How to Open a Motorcycle Shop

Business Overview:

Thanks to reality TV, owning a motorcycle shop has become a highly glamorous venture so now’s the time to learn how to open a motorcycle shop of your own. There are several prerequisites for an entrepreneur to consider—a passion for bikes, a solid chunk of change to start your shop, a meticulous motorcycle shop business plan—before you can even begin to think of how to start a motorcycle shop of your own. Let’s face it, if you don’t love to eat, breathe, and live motorcycles, your shop will suffer for it. Bikers want to buy from another biker and from someone who can share in their passion for the lifestyle. They also want a variety of motorcycles to choose from, and this is where your startup capital comes into play. Whether you plan on just selling or selling and building custom motorcycles in your shop, you will need a serious piece of real estate and some motorcycles to stock it with. The good news is that your shop can easily be on the outskirts of town—people interested in your shop will make the trip. But you definitely need a large enough space to house and work on multiple motorcycles. Then there’s the business plan behind the initial business idea. You must have all your i’s dotted and your t’s crossed before you open the doors to your shop—this includes mapping out your pricing, sales commissions, repair contracts, licensing and insurance, and employee status, to name a few of the details that must be included in your business plan. If you’re still revved up and if this sounds like your dream business, seek out some guidance or a mentor and enjoy the ride.

A Day in the Life of a Motorcycle Shop Business Owner:

A typical day in an enterprise like this can vary so greatly depending on whether you will simply sell motorcycles or if you will also restore and repair bikes. Additionally, it will depend on how hands-on you want to be—will you be selling or restoring bikes or will you operate solely behind-the-scenes of the business? Regardless, your days will likely be spent talking about, negotiating over, and testing motorcycles, and enticing your customers to share in your passion. On the business side of things, you will need to maintain your inventory, review your payroll, maintain your building, and keep the books so that your business thrives.

About Your Customers:

Much like yourself, your customers will likely be passionate about motorcycles. They may be looking for their first bike or they might be veterans of the hobby, but they will come to your shop if you have unique inventory, a good reputation for pricing, and superior customer service.

What You Need to Start:

• A business license, permit, and insurance
• A large piece of real estate for your business
• Motorcycle inventory
• Salespeople and/or bike repair experts
• A business plan
• Financial-tracking software

The Good:

• If bikes are your passion, you can turn your hobby into your career.
• The business can be highly lucrative.
• You can decide in which direction you want to take your business—sales, repairs, custom creations, etc.
• You get to meet like-minded individuals.
• You can build your business to include more than one shop if you desire.

The Bad:

• Startup investment is high in this business.
• If you’re not really into this business idea, it won’t likely be a success.

Resources:

• National Motorcycle Dealers Association
• American Motorcyclist Association
• Motorcycle Touring Association
• Wikipedia on Motorcycles

About The Author

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