The Powersports Industry & M/C Roadracing

PU

 

That's like saying you would rather sell Chinese 4 wheelers because they're cheaper than Honda 4 wheelers.

 

I don’t know why anyone would ever buy the $200 helmets…

 

And now we have the answer because of the like

 

Not really. To most people, there’s value in the Honda brand name. They’re willing to pay the premium, without having to be sold on the product. Trying to get someone to see value in a ~$1K helmet and selling it to them is really tough.

 

I’ve been hearing we were getting it since the beginning of 2020 and we still don’t have them on the site so I’ll believe it when I see it. But I’ve heard that their reps have been telling shops that we are getting it all summer. The only one left in my area hasn’t said it though and the other two quit this summer.
Sure I’d love to have arai, it’s a legendary brand and I’ve raced in them before but I can’t say it will have a drastic affect on how many dollars of product I sell a year.

 

When my kid finally talks me into a motorcycle for her chances are she’ll be wearing an Arai.

yeah, expensive as f@ck but it’s cheap peace of mind.

 

Funny that you said it that way because there's value, quality, fit in the Arai name too

 

Times have changed, I remember drinking beers with Jeff Fox and Bruce Porter at Road America and I said hey Jeff you should be selling these

 

No doubt, for those who are immersed in bikes. Even then, most still won’t spend that kind of money on a helmet. And, for the average customer walking in the door, the name means little. Most just want a decent helmet that fits their budget/perception of value.

BTW, I am an Arai owner and TSP customer, so I totally get the value in a quality brand and service

 

Because they don't have much money. Gotta know your market, there's no way I could sell Arai's here, this is a poor area. But I do stock and sell $150 helmets. Better to get them into one of those than have them keep wearing the 10 year old one they've got now.

 

Yep. No matter one’s personal perceptions, you gotta’ turn products to turn profits. No sales, no business. Inventory sitting is called a collection, which is what old shops full of old inventory turn into.

 

Not to mention today you can actually get a decent helmet for $150-$200 when those used to be absolute garbage. Yeah I'm not going to wear one but I feel fine selling them to people.

 

Hiroshima pipes will now only be distributing by WPS.

 

Damn! Yosh has “left” Tucker and has gone exclusively with WPS.

that’ll sting.

 

Hiroshima pipes are the bomb.

 

Curious, why will that sting?

 

J and D Walter has not been Arai for a few years now. Not even sure is JDW is still in business.

The Arai thing has been a mess for a while. And not sure being the the huge PU catalogs will help anything.

Wanna good ear full? Ask Brian Van on his thoughts after Arai let Revzilla buy direct but still forced all the other dealers to buy from distributors.
Gotta give him props for standing his ground for STG and switching helmet focus to other brands.
Heard from several other dealers they did the same and told Arai to pound sand. And probably why the loss of Arai sales via Tucker and hence their split from Arai.

 

With Western selling to every single shop, without regard to account size, that’ll only help accessibility to Yoshimura products, I think.

 

Sting with Tucker. There seems to be three brands of exhausts around here: Yosh, Arka and fleabay shit.