Bimota Forum

[MARTIN]

Just heard that another titan of the British motorcycle industry has gone bust.
Hein Gericke (UK), whose head office is in Harrogate, saw Moorfields
Corporate Recovery move in as administrators yesterday.
Moorfields are hoping to sell the company, which is separate from the
German parent, but which last year lost £1.3 million.


At this stage it's not certain what will happen to the 49 stores that
exist in the UK and of course the staff employed who make their living
from motorcycling.


The wider economic conditions aside, one must ask how the fall in those
accessing motorcycling through our new convoluted testing and training
regime may have contributed to this.


It was at the start of the summer that the George White chain of shops
closed and the end of last year when that other famous brand, Frank
Thomas, folded.
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Marty
State of the art and leading edge of cocking things up

(00) SB6 (95) HD FXDWG STRETCH (01)GSXR1000K1

[SiBag]

They are having a closing down sale. Bit of a shame.
But to be honest I thought their kit was a bit pricy.
Just been over to chester with the family and scored a few bits n bobs.
Disk lock, couple of bike covers, and a waist bag, (fanny pack to a colonial freinds) saved about 30%. if I had purchased them last week.
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Si...
SB6..CCM R30...GSXR-750-M...RGV-250-VJ22.. GSX-1100-EFE Project....Harris Magnum II project...

If its got Ti#s or Wheels its gona give you trouble

[mv05 exy]

seems such a shame but as Si says, they were quite pricey. Last year i went on a tour of Europe. Needed several bits and bobs like luggage carriers, waterproofs, gps holder etc. Went into my fairly local one, decided what i liked, took note of the names and priced it all up. Sat outside the shop for ten minutes having a fag, searched on line to make sure i wasnt being ripped off...................I bought it all online, mainly from Ebay (Busters Motorcycle Shop) for a hell of a discount, i saved a good few tanks of petrol, almost £100.

I know a few people will probably take a dim view of this approach, but i work hard for my money so dont have a problem with spending a few minutes trying to save it.

Companies like Frank Thomas folding is a suprise though, but again, are they perhaps over priced? Are there alternatives for less £££, i think so, there are also better looking alternatives, Frank Thomas made brilliant gear, but aged in design and concept. They got overtaken i'm afraid to say.

These companies need to think more modern, if you cant beat them, join them.
Could you ever buy Hein Gericke gear on-line? I just looked and you cant now but that may be a restriction of being in administration. I'd hope so.
Take HMV as an example, sold music for years and years and made a mint, they had plenty of time and money to join the digital revolution but they let it slip away. Carried on for years selling CD's out of shops on the high street whilst smaller companies thrived by setting up simple online digital download platforms and rivalled the likes of Itunes. Now look at them.

Its down to poor management, not just a change in rules and regs of tests etc, the motorcycle accessory market in the UK is worth millions, Hein Gericke just didnt know how to tap into it properly.
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My worry is when i die, my wife will sell my stuff for the price I told her i paid for it.

[MARTIN]

Yep, tend to agree with you guys, Gericke was overpriced but -

look at it from this ethos,most retail establishments (shops) are overpriced if you compare them to products on line, usually due to shops having overheads, like staff and premises near you.

If everybody bought online then these very shops would more or less cease to exist, simply because they cannot compete with online prices.
Why - because online prices dont have the same level of overheads.

Now I am all for a free economy, but at what price- not necessarily to me

If we want a nation of call centres and distribution nodes,then carry on down this route.

Heck this even goes as far as drink, I can buy the stuff about half the price that I would pay in pubs, stay at home, get legless, and dont give a hoot if any local bars have to shut due to lack of customers - sound familiar
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Marty
State of the art and leading edge of cocking things up

(00) SB6 (95) HD FXDWG STRETCH (01)GSXR1000K1

[Pompey]

It is a very valid point. Gericke provided quality stuff and deserved to charge the extra. The market proved them wrong to do so but it is as much our loss as theirs. I was sponsored by them years ago when I was advanced rider training people ( Next Step Advanced ) and after 14 years their waterproofs and leathers are still holding strong. Hopefully the market will turn back to paying for the ability to try stuff on with great advice from a trained assistant who gets you to buy the best quality which can last a life time... those were the days.
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Pomps
Bimota's Db2, Db5 ,Ducati's 851' 92, 888' 93, Honda blade' 93, Triumph speed triple' 07, kawasaki zxr 750 k1

[Evilchicken0]

The company has got a buyer http://www.moorfieldscr.com/news-and-insights/buyer-found-for-leading-motorcycle-clothing-and-accessory-retailer-hein-gericke-uk1/
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Don't read everything you believe