Cincinnati Dealership Closing

[KYLT05]

Wonderful!! Just confirmed that BMW of the Tri State is closing for good end of business today, Cincinnati's only BMW dealership. Livng in Northern Kentucky my closest option is the BMW dealership in Lousiville (which I've heard good things about) which is about 80 miles away.

Having just purchased a '05 LT last June whcih now has about 7K on the clock it is really discouraging. Love my LT but makes me think I should of stayed with the Goldwing when I was looking.

Hope someone picks up the dealership in Cinci. Think it would be a great opportunity given nothing covers the Cinci/Dayton/Lexington market. Closest on the Ohio side is Athens or Columbus.

Another big dealership void for BMW. When are they going to wake up!

On the bright side, the ride down to Louisville is pretty nice. Life goes on.

[messenger13]

Hope someone picks up the dealership in Cinci. Think it would be a great opportunity given nothing covers the Cinci/Dayton/Lexington market. Closest on the Ohio side is Athens or Columbus.So . . . when are you going to open up shop?!

[heavyd]

Seems this is happening often, the South Bend, IN dealer closed last year, a dealer in northern New Jersey just closed a few months ago and he retailed 120 new bikes last year. I talked with him at length and he said he just could not generate enough revenue to keep the doors open.

I was friends with the former head of dealer develpment for BMW motorcycle, he has since gone to work for Toyota. He said that BMW was insistent for new dealers to be BMW only. I have been in the motorcycle business for 20 years and I just don't know how this business model makes sense. A typical Harley dealer will sell over 400 new bikes per year and 100 plus used, when you add in parts clothing and service, these guys will generate 15 plus million in gross revenue easily. A BMW dealer is a big dealer if they sell 100 new bikes per year, sure some sell more, but many retail less as well. It is awefully hard to make any money when all is said and done when you are only selling 100 bikes a year.

[Photoman]

This is unbelievable to me. I live in a small town of 25,000 people and we have a incredible dealer here Mathias BMW. They recently built a brand new showroom and have an excellent service department. Great place to hang out and friendly people too. Also, our local dealership for HD was recently sold and the new builders built a huge new store right on I-77 (dictated by the mother ship of course). I don't know how many square feet, but it is a really big building. Beautiful and well stocked with all the propaganda that they are known for.

How can we support this many dealerships with our limited resources? How can a dealership "not" make it in Cincy? My guess is a combination of great service, friendly helpful staff and competitive pricing. Neither of our dealerships should have near the volume because we don't have the earning potential here. Our median household income is probably only $45K per year.

Your note makes me even more prone to try and buy locally. I don't want to loose the ability to run 3 miles down the road to pick up something, get a service done or sit on the new models. If you ever head north, take time to check it out. We live in the heart of Amish country with some of the most beautiful riding available here in Ohio.

[bigbear]

As of 12/31/05 BMW of Rockford, IL is closed.

Kind of makes me reconsider another Beemer. Guess will wait and see which way the wind blows this year.

[messenger13]

As of 12/31/05 BMW of Rockford, IL is closed. Kind of makes me reconsider another Beemer. Guess will wait and see which way the wind blows this year.
Welll, I guess the old saying is true. The cheapest thing on a BMW motorcycle is the OWNER! Your sig line says that you're "considering an LT". Maybe if more riders bought one instead of just "considered" one, that dealer might still be in business. And unless you have other newer bikes in your stable that you're not mentioning...is it a wonder we have dealers going out of business? Your current bike is 20 years old!!! And chances are pretty good that you bought that one used from a private owner.

I bought my LT in the summer of '02. Brand new from MY local dealer. And in early '08, I'll be buying my next brand new LT from them. And who knows what might happen before than. If we're not supporting the dealers, we have no right to whine when they close. Rumor has it...they are NOT non-profit organizations. And believe it or not, they actually do want to stay in business.

[hschisler]

I live in a small town of 25,000 people and we have a incredible dealer here Mathias BMW. They recently built a brand new showroom and have an excellent service department. Great place to hang out and friendly people too. Also, our local dealership for HD was recently sold and the new builders built a huge new store right on I-77 (dictated by the mother ship of course).

We live in the heart of Amish country with some of the most beautiful riding available here in Ohio.
Mathias BMW -- is that in the Cambridge, OH area?
I've seen their ads in the local (Columbus, OH) "auto trader"-type magazines.

10-4 on the roads in Amish country. I'm your neighbor to the west (Fairfield County). We head up to Amish country 3-4 times a year, but always in a car because I got my first bike in August '05. Looking forward to that trip on my LT some time in the spring.

[JetDoc]

Seems this is happening often, the South Bend, IN dealer closed last year, a dealer in northern New Jersey just closed a few months ago and he retailed 120 new bikes last year. I talked with him at length and he said he just could not generate enough revenue to keep the doors open.

I was friends with the former head of dealer develpment for BMW motorcycle, he has since gone to work for Toyota. He said that BMW was insistent for new dealers to be BMW only. I have been in the motorcycle business for 20 years and I just don't know how this business model makes sense. A typical Harley dealer will sell over 400 new bikes per year and 100 plus used, when you add in parts clothing and service, these guys will generate 15 plus million in gross revenue easily. A BMW dealer is a big dealer if they sell 100 new bikes per year, sure some sell more, but many retail less as well. It is awefully hard to make any money when all is said and done when you are only selling 100 bikes a year.

As I see it, the problem is that BMW motorcycles and BMW automobiles are two divisions of the same company, and senior management flips back and forth between the divisions, with the top career posts being in the car division. Therefore, the "Car Guys" are running the business, and trying to apply the same marketing model that works well for cars to the motorcycle division. They apparently refuse to understand that motorcycles are not two-wheeled cars.

I think that this is also the main reason that BMW management does not seem as responsive to concerns of motorcycle customers... As far as BMW management is concerned, the Motorcycle division is just someplace to put in your time untill you can be promoted to the real business of building and selling cars!

[xenia]

I bought my '04 LT at BMW of the Tri-State. Took it there for all the scheduled maintenance. They also had a program which provided free oil changes at the odd 3,000 mile intervals. I always thought they did a good job, and were friendly etc. Any of you guys been to either of the dealers in Columbus? I believe there is one that only handles BMWs. Might choose that one, but would appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Steve

[hschisler]

.... Any of you guys been to either of the dealers in Columbus? I believe there is one that only handles BMWs. Might choose that one, but would appreciate your input. Thanks, Steve
I bought my '05 LT new from BMW Motorcycles of Columbus (East side of town) in August '05. They sell BMWs and Ducatis, as well as Vespa scooters. Have had nothing but good service (600 mile service and a clutch replacement under warranty) and excellent customer service from them. They are knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful -- doing all the right things. Not the best prices on accessories or clothing, but then it's hard to compete with the megastores, and they concentrate on BMW and some of the "better" brands (my perception). They offer 10% off accessories, etc., for a year after you buy the bike; this may be typical of other dealers, as well.

They spent a lot of time with me to let me get the right bike. I did test rides of 5 models off their showroom floor, and I'm a real newbie. Just started riding 4 weeks before I bought the LT (yeah, I know...).

The other BMW dealer in Columbus (Honda Northwest) sells Hondas, BMWs, Ducatis, Suzukis and Yamaha. Did I leave anybody out?? -- they probably have a Schwinn in their somewhere. Their facility is larger, with a larger selection of gear. They also have a ton of used bikes.