The truth of the matter is even for Europe 2012 was supposed to be the year the industry came back. Despite some great mergers and companies coming back from brink the Paris show could be a preview of Intermot next week.
AIRSAL MADE IN SPAIN is now available at MRP. We have the best wholesale prices for our US dealers. http://www.mrp-speed.com
With 20 years plus of experience in the manufacture of cylinders for motorcycles and mopeds, in 1986 we decided to create AIRSAL and transfer our operations to an industrial site in the city of Martorell, located about 30 km from Barcelona.
http://www.martinracingdealer.com/CategoryProductList.jsp?cat=Parts+by+Type:AIRSAL+Cylinder+Kits
Airsal cylinder kits made in Spain. Big Bore cyclinders for GY6, JOG, QMB139, Piaggio and more. Parts for many different brands of scooters including Chinese and European models. Airsal one of the leading manufacturers of cylinders in Europe. Airsal was founded in 1986 after twenty years of experience in the manufacturing of cylinder's for motorcycles and mopeds. They are located in Spain only 30km from Tecnigas. Airsal is a major producer of cylinders and bore kits under contract for popular names such as Metra Kit, Droppler, Conti and Bidalot. Airsal Cylinder Big Bore Upgrades for Scooters is in our High Performance Scooter Parts Section. You can find a variety of upgrades not made by other scooter parts companies including special upgrades for the CPI GTR 50cc, CPI GTR 150cc, Piaggio, Kymco Super 9 Liquid Cooled, SYM, and others only carried in Airsal products. We carry several brands made in Spain, but AIRSAL is what we consider a premium high performance scooter parts brand so make sure to try them out. Their expertise in the manufacture of aluminum cylinders using the Scaniment (Nickel-Sillicon Carbide) process has made them one of Europe's leading producers. This is an extremely hard cylinder plating that resists wear considerably better compared to conventional cast iron cylinders. This combined with the benefit of aluminum for better cooling makes this a very durable cylinder. Airsal produces stock 50cc replacement or 70cc conversion cylinder bore kits with the venerable T-6 configuration. With the T-6 in the 50cc version performance is as good or better than the majority of 70cc cast iron cylinders. The T-6 in the 70cc is a very strong performer due to the increased port area allowed by the bridge exhaust. The wear resistant single chrome-moly design allows reliable high rpm operation without the risk of shattering or fatigue. Used with the correct exhaust system and carburetor this cylinder works extremely well on all brands of scooters. This modern technology gives excellent reliability for everyday use. Properly ported and modified the track potential is easily there for the racing enthusiast.
Site: http://www.martinracingdealer.com/
Blog http://martinracingperformance.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/MRPSPEED
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MARTINRACINGPERFORMANCE
OEM PDF Manuals for hundreds of scooters!
http://www.martinracingdealer.com/WSWrapper.jsp?mypage=Manuals.htm
Stocking Dealer locator
http://www.martinracingdealer.com/locator/index.php
or go to http://www.CycleGear.com with the MRP part number and order from any national Cycle Gear location.
So I heard from a bunch of American stores and dealers who happen to love the CF MOTO line yesterday including some that are extremely upset they can no longer sell scooters. I can only imagine why they are upset given that many of them invested or picked up the CF line because of the scooters so a change in management or direction would upset them. This is a business decision and if this is what the factory decided I would respect that, but I would argue that pulling out just as the scooter market rebounded was a tactical error.
A bigger error is what I blogged about yesterday for the new management to fail to maintain third party logistics relationships and to think they could solve all the issues internally. I would say given the number of complaints its clear they can't.
So there is a strong need for CF MOTO parts support in the USA they are not meeting and doing nothing about. So the small car or motorcycle dealer that picked up the line saw a surge in product at a discount, invested, then the economy slowed down, the company pulled the plug just when sales picked back up. That's basically the story of CF according to some of the dealers. Now that sales are back up they can't get the units.
The blog posting yesterday was meant to help guide CF in the right direction. Instead all I got were complaints about Dave Auringer and Adam Tao (the new CEO/President of CF USA) who was previously in charge of CF Europe which is probably why CF MOTO Europe doesn't return my emails since they closed. I don't recall meeting Adam Tao at Dealer Expo or at my meetings with Lev or the reps over the years and I've never met Dave Aringer so hopefully they can get a better picture of the need for support for the Diamo, Italjet, Yamati, Powersports Factory, Twist N Go - CMSI TNG lines they stopped supporting. This is meant as a way to get their attention and look at the needs of the consumers and the stores. Maybe they are ignoring them, maybe they have been too busy re-organizing to pay attention to this smaller market since this isn't where the sales are focused. Regardless, they need to support the parts for third party and private label brands. I have emailed, called, and still waiting for a call back because if they're not working with us they are clearly not working with all the support companies and parts companies in the industry. Sadly they fired the people that knew this and they need to bring in new people that have these relationships or rebuild them. I understand its new management, but they need to quickly grasp that a brands reputation extends beyond the segment you want to push like just ATVs or UTVs.
Bringing in new ATV product is a great idea, but the market is geared towards the UTV segment. Leading me back to the whole Polaris / Z6 issues that are ongoing. The Z6 is probably the future of the company in North America, but without third party support for parts it will fail. If you abandon supporting the Italjet and Diamo consumers or dealers then it will affect what dealers think of the brand. No amount of marketing or ads in Powersports Business can solve these issues nor will it make dealers think the brand has changed for the better.
Same goes to the scooter line and the reputation of CF MOTO. I talk to importers and exporters in South America all day, many of them ask me what I think of a company. There are huge brands in South America that are not in the USA yet dominate market segments in Mexico or Colombia. As CF attempts to get into these new markets they will find that what they do to US dealers does affect their reputation abroad as well. Just food for thought. I have some solutions for CF MOTO USA, if they would return an email I would gladly help them out before its too late.
I got another angry call yesterday about CF MOTO. Instead of focusing on sales which is what I should be doing I was focused on helping a dealer track down a part since CF refuses to sell him the part. I've been dealing with this a lot lately because the parts department has basically abandoned support for several items. CF MOTO put out thousands of scooters in the US market under both CF and several names ranging from Yamati to Italjet. These regardless of how I or anyone else feels need to be supported and must have third party support. At one point the Miami warehouse had over 2,000 CF MOTO units so these bikes are all over the continental USA and Puerto Rico right now. Ever since Lev Mirman left CF MOTO, every single contact I have had at the company has left. This has been stranger than my last ten years of relationships at Piaggio USA. Basically, everyone you meet eventually changes at the top. All the people I met at Piaggio back in 2000 no longer work there, CF Moto USA is basically the same thing. Nobody we know from their inception is there anymore. From Matt, Glenn, Kevin, Faith, Ivan, every single person we connected with is gone. Not a single Chinese representative in Europe or in China responds to emails that I send anymore. Last I checked CF MOTO Spain closed, and CF MOTO Europe no longer answers emails, they might be closed as well. I will find out in a few weeks. These guys started out with a lot of passion, say what you will but Kevin and Matt both had a lot of passion, working very hard to establish a brand with two hands tied behind their backs. If there is anyone in this industry that is good at marketing and talking to dealers its Matt Clayton and its a real shame to see him go when he's one of the few loyal guys out there.
CFMOTO is one of the few Chinese manufacturers that had established its own subsidiary in the U.S., similar to the Japanese models in which the manufacture manages its own brand through its own manufacturing and distribution channels. Until this point they had done a great job and I would commend them for their efforts. I'm not sure I can do that, I left a voicemail last week, sent an email, not a single response about a dealer having an emergency. If he gets sued over a lemon law issue I am the first that will tell him he's got a good case against the factory if only because new management doesn't bother to care. At MRP we took over 3 private label importers of CF MOTO which is the reason we have so many CF MOTO dealers buying from us. Diamo, Yamati / Powersports Factory, TNG Scooters all these companies would buy from CF MOTO in China and private label their units. Even the Italjets that came in for LS Motorsports were CF MOTO. So the company would work with us in solving issues these dealers had. We were doing warranty and third party support for the company and shipping out parts to their dealers and non-dealers to help the brands image. I can't get a single call back from the company nor an email response from the new management. I have personally met senior management while at EICMA, I met Mr. Guogui Lai. Nobody reaches out anymore and the new policy of letting go of the legacy staff might be a mistake when trying to hold on to the dealers. I understand they have discontinued the scooters for the USA, they lost a small fortune by overordering and due to the poor economy, but you cannot abandon support for a market nor stop selling parts to your partners like MRP. Its just bad business. There are those that run from the fire and those that run into it to fix the situation. When I see a company like Diamo closing its not a loss, its an opportunity and even for CF MOTO one of the things that stood out was they supported MRP so we could support the former ATV and Scooter dealers Diamo established. By ignoring our requests, by firing all the former employees that worked very hard to keep the CF MOTO brand name intact they are tarnishing their reputation. MRP was working very hard behind the scenes going as far as drop shipping parts all the time to dealers with the CF Logo on it and it would be a third part drop shipment from MRP. A CF MOTO sales rep could call us say they had an issue, they needed a favor like a warranty part that CF didn't have and we would mail it out for free because I knew that sales rep would help us out in the future. That is third party support that MRP would do. If CF in China was going to delay an item all Faith or anyone else at CF had to do was let us know and if we had it in inventory we would send it out. I can't get the new people to reply to an email regarding parts anymore. CF wanted it both ways. To establish a brand and to keep selling to companies like QLINK in the USA. Most other Chinese and Taiwanese companies simply hire independent importer/distributor companies to private label, but once you come in direct there is no need for them. This was 90% of the problem Lev faced that China management didn't understand. He spent three years changing this policy to be exclusive. The next problem is that you cannot stop the parts support. The moment you stop cooperating because some new US management comes in you burn bridges, you burn scooter dealers, they in turn will tell the ATV dealers you are going after. You cannot stop supporting Diamo, Italjet, PSF dealers. What is it that the new guys in charge of the US don't seem to get? I was promised repeatedly a Z6 for us to develop parts for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNRi1Z3kTQg
Never got it. The ATV we tested out was damaged and by the time we developed an exhaust it was discontinued. The key to building these relationships is making sure your partners are informed, but when even the American employees don't know what is happening how can you partners help all the ex-Italjet, Diamo, Qlink, TNG, Powersports Factory dealers? Especially when all the employees we were friends with are gone and the new ones won't call us back? CFMOTO’s parent company, ChunFeng Holding Group Ltd. has to make the decision if they want to stay in the US market and be serious about it. Yes, they brought in new management, but they are still failing to reach out to partner companies. I talk to 100 dealers a day, multiply that by 365 days a year, and I'm not jumping ship like many of their employees are. You can spend $100,000 in marketing and it won't fix the damage a few dealers can do if you don't have private label third party support for all the private brands you sold. Something the new guys in charge are not understanding. So will CF MOTO USA be the next company on the China chopping block? Taking ads in Powersports Business isn't going to answer this question, nor will the press since they will not ask hard questions. The US Powersports press won't ask this because they are dependent on the few advertisers that are left. Nobody asked the hard questions before Carter left with SYM, they won't ask the hard questions of CF either. We have a short term memory in this industry, few people ever say Cannondale or TigerShark anymore. My suggestion. Get the parts support back on, have someone return our calls and emails. Have someone make sure there is still support for the Italjet users and Diamo riders, because the next time a dealer asks why haven't we got the part or restocked I'm simply answering because CF MOTO USA doesn't return our emails in a timely fashion. MRP will still be here, but to say we are disappointed with what we see at CF is an understatement.
MRP has the widest selection of 250cc GoKart exhausts available. Visit our website to find out more.
GOKART BUGGY EXHAUSTS
We have performance exhausts for Carter 150, Kandi 150, Carter 250, Tomberlin, Yerfdog, XTC 400cc, CF MOTO 250cc engines, Hammerhead 250, Xtreme, Roketa, and many more!
AND MANY MORE MODELS! Contact your local MRP Dealer or visit our page!
MRP sells Performance engine parts and scooter tuning accessories from Stage6, SSP, Motoforce, STR8, Malossi, Polini, Hebo, Naraku, Top Performances, Arreche and others. Racing cylinder kits, exhaust systems, clutches, variators, carburetors, drive belts optic tuning accessories and more. Site: http://www.martinracingdealer.com/ Blog http://martinracingperformance.blogspot.com/ https://twitter.com/MRPSPEED Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MARTINRACINGPERFORMANCE OEM PDF Manuals for hundreds of scooters! http://www.martinracingdealer.com/WSWrapper.jsp?mypage=Manuals.htm Stocking Dealer locator http://www.martinracingdealer.com/locator/index.php or go to http://www.CycleGear.com with the MRP part number and order from any national Cycle Gear location. We are the only scooter parts distributor in the USA that is solely dealer direct and we are happy to send any potential online inquiries to stocking stores. So any consumers looking for Daelim parts will have to go to a store with an MRP account or have their store buy from another dealer that has an account with us. We also sell top name scooter brands like SN Duro Innova Kenda Bridgestone Gates Powerlink MRP distributes OEM parts for TNG (CMSI) select models of CF Moto Daelim Motors Korea ( parts should appear on website by mid July) Malaguti of Italy (www.Malaguti.com) Keeway Southeast (Keeway Vento QJ Andretti Yamati models) CPI Taiwan Powersports Factory Brands PSF Diamo Cubik (matches OEM Vento part numbers) as well as QJ and ZNEN (who manufacture bikes for a variety of scooter importers) such as FlyScooters Lance BMS Qlink models that were ZNEN corresponding to matching TNG parts. Every scooter is someone's first ride we help the dealers and consumers find those hard to find parts. Doesn't matter what brand it is we've been doing the Chinese scooter parts thing since 2004 so we can help you find the right part. Since January 2008 MRP has expanded by acquiring 10 closed US scooter parts distributors who have left the American market. The financial crisis caused many parts distributors to orphan thousands of vehicles on US roads as both dealers and distributors closed. Our company provides the largest service of its kind in North America helping dealers with orphaned brands. MRP has the inventory of United Motors of America, UM Global, Keeway Southeast formerly Cubik, BTB, Diamo USA / LS Motorsports / Italjet USA,CPI -- TAIWAN Atvs and Scooters, Powersports Factory the former importer of Yamati, Benelli, Andretti scooters, TNG Scooters -- CMSI Inc, and several Vespa / Kymco / SYM / Eton / dealerships that closed since. We might not have it all, but we are the best destination for hard to find parts such as Malaguti, pre-2003 SYM parts, RTX, and more. We have parts for MH Motorhispania of Spain RX Loncin Lifan Linhai Zongshen Wangye MS UTVs and CPI Taiwan. In addition the company distributes performance parts from Athena Malossi Turbo Kit Innova Vee Rubber Duro Bando Gates Powerlink Posh Maxxis Namura Scooter Ninja Slipstreamer and MRP. Products carried by MRP can be obtain exclusively at select Motorcycle Dealerships and Repair Shops in the USA. MRP is the one stop wholesale ONLY scooter buggy and ATV parts distributor. For a list of retailers visit www.mrp-speed.com http://www.martinracingdealer.com/locator/index.php or go to http://www.CycleGear.com with the MRP part number and order from any national Cycle Gear location.
I got another angry call yesterday about CF MOTO. Instead of focusing on sales which is what I should be doing I was focused on helping a dealer track down a part since CF refuses to sell him the part. I've been dealing with this a lot lately because the parts department has basically abandoned support for several items. CF MOTO put out thousands of scooters in the US market under both CF and several names ranging from Yamati to Italjet. These regardless of how I or anyone else feels need to be supported and must have third party support. At one point the Miami warehouse had over 2,000 CF MOTO units so these bikes are all over the continental USA and Puerto Rico right now. Ever since Lev Mirman left CF MOTO, every single contact I have had at the company has left. This has been stranger than my last ten years of relationships at Piaggio USA. Basically, everyone you meet eventually changes at the top. All the people I met at Piaggio back in 2000 no longer work there, CF Moto USA is basically the same thing. Nobody we know from their inception is there anymore. From Matt, Glenn, Kevin, Faith, Ivan, every single person we connected with is gone. Not a single Chinese representative in Europe or in China responds to emails that I send anymore. Last I checked CF MOTO Spain closed, and CF MOTO Europe no longer answers emails, they might be closed as well. I will find out in a few weeks. These guys started out with a lot of passion, say what you will but Kevin and Matt both had a lot of passion, working very hard to establish a brand with two hands tied behind their backs. If there is anyone in this industry that is good at marketing and talking to dealers its Matt Clayton and its a real shame to see him go when he's one of the few loyal guys out there.
CFMOTO is one of the few Chinese manufacturers that had established its own subsidiary in the U.S., similar to the Japanese models in which the manufacture manages its own brand through its own manufacturing and distribution channels. Until this point they had done a great job and I would commend them for their efforts. I'm not sure I can do that, I left a voicemail last week, sent an email, not a single response about a dealer having an emergency. If he gets sued over a lemon law issue I am the first that will tell him he's got a good case against the factory if only because new management doesn't bother to care. At MRP we took over 3 private label importers of CF MOTO which is the reason we have so many CF MOTO dealers buying from us. Diamo, Yamati / Powersports Factory, TNG Scooters all these companies would buy from CF MOTO in China and private label their units. Even the Italjets that came in for LS Motorsports were CF MOTO. So the company would work with us in solving issues these dealers had. We were doing warranty and third party support for the company and shipping out parts to their dealers and non-dealers to help the brands image. I can't get a single call back from the company nor an email response from the new management. I have personally met senior management while at EICMA, I met Mr. Guogui Lai. Nobody reaches out anymore and the new policy of letting go of the legacy staff might be a mistake when trying to hold on to the dealers. I understand they have discontinued the scooters for the USA, they lost a small fortune by overordering and due to the poor economy, but you cannot abandon support for a market nor stop selling parts to your partners like MRP. Its just bad business. There are those that run from the fire and those that run into it to fix the situation. When I see a company like Diamo closing its not a loss, its an opportunity and even for CF MOTO one of the things that stood out was they supported MRP so we could support the former ATV and Scooter dealers Diamo established. By ignoring our requests, by firing all the former employees that worked very hard to keep the CF MOTO brand name intact they are tarnishing their reputation. MRP was working very hard behind the scenes going as far as drop shipping parts all the time to dealers with the CF Logo on it and it would be a third part drop shipment from MRP. A CF MOTO sales rep could call us say they had an issue, they needed a favor like a warranty part that CF didn't have and we would mail it out for free because I knew that sales rep would help us out in the future. That is third party support that MRP would do. If CF in China was going to delay an item all Faith or anyone else at CF had to do was let us know and if we had it in inventory we would send it out. I can't get the new people to reply to an email regarding parts anymore. CF wanted it both ways. To establish a brand and to keep selling to companies like QLINK in the USA. Most other Chinese and Taiwanese companies simply hire independent importer/distributor companies to private label, but once you come in direct there is no need for them. This was 90% of the problem Lev faced that China management didn't understand. He spent three years changing this policy to be exclusive. The next problem is that you cannot stop the parts support. The moment you stop cooperating because some new US management comes in you burn bridges, you burn scooter dealers, they in turn will tell the ATV dealers you are going after. You cannot stop supporting Diamo, Italjet, PSF dealers. What is it that the new guys in charge of the US don't seem to get?
Never got it. The ATV we tested out was damaged and by the time we developed an exhaust it was discontinued. The key to building these relationships is making sure your partners are informed, but when even the American employees don't know what is happening how can you partners help all the ex-Italjet, Diamo, Qlink, TNG, Powersports Factory dealers? Especially when all the employees we were friends with are gone and the new ones won't call us back? CFMOTO’s parent company, ChunFeng Holding Group Ltd. has to make the decision if they want to stay in the US market and be serious about it. Yes, they brought in new management, but they are still failing to reach out to partner companies. I talk to 100 dealers a day, multiply that by 365 days a year, and I'm not jumping ship like many of their employees are. You can spend $100,000 in marketing and it won't fix the damage a few dealers can do if you don't have private label third party support for all the private brands you sold. Something the new guys in charge are not understanding. So will CF MOTO USA be the next company on the China chopping block? Taking ads in Powersports Business isn't going to answer this question, nor will the press since they will not ask hard questions. The US Powersports press won't ask this because they are dependent on the few advertisers that are left. Nobody asked the hard questions before Carter left with SYM, they won't ask the hard questions of CF either. We have a short term memory in this industry, few people ever say Cannondale or TigerShark anymore. My suggestion. Get the parts support back on, have someone return our calls and emails. Have someone make sure there is still support for the Italjet users and Diamo riders, because the next time a dealer asks why haven't we got the part or restocked I'm simply answering because CF MOTO USA doesn't return our emails in a timely fashion. MRP will still be here, but to say we are disappointed with what we see at CF is an understatement.
This would appear to be a story or press release about a store dropping the Vespa franchise.
I have a few issues with the story that first ran in the Great Falls Tribune in Montana.
A couple of points:
1. This is Montana, not a year round state, not a state known for scooters. Any dealership that picks up Vespa and doesn't do Chinese or Taiwanese scooters cannot survive as a stand alone franchise.
2. It should be pointed out that as I have learned over the years a Vespa dealership needs to be flexible in the cold states. Americans are not like Italians, we don't ride in the snow or rain. I can find a new Vespa on craigs list from 2003 with 100 miles on it. We are recreational riders. We react to problems and rush to buy scooters when gas is over $4. Moment it goes below $3.90 everyone could care less about EV scooters and Gas scooters.
3. This is not an uncommon story. Vespa franchises in the USA change hands all the time or close and there is no mention of it in the industry press. At one point in 2008 we had something close to 400 stores and many Arctic Cat dealerships already tried this experiment. See my past articles on what makes a real Vespa franchise.
4. A Vespa franchise does not guarantee success. It can only work in America as part of an overall strategy. The only real successful shops are those that created a scene (be it Vintage or modern) and spent a lot of money and time building up the brand (look at Sportique in Denver or Motorsport Scooters in San Diego) many of these companies struggled for years, lost money, or went unpaid just to make the scene a reality. These stores stay in the game when gas is cheap and when there is a boom in scooter sales. Vespa can only add to the company it shouldn't be your only source of revenue.
5. If the money is in parts and service which is what the article is really saying, then we should focus on why a scooter shop is profitable if run correctly. I was on the phone yesterday with several of the biggest Chinese dealers in Gainesville, Florida. This market is strange in the summer they should be making money, but they are weak in December and in early summer. Why? Because the market is student dependent. The stores don't make money because not a single store in the town sells online and they are all focused on a niche market. All the stores are so concentrated on their segment they're not as profitable as they should be.
An Analysis of a Top Ten Market in 2012
Store #1. Sells only cheap bikes making an average margin of $300 to $500 per unit. They can discount since they are the importer. No real accessories shop. No online drop shipping, no service for the Italian, Taiwanese, Japanese bikes. Missing out on the majority of the repairs.
Store #2. The Honda/Yamaha dealer doesn't service or market to Chinese/Taiwanese scooters. Scooters less than 5% of the store sales and revenue so they are in the corner. No online sales of scooter parts except for the traditional Powersports Network website of OEM parts.
Store #3. Repairs everything (good job), turns away unknown brands. Doesn't sell everything only used. No online sales.
Store #4. Only sells and services four Asian brands, turns away all Japanese and European bikes. Far from campus, uses its flagship brands to attract clients, but cannot service 50% of the market since the employees can't buy Japanese or Italian parts.
Store #5. Focused on the students that don't have a lot of money so its picking the least expensive brands from the bottom of the Chinese barrel. Issue here is that the store lives off service, not accessories, not support, not year round rentals or leases. Its surviving off $700 scooters and has to real brand name units. This makes it extremely season. Also no website or online sales.
Store #6. The most profitable of all six.
Having second record year sells Italian, Taiwanese, Chinese scooters and services all makes and models. Only downfall no website, no online sales. Dead in the Winter and late summer. Still, of all the shops this one has outlast 4 other stores that have closed. Why? Because unlike the store in today's dealer news article it services everything and doesn't drop Vespa because of fewer sales. If anything Vespa brings in clients that buy the Chinese scooters. They also don't resort to the VESPA like ads some of the competitors use. So there is room for growth here.
So what is Gainesville Florida missing? I have seen a dozen or so stores in the Ocala / Gainesville area over the years. Some of these have staying power, but others seem more like hobbies than actual shops because they are not thinking long term. Life goes semester to semester for some of these shops.
Besides the Honda Franchise few can last the test of a decade. Even the largest store 5 years ago isn't there anymore as Vespa of Gainesville closed and the franchise passed on to the new dealer. So its not a question of money its a question of servicing every brand, every unit, having accessories, not being seasonal. Plus you need to offer the clients (mostly students) SERVICE. Unparalleled service.
Honestly, besides websites and tech savy stores they are missing mobile repairs. There is pickup, but students don't buy the way they should and don't want to spend for towing a scooter so the towing should be free.
Back to the article, yes there are markets like Montana where scooters are not year round. This would not be a top market. I just read the article and I see whats wrong with the picture. The store didn't service Chinese or sell a under $1,000 scooter which they should have. Where is the online revenue? Where is the accessories section. A Vespa franchise DOES not guarantee any form of success, it just gets people in the door.
Its what you do with it after the Vespa light turns on that counts.
Q: What was your business initially and how did it evolve?
A: We started a motorcycle repair business with a small accessories store in front, at 800 10th Ave. S., across the parking lot from Hastings. It gave us good visibility at first as a new business, though I now realize drivers don’t really window shop on 10th.
I started selling Vespa scooters in 2008, and had a fairly good year. Gas prices reached $4 a gallon that summer and we sold about 35 scooters. But the novelty wore off the next year, when gas prices dropped.We had a lot of people stop by and ‘kick the tire,’ but scooter sales dropped drastically, to eight vehicles. Great Falls residents realized they could get used cars or motorcycles for the $4,000 to $6,000 they paid for new scooters. By mutual agreement, I ended the franchise agreement with Vespa.
Scooters out, used bike sales and service in at Montana shop
Publish Date:
Sep 12, 2012
BELT, Mont. - Metzger’s Cycles and Accessories is coming full circle. Jason Metzger, 37, cashed out his 401k plan to start the business as a repair shop in 2007. Then as gas prices climbed, he took on a Vespa franchise in 2008 and did well selling scooters – well enough to move and triple his space in 2009.
But lately, with scooter sales down, the repair business is rebounding, and used bikes are the key to profits.
“The move was the best thing I could have done. With the additional space, I can do more cycle maintenance, so my profits increased,” he told the Great Falls Tribune. “I also started selling used motorcycles. I go to San Diego regularly and buy a variety of used motorcycles and all terrain vehicles at auction. My cycle sales have been good the last couple of years, an average of a couple a month.”
Metzger gave up his Vespa franchise because customers were opting to spend the same amount on used bikes. Now he wants to bring in more ATVs.
“My sales are better in the summer, spring and fall. People generally don’t buy bikes when there’s snow on the ground. I’m going to stock more ATVs and side-by-side vehicles this winter,” he said. “They can be used to snow plow and for recreation.”
The easiest to use upgrade for the Chinese Benelli made 50cc scooters is the CDI.
MRP has the NARAKU DC version ( Direct Current ) of the Benelli QJ China made scooter. So if you wish upgrade your scooter and take it to the unlimited rev corner you need the NARAKU CDI.
NK390.36 http://www.martinracingdealer.com/SPD/nk390-36--8000510F-1347326808.jsp
Will also work on the new Keeway and QJ units with the DC version.
Upgrade your QMI152/157 QMJ152/157 GY6 150cc scooter with this power regulator. MRP has a full selection of parts for150cc and 125cc GY6 QMI152/157 QMJ152/157 4-stroke engines. The GY6 type Air Cooled Honda clone engine is the most common engine in the US market sold in sizes from 52mm (125cc) to 57mm to 58.5mm in 150cc or 160cc. It is also known as the QMI152 and QMJ157. Vento 150cc Phantom GT5, Tank 150cc (various models),Vento 150cc Phantom R4I, Strada RX150TE, Strada Chrome Edition RX150, Strada RX200HP, Strada 150CE, Primo Terminator 150cc, Primo Strada Streaker 150, Avanti Epsilon 150cc, Kinroad XT150T-8, Avanti Beta 150, Roketa Tahiti MC-03, Roketa Fiji MC-04, Verucci Viper 150GTX, Verucci Permier 150GTX SE, Tank Racer 150, RAD-10 150cc, Bemine 150 Touring, Racer 150. Lifan L150T-7, Lifan 125/150, Longbo 150, Mod Cycle 150, Wussi 150, Spigaly 150, Diamo 150, Velux 150, Retro 150, Loncin 150, Wangye 150, PGO -- Genuine G-Max - Blur150 Roketa, VIP, Jonway, JMstar, SYM, Kymco, TNG, Tank, Sunl, Baja, Peace sports, Howhit 150, NST Schwinn, Tomos, Baron 150, Velocity 150, and more.
MRP sells Performance engine parts and scooter tuning accessories from Stage6, SSP, Motoforce, STR8, Malossi, Polini, Hebo, Naraku, Top Performances, Arreche and others. Racing cylinder kits, exhaust systems, clutches, variators, carburetors, drive belts optic tuning accessories and more. Site: http://www.martinracingdealer.com/ Blog http://martinracingperformance.blogspot.com/ https://twitter.com/MRPSPEED Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MARTINRACINGPERFORMANCE OEM PDF Manuals for hundreds of scooters! http://www.martinracingdealer.com/WSWrapper.jsp?mypage=Manuals.htm Stocking Dealer locator http://www.martinracingdealer.com/locator/index.php or go to http://www.CycleGear.com with the MRP part number and order from any national Cycle Gear location. We are the only scooter parts distributor in the USA that is solely dealer direct and we are happy to send any potential online inquiries to stocking stores. So any consumers looking for Daelim parts will have to go to a store with an MRP account or have their store buy from another dealer that has an account with us. We also sell top name scooter brands like SN Duro Innova Kenda Bridgestone Gates Powerlink MRP distributes OEM parts for TNG (CMSI) select models of CF Moto Daelim Motors Korea ( parts should appear on website by mid July) Malaguti of Italy (www.Malaguti.com) Keeway Southeast (Keeway Vento QJ Andretti Yamati models) CPI Taiwan Powersports Factory Brands PSF Diamo Cubik (matches OEM Vento part numbers) as well as QJ and ZNEN (who manufacture bikes for a variety of scooter importers) such as FlyScooters Lance BMS Qlink models that were ZNEN corresponding to matching TNG parts. Every scooter is someone's first ride we help the dealers and consumers find those hard to find parts. Doesn't matter what brand it is we've been doing the Chinese scooter parts thing since 2004 so we can help you find the right part. Since January 2008 MRP has expanded by acquiring 10 closed US scooter parts distributors who have left the American market. The financial crisis caused many parts distributors to orphan thousands of vehicles on US roads as both dealers and distributors closed. Our company provides the largest service of its kind in North America helping dealers with orphaned brands. MRP has the inventory of United Motors of America, UM Global, Keeway Southeast formerly Cubik, BTB, Diamo USA / LS Motorsports / Italjet USA,CPI -- TAIWAN Atvs and Scooters, Powersports Factory the former importer of Yamati, Benelli, Andretti scooters, TNG Scooters -- CMSI Inc, and several Vespa / Kymco / SYM / Eton / dealerships that closed since. We might not have it all, but we are the best destination for hard to find parts such as Malaguti, pre-2003 SYM parts, RTX, and more. We have parts for MH Motorhispania of Spain RX Loncin Lifan Linhai Zongshen Wangye MS UTVs and CPI Taiwan. In addition the company distributes performance parts from Athena Malossi Turbo Kit Innova Vee Rubber Duro Bando Gates Powerlink Posh Maxxis Namura Scooter Ninja Slipstreamer and MRP. Products carried by MRP can be obtain exclusively at select Motorcycle Dealerships and Repair Shops in the USA. MRP is the one stop wholesale ONLY scooter buggy and ATV parts distributor. For a list of retailers visit www.mrp-speed.com http://www.martinracingdealer.com/locator/index.php or go to http://www.CycleGear.com with the MRP part number and order from any national Cycle Gear location.
Trying out the MRP exhaust with the cylinder mods. All of the pipes are working better with the change in mainly transfer duration and exhaust port chord width. The MRP really showed some nice gains in acceleration and speed.
Autotech355 68cc Big Bore Kit (Worked to 185/125 durations, 7:1 CCR) Stock carb, stock airbox, 90 main jet, needle next to leanest Hoca performance variator w/modified fixed drive face & 2mm of spacers Stock torque driver/rear pulley 5g sliders, 1000 contra, stock lightened clutch w/2,000RPM springs
Then you need our dealer startup kits. Easy for stocking stores.
$99 DEALER ESSENTIAL KIT
Everyday Essentials for the 2Stroke Chinese
Dealer. Do you sell Jonway? Diamo? CPI? Then you need
the best starter kit these are must have items
1 Roller Weight Sets 15 X 12 (polini, malossi, doppler or Scooter Ninja)
1 5 Wire JOG CDI Keeway stock
1 Set of Black Mirrors 8mm
1 Belt Gates USA replacement Belt
To see more kits visit our site. SAVE MORE MONEY WITH MRP!
These are must have items for new stores, repair shops, and those looking at repairing Scooters, ATVs, and Buggies. BUY IN BULK AND SAVE with our Power Buy Packs made for your shop. Must have Power Buys for new stores. Save 30 to 40% buy buying these start up packs. http://www.martinracingdealer.com/CategoryProductList.jsp?cat=NEW+STORE+BUNDLES
As a new store you will soon realize there are 500 brake pads out there. Get the most popular ones in one move before you open up. You get 10 sets for the most popular models. 2 - 2 stroke 50cc JOG 2 - 4 stroke QMB139 Chinese 1 - 2 stroke Kymco - SYM 1 - Kymco 150 GY6C 150cc Set 2 - Sets GY6 150cc 2 Sets of Qingi 50cc - Derbi - China 50cc 2T Get $150 worth of Brake Pads for only $60
This belt start up pack is a great way to get the 10 most popular scooter belts in the US market covering everything from Aprilia to Zongshen. Pack includes all the most popular sizes for a new ship. TOTAL 20 BELTS 39% OFF REGULAR PRICE. Covers 50cc to 300cc units including the most popular engines Vespa ET2, Chinese QMB139, 2t JOG 40QMB, Yamaha ZUMA standard, Minarelli Europe size, SYM 50, Kymco 50cc, Kymco 250cc, Chinese 250cc, GY6 150 short, Long, and more! $400 Value at half the price! 669, 729, 723, 743, 748, 828, 830, 835, 868, 906. Brands include Gates USA (not the fake Chinese Powerlinks), Bando, Three Five Auto Racing, Kiduko, Naraku, and MRP.
Mrp has a ton of puma scooter and znen motor parts. For all brands and models for the imports to the USA. From Italica Motors, Bintelli, BMS, Qlink, Xcalibur, TNG, Gorrila Motor Works, and more.
We have blogged multiple times about this, but being that we carry 20,000 items before calling on a phone you should look up the following:
BRAND of VEHICLE - dont call people and say you have a red scooter. Look up the manufacturer.
MODEL NAME - every scooter has a model name
FOR PARTS FROM A CATALOG LIKE STAGE 6 OR MALOSSI you need the OEM part number use the catalogs below to get them. If calling a store like CYCLE GEAR dont bother, the employees there cannot order a part for you over the phone nor sell it online, you have to go into the store and pre-pay. Once you pre-pay they will order it from us. Most scooter shops work this way as well and are too busy to take a credit card over the phone.
IF NOT TRY ONLINE DEALERS. We have 40 dealers with online stores that will drop ship the part directly to you if you give them the part number. Try http://www.SuperScooterparts.com, http://www.Scootertronics.com
The list goes on there are over 40 shops. Most stores will not take a credit card over the phone. So please look up the OEM numbers in the PDF files below it will make your scooter parts hunting a lot easier.
Fast links for the parts catalogs. Please use before ordering.
When visiting a dealership or ordering from a store that inst familiar with all the part numbers it pays to do some
of the research first to speed up the process. Some dealers or mechanics aren't familiar with all the brands,
models, and types of scooter parts.
So if you need parts for a Chinese Linhai or a Malaguti scooter it pays to do some of the leg work before ordering.
Be it a store or a consumer ordering from MRP.
Use these quick links to find the best in parts for scooters. All the best brands are listed below with their OEM
numbers from Malossi, Polini, Stage 6, Top Racing, Turbo Kit, and more!
MRP New Online Book Format Catalog http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/d83097ef
Scooter Models PDF parts upgrades
Older MRP PDF Parts Catalog http://www.martinracingdealer.com/REPAIR%20MANUALS/MRPCatalog2009.pdf
Znen Motor is one of the most common brands in the USA now. Much like QJ znen sells to fifteen US importers be it TNG or Italica, modcycle.com, or gorilla we have the upgrades.
Most people searching for keeway or vento parts don't realize they are all the same. Martin Racing Performance is the largest source of QJ factory parts in the USA.
QJ makes bikes for cpi, xtreme, vento, diamo, tng, bms, excalibur, yamati, andretti, benelli, powersports factory and more. So if you need generic keeway parts mrp has more parts than anyone in the USA. Visit us http://www.mrp-speed.com
