New Guzzi Dealer coming to Connecticut?

[n3303j]

Watching this Kaplan Cycles video from dated about 5 days ago.

https://youtu.be/ObKMDy9c_ow?is=Jw9wKxW4x0QvuMVq

They run the New England Motorcycle Museum and Kaplan Cycles (same BIG building) in Rockville (Vernon) Connecticut.

They mention they are going to become a Ducati & Moto Guzzi dealer.

Interesting museum, nice staff. They have some skills.

[kingoffleece]

What they don't have is Hamlin running the shop.

[n3303j]

What they don't have is Hamlin running the shop.

But in a country with shrinking motorcycle sales and Moto Guzzi dealers disappearing on a regular basis it is encouraging to see a dealer making a success and supporting the brand. They are 70 miles apart and have a large area to draw service and sales from.

[Bulldog9]

As much as I hate this for Hamlin, and am pissed Guzzi/Piaggio would put two dealers so close, the Kaplan outfit seems top shelf. Decades in the Army makes me a collaborator, so I am hopeful that the two dealers will work together rather than compete.

[Kev m]

You can quote me in a year or so.

This won't end well for one of them.

Edit - wait wtf, just watched this video. At least they learned how to say Moto Guzzi since the last one.

But woah, where's all the money coming from?

That's an unbelievable investment in the building and land alone.

Edit to the edit - ok I watched the whole video. It's hard not to like the guy or wish him well. It's mind blowing the investment and it will be fun to watch.

But I can't see how this doesn't hurt Jim in that long run.

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

Ken's other business, Kaplan Computers, seems to have been very successful over the years. The guy has a reputation for being a good salesman and providing good customer support. As for the Hockanum Mill building that houses the motorcycle dealership and museum, you'll find public record of millions of dollars of low interest loans for renovation and targeted development.

[kingoffleece]

The fact doesn't change that they don't have Jim in the shop.  Next door or next state over-he's not there.
And Kev is spot on.  Won't end well for one of them.  Piaggio just did the same thing in AZ.  The small guy was great-fair and knowledgeable.  The big new guy is HUGE.  Nice folks-but the small guy kept everything alive here and Guzzi stuck it to him.

We own unique motorcycles. A good portion of these threads and Facebook groups are all about "stealerships" and poor service.  There's a few good ones around.  Use them while you have them.  I've seen all the books at several dealerships-nobody is getting rich selling Moto Guzzi motorcycles.

I've been at Jim's shop when guys from around the country stop in.  Some need assistance.  Been there till 11pm assisting to get a fellow rider back on the road.  Taken p[arts off a showroom bike to help a guy out-no extra charge.  You tell me if the "big new guy" does that.

[Dirk_S]

Best case scenario—they both have overflow of Guzzi customers and can support one another instead of resorting to competitive animosity. The brand doesn’t deserve to lose veteran, knowledgeable experts like Jim who give such time and care to riders and their bikes.

[n3303j]

Long time ago a local bicycle dealer told me that he wasn't competing with the other bicycle shops in town. They were all competing with the other forms of entertainment that weren't cycling. So they tried to work together to encourage the activity they were sponsoring.

There are plenty of humans around. More of them should ride motorcycles.

[Tkelly]

Ther is a shrinking market for gas motorcycles especially new ones with all the good cheap used ones out there.I see lots if teenagers riding so called electric bikes which are really light low powered motorcycles,no in surance or license plates.There is no loyalty in corporate capitalism,their sole purpose is to make profits so it is understandable what Piaggio is doing but I for one don’t like it and would buy from the old dealer even if he has to charge more,but at 81 I have bought my last bike,in fact have only bought 3 new ones in my life,so not the intended customer.

[DonT]

Open House appears to be this Saturday the 3 of October.  They are opening a "European" motorcycle shop which consists of Ducati, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia.  A demo truck from Piaggio will be there.   This is in a renovated Mill in the Rockville section of Vernon Ct.  There is a substantial collection of mostly 1970s bikes in the museum section, which I went through just before the - lock down, so 6 years ago, but it was impressive.  I've seen a couple of the Kaplan videos on You Tube, and the owner is the most extremely enthusiastic talker about Moto Guzzi I have ever seen.   
Previous commentary on this thread addresses the possible conflict as Hamlin Cycles is near by - by Guzzi standards, (about 70 miles)  Jim has serviced my bike since 2010, and (knock on wood) I've always been able to go when or where ever I wanted, and I'm not changing.  (My mechanical skills are such that I can strip the plastic drain plug when checking the oil - Jim fixed it)  My 1/2 full take on this is that if Kaplan Cycles can sell the 80 Guzzis a year he hopes, that's more business for Jim who can keep them all on the road.  Time will tell, but I'm  hoping to do a demo ride on a V7 sport on Saturday . . .

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

That's an interesting thought, and I too hope it works out that way. Watching the Kaplan videos on YouTube, they have a very large number of motorcycle lifts going in for service bays, but the man is good at sales. In one of the videos he mentioned they're the top GasGas dealer in the country in terms of sales. Sure that's another niche brand, but still means a lot to the customers of a niche brand who are buying them.

[Dirk_S]

Seemed like Kaplan spent half his time at the Guzzi factory/museum reopening hanging around Mark Etheridge, who by now has a pretty sizable social media following thanks to his nephew putting a camera on him. Kaplan’s certainly a man of the modern era and knows how to garner interest. Hopefully he becomes a loyal and valuable resource in time…along with my previous comments regarding his proximity to a proven loyal and valuable Guzzi resource in Jim.

[brider]

I'll be there on Sat. No better excuse to see the museum.

[chuck peterson]

Another part of this story is…

New Haven Powersports, the east coast largest Ducati dealer in New Haven (about a mile away from me) CLOSED

So, Kaplan is adding that Ducati dealership

And Aprilla

And Moto Guzzi all at once. Might be a great idea. I loved his enthusiasm at the museum opening. Go man, go!

Hamlin spends zero time in a parts website. Notice he makes money less so, if anything on sales and more on wrenching. He will do just fine. If anything, both will be challenged in the future with a general decline in the broader economy and motorcycling. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

I notice his location is about the same distance between New York and Boston. I think some of his business plan is to imitate the success of MAX BMW here in the NEast with 3 different locations and massive showrooms

My 2 centavos

[brider]

Another part of this story is…

New Haven Powersports, the east coast largest Ducati dealer in New Haven (about a mile away from me) CLOSED

When did they close?! I didn't go in there very often, but I loved the place, cool vintage bikes up on display on the walls, old Retriever dog shuffling about, first place I ever saw a hub-center steering Bimota. Convenient location, too. Bummer.

[Turin]

Didn't we lose Moto International this way? How many other good dealers have been pushed out over the years?

[kingoffleece]

Exacally.  Best support Hamlin, Cadre, Kissell, and the like.  You cannot BUY or supersize your mega store or anything else and get the wisdom and years of experience that the small shops provide.  Yea, you pay a little more.  Most people waste money on lots of stupid stuff.  And don't kid yourself-the small guys don't make crap on bike sales.  Anybody that's ever been around the books of a small shop knows this.

[chuck peterson]

Stopped in for the Open House…i was late about 2pm

WOW that’s huge..

Saw the two guzzi rides that rode there and the 1500 others with anything but Guzzi, Aprilla or Ducati. Ok there were a few more Ducati

Neat clean spacious wonderfully designed formal reception display areas. Polished wood floors bright colorful paint white washed ceilings old New England mill restored

No cigarette bare chested cranky old curmudgeons here

The guzzi test rides out front.

I noticed the fastest bikes (340kmh) on the planet, Aprilla, were garnering few test rides or attention

Big crowds great place

[CoolBreezeBreva]

I can see someone with like an old Norge rolling in to one of these mega-dealers for service. The guy at the service counter will ask "what's a Norge" and "where is the rest of the swing arm" lol. I got this information from a trusted source.

[bad Chad]

I have no idea what you’re trying to say?   

[CoolBreezeBreva]

What I'm trying to say is that these new emporium dealers will sell and service modern Guzzis but when someone comes in for service for an older Guzzi (like a Norge) they will most likely be clueless on these older bikes and say they can't fix them. That's why you gotta support the Cadres and Hamlins of the world. Capisce?

[brider]

... when someone comes in for service for an older Guzzi (like a Norge) ....

A Norge is an older Guzzi? Not criticizing your point of view (and I agree with your point), but man, I thought the Norge was still one of the most modern Guzzis. I rode my (red) '07 Norge to the event, parked it right in front on Main Street, and it looked just as modern as any other bike.

I WISH I could have ridden my '85 Cal II Auto, THAT'S more of what I consider an older Guzzi. With all due respect to the Loops, of course.

And yeah, it was kinda sad to not see a single Loop there.

[brider]

I wonder what lucky SOB won the '93 CR125 raffle. I had to leave before the drawing, but nobody contacted me.

[Dirk_S]

A Norge is an older Guzzi? Not criticizing your point of view (and I agree with your point), but man, I thought the Norge was still one of the most modern Guzzis. I rode my (red) '07 Norge to the event, parked it right in front on Main Street, and it looked just as modern as any other bike.

I WISH I could have ridden my '85 Cal II Auto, THAT'S more of what I consider an older Guzzi. With all due respect to the Loops, of course.

And yeah, it was kinda sad to not see a single Loop there.

…Considering the big blocks have been out of commission for…what…10 years now? It was hard enough when the bikes were brand new to get people to learn about them, ha!

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

Not that it matters much to me as it's not my neck of the woods, but Kaplan Cycles does restorations and museum preservations, which pair well with the museum there and their vintage bike sales. Bringing an "older" Guzzi to them might still have a decent shot, who knows until someone tries?

[CoolBreezeBreva]

To each his own, but when I mentioned an old(er) Guzzi I'm talking about the now 20 year old Norge without traction control, ride modes, TFT dash (although they could use a TFT dash given their LCD dash issues), etc. I just think the selling & servicing of Guzzi is best done in the small shops like Cadre and Hamlin's. I have used both shops to great success. I'm hard pressed myself to name a big emporium shop other than maybe AF1 Racing in Texas--and I'm not even sure if they still sell Guzzi's honestly. Seems to me like a lot of the emporium places are just a bit of a pop and fizzle situation when it comes to the selling and fettling of Guzzis??

[TN Mark]

What I'm trying to say is that these new emporium dealers will sell and service modern Guzzis but when someone comes in for service for an older Guzzi (like a Norge) they will most likely be clueless on these older bikes and say they can't fix them. That's why you gotta support the Cadres and Hamlins of the world. Capisce?

It’s not at all uncommon for many dealers to not work on a bike over 10 years old. Why, because their technicians learn on new stuff, not old stuff.

Obviously not all dealers follow that scenario but that doesn’t make the practice common. The dealers that have been around for decades, and will work on older bikes, are often your most valuable asset when owning a Moto Guzzi.

Case in point, my local dealer never saw a 1400 until I rolled in on my 2016 Eldorado. I’m thrilled that their technicians are willing to learn about this dead line. They’re going to replace the demand sensor tomorrow.

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

Some dealers will also steer customers with older bikes to outside resources, which can be a reasonable compromise. A friend who'd been a Harley tech for years ended up opening his own repair shop, specializing in older HDs, choppers, handicap/accessibility setups, and other niche bikes, and the local Harley dealership that he left actually send those customers his way while they focus on service for modern bikes and trikes.

Photo of my V7 Stone in front of his shop while touring earlier this year.

[blu guzz]

Many owners of older Asian bikes are in the same boat trying to get dealership service. Cadre started off as a repair shop and they still do a good trade in old bike service.  Many of those 80s bikes that flooded the country are still on the road, but the wiring and other parts are headed towards 50 years old. Someone has to help the owner or restorer, especially for nice riders and not showbikes to keep them going for a price that can be managed by a regular guy.  Every major city probably has at least one of these kinds of shops if you can find them.