Motorcycle dealership ????

Chuck T

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Nov 30, 2010
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Does anyone know if there are any CF Moto motorcycle dealerships in the RD ? and I'm also trin to get cobraboy off the hot pllate. jajaja
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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I doubt it, chuck. Bikes bigger than 125cc get to be awefully expensive for Dominicans. That US$4000 CF you have in the states will cost north of US$6000 here...IF you can find one, which I doubt.

Even the Honda, Suzuki, Yamahammers, Kawasakis, etc. importers here don't bring in many bikes above 125ccs unless special ordered.

You're in for a surprise. However, there are some slick larger scooters to be had, but they aren't cheap.
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Tell me about it. I checked into a Honda(I believe) 2-cyl 250 cc that I found on their Mexican webpage and I called a dealer in SD and they wanted RD250 for it - and this was 2007-08.
 

cobraboy

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Tell me about it. I checked into a Honda(I believe) 2-cyl 250 cc that I found on their Mexican webpage and I called a dealer in SD and they wanted RD250 for it - and this was 2007-08.
I'm hoping you mean RD250mil...
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Tell me about it. I checked into a Honda(I believe) 2-cyl 250 cc that I found on their Mexican webpage and I called a dealer in SD and they wanted RD250 for it - and this was 2007-08.

I had one of those - a Honda Reflex - in Philadelphia.

Bought it used for $4,000....... sold it , more used for $4,000.. 2 years later.

They don't make them any more... the Reflex
 

cobraboy

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I had one of those - a Honda Reflex - in Philadelphia.

Bought it used for $4,000....... sold it , more used for $4,000.. 2 years later.

They don't make them any more... the Reflex
Great bikes!

Too bad Hionda doesn't make the "Big" (250cc) Ruckus anymore. Would be an excellent scooter for the DR:

PS250_rsf_bg.jpg


Only the Ruckus 50 is available new.
 

Fernandez

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Jan 4, 2002
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The scooter market was first a used market, mostly Japanese imports of the Yamaha Jog/Axis type. The market for scooters included the Choppy Yamaha. Motorcycle importers have to cover the relatively high cost of duties and other costs that add another 48-52% added cost to the product. Include part stocking (you need volume to make it attractive on a national basis) and you quickly come to the conclusion that anything outside a 150cc Bajaj or Jincheng is most likely a one on one order, reserved with cash up front to reduce the risk to the distributor.
Dealers, with knock off brand names, have little responsibility to the end- user, thus they import their own Chinese private label units from the top Chinese factories. Suggest that any scooter import of the type discussed will always be a special order item through the Distributors- not the dealers.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Suggest that any scooter import of the type discussed will always be a special order item through the Distributors- not the dealers.
Exactly my experience buying V-Stroms...

In fact, the importer was reluctant to order them.
 

Chuck T

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Nov 30, 2010
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well what is popular and dependable ? can someone advise ? I'm shocked that CF Moto doesn't have a distributer in the RD, they make most of the scoots but under different brand names of course. 150 cc is not bad if you're a loner but a no-no for a passenger. At $6/gal. for ggas I would think the place would be biker heaven. lol
 

PICHARDO

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May 15, 2003
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The scooter market was first a used market, mostly Japanese imports of the Yamaha Jog/Axis type. The market for scooters included the Choppy Yamaha. Motorcycle importers have to cover the relatively high cost of duties and other costs that add another 48-52% added cost to the product. Include part stocking (you need volume to make it attractive on a national basis) and you quickly come to the conclusion that anything outside a 150cc Bajaj or Jincheng is most likely a one on one order, reserved with cash up front to reduce the risk to the distributor.
Dealers, with knock off brand names, have little responsibility to the end- user, thus they import their own Chinese private label units from the top Chinese factories. Suggest that any scooter import of the type discussed will always be a special order item through the Distributors- not the dealers.

Hmmm... No!

The first market for scooters in the DR took place under the Yamaha's "Passola" model and the LEM for the mass market, and before that Vespa had the general biz market 100%.

It wasn't long when Honda scooters and other brands found their way into the DR from Japan, as well as the most successful one of all the "Beluga"! The scooter/mopeds in the DR were imported "new" not "used" as you said!


Guys considered the Passola to be "girlish" and preferred to stick to more manly looking bikes, until the beluga came about... There was something odd looking about a man driving a Passola with a basket in front...




The LEM:
282.jpg


The Yamaha Passola:
passola003.jpg


The Vespa:
1915210_0ec741f48f.jpg


The Yamaha Beluga:
2d7a1r9.jpg
 

Chuck T

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Nov 30, 2010
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I doubt it, chuck. Bikes bigger than 125cc get to be awefully expensive for Dominicans. That US$4000 CF you have in the states will cost north of US$6000 here...IF you can find one, which I doubt.

Even the Honda, Suzuki, Yamahammers, Kawasakis, etc. importers here don't bring in many bikes above 125ccs unless special ordered.

You're in for a surprise. However, there are some slick larger scooters to be had, but they aren't cheap.

CB , you can get a brand new year end CF 250 just like mine for $2400 USD. The dealers here are full of them, they haven't found their market nitch in the USA and always have inventory left over
 

cobraboy

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well what is popular and dependable ? can someone advise ? I'm shocked that CF Moto doesn't have a distributer in the RD, they make most of the scoots but under different brand names of course. 150 cc is not bad if you're a loner but a no-no for a passenger. At $6/gal. for ggas I would think the place would be biker heaven. lol
You really don't need a big displacement for 90% of your needs.

There are around 1.5 million registered motos in the DR, and 95% are below 150ccs.

One bit of advice, based on a ton of riding experience all over the DR: get a bike with large wheels. Thank me later.

Another consideration is parts. Bikes, especially small, light ones, take a beating. Parts on light bikes break more than on larger bikes. If you get a one-off machine you need to be prepared to do your own wrenching PLUS importing parts.

For that reason consider a solid Honda SHD (or EN) 125 Storm or Yamaha YBR 125. I've riden both, and they are the few smaller bikes that have a solid "big bike" feel. The Yamahammer has a little more zip, but the Honda is very solid. Neither are budget priced like the Chinese clones are.
 

cobraboy

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CB , you can get a brand new year end CF 250 just like mine for $2400 USD. The dealers here are full of them, they haven't found their market nitch in the USA and always have inventory left over
That would be US$4000 here, or more, by the time you shipped it in and paid duty, taxes and initial registration. Oh, and port graft.
 

Fernandez

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Jan 4, 2002
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Without doubt, visit Magna Motors in Santo Domingo for the Bajaj Platina 150cc 4 stroke, with the patented DTSI engine and exhaustec.
The bikes is the world bike 2011, excellent quality with good parts availability.. super cost efficient due to the DTSI (double twin spark iginition) technology which is patented by Bajaj only. Bajaj is the third largest two wheel manufacturer in the world- Indian. They are partners in technology with Kawasaki Motors Corp, and have also partnered with KTM on the cross bikes. Bajaj has the legendary Cheetak scooter with the rear spare tire.
Don't think about another one.. this is a true winner in quality, price and efficiency. You might also want to look at the PULSAR 180 and 220- both top of the line excellent motorcycles for the Dominican market.
I know these bikes- know the market. Built and ran it for 12 years... good luck.
 

Fernandez

Bronze
Jan 4, 2002
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Picardo,
Humm. Nope. Importadora Ventura sold over 50.000 units annually of the used- the new market was a joke. What Dominican bought new.. maybe 10 clients. PS- I sold those to Ventura, Papin, and all the rest... stick to the cut and paste. On this one, your talking to the market.
PS... when I sold the Kawaski, Bajaj and Jincheng line to Magna Motors last year our 42 associated dealers went with them and they are all sold 100% of Bajaj quality. If price plays into it, gotta go with Jincheng..
The New bike market in the DR is at 100-150cc.. and utility.... the Passolas were dominated by used.. always. Just about like everything else in the country..
By the way, the SYM and Honda 70 were the top sellers... and the Yamaha Jogs and Axis ruled the 90's....
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
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Picardo,
Humm. Nope. Importadora Ventura sold over 50.000 units annually of the used- the new market was a joke. What Dominican bought new.. maybe 10 clients. PS- I sold those to Ventura, Papin, and all the rest... stick to the cut and paste. On this one, your talking to the market.
PS... when I sold the Kawaski, Bajaj and Jincheng line to Magna Motors last year our 42 associated dealers went with them and they are all sold 100% of Bajaj quality. If price plays into it, gotta go with Jincheng..
The New bike market in the DR is at 100-150cc.. and utility.... the Passolas were dominated by used.. always. Just about like everything else in the country..
By the way, the SYM and Honda 70 were the top sellers... and the Yamaha Jogs and Axis ruled the 90's....

Buddy my father was the owner of "La Central" in Santiago, which later was partitioned to Domingo Motors, Infate Motors and Equipos Central. Dad was the third sales rep for the Mercedes Benz in the Caribbean. The countless trips I made with him to Germany can fill a library of stories to write about. Cars got shipped to Panama to later be transferred to the DR in smaller ships that could berth in our port (forget to even mention the then mini-port of PP).

My first trip to Japan came on the heels of a contract for the Passola... I was a youngster then with an avid need for new cultures to learn about...

The DR had a very reduced market for used vehicles then, since it was cheaper to have a car prepared and tittle from dealers/manufacturers than a used one for the in between ports shipping. The only true used vehicles that made the trip direct to the DR, were the commercial types. These required no especial handling for the long haul on salty water, since most already got a HD paint treatment for their operations and the mechanical components. As you must be aware, at the time most cars for the general market made the trip not in containers, but simply driven onto a park-like-laid boat that left the vehicles exposed to the salty water humidity.

Shipping a used vehicle with a stop over in a second port of transfer made the trip more expensive for dealers. New vehicles got shipped using a type of cover that was to be removed on delivery to the lots only. Unlike today's nice plastic coverings, back then these covers were not cheap or optional. They came only on new cars!

In fact the Passolas were so new and so little was placed in the parts market, that many units meant for retail ended up being taken apart to fill the demand for spare that went from body plastics to entire engine parts. The Beluga was the first true all import/service model introduced in the DR, with a support for parts and body spares along the units themselves.

And just so you know (if you didn't) all the scooters that got imported into the DR from Japan like the Yamahas, Honda, etc... Came as kits! Not a single one came in one piece! Your scenario for used scooters bought in Japan (which would have been marred with Japanese letters and name plates) and shipped to the DR is flawed 100% to say the least!

I couldn't even phantom to imagine somebody buying bulk used scooters in Japan, then having to pay to replace all the speedometers, tags, etc... Just to ship them to the DR... Let alone take them apart to prepare the crates (as the costs per unit for shipping would have increased greatly give the space used for each in one piece) in Japan for shipping...

The first used scooters to come to the DR, came as a result of a flooded market in LA and a lot of "illegal" biz to supply the market into the DR. Japan? NOPE!

Even bicycles are shipped in parts for space savings, you really think a scooter will be somehow shipped fully assembled from half the world away in Japan to the DR?!?!??

And just so you know: Mercedes Benz sold cars in the DR by having a sales rep visit you at your own home, with a full catalog of their vehicles. Fabric samples of the interior, color samples in metal tags, leather samples and even trims that you could pick for you car, to choose from. Ah! And the sales rep drove a Mercedes wagon for kicks and storage of the support material.

Just so you know...
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
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Reading up one of Robert's threads (Cobraboy) I came across a nice picture of some full size bikes (scooters are shipped in cardboard crates in several parts) still in their crates and as they're formally shipped as far as I can recall:
Look behind the guy seating on the police bike to see the crates and bikes still wrapped~!
IMG_1897.sized.jpg



And one more thing!

The reason for why even after Haina and Puerto Plata ports got upgraded ships still made stops in some other ports and mostly transferred cargo headed for the DR in Panama and other spots, was because the loads in the vessels were not large enough to warrant the shipping charges of the whole boat to make a trip from Japan to DR alone.

The same happened with cars from Germany and places like Italy. Now things are rather the other way as DR ports get cargo to transfer to other ports not able to host post Panamax ships to berth.
 
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cobraboy

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Reading up one of Robert's threads (Cobraboy) I came across a nice picture of some full size bikes (scooters are shipped in cardboard crates in several parts) still in their crates and as they're formally shipped as far as I can recall:
Look behind the guy seating on the police bike to see the crates and bikes still wrapped~!
IMG_1897.sized.jpg
That picture was taken at the large, nice Chinese parador coming into Bani from Autopista Nov. 11. They even have electric bikes there.

But that is how all bikes are brought into the country: partially assembled in crated. Usually the front wheel, brakes, handlebars and controls have to be fitted, and the bike sorted out.

This was the case for our V-Stroms. When Bonanza got them in we asked for them towait a few days so we could be present at their "birth." At the time we had no idea what their volume of bikes were. We thought an order of 12 (now) RD$420,000 bikes was a massive order. We were wrong. At the time, April 2008, Bonanza was selling over 2,000 units per month. Do the math.

We got there and they had three team of 4 guys take a crate, take it apart and without using one unneeded motion assemble them in less that 30 minutes each. It was an assembly line, as efficient as one can imagine...just with fewer fancy tools. And when the bikes were delivered to Jarabacoa, they were delivered in two Daihatsu trucks just like you see small motos delivered...and they weigh around 450lbs. each. Noy exactly a small moto.

The Bonanza assembly warehouse was quite impressive also. It was easily 50m x 100m and 10m tall and had crates lining all the walls, several deep about 3/4 of the way to the ceiling. We're talking a huge number of motos. And THOUSANDS outside in their yard.

Think about it: 12 guys assemble 90 motos per day and get them shipped out.

We came away with a profound respect for Bonanza's motorcycle department.