Triumphrat

drz1050

*** Triumph?

Clinton Cycles in MD is no longer going to be carrying Triumph bikes, for whatever reason... supposedly there was a fight between their sales department and Triumph NA... so this leaves us with no dealer close to the Northern VA/ Washington DC area.


The nation's capital, 4 out of the top 5 income counties in the US of A are here... tons of people... and no dealer. Makes sense...

Junipero

I visited there last Friday and saw them clearing out all of the bikes...all they had was a couple of Thrux's and a Daytona, I think....all the space they had for Triumphs was being filled with their used Japanese sportbike collection. There was a Bob's BMW trailer being loaded with bikes too (though I didn't see what make). It was crazy.

I couldn't get the details from anyone there, but one salesman--who owned a Bonnie--was pretty bummed. He said something about 'Triumph isn't Harley or BMW'. That made me wonder if Triumph is pushing more 'exclusive' dealerships or something. I dunno.

In any event, while Clinton's did have a ton of Triumphs, my experience with their service department was terrible...lots of mistakes. Here's to hoping another dealer opens in the area soon!

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killbilly

I was told that their demographics in that part of MD don't really go for Triumphs or BMWs - the real popular bikes are Hayabusas, R-1s and GSXRs with the odd CBR in there.

There IS going to be a new Triumph dealer opening, they said, I believe near Manassas. My memory may be faulty on that, but I think that's what he said.

gbc

That truly sucks. Even though it was in Maryland it was close enough for a easy ride from my home in Fredericksburg Va. to pick up a part if needed. I believe there are only two Triumph Dealerships left in Old Dominion, kind of scary......

Junipero

Yep, Norfolk and Salem.

Good points above about the market. True Clinton seemed to attract the Gixxer crowd, but that is in the immediate area of PG county. But all the other counties in MD and VA were served by them as well. This is a huge market for Triumph. Clinton's was supposedly the No 2 volume dealer in the US for Triumph!

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drz1050

I heard the Manassas thing from the Clinton guys too... and I have no idea where they got that from.... I live in Manassas, and have talked to the shops in town. None of the ones I talked to were interested in carrying Triumph.


I would love a dealer in Manassas... I just don't see it happening soon.

Junipero

I wonder if a letter to Triumph North America would shed light on the situation.

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killbilly

So I'm new to the area, relatively, and I understand now that the only options are Pete's up in Baltimore, and the other dealer in Fredericksburg, right?

That's a bummer.

Triumph took back the inventory from Clinton, I guess. It was a mix of Bonnevilles, Street Triples, Thruxtons and a BUNCH of Daytonas. I'm assuming they'll be bargain-priced out to other dealers, I guess. It also leaves Clinton with a pretty large gap in floor space, which is just as well since most of their bikes are stored 3" apart.

Junipero

Not Fredericksburg (that's in VA), Frederick MD. Yamaha/Triumph:

http://www.fredericktownyamaha.com/

And Pete's in Baltimore (and two other locations):

http://www.petescycle.com/

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drz1050

I don't have very many nice things to say about the Frederick place... they may as well not be there.