Alas, some good news gone bad

[Dragonrider]

Well, I had thought that the potentially lower prices for the 990 RTs would generate wider interest, and conversely, more dealers... Not so far - out here, folks are still asking the moon for any Spyder - hard to tell if they are actually selling them though.

Then I had a friend with a small local bike shop tell me he wanted to start servicing Spyders, and had found a good tech from a defunct dealer to bring on board. I told him I would help him finance his entry, if he could get the parts and equipment needed. Well, he called BRP and was told that unless he wanted to open a dealership, carrying the entire BRP line, they wouldn't even give him a discount on parts - that he might contact a "real" dealer to work something out, like sending the Spyders to them to repair...

I do understand the effort to support a dealer network, but having the nearest decent dealer over 100 miles away is a deal killer for many of us - especially with the Spyder being as complex as a Mini Cooper... and priced about the same.

Oh, well.... :banghead:

 

[cuznjohn]

BRP

Well, I had thought that the potentially lower prices for the 990 RTs would generate wider interest, and conversely, more dealers... Not so far - out here, folks are still asking the moon for any Spyder - hard to tell if they are actually selling them though.

Then I had a friend with a small local bike shop tell me he wanted to start servicing Spyders, and had found a good tech from a defunct dealer to bring on board. I told him I would help him finance his entry, if he could get the parts and equipment needed. Well, he called BRP and was told that unless he wanted to open a dealership, carrying the entire BRP line, they wouldn't even give him a discount on parts - that he might contact a "real" dealer to work something out, like sending the Spyders to them to repair...

I do understand the effort to support a dealer network, but having the nearest decent dealer over 100 miles away is a deal killer for many of us - especially with the Spyder being as complex as a Mini Cooper... and priced about the same.

Oh, well.... :banghead:

i was told that BRP is a tough company to deal with. it is either their way or nothing. now i have never met lamont but as far as i know he went to the BRP school for the spyder. your friend should call them back to see what the course costs and that if he took the course to become a trained tech would BRP support him in his endeavor at servicing their products. i think it is worth a call if he is interested in doing work on spyders

 

[Whitelightning]

It might be getting better.

I have exactly the same issue here. However, you might be glad to know that Pro Caliber has moved it's Cam Am sales and service to Vancouver (BRP Directed). Their technician Shon is moving to that store as well. Also there is a new Dealer about to Open in Salem (Power Motor Sports, from Sublimity).

 

[cuznjohn]

Looking at it from a slightly different side, BRP has a lot of "Legacy" dealers that have grown with them since the snowmobile Glory Days and are full line dealers.

How does BRP allow a startup to enter a market to compete with full line dealers without being unfair and possibly even violating their own franchise agreements with the full line dealers?

It's a tough one and I think that BRP's relationship with the dealers will have to change but it isn't going to happen right away.

roger i totally understand your thinking, but with their closest dealer apox. 100 miles away it might be worth a shot for them to call

 

[Chupaca]

Just a thought..!!

your friend could add the service to his shop for all things spyder anyway. He would not be able to handle warranty work but everything else would not be a problem. Those who are out of warranty have that choice. We have such techs about. Cheapcycleparts.com could be a good source for parts. It would help you out with tires brakes oil filter changes etc. His new found mechanic would have to get the buds program and know how to use it....:thumbup:

 

[PrairieSpyder]

roger i totally understand your thinking, but with their closest dealer apox. 100 miles away it might be worth a shot for them to call

:agree:

 

[ARtraveler]

A couple of interesting counter viewpoints. Both have good stuff to say.

IMO, this subject does not have a final solution, but is worth kicking around.

 

[Dragonrider]

Thanks for the thoughts - we'll keep kicking this until we are sure the mule is REALLY dead. Chris is a gifted tech, loves bikes, and has had his own shop for 20 years. He's intrigued with the Spyder. We'll see where this goes. :bdh:

Great news about Power Sports - they have proven themselves to be a great dealer for other brands. Hope this works for them!

Pro Caliber has three shops - Longview, Vancouver, and Bend. I've dealt with Longview and Bend (where I bought my first Spyder) - both were top notch dealers!

 

[zuni]

i was told that BRP is a tough company to deal with. it is either their way or nothing. now i have never met lamont but as far as i know he went to the BRP school for the spyder. your friend should call them back to see what the course costs and that if he took the course to become a trained tech would BRP support him in his endeavor at servicing their products. i think it is worth a call if he is interested in doing work on spyders

I contacted BRP about training while I was waiting to get my RT. They do not do training for individuals, their suggestion was to get the shop manual. If you were tight with a dealer you might be able to work a deal to pay for the training that it would cost the dealer to send someone.

CJ JAX

 

[Dragonrider]

One of our areas largest moto dealers - Bob Lamphere - loves the Spyder and concept. I have allowed him to ride my RT several times, and he loved it.

His dealers carry almost every brand, but not BRP. Bob said that BRP requires the whole line to be carried, and he won't consider snowmobiles or watercraft. He said he's already lost his shirt on those, and won't do it again. So, no Spyders for them....

 

[jerpinoy]

Business is business:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[spyder3]

The problem is, most dealers only sell spyders because they are forced to. Its like having the red headed step child. They don't seem to care about providing good support and service as witnessed on this board almost on a daily basis. Independent trained BRP mechanics in areas where there are no dealers or weak ones at best would probably make a lot of people happy including the dealers who don't give a rats behind.

 

[Dragonrider]

Several local folks have contacted me, and I wanted you to know I have passed all contact info to Chris. Thanks for your interest and support!

 

[Blue Star]

Independant repair shops.

The problem is, most dealers only sell spyders because they are forced to. Its like having the red headed step child. They don't seem to care about providing good support and service as witnessed on this board almost on a daily basis. Independent trained BRP mechanics in areas where there are no dealers or weak ones at best would probably make a lot of people happy including the dealers who don't give a rats behind.

Sadly that is not true in some cases. We have a GREAT independent Spyder mechanic in our area that was given a hard time by BRP due to a dealer that is strong on sales, but weak/over priced on service. Their concern was they were losing money on service work to him. Yet, never did anything to improve the service shop.