Your input with cycle shops

[kx666]

so... sounds like the name scared all of you off.

[bellracing2]

I will go out on a limb here and say if you took out the "T" in your shops name you will have people (99.999%guys ) beating down your door ! But I could be wrong 

[KXcam22]

Sorry but I can't say that I like the name.  Needs more flow and rhythm so people remember it easily.  Three letters are better than 4 - more rhythm like XTX Cycle or STX Cycle etc.   Feel free to ignore. Cam.

[cujokiller]

As for a name, look into naming your business after something local.  It will give your store that "Down Home" attraction.  As for the hours of operation, seven days a week.  It will cut into your riding time, but nothing is worse then running out of oil or getting a flat on a sunday and not having any tubes left.  Even if you are only open for a couple hours.  Set up a rotating schedule with your staff  so you still get to go out and ride.  If you don't like Parts Unlimited the use Tucker Rocky.  You could also look into becoming an outlet dealer for Dennis Kirk or Rocky Mountain ATV/MC.  Let them pay for the stock and you could collect the proffit.  Just some ideas for you.

                                                                                             Justin

[hughes]

Are you sure that Rocky Mountain and Dennis Kirk have outlet dealers??

[eprovenzano]

Sorry I'm not good at the name thing....  but hours of operation.  If possible, stay open until 6:00 in the evening during the week, and 2:00 of Saturdays, and a few hours on Sunday.  I usually work to 5:00 - 5:30, so getting to a shop that closes at 5:00 is out of the question. I am one that rides when I can, usually without a lot of notice, so a few a shop that is open later and for a few hours on the weekends, always get my business.

[cujokiller]

I'm not positive if they do or not.  But it is definately something to look into.  Alot of companies look for other people to stock their supply to save on shipping.  And also to get their name out.

[kx666]

thanks everyone i apreciate your honesty

the last shop i worked for i was the parts manager, so i have all of the reps for the venders' personal cell phone numbers still. that is the part i am not worried about.

I will go out on a limb here and say if you took out the "T" in your shops name you will have people (99.999%guys ) beating down your door ! But I could be wrong 

that right there was the base of the name. my little lady was telling me what she would do in the shop... 

I do have to agree w/ cam on STX. it would make a better looking graphic for a bike. hummm how smart is it for me to write all of this at work with IT guys checking everything??? 

[Johnniespeed]

 I bought my new 04KX500 from the shop that,six years ago, hunted down left and right engine cases for my 82cr250. They went online to a parts locater, found one in California and the other in South Dakota. I had both cases in less than a week. Now all the other  bike shops said " part discontinued sorry "  So when it was time for a new bike I decided to try them. They told me that 04 was the last year for the KX500. They went online to a dealer inventory locater and found a 500 in Eastern Ohio. Had it in a week. 
  It is the little things that the dealer does that earns my loyalty.  I have a Kawi dealer three minutes from my house, but will buy my nexe bike from a dealer who is an Hour and a half away.

[kx666]

that is really lucky to have a good shop like that

[hughes]

O.K Myself I have thrown around the idea of my own parts and accessories shop. My question is If you had a forum based web-site that was brand spec.(Honda,Yamaha, Kawasaki etc.) and had an on-line parts catalog that had all the maintenance items for the forum based bike brand would you order your parts from that site? Kinda like a one stop place on the net.

[Danger4u2]

The Kawi dealer I work with told me they couldn't find a 2004 KX500 on the bike locate site.  I thought that was B.S.  I went home and started calling dealerships.  I found 2 at a Colorado dealer.  They were the 24th dealer I called that after noon.  Why couldn't my dealer do that?  His loss my gain.  Back then Oklahoma charged sales tax on off road veh.  I was out of state with the Colorado dealer I paid no tax and they had a shipment of quads going to Texas and said if I would wait 2 months they would deliver free.  I did buy my KLR650 from the dealer I work with only because my friend works in the parts department.  The salesmen are good guys but I feel they dropped the ball on the K5 issue.  I'm not even asking them to go the extra mile just the extra inch.
Here where I work we try to earn a little money from everyone.  Not gouge alot from a few.  Just do a good job and ask a fair price.  Above all keep the customer that's standing in front of you happy.  That's the guy you don't have to spend any advertisement dollars on.
Danger

[kx666]

O.K Myself I have thrown around the idea of my own parts and accessories shop. My question is If you had a forum based web-site that was brand spec.(Honda,Yamaha, Kawasaki etc.) and had an on-line parts catalog that had all the maintenance items for the forum based bike brand would you order your parts from that site? Kinda like a one stop place on the net.

one recommendation, avoid yamaha and parts unlimited when ever possible. from a dealer standpoint they have very poor customer service.
lets say a yamaha dealer has 100 recalls or warrenty issuses. yamaha will not pay you for any of them. what i ended up doing was getting a hold of the west coast reps cell # and keeped bugging him until he got yamaha to pay for about 30 or 40 of them.

hughs, you idea is a good one. If that is what you want to do, than do it!!! you're looking at a very high start-up cost, but  "if you work hard 20 hours a day 6 days a week, you might break even" (a quote from the owner of a bike shop i worked at).