Saturday, February 12, 2011

2011 Offers Poor Scope For Aftermarket


There's a serious problem in the aftermarket motorcycle arena right now. Very few people can afford to buy a new motorcycle at the moment, which means very few aftermarket companies can get demo bikes to test fit and build aftermarket items for them. 5 years ago, company X could send out an email or post on a forum "FREE Doohicky For Your Bike, just let me borrow your bike for a few days so I can take come measurements for and do some drawings, do some test fits" and 10 guys would show up with the latest model bike looking for a free part. These days, not a one will respond to such an advertisement, because NO ONE is buying 2011 bikes. If they are, they got no time to be chatting on chat boards.

The other way a maker would get specs on the latest model bikes, is by going down to the local dealer to take measurements on the show room floor. The problem with this model is that 9 out of 10 motorcycle dealerships are now out of business, gone, defunct, with the vultures at GE Capital having come in and carried away all the bike inventory because the dealership could not afford to pay the "flooring" financing associated with keeping bikes on the show room floor.

So, the problem is that very little aftermarket goods are being designed and released. What is able to make it to market is stuff that hasn't changed. That's it.

Tough times, tough times.

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