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Imperial Motorcycles

2K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  EVA-00 
#1 ·
Anyone have an opinion on them as a used bike dealer? Good/bad/trustworthy?

thanks
 
#2 ·
They're dealerships man.
They make a livin on sellin bikes.

before my dad died a few months back, he said to me... "if it's got tits or wheels, you can betchyer ass it's a headache....
but more to the point, he said to me.....
"if you ever want to know if you can trust a person(dealership in this case), look at what they've got to gain from you"

we can apply that sayin to this situation by the fact that if the crew at Imp. ( or any other place for that matter) don't sell you a bike, they're goin hungry.
they will do what it takes to sell you two wheels.

another thing to consider if you're goin to buy a used bike.
IF IT"S NOT NEW, IT"S USED. if you're goin to purchase a used bike, there's goin to be wear in the bike.
how much and how bad is where you may or may not get lucky.

NEW BIKES SELL THEMSELVES, USED BIKES TAKE SALESMEN

i suggest takin a good buddy who knows a bit about bikes, and get him to look the object of desire over with you.

-two sets of eyes are better then one. especially from a head that knows what to look for.-

the last thing i'll say is, don't put yourself in the hands of TRUSTING A DEALERSHIP (for reasons mentioned above).
TRUST YOURSELF. go in with knowledge of what you're lookin for.

*see with a weary eye*
 
#4 ·
They are a great shop from my experience. As for used bikes, I've never heard of anyone with a bad experience with them. If your buying/servicing from them, they'll treat you right.
 
#6 ·
CDG said:
You assume that to sell you must lie, deceive, and coerce. Good selling involves education, empathy, and understanding need versus want.

Anytime I have been to Imperial to buy something, including kicking the tires on a couple of ducks, they've done an admirable job.
Sure i assme this.

it's better to be prepared for a greasing, then to overlook it completely.
I've had a lot of experience with used cars, bikes, whatever......
and i agree with you totally about the art of selling involves "education", "Empathy", and "understanding". but you can get bitten , and hard at the dealers.(as well as private)

My real point was that the fella writin this thread wanted to know if he could "TRUST" the dealership........all i was gettin at is , yup it's great if they run a clean ship, but NEVER put yourself in their hands of faith anymore then you need to.

I think that's just good advice.

I'm glad to hear that Imp. is a good store by rep.

Maple Ridge Mot.Spt. sucks dick,and that's another thread
 
#7 ·
i dont think this is fair. they have a budget to run.
they have a shop to maintain, and tools to buy.
so, it's not fair that you said they lie. all they try to do is get the most from you in respect to the market. so i know what you are trying to say. but i think if they dont make money, they can't maintain their shope. and we are left with no shops and no support. so be fair. when you buy stuff, it's all depends on you. a buyer should do research, buyers have power to choice. so use your choices wisely. it is not a rip off if you never go thru the jacked up prices.
 
#8 ·
they guys are imperial are really good...not pushy at all and will answer all ur questions.

i think most of their bikes are rebuilds tho...dont quote me on that! anyways...my buddy bought a bike off them a couple yrs back and its still going good (rebuilt fzr600)
 
#9 ·
I definitely share some of Fraser's cautions when dealing with bike shops (or any shop). Bottom line is important to all of them. However, there are differences in the way that each of them conducts business and some of them do a better job than others. I can't complain about Imperial. The guys that work there are genuine enthusiasts and try to leave satisfied customers. Make sure to ask for your BCSB discount. I got 10% just for mentioning it. Who knows if they had one before.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Good point Red.
We do have to support as many of the dealers as poss to keep our own interests accessible and alive.

And you backed up my point about the "buyer beware".
I'm glad you stressed that opinion again.
I think that's the one that really counts.


Thanks for backin me up too , Gixxstar.

I haven't yet made it to Imp. been everywhere else.
It's nice to have read all these threads and know that beyond my own caution, i can hope that the crew at Imp , is fair and seems to proved by rep. of all your guy's threads.
 
#12 ·
I just bought a bike from them (rebuild). Great guys. No pressure, no slimy tactics. They love motorcycles, plain and simple. Sure they run a business but not everyone that owns their own business is doing it to make as much money as they can and screw everyone in the process. In fact, if they didn't sell the bike I bought Ted told me he was probably just going to run it at the track. Maybe that's just something he was saying but I honestly believed him.

Ted laid out what he did to rebuild the bike for me. I took that info and was able to negotiate a deal from there. I think I got a fair price for my bike and he made money off me. Of course if I went private i probably could have paid less but his name is on that bike and is backing it up. Any problems with it and he said he would take care of it for me. As for the service end, any shop that services as many ducati's as he had in the back I would have no qualms about going to. All in all I had a great experience with Ted and Imperial and have no problems going back there for servicing or buying another bike when that time comes (as long as there's something there I want! :D )
 
#15 ·
Here's my story.

Looking for a Ducati. Wandered by Imperial to peek in their window one Monday morning. Ted showed up, invited me in and told me about the machine I was interested in. Even offered a test ride. I left, thought about it a while and eventually bought the bike after a ride. No pressure at all. They even dug up the original pipes from the owner, had a new battery put in and dug up a Ducati service manual for me since I'm far from the city and do my own maintenance.

When I showed up to get the bike they tossed in a litre of Motul in case I needed to add some on the way to Port Hardy. On the way through Victoria I encountered heavy rain , setting off a warning light. I phoned the shop at 5.50 PM and managed to get ahold of Ted. He tried to find out the warning light's purpose for but was unsure. He took my number, looked through the books and gave me a call back about 20 minutes later. Put my mind at ease. He stayed late to help a customer on a Friday night no less!

Anyone that treats a customer like this gets my definite thumbs-up. Sure they have a bottom line to meet but they aren't going to sell their souls in order to make an extra 10 bucks off someone.
Double excellent place to deal with.
 
#16 ·
[QUOTE. On the way through Victoria I encountered heavy rain , setting off a warning light. I phoned the shop at 5.50 PM and managed to get ahold of Ted. He tried to find out the warning light's purpose for but was unsure.


I know this if off topic, but i can help but find myself interested in what the problem with that light turned out to be.

what was it?:thumbup
 
G
#17 ·
Gord has a good rep that he's worked pretty hard to get. The only time the shit hits the fan there is when he's shortstaffed, since its a small operation, then he has to do everything by himself....sheeesh!!!

He sold me my first Earl's product, an oil cooler. In hindsight, with the deals I can get on them now, his price was REALLY good.

However, you gotta know that in many stores, the true history behind used bikes is not necessarily known even to honest dealers, which puts everyone at a disadvantage, so caveat emptor is smart wherever you go.

:rider
 
#18 ·
Gord does all my work and has for several years. He and Ted have always been honest (even if it meant they didn't make money off me) and have always fixed my bike right the first time. They have given me small parts for free and always have good advice and great conversation. I trust them completely and don't believe they would sell you a bike that isn't worthy of being on the road. I know this sounds like an Imperial ad but I trust them that much. That's my two cents
 
#20 ·
Since I bot the 748 I have had all my work done there.......and I have to say that Gord has done nothing less then bend over backwards for me. They go beyond my expectations as a dealer/shop! And I would not hesitate for a minute to refer people there. Before i even bot my bike he spent about an hour on the phone with me going over what I needed to watch for when buying a used ducati..things that were a "must" to increase proformance..things that were a waste of time...and answered every other question I have had since then... Very Impressive
 
#21 ·
rearwheelrider said:
[QUOTE. On the way through Victoria I encountered heavy rain , setting off a warning light. I phoned the shop at 5.50 PM and managed to get ahold of Ted. He tried to find out the warning light's purpose for but was unsure.


I know this if off topic, but i can help but find myself interested in what the problem with that light turned out to be.

what was it?:thumbup

Turned out it was the sidestand down warning light. It was soaked in the rain and came on. No big deal, after being below decks on the ferry for 21 hours it dried itself out and the light went off. Going to take it apart tonight to waterproof it.
 
G
#22 ·
i've been to this dealer/shop and my frist impression was "wow"...

when i was looking for a bike there... they weren't like pushy at all... i asked alot of newbie question on wat to look for a used bikes, equipment etc..... He answered all the questions and more... he helped me alot (unfortunetly.. i'm really bad in names and i dont remember his name)

i would recommend others about this place.
 
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