The Polaris Dealer show starts this week. As a prospective new dealer, I, yes I, Fourlix am going! Hopefully I will get the final nod of approval while there, or shortly after. I am very excited about being a Polaris dealer, especially since they've added the Predator to their line-up and that is a machine that I am going to love. I get to ride it on Thursday. Bye-Bye DS and Baja, I like them okay, but I am doubtful as to whether the Bombardier line would work around here. I have the only ones in the county.
....This is Honda country, even though there is no dealer of any kind. But Honda won't come in here, and Yamaha is reluctant. Polaris, Suzuki and Yamaha are my target dealerships and I think I've got 2 out of 3. I'm hoping Suzuki will have some great surprise new models too, like a big bore V-twin and a decent mini, so I can have a full arsenal to knock Honda off its' throne, and get Yamaha's attention market share wise so they'll come aboard.
.....Boys, it's a dream come true, and one I hope doesn't go nightmare on me. It's a lot of dough, and a lot of paperwork, and a lot of risk. I'm putting it all on the line. I'm building a brand new 8,000 square foot dealership in THE major shopping center in town. I've got over 2 acres for the shop and a test area and that doesn't include parking. Customer service will be my primary focus. I've seen such horrible treatment of customers in motorcycle shops over the years, including when I worked in them.
......Wish me luck guys, I hope I still have time to ride...I will stay on the Forum and keep you guys posted. I'm shooting for a Thanksgiving Grand Opening, with MX stunt riders and my own personally selected version of the Bud girls...I've always thrown great parties!
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good lucks man with the new life,welcome to the family (polaris).

 

Have fun Forlix, and by the way is your shop going to be in Silver City or in Gila? I will look forward to visiting your new shop. Kind of funny I always wanted to do what you are about to do in that area, only guy around doing any wrenching is the guy down across from the post office in town. Good luck

 

Silver City. Gila is the size of a postage stamp. A 30 minute commute.
Good Highway, US 180. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

You get some big respect from me for putting it on the line for a dream!
That's some real courage Fourlix. Best Wishes!

 

Fourlix,

I assume you dident go to the show today. It started at 5:30pm in orlando and you were still posting at 4:30 from Gila.

later
jon

 

Fourlix, you dont' have to rub it in about the show.
But good luck with the place, You will do great if you consentrate on customer service like you said, that is what most of us want. I wouldnt' mind payin a little more if it from a dealer who will take care of me later down the road.

 

Just got home. Great show. I rode the Predator. It is awesome, it is going to be the The quad for 2003. Even the mini Predator is a huge improvement over the old scrambler 90, with 4&1/2" travel suspension. Skyler even liked the 50, all are improved. The minis were the only quads Skyler was allowed to ride. I rode everything. I have blisters on my hands from riding with no gloves. Polaris put on a fantastic show. 26 semis from up north. Everything is on the web site. The 600 twin is just a smidge down on power from the 700. The explorers are gone. The 500 Magnum is gone. The 400 scrambler is now the 400 Trailblazer. IT was really fun.
...But the Predator is going to be the new king. The front steering linkage is brilliant. It makes the tie rods exactly the same length as the a-arms, which results in zero change in toe as the wheels move up and down. No bump steer. Perfect wheel alignment as you go through the motions. Whoops, jumps, turns, no matter what, the front end stays perfectly aligned. It is lower and wider than a Raptor, but not as big as a DS. I think it has a lower center of gravity than any other sport quad. I also think it weighs no more than a Raptor that's been widened and fitted with decent tires. IT is totally ready to race, with accessories like nerfs and bumper, as well as the dune package ready to go. I talked to the guys that have designed it and tested it. It is the real deal, they have been working on it for 3 years. It never had an aluminum frame. The motor is a fugi, made in Japan, new design, around 50 hp. The motor cost 6 million in R&D. IT is a masterpiece. They had a demo track for the test riders who put on a hell of a good show doing double jumps and big air tricks. We got to ride it on a less dramatic track, but you could tell by the way these guys were jumping it had good manners in the air, and landed beautifully, even when they delibrately hit the top of the doubles. The Fox shocks worked great. This machine is a real winner. They are going to fly out of the showrooms. Power, handling and suspension are all in balance, they call it the "sweet spot".
....The whole new lineup is a winner. They have streamlined it and gotten rid of a lot of models. The 600 twin is a sweet in-between model that I think a lot of people will go for, wanting more than a 500, but not needing the 700 and wanting to save some dough.
....Polaris is an awesome company. Incredible people. They are driven, and they know where they are going. Very, very impressive. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

fourlix,

Congrats on the starting of your dealership!!! Here is a suggestion, and you may have considered this already... Besides having the physical dealership, perhaps also be a web dealer. I'm not sure of the laws and regulations for that type of business, but I'm sure that you could get quite a few orders from off the boards, especially if you advertised with the ATV Connection.

Just a thought [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

A dealer can advertise on the web, even sell accessories, and that is encouraged, but can't sell "units" over the internet. It's in the dealer agreement. IT's a territory thing...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]