My BMW Motorcycle Dealership Experience

I've been riding bikes since I was about 10 years old. I spent most of my time on an airfield as a young boy, and there was always something with two wheels and an engine to play around with. I'm not a hard core biker and I'm not interested in taking them apart any more, but I just love the feeling of being on two wheels.

I've had quite a few bikes as you would expect given my age, and recently decided to get a new bike for a trip down through France and Andorra to Barcelona, Spain, in September this year. In the UK, BMW have recently merged their motorcycle dealers with their car dealers, so they are both sold from the same premises.

My idea was to buy a new BMW R1200 RT, to replace my ageing BMW R1100RS, so I duly went to a BMW dealer somewhere in the south of England. They shall remain nameless as they are probably no better or no worse than any other BMW dealer.

I have always liked the BMW boxer twin engine. Ok, it's not a sports bike, but if you want comfort and reliability, combined with good on board storage and creature comforts such as cruise control, sat nav, electronic suspension control and weather protection, there's little to beat the BMW RT. It also has a bit of "character" with a nice burble from the engine as opposed to the turbine smoothness of a four cylinder machine like the Honda Blackbird for example.

Arriving at the dealer I found the motorcycle sales showroom next to the car showroom and went in. I was met by a very pleasant man in a smart suit and a big smile. Through a window at the rear of the showroom was a window looking into the workshop, with a number of technicians working way supported by a ton of diagnostic equipment. Very impressive. The bikes were all laid out under lights in the showroom, and were all nicely prepared. I was told I could "throw my leg over" any of the machines there to see how they felt.

I explained that I was interested in the R1200 RT, but didn't want to buy a new one - I prefer to buy a year or two old so that I miss that first 25% depreciation. Second hand seemed to be a bit of a problem. Somehow the bike I was interested in and had inquired about by phone and come specifically to see was not there. In fact it never had been. The sharp suited sales man proceeded to work out figures for a new machine, despite the fact that I didn't want to buy new. I started to get a little annoyed, but said nothing.

To cut a long story short, I felt I was not dealing with "biking people". I do not mean that they have to be covered in grease and oil and oil and curse and swear a lot (to coin a stereotype), but there was a certain something missing. It felt like all they were interested in was a sale. The thing is, a bike dealership should be a place where bikes are not just sold, they are talked about and experiences shared. When I asked the salesman what sort of bike he rode, he said that he drove a car.

Overall, it was a completely sterile experience. Buying a bike is like the birth of a child. A bike needs love and care, and is very often a luxury purchase to be savoured. Experiences should be swapped and biking events remembered.

I left the showroom feeling disappointed and empty. I didn't buy another BMW bike. I went to Triumph.

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