Issue #236 But Where Will We Buy Our Bikes | Cycle, Now, Had, Car, New

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Issue #236 But Where Will We Buy Our Bikes

Written by Nancy Irwin
Monday, 03 December 2007
The new spread like wildfire all over Toronto, by telephone, on email groups and in person: another giant in the local motorcycle community had fallen. Venerable Cycle World closed its doors in mid-July, though it was to reopen again for a short period so that the liquidators could sell off the remaining stock. But the reality is that Cycle World, both East and West, are now gone. Of course this is terrible for the owner, John Bagby. The business had been in the family 43 years and was a fixture in the Toronto motorcycle scene. The employees learned on July 26th when they went to work that they no longer had jobs. Yet, a friend of mine had been there the night before and had seen no sign of anything amiss. Mind you, there had been rumours that the place wasn’t doing well. And with Honda canceling its distribution agreements with the majority of the dealerships in the country, including Cycle World, well ... Apparently Suzuki has established some standalone shops as well, but I’m not sure where they’re going with all that. Another friend worries about Kawasaki, which hasn’t yet gone that route, but may soon find itself without dealers if even long-established retailers such as Cycle World, Brampton Cycle and McBride’s continue to fold. It would seem that the era of the multi-line stores is now over or very near to that. Change is often hard, even when it’s for the better. I’ve learned that even truly exciting changes carry with them stress loads that can be overwhelming. In the last decade we’ve seen BMW, then Honda, downgrade their involvement with many multi-line dealers. McBride Cycle ultimately went down (after 97 years), even though they won back the right in court to sell BMW. Ontario Honda closed for other reasons. Perhaps the business wasn’t worth much without the building, and the building was rapidly increasing in value as the Leslieville area of Queen East has experienced a real estate boom. But now Cycle World? I’m afraid. Where will we buy bikes? We’ve alread seen what has happened with BMW—you go to a big car dealership like BMW Toronto. Granted, the bike section located on the third floor is strictly for bikes, but honestly, you have to pass by all the cars to get there. And it just doesn’t feel like a bike shop when the bikes need an elevator to get to the street. But maybe I’m old fashioned. SPEAKING OF CARS, ANOTHER FRIEND AND I HAD A discussion about the future of motorcycles if all the Hondas and other popular brands are being sold through car dealerships. Sales people are sales people. They make money on commission. Most shift from product to product depending on what’s hot. Sell a $60,000 car, make your cut. Sell a $12,000 bike, make your cut. What would you rather sell? We all work for money. And what about those $6,000 bikes? Who’s going to bother pushing them if there’s a car with three times the commission, I mean price, just down the showroom floor? How many bike shoppers are moved on down the line toward a more practical, good all year round in rain and snow kind of car? Doom and gloom. Or am I just afraid of change? I’m the one who didn’t even have a dealer to buy parts from for a few years while BMW sorted out the gap between the time they pulled the dealership from McBride’s and when BMW Toronto opened. Will people who ride Honda, Suzuki, Ducati or Moto Guzzi have to wait a few years until things get sorted out? How long before they have a place to buy parts, let alone new machines? Right now only Downtown Harley-Davidson looks safe, fueled by oil money and conveniently located to the business class that shops there. And what about Snow City Cycle? They seem to be the only remaining multi-line dealer in Toronto. The name Snow means something; they sell snowmobiles as well as ATVs. Perhaps they will survive. Bike shops located in distant towns north of Toronto survive selling both winter and summer pleasure machines and so might Snow City Cycle, located on the city outskirts. Bikers will always find bikes. Right now the Motorcycle Super Store located downtown on River Street is still there, even though the price of real estate in that area is booming too. One can buy a used bike at that shop; there’s a lineup of them, with more in the back. The Super Store also has an excellent selection of gear, from helmets to jackets to saddle bags and more. But no new bikes. Then there’s 109 Cycle, tucked away on Danforth Road at Warden. They don’t sell any bikes, but have a solid reputation as the place to bring your machine for quality care. They’re a new shop run by the guys from Ontario Honda whose reputation preceded them; it’s an excellent place to go for service. But where should we go for a new bike these days? Are the car shops ready for us? And are they interested or willing? What is to come of the industry when the family businesses are going bankrupt instead of selling to new owners? What about the people who worked all their lives building up a business, carrying brands in the early days when they weren’t profitable? After decades of loyalty they find that when they expected to cash in they’ve been cremated by a new plan, their businesses now just dust ... or debt. What’s to come of us who are struggling with high insurance rates making riding so costly it’s hard for those who need to keep two vehicles on the road? (Sometimes the family car simply can’t be replaced by two wheels.) I know one thing. Those who love to ride are not going to do anything but ride. We will find places to buy new bikes, and places to service them. But this doesn’t bode well for an industry that already faces snow in winter. Right now it’s sunny and 28 degrees. It’s also Saturday. I think I’ll go for a ride. But like many, I’ll likely end up somewhere about town where I’ll run into other bikers who will ask if I’ve heard the news about Cycle World. It seems like a memorial service is in order. This is not a happy time. I guess the only thing to do now is ride. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.