Blade Motorcycles Swindon is closing

[MartinW]

FYI as below and on their website.

There is no suggestion that the rest of the group is in trouble at this point.

[Sir Trev]

I found them indifferent and pretty rude last time I went there so have not been back for a year or two. Still a shame when sites like this close.

Didn't they used to be over the road from Motorcycle Mega Store at one point?

[mr_diver]

Google says that site opposite Mega motorcycles used to be George White, Kawasaki.

Still a shame another bike shop closing, the place where I used to work closed October last year when Completely Motorcycles went belly up.
Though the store I worked in is being brought back under the Thunderroad name by CMC motorcycles with advice from the people who owned it when I worked there.

[MartinW]

George White had a site with two buildings, with Honda separate.

Mega Motorcycle Store went in to the main building and eventually Blade Honda went in the Honda building.

The other marques were all in separate but conjoined buildings down the road.

[Upt North]

Sounds like the Socialist Government's Fiscal Experiments are working nicely.
Who'd have thought having to pay people more, pay more taxes and fund electric nonsense would lead to issues for commerce?
I've noted today that MCN can't be in the least bit interested in informing motorcyclists of these latest issues but very helpfully are informing the motorcycling world that the future is solid state motorcycle EV's, bless em. Let's hope there's some dealers left to sell them.
I know.

[Brockett]

That'll be Tesco and Curry's

[UK_Vstrom650]

The underlying issues are more to do with the steps young riders need to go through to acquire licences, the rise in alternative transport such as (illegal) e-scooters and e-motorbikes being available cheaply and used widely on the road 'for free' as anything else, including over a decade of austerity, wage stagnation and inflation.
I imagine places like Superbike Factory also don't help smaller local dealers.

I got into riding bikes as I needed a second form of transport for work and a 50cc scooter was the cheapest option, given the above I doubt I'd even look at scooters if I was doing it today. I'd just use an e-scooter until I could get a car. That doesn't help dealers.

[Sir Trev]

Totally agree UKVS. Our warehouse site has a no e-scooter policy that is never enforced, except when anyone plugs one in to charge in the locker room. There are so many of them...

When illegal e-motobikes (no Panorama, they are NOT e-bicycles) are so easily available and almost nobody stops you riding one, the cost of doing your bike licence properly until you afford a car is now pointless.

[mr_diver]

Our works office I right across the road from South Wales Polices's roads policeing team base.
The amount of illegal e-scooters and bikes going up and down the road would keep their team in work all day.

And there inlies the problem... like holding back the tide.
Sure we see a few picutres of bikes taken off the road on their social media accounts but it's too much work to process if they stop everyone.
And then they'll have no time to stop mr doped up (uninsured) BMW driver doing 90mph in the middle lane while playing candy crush.
Or time to drink coffe and eat doughnuts... it's no supprise there is a very fancy cake shop accross the road! 

£500-£1000 of mammy's money for an imported e-motorbike, no lessons, no test, no safety gear laws, no being the joke with "learner" plates.
Or £3000 plus for a new 125cc bike, £300+ on basic gear, CBT costs every 2 years and then if you have the audacity to want to do your test, you're then restricted to certain size bike unless you pay and do the test all over again.
Simple choice really.

Small bike shops are closing as the owners retire and no-one wants to buy the business, big dealers spending to keep ahead of the game in the downward trending market internationaly and thus over reaching their finances.

Big brands are not exempt either.
KTM have recently been in the news for financial troubles, with large stockpiles of bikes no-one is prepared to buy.
Everything is getting more tech oriented and the basic simple bikes are all but consigned to history along with affordable and sensible pricing.

Recipe for disaster.

[Pannier Down]

Blade are closing their Harley Davidson outlet at Abingdon too. It's a tough time for the bike industry.