Lind group closing two Harley Davidson dealerships

[pcn1]

Just read online my local dealer (Reading) plus the Watford dealerships are going to shut end of this month.
Apparently Lind are consolidating their business.

A sign of Harley's poor sales performance, or a indication of the wider motorcycle trade / general economy in the UK ?

[black-k1]

Lind have already closed their BMW dealership in Norwich. I don't know id the Lind Norwich Harley dealership has also gone.

I think this is more a Lind issue than a Generic issue.

[Olza23]

I am sure the Watford store has only opened in the last few years?

[mikey_b]

A former Suzuki dealer, though in more recent years just Piaggio group scooters and some secondhand bikes, closed down several months ago. They obviously paid their web hosting up-front though as that is still online and showing their old address (very clearly closed, and up for sale with planning already granted for a couple of houses).

Industry isn’t doing too well at the moment, I think, had a few of these sorts of posts recently.

[Biker9090]

The Suzuki dealers only opened in the last year or so and Bulldogs been around for years.

[BunkMoreland]

mikey_b said:

Industry isn’t doing too well at the moment, I think, had a few of these sorts of posts recently.

Meanwhile "superbike factory" planning expansion

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2024/august/su...

I'm amazed they do so well. Their blanket ads on BikeTrader have bugger all details. They aren't significantly cheaper. And a lot of their bikes seem to have zero history and very low miles which gets the twitching going. Plus the bikes are almost always miles away from wherever you are.

And if we look at Cazoo et al. Its not like Car supermarkets are doing well.

[mikey_b]

Biker9090 said:

The Suzuki dealers only opened in the last year or so and Bulldogs been around for years.

I wasn’t clear, sorry. Not a Lind Suzuki dealer, this was one near me in Kent. Sturdeys, they’d been there decades. TBH maybe the owners just got old and wanted retirement, and the plot was worth more than the business as a going concern.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Pity as Lind have been decently quick for mail order for me. I've recently bought a jacket from them too.


Hope they weather whatever they are facing.

[PurpleTurtle]

I live near to the Reading Harley dealership, it's always been dead whenever I have gone in there, save the odd biker night.

One thing I find highly irritating about their website is that they don't show RRP on any of the (too large, IMHO) model range:

https://www.lind.co.uk/harley-davidson/new-bikes

It doesn't attract me in. If they can't be arsed to show pricing I'm not going to consider whether I can afford one.

[vonhosen]

BMW Bahnstormer Maidenhead are closing too.

[looksfast]

vonhosen said:

BMW Bahnstormer Maidenhead are closing too.

I saw that email and they frame it as an end of lease event, coupled with BMW requiring investment, which I assumed means a more expensive building and the current location probably wouldn't accommodate that. In truth, I would expect the issue to be that BMW want a shiny new dealership but there isn't enough money coming in to pay for it.

[esuuv]

Apparently Bahnstormer are closing pretty much immediately - all done by the end of next week. One of the company directors resigned a couple of weeks ago - wonder if that's related. Email says the lease is up and BMW wants significant investment in facilities - that's fair enough, but those are longer term things - not, we're closing next week things.

I bought a BMW in July, I ended up buying new but initially was looking used - some / most of the used bikes I looked at in May / June are still available - I think the poor summer / economic uncertainty and an aging biker demographic has hit the industry pretty hard.

[outnumbered]

It's a pity they're closing Maidenhead, I've used the TV branch since it opened in Bracknell. Just means I'll look at North Oxford as an alternative for service/purchases now as it's probably slightly closer than Alton.

I'm not totally convinced about their business strategy. E.g. opening a high end bicycle shop just as the cycle industry tanked completely...

[KTMsm]

BunkMoreland said:

Meanwhile "superbike factory" planning expansion

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2024/august/su...

I'm amazed they do so well. Their blanket ads on BikeTrader have bugger all details. They aren't significantly cheaper. And a lot of their bikes seem to have zero history

And if we look at Cazoo et al. Its not like Car supermarkets are doing well.

I don't understand it either

I sell bikes - none are prepped better than mine - my ads have all the detail and loads of well lit pictures, taken from all angles, yet my phone rarely rings

Maybe I should do crap pictures and terrible descriptions - that seems to be what works

[moanthebairns]

KTMsm said:

BunkMoreland said:

Meanwhile "superbike factory" planning expansion

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2024/august/su...

I'm amazed they do so well. Their blanket ads on BikeTrader have bugger all details. They aren't significantly cheaper. And a lot of their bikes seem to have zero history

And if we look at Cazoo et al. Its not like Car supermarkets are doing well.

I don't understand it either

I sell bikes - none are prepped better than mine - my ads have all the detail and loads of well lit pictures, taken from all angles, yet my phone rarely rings

Maybe I should do crap pictures and terrible descriptions - that seems to be what works

ste bikes on ste APR, in one manageable monthly sum. The monthly sum I'd imagine is key.

[RazerSauber]

BunkMoreland said:

Meanwhile "superbike factory" planning expansion

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2024/august/su...

I'm amazed they do so well. Their blanket ads on BikeTrader have bugger all details. They aren't significantly cheaper. And a lot of their bikes seem to have zero history and very low miles which gets the twitching going. Plus the bikes are almost always miles away from wherever you are.

And if we look at Cazoo et al. Its not like Car supermarkets are doing well.

What gets me is their adverts that have said "we charge £300 less than the market value" then bung on a £200 admin fee that's not up for negotiation, nor included in the Auto Trader price. I'm lead to believe their aftersales is shocking, too.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

KTMsm said:

BunkMoreland said:

Meanwhile "superbike factory" planning expansion

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2024/august/su...

I'm amazed they do so well. Their blanket ads on BikeTrader have bugger all details. They aren't significantly cheaper. And a lot of their bikes seem to have zero history

And if we look at Cazoo et al. Its not like Car supermarkets are doing well.

I don't understand it either

I sell bikes - none are prepped better than mine - my ads have all the detail and loads of well lit pictures, taken from all angles, yet my phone rarely rings

Maybe I should do crap pictures and terrible descriptions - that seems to be what works

I honestly wonder how they work. I think I mentioned all their bikes seem to have two service stamps (say a 2017 bike, so stamped 2017 then 2018 then nothing for 10k). They must absolutely rip the bike seller on their valuation because of this.

What's your website? I do want to scratch that ktm itch again one day.

[KobayashiMaru86]

My local big bike group lost BMW and Aprilia recently which is a nightmare if you have one as it means a spin to Bristol to get anything done. KTM apparently in trouble too and Harley which they also have. Will be interesting to see where it all ends up.

[Bob_Defly]

Wow, KTM posted a £2.1B loss, that's huge.

I've be surprised if GasGas survives that.

[pcn1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwAgbwRh-KU

I found this an interesting take on the state of the UK bike market.
Everyone has an opinion of what needs to happen. Personally I think smaller, more affordable bikes are the future.
Just look at Triumphs 400 range, they hit a home run with that model.