Responsibilty of a Dealer?

[Shawn808]

I hope I am not overwhelming this forum with questions. Sorry I am kind of new still. :(

Realizing in my previous posts that there are no Yamaha Scooter Dealers here in Hawaii I was wondering if any of you could tell me the responsibity of the dealer once he/she has sold the scooter?

If I am able to sell Yamahas and Yamaha accessories I may be onto something. Esp when the NEW vinos come out. (scooters seem to not have that many parts are opposed to sport bikes and cars hence less headaches?)

When you bought your VINO what was the warranty on it? Also are there any mandatory changes such as gaskets etc, that are required by your dealer?

From a business point of view I already have a location to sell out of. (my existing coffee shop) and the start up seems low at only $1,800 per scooter.

Or is becoming a Yamaha Scooter Dealer too much of a possible headache?

Do I need a full service garage and such to work on scooters?

Any thoughts or opinions on this?

THANKS!
Shawn C.
Owner Gotta Java Espresso/Vino Scoot Cafe

[XPS1210]

you'd need a certification from yamaha... more than likely anyway... as new scooters come with 1 year (unlimited milage) warrenty... So you'd have to have the ability to be able to service them... and afford for the payment to come from yamaha...

In addition, you have to have buisness insurance on the scooters... My dealer in town said it was cheaper for them to fix 4 motorcycles that were tipped over on their show room than to claim it under insurance due to premium increases... So I think that's a HIGH COST!

I'm sure that hawaii has fees and such for auto dealers to have to deal with as well as worrying about DMV and such with licensing and all...

There is a lot you need to look into before trying to jump into this one... Start by talking to your local better buisness guys, then the DMV and such... then if your still interested in it get in touch with yamaha...

[Davey-boi]

First yamaha dealer in Hawaii!?! Go for it dude, sounds awsome! Sounds like a lotta work to get offvthe ground though :o .

[King Vino]

Jered hit on most of the points I was going to make. I'm amazed that there is no YMC presence on the islands only Yamaha Marine. Still it would be nice to have that banner as the only dealer on the islands.

[Shawn808]

Hi
Thanks for the info/suggestions. I just talked to a few car dealerships here (Honda and Nissan) and I think selling may be a real headache. Esp with cheaper products. Mark up isnt as high, and since they arent paying much they seem to want more out of thier product since its new. Not to mention as stated above insurance fees and licencing. Also I dont look forward to possible arguments with the customers if they throw it off a cliff and want a refund etc. Maybe if I open a full on scooter shop with techs and such I will look into this more. But to keep my coffee business stable and try to incorporate this maybe too big a step at one time for me. Techs and sales people etc cost $$$.

If these scooter parts sell really well out of my coffee shop then I may be onto something, but since I am new to the entire scooter business and have no real idea how large the market is here in Hawaii I will wait this one out for now. Gotta test the waters before jumping in! :)

[Chreaus]

Are there lots of rental shops there?
I have a friend that rented a scooter in Vancouver, Canada.
He thought it was a great idea.
Seems perfect for the tourists on a Island.

[Shawn808]

Hi
yes there are about 15 at last count rental shops here on Oahu (island of hawaii) Although most of them are in Waikiki. I am a bit further out from that tourist zone and deal mainly with locals. Maybe I will see one or two tourists every other day. Most of them get lost on the streets of hawaii. Most of our roads are not the grid pattern of the mainland.

[XPS1210]

where are you on the island? I was there in march and was loving life! Nothing like a free trip to hawaii for 5 days to attend a 8 hour class... We drove from Hickham to northshore via the parimeter road... Looked at lots of resedential roads...

Ended up getting to a marine base... Drove aroud that... was suprised to see the marine at the gate smiling...! No one in Alaska smiles!... Tehn played in the water at North shore for an hour and cut throught the mountains to get back to hickham...

Spent an evening walking the shopping area of Waikiki...

It was fun... I want to get stationed there next... It's on my list so we'll see!