Business Idea

[GsxrBots]

I remember back in the 1970's seeing protesters signs saying there is no more oil and the end is near.
every few years the doomsdayers tell us everything is over. We do see prices fluctuate but fuel and oil are available everywhere and will continue to be for our entire lifes I say. they can't make big V8 SUV's and trucks fast enough. Motorcycles are safe for a loooong time.

I agree with this statement, but I think what the main problem might be is the whole economy in general. We've had a few dealerships go out here not because of service but because the economy is still crappy and people aren't buying toys when they are laid off... That would be my biggest concern. The powersports industry would be one of the first industries on the chopping block is all.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

When you say expert advice will be available does that mean a tech will walk away from what he's getting paid to do and go give free advice to someone in the hobby shop?
Or will his advice be included in the hourly rate? To do what you are thinking I'd think you'd need to have a pro out there 24/7 saying things like
'Hey! Don't do that or you'll cut your finger off!' , if not like all the others say have great ins.

Second point. By allowing folks to come do their own stuff at $10 bucks an hour you've possibly cut your shop out of the $50-90 an hourly rate for same repairs thereby decreasing profits. No?

It does sound cool and I'd use the place myself most likely but how long could you stay in biz at $8-10 bucks an hour? If the rest of the storefront can carry the hobby shop profitably than yes you could make it unique like a hangout, maybe even give some free maintenance seminars or do traffic building events.

 

[Rainbow7]

every few years the doomsdayers tell us everything is over.

We'll see.

BTW, I didn't say there was no more oil; I said I think it is going to become extremely expensive. - There's plenty of oil...but OPEC likes to try and hold the West to ransom through oil prices, and the Obama Administration is suicidally against domestic drilling.

 

[busabeast]

brilliant idea... yes i would use it.

restate whats been said: lots o' insurance; liability waivers; maybe a dedicated tech for the whole shop who doesn't turn wrenches himself, but a 'shop supervisor' who can readily answer questions and delegate workload; maybe a once a week class on basic stuff, once a month on common advanced stuff...for a small fee of course; maybe up the cost of renting a bay to 20-30 dollars, depending on what your shop charges per hr.- i would make it only slightly cheaper, and i would be sure to have excellent mechanics to entice the public into using the shop rather than doit themselves...

but overall i think it has great potential...

i love it!

 

[Commuta_Busa]

I guess as long as you've got all the details figured out it may fly.

What happens if I break your tool?
What if I forget to return the tool?
If I only have an hour a day to work on my bike but am swapping motors how is that handled?
OR say I'm doing an oil change and strip the plug on the pan. I order a replacement part that will tke days for delivery, where does my bike go? What if I decide to get the replacement part on my own, do I have to get the bike out of there? How do I contain the new oil that spiling out of the pan?
Do I schedule in advance when and how long I'll need a service bay?
If the resident "expert" helped in making a decision and something failed because of this decision in the future, who's to blame?
I strap down my bike, the lift goes up, the strap for an unknown reason fails and my bike falls over and is damaged, who's to blame?
Who cleans the dripped oil, coolant, brake fluid from the flloor?

These are just a few questions. There would have to be a huge "waht if" list for me to know what the exact rules are for the facility.

What I would really like to see from a repair shop would be a way to allow a customer to watch the service being performed. Perhaps a balconey or clear glass so I can watch the progress. Of course you would need a clean and professional looking service area that's well organized, a tech that is professional looking and able to articulate himself in a professional manor, they would have to be very attentive to detail while performing the service. I would hate to see some schlub drag my bike to a lift, lift it high in the air and walk off to do something else. Then come back to my bike fiddle around for ten minutes and walk away again.

I think most of the repair shops could do a better job overall. Stop taking appointments when you know there's no resource available. Shedule work more accurately. It's frustrating to bring a bike in for a minor service and have to wait all day or several days for it to be completed. There's a place I know that says tire swaps while you wait. Well, each time I've brought a wheel and a tire to be mounted it's taken several hours. I know they're busy but don't advertise quick walk-in turn around times unless there's someone who can actually perform the service and is available for walkins.

 

[Lycan]

Dude...IF you do this and I pray your dream comes true.....

Dont cheap out...buy LOTS of GEAR.. be the ONE place on the East Coast that has TONS of gear for people to try on, people will come from all over the place to try stuff out when they cant do that on the internet...and ...this advice will cost you a new jacket

Layaway bro don't laugh...do you know how many people cant afford a good suit or good gear cause they dont have ALL the cash right now???

20% down, pay monthly and I bet no one will care that Alpine suit is last years model, it will be new when they finally pay it offf..

Steady stream of money during the winter dude..

eh? Like that advice dontcha..yahhhh I knew you would

So when you launch and start makin money im coming to get my jacket ok? Ill give ya like a year first though..

 

[twotonevert]

If I had the cash i would buy my local dealership and make it unique. Make it what a place should be.

 

[Chris08Bus]

Dude...IF you do this and I pray your dream comes true.....

Dont cheap out...buy LOTS of GEAR.. be the ONE place on the East Coast that has TONS of gear for people to try on, people will come from all over the place to try stuff out when they cant do that on the internet...and ...this advice will cost you a new jacket

Layaway bro don't laugh...do you know how many people cant afford a good suit or good gear cause they dont have ALL the cash right now???

20% down, pay monthly and I bet no one will care that Alpine suit is last years model, it will be new when they finally pay it offf..

Steady stream of money during the winter dude..

eh? Like that advice dontcha..yahhhh I knew you would

So when you launch and start makin money im coming to get my jacket ok? Ill give ya like a year first though..

Haha! Excellent ideas! Once I get my feet on the ground, I'll comp you a full set of Alpinestars leathers. If you come up with more good ideas, I'll comp you a new set of riding boots too!

Thanks for the input!

 

[Chris08Bus]

...These are just a few questions. There would have to be a huge "waht if" list for me to know what the exact rules are for the facility...

I'm thinking along the same lines are you are. I've spoken to my sister in law who is a licenced attorney in Maine and Mass at length about these types of things, especially how to draft up a release of liability for customers to sign. It's funny over the years on different Navy & USMC bases I've visited and used the hobby shops, the number of times I put my car or truck up on a lift without signing any forms or even thinking about "what ifs".

 

[Chris08Bus]

Sounds like a neat idea, could also be kind of a hang out for gear heads....

This is what I was also hoping for.

I think eventually incorporating a dyno on site would attract some more attention.

Also, hosting vendor visits would seem appealing. Have reps from companies like Yoshimura, Brocks, K&N, Power Commander, etc come in and talk to people, maybe even provide demo bikes and parts at discount. It's good business for the vendors as well as discounted parts for the riders (who are the real priority, obviously).

I'm totally dreaming up a Motorcycle Metropolis with everything motorcycle imaginable in one place!

 

[Lycan]

Haha! Excellent ideas! Once I get my feet on the ground, I'll comp you a full set of Alpinestars leathers. If you come up with more good ideas, I'll comp you a new set of riding boots too!

Thanks for the input!

If you build it....they will come

If I can help you in any way I will dude, I have a pretty good repertoir with some vendors on the side But i'm telling you the layaway thing will be a hit dude...
Make sure you have the small hot dog machine roller thingy and water bottles for people I gotta say thats one thing the Harley dealers do right, you can grab a free coffee, hot dog, water and chill...of course they look at me kinda funny when I pull in w the Busa and eat their food but hey I bought a Harley from them a few years back so they still owe me like about 8,000 hot dogs

 

[Commuta_Busa]

Well, with a facility on a government base the rules are always they win you loose. In the private world the consumers have alot more rights.

I luv the idea I just don't know the feasability.

I'm thinking along the same lines are you are. I've spoken to my sister in law who is a licenced attorney in Maine and Mass at length about these types of things, especially how to draft up a release of liability for customers to sign. It's funny over the years on different Navy & USMC bases I've visited and used the hobby shops, the number of times I put my car or truck up on a lift without signing any forms or even thinking about "what ifs".

 

[busabeast]

+1 on layaway... i would spend a little more on something if i could get this service...

 

[Lycan]

+1 on layaway... i would spend a little more on something if i could get this service...

See! You havent even opened and you have 1 customer already

 

[busabeast]

^^^ seriously tho!



and when you're ready to open up a second shop down my way- i got yamaha '5 star' and harley 'bar and shield' certifications, along with my ncdot safety inspection cert! ...just sayin

 

[GravityIsEvil]

its a great ideal but look at the pros and cons you say you will have a tech there if they need help well your taking your tech away from what he is working on thus taking money out of your pocket. what happens if someone brings their kids in and a lift or a bikes falls on them or someone smokes near the oil drum and lights the building up. and the liability insurance im guessing would be expensive then you have the idgaf attitude of some people cause its not their stuff if it breaks and the added cost of another employee to watch the people coming in and out so you have a tech at $25 an hour the other guy renting n watching the place $ 15 an hour thats $40 per hour at your cost. where if you leave the tech working alone $ 70 per hour your giving away $30 per hour or $ 240 a day or $62,400 a year based on a 8 hour day or 2080 hours a year. the pros if you have a traveler that needs a tire oil or anything like that he can do it himself. im not trying to burst your bubble. personally i would like to have a place like that when im traveling.

 

[Chris08Bus]

^^^ seriously tho!



and when you're ready to open up a second shop down my way- i got yamaha '5 star' and harley 'bar and shield' certifications, along with my ncdot safety inspection cert! ...just sayin

I lived in VA for about 10 years and would be willing to go back. Who knows, maybe it'll happen! You could teach me a few things I'm sure.

 

[Spkrdctr]

As a man who went bust in the aftermarket business. I agree with the post that you will have to charge a minimum of $25 an hour. Then if you need tech advice, start going up in price say another $20 per hour (minimum one hour). You have to bring in a lot of money to pay all those bills that will be rolling in. Do not charge to cheap as I know where that leads!

I would use the hobby bays to get service for the main service dept. All the guys who start a project and get in over their head. They then have to turn it over to a regular mechanic. They are then out of the picture. This would probably happen all the time, nearly every day.
As stated, you would have a royal mess to clean up every day as the customers will spill everything on the floor possible. You have to cover the clean up cost with chemicals and man hours. The tech advice should be for small repairs. Any real major repair should be forced to use your repair dept. You don't want someone rebuilding an engine in the hobby shop. You will have lots of work for the regular techs who need to be MASTERS, and I mean MASTERS of getting broken bolts out and fixing stripped threads. They need to be so good that no job is too tough for stripped threads or broken bolts. Of course, you charge full shop rate for your techs to fix those bolt/thread problems.

I have a lot more advice to make you successful, but I don't want to bore everyone here. You will need a boat load of money pouring in at all times or bankruptcy is in your future. I can help with getting the money in..........good luck!

 

[Temeraire]

Warning: These are just recommendations not to be take as a declaration of what MUST be done... Thank You for your time.

You need to figure out the basic structure of what you want to do, is this place going to be full self serve or part self serve and is this going to be a place to hang out or a place just to handle business?
Then figure out how many people you need to run it, is there going to be a dedicated tech in the hobby part or are the regular shop mechanics going to pitch in, will you need a sales manager on site?
Then figure what non human elements you'll need to run it. Lifts, parts, tools, blah blah blah.
Then figure out what it'll cost to employ said people and to buy said supplies. That'll give you a ballpark of what you'll need to make in order to make up your initial investment. Next figure out your liability, can you post signs that limit your liability, ie no children under the age of 13 in work area etc. You'll also need to figure out a ballpark for the prices on that liability stuff.
After all that, then figure out your prices. See what's the cheapest you can charge and what is the high end of what you can charge.

That'll give you a good idea of where to go.

Now that I've said my peace on the business end... I love your idea I especially like the idea of having the place be a hang out. You can make great POS (point of sale) profits from little things you sell to people as they either wait or just pal around.
I would love to hang out and work on my bike
It's a good idea, now you just need to figure out how to go for it.

 

[Chemmy]

Reading what someone said earlier about what if'ing everything to death that can be easily solved actually. It is a liability claim.

If they bring a bike in and break it, it is on them..Pro is they will have a place to buy right there the stuff they need and if you dont have it, they can go get it or order it through you. As far as where the bike stays then you would have to have a storage area. Bikes are small so you wouldnt need that much space for this.

As for where to leave it if you are doing a motor swap, again there are plenty of places all over the world that are bike storage facilities. They have enough space to bring th ebike in backwards, park it, and then a lane to drive it out.

As for who is liable if your tech offers advice and the customer breaks it....well then the customer is liable, if the tech has hands on and does it..well then you the business are liable. So the perameters of the techs job should be well in check unless you put that in the liability waiver form they sign in the begining.

Another thing to have in the hang out area would be maybe an arcade. I know I sit around for 45 mins and I will end up playing the dumbest arcade game in the world just to pass the time.

I am also deffinetly a fan for the layaway option. I would deff get the leathers I have always wanted if someone had this option, keep in mind that even if the person stiffs you and paid a few months worth of payments and then missed some, most stores will tell you they will put it back on the shelf and you can start over with no money owed back so your stock room will not overflow with junk.

To answer the poster who said they did this on base all the time without siging waivers or anything...the answer is because it was free. And since you cant sue the military for money, they arent worried about it.