What does one see most on the road?  Cages I will agree, but then not to many bikes in comparison, so m/c shops are not like the maze of dealer shops with parts to servicing or the small shops that simply work on cages bar basically any of the other in the m/c world.  Part of life I fear.

Our first shop was basically a bicycle shop that added on a few British irons to later add on some more, to even one make of helmet being the Cromwell (only a rare few I have to admit) though no protective gear.  Parts yes, but often it took a month+ to get them from England for they had to make the passage over the Atlantic Ocean to Canada, then by train to this city/town to Cdn Customs & its delays, to finally our shop.  So yes it took a while.  Anyone owning the bikes of to-day are really in the lap of glory.

Post Edited (louemc) : 10/20/2009 8:22:08 PM GMT

One SORT OF ADVANTANGE to many Cdn dealers, considering the short m/c riding season let alone all year around, is they can sell snowmobliles along with quads.  MIND you that means a lot of stock that is not used in the summer time to the m/cs not being used in the winter time.  I would have noting to do with snowmobiles in the way some of them handle them like they hit the mountain slopes to try to make it up LIKE a dirt hill climb & you should see the snowmobiles tumbling down to also run into Fir/Pine trees which are, in some cases, like running into power poles.

Personally I have no interest in quads for all that was avaliable were the little three wheelers, being dangerous to drive, to where they were banned.

I wanted to stick with m/cs. Also would have delt in protective gear ONLY look at the number that have bought 90% from shops on the 'net.  So any dealer will be loosing money on the outdated protective riding gear AS WELL.

The industry is going through hard times in the UK too. Where I live, near Southampton, the only dealers of new machines are small concerns selling one brand, the large dealerships have all gone bust. There are not that many left in the country, in fact. Even the local place that sold parallel and grey bikes has gone. I don't even know where I would go to buy a new Honda, not that my buying a new bike is at all likely. There is quite a large place selling HD's now I think of it, how long they will remain is anyones guess. I believe HD is not bothering to take a stand at the national bike show later this month.

Personally I wouldn't buy a new bike again (unless fortune really smiles on my finances). A ten year old, well cared for model is pretty much as good as a new one IMO and only a third of the price. There hasn't been very much progress in bike design in that time.

One thing I can say for decent ATVs is that the farmers use them rather then a horse, to their truck.  It gets them around on small jobs that requires a lot of walking to short drives with the cage when really the latter can be replaced by an ATV.  Problem is most of them are wrenchers of their farming equipment to some with a sort of home-machine shop.  Which means they will not require a shop  to service them.

Now in this area of Cold Cdn., IF(?) they have the money THEN it can go to a snowmobile for FUN riding to get them to a fishing hole & such.  So in reality the ATV or snowmobile will last so much longer in their hands compared to city folk.  So really not THAT profitable over the years.

Tack on the Govt is advertising the dangers to someone that tries to ride ATVs in a wild manner meaning injuries to death in some cases.