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BMW Las Vegas

S

scqtt

Guest
I was in Las Vegas last week for a little vacation. (why go there? GF's idea)

When traveling I try to stop at BMW dealers and pick up T-shirts. I am not overly picky, or cheap, but I have to tell you I usually do not come away with the warm and fuzzies. I find most BMW dealers to be aloof and somewhat less than friendly....That is the nicest way I can put it.

I visited Las Vegas BMW on Friday morning. Bright, modern, fantsatic looking store with a great selection of bikes (Husqvarna & BMW) and nice offereings of OE and aftermarket parts and gear.

I walked around and found a couple of T-shirts and stickers I liked and was greeted warmly by everyone I encountered.

When I mentioned that I was going to be doing some sightseeing via rental car the staff went into tour guide mode. Pulling up and printing maps for me, telling me little anecdotal stories about rides around the area & sharing the best places to eat & the often overlooked sightseeing gems in the mountains and deserts surrounding Vegas. These guys went all out and well beyond what I expected.

This is how it is supposed to work.

Yes, I bought a few things, but the profit they made on those things was small compared to the investment in time they gave me.

I'm a fan.
 
Nice to hear there's a dealer that still gives a ......

A few years ago I wandered arount at Bogart's in Birmingham for about 30 minutes. Not a soul spoke to me. They went out of business.
 
Our dealer in Long beach ca has always had very positive attitude with customers, very willing to spend time with you even if your just window shopping
Good find in Vegas now stay off the strip
 
Sounds like it would only have been better if they set you up with a demo bike to go with that map. I'm lucky that my dealer here in Grand Rapids, MI has a great crew working there from the front end to the shop.
 
Nice to hear there's a dealer that still gives a ......

A few years ago I wandered arount at Bogart's in Birmingham for about 30 minutes. Not a soul spoke to me. They went out of business.


Yep, I had the same experience there as well.


All of my bikes have come from Grass Roots in Cape Girardeau MO. I started dealing with them when I lived there. I kept dealing with the even when I moved 200 miles away (even when I had a dealer 10 miles from my new house)

Now I live 600 miles from them. They are still great friends, but logistically it is going to be hard to continue to be a (service & new bike) customer.

I am a very big fan of the brand for a number of reasons, but I'm not sure I would be a BMW rider because of the attitude of many of the dealers.

I'm lucky that I got started with Grass Roots, looks to me like the guys in Las Vegas are very similar to work with. BMW should be thankful for having these types of dealers in their network.

Their corporate store in Manhattan? What a rude & poor excuse for a motorcycle retailer.
 
BMW St Louis

I would have to say we have a great dealer here in St. Louis MO with Gateway BMW always fast and friendly service and help anytime you need it! On top of that the coffee is always on and hot!:clap
 
It's not just the BMW dealers, folks. The problem is endemic in the motorcycle business, in my experience. Salespeople don't know their product, service techs are rushed and aren't familiar with all the models they work on, managers and owners don't stand behind their work or workers. Owners aren't on-site.

I bought a Honda ST1300 in 2003 when they were new and could forgive the saleman and service department for their lack of knowledge... for a while. But a year later it was obvious they didn't know and didn't care so I took my business to another dealer who was better, but not much. When I got the bike back home after a fork seal replacement and found some of the fork pinch bolts only finger tight, I gave up on them, too. Doing the work myself, which I do as much as possible, is the only way to ensure the quality of work. Buy the bike from the cheapest dealer and hopefully never see them again.

That said, I have established a good relationship with the dealer who sold me my 2011 R-RT. The sales experience was pleasant, service work prompt and correctly done, and all employees are friendly and seem to be glad they work there. I can't say all or most BMW shops are that way, and I certainly won't say all Honda shops are bad. The "old school" bike shop is pretty much a thing of the past - you know, the kind of place where the owner loves bikes, works on bikes, helps in parts and sales, and will chat with a customer for half and hour. If you find one of those shops keep them in business. And bring donuts.

pete
 
We have that at Eurocycles of Tampa Bay. The owner, Aaron Sprague, is a round-the-world rider and serious enthusiast. Everyone at the shop is a bike nut and will chat with you no end. Great master Ducati and BMW techs in the service dept, too. An awesome dealership!
 
BMW of Las Vegas is top notch. Wife and I flew in from MD and rented a R1200RT from them. They couldn't have been more friendly and helpful with maps and suggestions. We had a great time touring the Grand Canyon and parts thereabouts.
 
BMW LV is are a very nice bunch. I stopped in for a shirt, they offered to let me test ride the S1000RR just because I was looking at it. I passed since I had no intention of buying one. They have the coolest business cards too. A poker chip!
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Seeing as we're handing out kudos, I have to compliment the service department at Vancouver BMW/Ducati.

Visiting buddy of mine had an issue with his 1200S just hours before we were to leave on an extended tour. They cleared the decks and put their best guys on a fuel injection issue which caused intermittent super-rich running. Fixed the problem (broken O2 sensor wire making intermittent connection) and had us on our way in no time. Full credit to them.
 
It's great in Albuquerque

+1 for Albuquerque. Four years ago enroute home from Louisville, KY to home with my new to me S, had to stop to get a new rear tire installed. Sort of anticipated the need for a tire on this trip, but major detour required by blizzards throughout the Rockies caused an unplanned halt in the travel plan.

Service manager and his shop crew had me back on the road in very short order!

Cheers!

PS. Since we're handing out kudos, here's a shout out too for South Sound BMW near Tacoma. :)
 
BTW, we in the ATL are blessed with two very good dealers, BMW Atlanta and Blue Moon Cycles.

Ian
 
I like this thread. We have traveled all over and been to too many dealerships over the years. There are more good ones than bad ones in my experience. But I have discovered that dealerships are, when all is said and done, people. I had a less than stellar experience at a dealership once trying to buy a tire. But a year later when I equally badly needed a tire I got fast, professional, friendly, helpful service at the same place. The jerk that I dealt with a year earlier was nowhere to be found.

If I try to list all of the good dealers I have visited in the past few years I know I'll leave some off, but here is a start:

Engle Motors - Kansas City - I've had good dealings with them since 1983
Gina's BMW - Iowa City
Grassroots BMW - Cape Giradeau, MO
Bentonville BMW, Bentonville, AR
Lonestar BMW, San Antonio, TX
Mac's Cycle Center, Clarkston, WA
Franks, Essex, VT
Nicks, Wisconsin
Big Twin, Boise, ID
 
They have the coolest business cards too. A poker chip!
View attachment 36850

I picked up a very low mileage ( a long trip from Las Vegas to TX) K12S at the Mercedes dealership near San Antonio...had that poker chip/keyfob.
Seems the guy won big, bought a K12S, rode it to Texas and traded it in on a Mercedes:D

Anyways, some great dealers out there as listed.
 
BMW Dealers, Indianapolis

I bought my K1600GTL from BMW of Indianapolis, Falcone Powersports and was treated very well. Charlie Muecke, who sold me the bike was very accommodating and presented a very fair trade on my old bike. Everyone I met was very friendly and relaxed. I highly recommend them.

Jeff Bernel
2012 K1600GTL
 
NC and SC

The new dealer in Asheville,NC is really good as well as the one in Greenville, SC where I purchased my RT in 2008. Maybe it has something to do with being in the Carolinas.
 
Could we take info like this and put it into an ongoing poll of some sort. You know, your out on vacation and have problem with your bike, so you look online to see MOA members overall attitude about the local dealers. Something like Yelp, but just for bike dealerships across the country. Instead of five stars, we could use roundels :)
 
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