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Mark Hinchliffe·
Motorbike newsSales
··2 Comments·1 min read

Would you buy a motorbike online?

Would you buy a motorbike online? MV Agusta has now opened orders for all its motorcycles online in a trend that could send shivers down the backs of every motorcycle dealer. Suzuki Australia recently offered online ordering for their new Katana model and declared it a success. MV Agusta started their online ordering with the launch of the Superveloce 800 Serie Oro and the Brutale 1000 Serie Oro limited series. Sales success They also declared it a success and have now extended it to their entire range. In both cases, customers are then referred to their nearest dealer to complete the order and handover. MV Agusta CEO Timur Sardarov says the “digital ecosystem is a cornerstone for reaching worldwide growth and strengthen customer relationship”. Suzuki Australia marketing manager Lewis Croft says dealers loved it because it did all the groundwork with customers and all they had to do was the final paperwork and handover. But with dealers suffering in the third year of a sales slump, anything that takes them away from the process of selling could make them very nervous. Online orders Online ordering of cars has been happening in the US for more than a decade. But cars are more modes of transport than motorcycles. A 2015 US motorcycle industry study found that the availability of demo rides not only improves customer satisfaction of dealerships but also increases motorcycle sales. https://webbikeworld.com/demo-rides-improve-motorcycle-sales/ You can’t do a demo ride over the internet. We can understand the success of online orders for limited-edition motorcycles such as the MMV Agusta Superveloce 800 Serie Oro and Brutale 1000 Serie Oro as well as the Katana which is limited to 5000 worldwide. Collectors would be more likely to buy a bike based on its collectibility. But it may be difficult to extend that to mass-produced models. Do you think online ordering is the future for motorcycle sales and will it destroy or promote dealerships?
 MV Agusta web

MV Agusta has now opened orders for all its motorcycles online in a trend that could send shivers down the spines of every motorcycle dealer.

Suzuki Australia recently offered online ordering for their new Katana model and declared it a success.

MV Agusta started their online ordering with the launch of the Superveloce 800 Serie Oro and the Brutale 1000 Serie Oro limited series.

MV Agusta Superveloce 800, Dragster 800 RR America and Brutale 1000 Serie Oro gold mirror online
MV Agusta Superveloce 800

Sales success

They also declared it a success and have now extended it to their entire range.

In both cases, customers are then referred to their nearest dealer to complete the order and handover.

MV Agusta CEO Timur Sardarov says the “digital ecosystem is a cornerstone for reaching worldwide growth and strengthen customer relationship”.

Suzuki Australia marketing manager Lewis Croft says dealers were, at first, very nervous about selling online.

But he says they loved it because it did all the groundwork with customers and all they had to do was the final paperwork and handover.

Suzuki Katana is a rider’s delight online
Suzuki Katana

But with dealers suffering in the third year of a sales slump, anything that takes them away from the process of selling could make them very nervous.

Online orders

Online ordering of cars has been happening in the US for more than a decade.

But cars are more modes of transport than motorcycles.

A 2015 US motorcycle industry study found that the availability of demo rides not only improves customer satisfaction of dealerships but also increases motorcycle sales.

demo ride online
Harley offers non-licensed people a demo ride with their Jump Start

You can’t do a demo ride over the internet.

We can understand the success of online orders for limited-edition motorcycles such as the MMV Agusta Superveloce 800 Serie Oro and Brutale 1000 Serie Oro as well as the Katana which is limited to 5000 worldwide.

Collectors would be more likely to buy a bike based on its collectibility, not its rideability.

But it may be difficult to extend that to mass-produced models.

  • Do you think online ordering is the future for motorcycle sales and will it destroy or promote dealerships? Leave your comments below.
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Mark Hinchliffe
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2 Comments

  1. I’m not sure where you are going with this one Mark. People have been buying second-hand bikes online for as long as there has been an internet. Every dealer on bikesales.com tells you they will happily ship the bike anywhere in Australia! You can even ask for detailed walk-around videos and test-ride videos.

    As a buyer you just have to accept that you really don’t have any practical (emphasise “practical”) warranty from a dealer that isn’t close to you.

    If the question is “Would I buy a NEW bike directly from a manufacturer without involving a dealer?” my answer to that depends on how they answer two questions:

    – How can I see/sit/ride it first? (MV Augusta has test ride days at a set location for example).
    – How will they provide warranty support?

    I believe that Tesla in the US sells cars directly from the internet to your door so it can be done.

  2. I agree with Nigel above.
    I fell in love with, and purchased, a 2nd hand bike from a dealer in WA.
    It was exactly what I wanted, at an unbeatable price – even including the shipping from Perth!

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