Cycle News

Cycle News Issue 19 May 15

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/981926

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P120 CN III LOWSIDE BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK T his is a subject I have held off on bringing up for many years, simply because I know I was part of the problem many moons past. Twenty years ago, I used to work in a motorcycle dealership. It was run by an old lady named Anne Harris, along with two busi- ness partners, one being her husband. This lady was a tiger in busi- ness. I was constantly in awe of her ability to remember a cus- tomer's name and the motor- cycle he rode, even if he'd sold that bike 20 years ago. It was a guaranteed way to ensure repeat business, as for many, walk- ing into the dealership was like going to the bar where the bar tender knew your name and your drink. I always look back on my time at the dealership with fondness, but, if I'm honest, I was a naïve 16-year-old dirtbag with not a single customer service bone in my body. In my delusional skull sponge, I was there not to learn about the business of running a motorcycle dealership, but to simply earn some money and get discounts I could use in my professional road racing endeavors—which never went any further than the end of the dealership driveway. Years later, I went back into the same dealership to buy some oil for my Yamaha YZ450F. The shop had changed owners in the 10-plus years since my last visit, and I noticed a definite change. PULLING TEETH Motorcycle dealerships are the lifeblood of the industry. Some have evolved, some not so much.

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