American Beta!

[happy seal]

New website w/ a lot of answered questions that have been asked here on TT.

They are listening! ?

www.americanbeta.com

[CRFJeff113]

Kinda an anticlimax for me. It still needs work.

[Piney Woods]

Any effort is appreciated. But if they do not address the dealer issues the future is still very limited. I have spoken to four dealers and all tell me that they will not be putting more Betas on the floor due to having to buy the bikes outright. They state that they just cannot justify having that much money sit and gather dust. Only one was able to sell a bike in less than six months and the rest had bikes sit for up to two years. None expect to sell any more due to the lack of exposure. I hope they address that problem or they may repeat the past history of GasGas.

[happy seal]

Any effort is appreciated. But if they do not address the dealer issues the future is still very limited. I have spoken to four dealers and all tell me that they will not be putting more Betas on the floor due to having to buy the bikes outright. They state that they just cannot justify having that much money sit and gather dust. Only one was able to sell a bike in less than six months and the rest had bikes sit for up to two years. None expect to sell any more due to the lack of exposure. I hope they address that problem or they may repeat the past history of GasGas.

Beta does not offer dealers a floor plan. Where as dealer gives Beta a few bucks a month to have bikes on floor. I wonder if that's what it's gonna take. These dealers are mostly small enthusiasts that put up their funds to buy a bike outright to hope to sell. I see the dilema. I bet there is a percentage of these dealers that Beta is willing to part with as well.

More adveratising????????????? I dont know. I guess I'm lucky I got a dealer who is trustworthy and honorable.

[Scrambler]

Lack of dealer support is why I only had my Beta for a few moths before getting rid of it.

[KX290F Pilot]

Lack of dealer support is why I only had my Beta for a few moths before getting rid of it.

I ended up being the last guy racing a Beta in the Enduro Series in NorCal. It feels kinda funny being the only guy racing a Beta. The dealer that was giving me sponsorship decided to sell off his Beta dealership. I got passed on to another dealer but I am losing my confidence in the brand really fast. My 2008 Beta's have been good to me but I think it may be time to move on to a different brand. Funny though, back in the early 90's I was one of the few guys that raced a KTM now look at how many KTM's you see out there.

[CRFJeff113]

Beta does not offer dealers a floor plan. Where as dealer gives Beta a few bucks a month to have bikes on floor. I wonder if that's what it's gonna take. These dealers are mostly small enthusiasts that put up their funds to buy a bike outright to hope to sell. I see the dilema. I bet there is a percentage of these dealers that Beta is willing to part with as well.

More adveratising????????????? I dont know. I guess I'm lucky I got a dealer who is trustworthy and honorable.

Floor Planning is not the issue, nor would it be a benefit for me as a Beta dealer. Having a floor planned bike sitting there for years is worse than having that money tied up for years because of interest. One thing that convinced me to be a dealer was that it was low investment. Floor planning would make that investment much higher. Also, many dealers floor plan their used inventory, floor planning the Betas wouldn't be that hard if I REALLY wanted to.

The issue is with advertising. Dirtbike magazine seems to be all the advertizing they're doing. Television isn't that expensive to advertize through. We have done it as a dealership. Make a commercial, sponsor riders, do whatever you have to do. LOSE money for a year because you're doing so much to improve advertizing, and everything else.

Secondly, Beta needs to get a more professional, organized dealer network that can represent the products well. I can't be the only one over here on the East Coast that is trying to promote these things (and I can't just keep dumping money into it).

My family once ran America's largest volume Honda dealership. Now we run a small shop selling Arctic Cat, Used bikes, and Beta. Arctic Cat doesn't advertize that well, but we do WELL with them because they have a great dealer network, adequate advertizing, and decent (and improving) dealer support. We don't have to dump that much money into marketing because we have that support from Arctic Cat.

Over-all, don't lose your faith in Beta yet. They came in in a down economy, so as things improve (and I think they will), expect to see more people buying top-of-the-line bikes. Right now, dirt bikes in general aren't selling well. We do good to sell used ones, but if someone is going to buy a dirt bike right now, it usually is a used one. I see that as they grow, more advertizing will be done.

[Piney Woods]

Whatever the reason, if AB does not solve the dealer/exposure thing quickly there may be no real tomorrow for the offroad bikes. There are HUGE areas of the country where Beta may as well be a UFO or Sasquatch. If the situation is that bad in NorCal its worse than I thought. The economy is a very, very slight part of the problem.

[decooney]

The one "NorCal" dealer move and transfer was an isolated case and personal situation not representative of a trend either way. Those of us who are nearby are thankful the new dealer was able to make the transfer happen quickly keeping a Beta dealer in Sacramento. I was just by the the new place the other day and saw one of the new 2012 RS 520s on the floor.

Primarily with other bikes in between, I've been a Honda/Yamaha rider for most of my life. Personally, I could care less about what's popular or mainstream or how many bikes each dealer carries on the floor. Too many on the floor for any brand could also mean they are not selling either, and the dealer just having to dump them driving the value of used bikes down too. I just like the way my current Beta rides and handles in comparison. As long as American Beta continues to provide parts as easily and quickly as they have so far, I'll continue with Beta.

[weantright]

Beta can advertise all over the place but when a consumer goes looking for the bike they just saw advertised, they get discouraged. Where's a dealer?? Find the dealer but where's the bike?? In the mean time he drove past 4 Hondas, 3 yamaha and a ktm. People on here talk about bikes sitting in the showroom lowers the value of the bikes. Then they say Beta sell! Which is it?? Owners of Beta bikes seem content on small dealerships and hit and miss locations. While the future buyers can't seem to grasp that thinking. The small dealers spend money to get new customers while Beta doesn't use their company to grow. If Beta wants to be a mainstream name here in the US, they will need to spend resources in the showrooms after they have a dealer in every big city. KTM and Husky realized they need to build a bike that we the US market wanted. Then dump bikes in the dealers hands to be sold. Jeff, Artic Cat doesnt advertised for several reasons one being owner satifaction/history of past sales in snowmobiles. The updated Beta website is a good start. However to finalize your out the door you need to have a dealer respond. Buy before you try or even see a bike is old school when the economy was solid. You will sell far more bikes if the buyer can see and touch one. Ride one and you may have a buyer every time. Floor plan works for the buyer, may not for the dealer or value of older bikes. Sales drive the companies motivation and it seems that Beta isn't motivated here in the states. Do they want North America or not??

[Badnews]

lost my two dealers here in the pacific northwest. its to bad the bikes are great and i love the exotics.i would never go to vegas but i ride a beta.ihope it works out for us !

[Piney Woods]

lost my two dealers here in the pacific northwest. its to bad the bikes are great and i love the exotics.i would never go to vegas but i ride a beta.ihope it works out for us !

This mirrors my experience. Of the SEVEN dealers I have contacted, SIX are no longer going to stock any Betas. One said he would order one. The remaining dealer who has ONE bike in stock is about 15 hours away. Several of these dealers also handle GG and are doing well with them under the new distributor. In huge areas of the country, Beta seems to have a real marketing problem.

[decooney]

This mirrors my experience. Of the SEVEN dealers I have contacted, SIX are no longer going to stock any Betas. One said he would order one. The remaining dealer who has ONE bike in stock is about 15 hours away. Several of these dealers also handle GG and are doing well with them under the new distributor. In huge areas of the country, Beta seems to have a real marketing problem.

Its possible they don't want to spend a lot of money on marketing, and taking the position the bikes sell themselves - to those who are lucky enough to get a chance to ride one. Many of the bikes in my area were sold based on referral and i've let several people ride my bike. To your point though, if you don't get a chance to ever see or ride or demo one, you won't know. Beta might be better off going from major city to city doing a demo day. The only reason I bought one was after not being satisfied with my other enduro bikes and one day someone let me try their Beta. Then my search began, immediately. Then four friends rode my bike, and they got them too. Riding one is definitely the best marketing tool they could ever hope for.

[Piney Woods]

Its possible they don't want to spend a lot of money on marketing, and taking the position the bikes sell themselves - to those who are lucky enough to get a chance to ride one. Many of the bikes in my area were sold based on referral and i've let several people ride my bike. To your point though, if you don't get a chance to ever see or ride or demo one, you won't know. Beta might be better off going from major city to city doing a demo day. The only reason I bought one was after not being satisfied with my other enduro bikes and one day someone let me try their Beta. Then my search began, immediately. Then four friends rode my bike, and they got them too. Riding one is definitely the best marketing tool they could ever hope for.

Agreed. Being able to see and touch one would be a close second.

[weantright]

Actually place them on the same playing field as their competition.

[kdxkawboy]

Dealerships are an interesting thing. Maybe Beta should concentrate more on finding a network of small enthusiast dealers than big city, high volume dealers. The bike seems to be doing better selling by word of mouth. The enthusiast dealer is more likely to have a Beta of his own for customers to look at and ride, which makes the BYOB program to solve the dealer's problem of showroom flooring.

Over the years its been my experience that folks will drive hours to work with a strong dealer, even when there is someone closer. Maybe I'm just old school, but when I raced CZ I drove the 4 hours to do business with Grand Prix Cycles in Santa Clara. I've always lived in rural America so maybe Ive grown used to this necessity, but over the years when I've recommend a dealer they've usually gotten repeat business.

I took a visit to the Beta dealership listed in Reno. Stood on the showroom floor for nearly 30 minutes looking at the '09 Betas in their showroom before a salesman walked over. I asked about the Beta and the BYOB program. Salesman actually told me that he'd rather sell me one of the Husky's they had. Said I wasn't interested in the Husky - that the handling of the 449/510 was lacking when the woods got tight and you couldn't get a larger tank for the new 310. Told him I was looking for a 2012 Beta 450 with the larger tank, radiator fan and the stiffer springs for someone over 200 lbs. Said he wasn't interested in selling me a Beta unless I wanted to buy one of the 2009. Said sorry I wasn't interested in the KTM motors, wanted the Betaq engine and left. After that visit, if I was interested in a Husky I would make the 4 hour drive over the Sierra's to Vacaville to deal with Motoxotica before I'll ever walk back through the doors of the Reno dealer. BTW, the Reno dealer don't allow no test rides.

Just for giggles, I don't know anyone that has a Beta, but I did read the review of the RS450 in Motorcycle Consumer News. Caught my attention. Since then I've gotten my hands on the Dirt Rider Street Legal Endure shot out and the Dirt Bike review. As I've searched forums I haven't found anything that has anything bad to say about the bike, just the sparsity of dealers. And I've found Chip Corfman's Beta-Talk forum

[happy seal]

Wow KDX, That's amazing. That dealer obviously is done w/ Beta or will be very soon.

I'll say this. There are no Beta dealers close to me. 2 hrs, then 5 hrs. I started reading about Betas. I called Scott up in Vt ( Motoconnection ). I talked to him for an hour or so. I did some more homework and rode out the season w/ the DRZ. read some more and started spring w/ the Z again and realized if I didn't get rid of that bike it was gonna kill me. I called Scott and asked him to look for a good bike used. He called me two days later w/ the bike I bought.

I bought this bike sight unseen and had never laid eyes on a Beta or ridden one. I just wanted a high end bike but not the color orange. Yeah, I know I'm crazy. Crazy in love w/ this bike. By far best bike I've ever owned.

So take a chance buy a Beta. Parts are easy, it's the 10 hr round trip to pick it up that's the bitch.

[decooney]

...but when I raced CZ I drove the 4 hours to do business with Grand Prix Cycles in Santa Clara...

kdxkawaboy,

I bet that was a special day too, haulin' that CZ home looking back in the mirrors to make sure it was there the entire drive home. That CZ was far more of a purchase risk back then than it would be today for any bike, and wasn't it one of the coolest bikes ever? Those old CZ bikes are a piece of history. Just picked up an old Elsinore the other day to recapture some of those old memories. My step brother had the CZ at the time and even today, I still think it was one of the coolest MX vintage bikes of all time.

[Rickyh21]

Beta definitely could improve some things in advertising, marketing, and dealer network. They are or seem to be working on that in most places. Many big dealers don't want to deal with exotics because they are not an easy sell. You generally need to get out and push exotics at races, banquets, and things to move them. The Jap stuff most dealers can get by with no advertisement and pay the bills. People know about the Jap stuff. I think floor planning if done right can help but only if you can find a program that is feasible (the reason they don't have flooring). I do believe you must have at least one bike for people to ride/see. I know I will have at least one on the showroom to see. Beta really doesn't want to sell thousands of bikes in the USA, that’s both Italy and American Beta. Beta Italy makes their target number of bikes as a whole and is profitable from what I can gather.....

Cheers,

Rick

www.trackntrailcycle.com

[CRFJeff113]

Beta can advertise all over the place but when a consumer goes looking for the bike they just saw advertised, they get discouraged. Where's a dealer?? Find the dealer but where's the bike?? In the mean time he drove past 4 Hondas, 3 yamaha and a ktm. People on here talk about bikes sitting in the showroom lowers the value of the bikes. Then they say Beta sell! Which is it?? Owners of Beta bikes seem content on small dealerships and hit and miss locations. While the future buyers can't seem to grasp that thinking. The small dealers spend money to get new customers while Beta doesn't use their company to grow. If Beta wants to be a mainstream name here in the US, they will need to spend resources in the showrooms after they have a dealer in every big city. KTM and Husky realized they need to build a bike that we the US market wanted. Then dump bikes in the dealers hands to be sold. Jeff, Artic Cat doesnt advertised for several reasons one being owner satifaction/history of past sales in snowmobiles. The updated Beta website is a good start. However to finalize your out the door you need to have a dealer respond. Buy before you try or even see a bike is old school when the economy was solid. You will sell far more bikes if the buyer can see and touch one. Ride one and you may have a buyer every time. Floor plan works for the buyer, may not for the dealer or value of older bikes. Sales drive the companies motivation and it seems that Beta isn't motivated here in the states. Do they want North America or not??

I'm going to have to disagree with you. More dealerships would help sell, no doubt, but we Beta riders accept that there just aren't many dealerships because it is an EXOTIC bike.They're not going to be common, and they will be an enthusiast's bike. The same goes for most exotic cars.

Perhaps a consignment agreement would be a good option for Beta, or floor planning the bikes themselves, not having the dealer pay any interest. This way they can move bikes around if another dealer has a sale, and the dealers could see what other dealers have (works out GREAT with Arctic Cat). I agree that more bikes on the floor will help .

Dealerships should be Beta's first priority, and by serving the dealer, you are serving the customer. You can't make the dealers carry a large number bikes if they are going to cost the dealership money. That would just cause MORE dealers to drop the brand.

As a side note: I would say that Arctic Cat is not an established/well known brand here in the south. By that same logic, Beta wouldn't have to advertize because it is established as a trials brand. All of the big 4 DO advertize though they are well known. Everyone needs to advertize, but lets not dwell on this.