offshore bank account while I lived on my yacht in the Carribean with at least 50 beautiful women and a small team of experts who would figure out new ways for the women to be nice to me.

That would constitute a perfect shop to me.



Now if I was a customer, it might be different. Or is that what you meant to ask? 

Its one perspective that should be explored. You put it so beautifully, i'm glad to hear your other ideas. 

[Popeye the Sailor]

Its one perspective that should be explored. You put it so beautifully, i'm glad to hear your other ideas. 

Just the honest to goodness basics.

There is a local shop known as "Nichols". This is what a shop should aspire to be. Their prices are posted on their website. They get the bike done when they say they will. They stick to their prices, and they stand behind their work (I had one issue once, they fixed it all, free, no arguments, no fighting, one day turnaround). The work is done correctly, the bike is test ridden, the bike is returned clean.

They don't advertise, but they are perpetually busy. Nice guys too-let you in the shop, show you issues, etc. Simple, honest, straightforward business is a lost art. I'd like to see more of that.