My Piaggio dealer is closing

[Stig / Major Tom]

Rec'd a postcard yesterday from my Vespa/Piaggio dealer. They are closing Feb 28, 2018.
A few days before I purchased my Liberty150i last summer, the dealership was struck by a small tornado. It took out a diner across the road and did some damage to a stand of trees and a couple of buildings.




When I arrived the dealer was open, and operating, while the showroom covered by a good bit of plywood.



There are 3 Vespa dealers about 1.5 hours away, but I hope to never use them. af1racing in TX can supply me with parts - and I have tools and some experience with my Kymco, and a downloaded official Piaggio manual for my new scooter. Figure I'll be on my on - since there are darn few Liberty owners on the Vespa forum.

I'm not too concerned -
However - Yamaha scooters are nonexistant in these parts, Honda scooters are down to only 150cc or less, 200 Burgman is too expensive for what it is, local Kymco dealer isn't inspiring any confidence for long-term ownership ......

But I have 3 Honda dealers in the area - 2 of which are the mega Honda-only 'powerhouse' dealerships.
If the Piaggio craps out - I will surely put a down payment on a RED Honda upright ABS motorcycle to ride out my sunny years.

A few years ago I was close to buying a Piaggio BV 350 at the above - but the Honda dealer pointed out how few dealers were around, should I need service on the road...while there are 3 nearby Honda dealers.

Sorry to see people losing their jobs. A scooter is only my hobby - not my livelihood.

Stig

[LoupGarou]

Fewer dealers is never a good thing. 
The relative abundance of Kymco dealers near me was a large factor in my choosing the Spade over the Sym Wolf 150... although I'm probably still gonna  get that Wolf one of these days.

[TroutBum]

You are a resourceful guy Stig. I'm sure you won't have any problem keeping your scooter up and running. But sadly it does seem more and more scooter shops are closing or shrinking their brand offerings. My local Kymco dealer is no more. They now just focus on Piaggio/Vespa. They stopped selling Kymco, Genuine and a couple non Piaggoi/Vespa Italian brands. Unlike MC when a dealer closes there are several indie shops that can service your bike. It's rare to find indie shops that service scooters outside large metro areas. 

[CROSSBOLT]

The way things are going, manufacturers should consider doing business direct. Ship me a crate any day. I will put it together without tool marks, scratches and broken connectors.

[Tromper]

That'd work for you, but making it would scooting less accessible for newer riders and the less mechanically inclined.  The only thing worse for the bix would be bad dealers.   Sadly the declining margins are probably selecting for those to a point as well

(Corrected for spelling..Tapatalk's spellwrecker is a PITA at times)

[boo]

The only Vespa/Piaggio dealer within 300 miles of me dropped the Vespa/Piaggio line of scoots about three years ago.
This is the main reason I do not own a BV350.

af1 Racing is probably the best dealership in the US. I have dealt with them with good results. They can get you about anything you need.

[kingkymco125]

Here in Vegas, the local Kymco dealer closes about a year and a half ago. I still have my bike. However, it was the new law that forced them to go out of business. For basic work, I have a local scooter shop I take to in Downtown Vegas. The husband and wife team who own the shop are honest people.  There are not as many scooters here as there used to be because of the new law. The new requires all 50cc scooters to be registered and insured. Now many customers they should just buy a motorcycle instead of a scooter.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Here in Vegas, the local Kymco dealer closes about a year and a half ago. I still have my bike. However, it was the new law that forced them to go out of business. For basic work, I have a local scooter shop I take to in Downtown Vegas. The husband and wife team who own the shop are honest people.  There are not as many scooters here as there used to be because of the new law. The new requires all 50cc scooters to be registered and insured. Now many customers they should just buy a motorcycle instead of a scooter.

Good for you.
Would love to have a local scooter shop.
Stig

[kingkymco125]

Recently he adjusted my valves. I kept having to do use the kick starter to start the bike. I was getting tired of doing and kept thinking why does my bike keep having these problems? Once his team adjusted the valves she began to run like a champion again. I was thinking maybe it is time to sell the old girl. Right now I have no plans to sell her. Besides in the Vegas market, the bikes are tough to sell. If I was gonna sell it, I would sell my 2012 Agility 125cc for no less than $600.  Who cares about the high mileage on them. The scooter shop owner told me these bikes can easily last up to 40,000 miles.

[big blue]

My Kymco dealer was about 20 miles away so I could bring my scoot in for the first services by just riding it there. About 2 years later they closed but by then I was very comfortable with most servicing jobs it required. There is a large scooter shop in Portland where I can get parts without having to pay for shipping. I simply drive up and get them and my wife and I have a day in the "Big Town". We have a local m/c store here in town that will do tire installs and other stuff that requires tools that I don't keep on hand. We lost our Piaggio store a couple of years ago because it was a Harley place and the clash of cultures just didn't work. Doing my own maintenance gives me a sense of oneness with my ride and I know that it is done right.

[LidoCA]

 Living in a large metropolitan area (10M people) has made me quite aware of the problem of dealerships closing or dropping a particular line of product. There are 2 Kymco dealers within 50 miles of me. 3 Vespa dealers, 1 SYM dealer, 5 Yamaha dealers, various others, and 241 Honda dealers. (Obviously an exaggeration regarding the Honda dealers.) For my next toy, I would be interested in a maxi scooter. The choice right now is between the Kymco 400, Yamaha Xmax, and the BV 350. All are on the edge of throwing out due to dealer uncertainty. If I get more confident in working on a particular make, I would go that route. I wish all were as easy to work on as my Like.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Living in a large metropolitan area (10M people) has made me quite aware of the problem of dealerships closing or dropping a particular line of product. There are 2 Kymco dealers within 50 miles of me. 3 Vespa dealers, 1 SYM dealer, 5 Yamaha dealers, various others, and 241 Honda dealers. (Obviously an exaggeration regarding the Honda dealers.) For my next toy, I would be interested in a maxi scooter. The choice right now is between the Kymco 400, Yamaha Xmax, and the BV 350. All are on the edge of throwing out due to dealer uncertainty. If I get more confident in working on a particular make, I would go that route. I wish all were as easy to work on as my Like.

I'd  take a long look at a lightly used Honda Forza-300/ABS.
In some areas they still have new left-over models.
Sadly, nothing is as easy to service as our LIKE200I's....., but the Forza's oil, oil filter, gear oil, spark plug, air filter and CVT are easy to get at.
It is NOT a SoCal highway all-day-long capable scoot.....but it is wonderful for anything else.
Plus---- it's Red, and it is a Honda.

The BV350 is superb, by all accounts.
And the new 400ABS Kymco is very interesting.

(yeah, I've been a Honda bike fan for 50yrs. 3 bikes and 1 scoot)
Stig

[Doc Wheezer]

Here in Vegas, the local Kymco dealer closes about a year and a half ago. I still have my bike. However, it was the new law that forced them to go out of business. For basic work, I have a local scooter shop I take to in Downtown Vegas. The husband and wife team who own the shop are honest people.  There are not as many scooters here as there used to be because of the new law. The new requires all 50cc scooters to be registered and insured. Now many customers they should just buy a motorcycle instead of a scooter.

Las Vegas scooter law passed in 2015 SB404 inacted Nov. 2016 Does NOT require insurance
You must have a Driver's License or Driver Authorization Card (any class) to operate a moped on public streets.
Moped owners must obtain a moped license plate and pay one-time registration fees to help combat moped theft in Nevada.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2016
MOPED REGISTRATION IN NEVADA BEGINS NOVEMBER 1
Registration and license plates will help combat theft

Moped Laws at a Glance
Vehicle registration and a license plate are required in Nevada.
Owners must register their vehicle one time only. The registration will remain valid as long as the owner retains the vehicle. Annual renewal is not required.
You must hold a driver’s license (any class) to operate a moped on public streets.  A Class M motorcycle license is not required.
Helmet use is not required
Liability insurance is not required
Riders must ride in the extreme right-hand lane of a multi-lane road unless preparing to make a left turn, it is unsafe to do so or if otherwise directed by a police officer.
Moped dealers and rental companies must obtain a DMV business license. See Occupational and Business Licensing.. This and the fact that if they ran a repair shop, that had to be Licensed too is what forced a lot of small shops to close.
Definition
“Moped” means a motor-driven scooter, motor-driven cycle or similar vehicle that is propelled by a small engine which produces not more than 2 gross brake horsepower, has a displacement of not more than 50 cubic centimeters or produces not more than 1500 watts final output, and is capable of a maximum speed of not more than 30 miles per hour on a flat surface with not more than 1 percent grade in any direction when the motor is engaged. (NRS 482.069)

[Forbes1964]

In Tallahassee (population in the metropolitan area around 300,000), we have 1 kymco dealer who also sells a couple of other brands, and one Sym dealer who mainly sells Chinese scooters. The Honda and Yamaha dealers couldn’t care less about scooters. But they do charge MUCH, MUCH more for repair and service than the Kymco dealer.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[kingkymco125]

Las Vegas scooter law passed in 2015 SB404 inacted Nov. 2016 Does NOT require insurance
You must have a Driver's License or Driver Authorization Card (any class) to operate a moped on public streets.
Moped owners must obtain a moped license plate and pay one-time registration fees to help combat moped theft in Nevada.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2016
MOPED REGISTRATION IN NEVADA BEGINS NOVEMBER 1
Registration and license plates will help combat theft

Moped Laws at a Glance
Vehicle registration and a license plate are required in Nevada.
Owners must register their vehicle one time only. The registration will remain valid as long as the owner retains the vehicle. Annual renewal is not required.
You must hold a driver’s license (any class) to operate a moped on public streets.  A Class M motorcycle license is not required.
Helmet use is not required
Liability insurance is not required
Riders must ride in the extreme right-hand lane of a multi-lane road unless preparing to make a left turn, it is unsafe to do so or if otherwise directed by a police officer.
Moped dealers and rental companies must obtain a DMV business license. See Occupational and Business Licensing.. This and the fact that if they ran a repair shop, that had to be Licensed too is what forced a lot of small shops to close.
Definition
“Moped” means a motor-driven scooter, motor-driven cycle or similar vehicle that is propelled by a small engine which produces not more than 2 gross brake horsepower, has a displacement of not more than 50 cubic centimeters or produces not more than 1500 watts final output, and is capable of a maximum speed of not more than 30 miles per hour on a flat surface with not more than 1 percent grade in any direction when the motor is engaged. (NRS 482.069)
[/quote

There are already two scooter shops that recently closed. Jim, we do not see as many scooters as we used too. The law has had a tremendous effect on the scooter market.