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I know this is a touchy subject, however, it is a necessary one.
When do you think we will start seeing direct to consumer options from the big brands? Id love to be able to build my bike online and get it shipped to the dealer for assembly.The mountain bike brands that are direct to consumer have skyrocketed.
Thoughts?
When do you think we will start seeing direct to consumer options from the big brands? Id love to be able to build my bike online and get it shipped to the dealer for assembly.The mountain bike brands that are direct to consumer have skyrocketed.
Thoughts?
The Shop
Now, imagine a machine that is infinitely more complex than a bicycle, and dealing with the same issues. The only way I see DTC working in the motorcycle industry is if there are storefronts (dealers) to facilitate service and warranty claims. Let's say that Yamaha started offering DTC tomorrow. You go online, order your bike, and have the option of having it delivered directly to your home, or the closest dealer in your area. You could set it up yourself, or pay a fee and have the dealer set it up for you. Now considering dirt bikes basically carry no warranty, this may not be as much of a pickle as it is in the cycling industry where manufactures will offer a prorated warranty on most bikes.
One correction on a comment above: There is not a huge amount of customization (to my knowledge) in DTC bikes. I don't think YT or Canyon offer a very much in the way of customization. It's more about bang for your buck....if you decide that you want to take your chance with a product support situation that is less than stellar based on what I've seen.
If I could create a dirtbike company, I would sell "kit" bikes: frame, engine, electronics, subframe, swingarm. You could buy just the kit, or spec the complete bike to your liking. I would partner with an aftermarket suspension company to sell the suspension for it, but give my customers the option of the standard fork/shock, custom tuned strings/valves in the standard fork/shock, or A-Kit. Everything else - plastics, wheels, clamps, exhaust, tires, bars, pegs, graphics - would be options from partner aftermarket companies. Beyond just developing the engine/frame, I would team up with a testing guy like Keeferinc or ML512 for things like clamps, bars, exhaust, etc to determine recommended packages based on your riding preferences and body types.
It probably wouldn't make any money but it sure would be fun.
I just rode my buddies YT Capra (DTC MTB brand) and it's an amazing bike for the money spent. Trek has tried a hybrid "customize your bike" but still works with the dealer channel.
The big established MTB brands like Specialized and Trek can't piss off the dealer network, meanwhile, small brands are taking market share. Santa Cruz and other brands still have strong sales through the dealer channel. I think you will see more of them go consumer direct in the next 5 years.
The service aspect of the motorcycle will be complex, the dealers will not stand for it if they get cut out, so the brands would have to establish their own service centers which would be too costly.
I think brands might offer some level of customization for some marketing buzz, but the long time established dealer network will be hard to break. A bicycle is really easy to work on for the average consumer, comparatively, IMO.
On the other hand, considering the price of new bikes these days, any cost saving alternative would be welcome.
The above example only works with a good dealer who supports his local area obviously, but you will lose this entirely with a DTC model.
This will never happen in powersports as regulations do not allow it. Motorized vehicles (whether on or off road) in many states have to be registered and therefore can only be sold through businesses with specific licenses.
I'm a big fan of DTC and in my professional life my marketing agency works almost exclusively with DTC brands. It works great with regular consumer product goods, but for cars, motorcycles etc. I don't see it happening anytime soon.
I know the other OE's have looked at this model too.
That being said, I did have a warranty issue with my seat and the solution was to ship them back my dropper post for service/replacement, which would have taken up to four weeks. I didn't want to wait that long and just shelled out $75 to have a local bike shop fix it.
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