Out in the Cold | North West Honda

It’s that time of year when some bike dealerships around the country might just be throwing paper aeroplanes at each other across the showroom and having games of Ker-Plunk. NOT US! We’re well into our Part Exmas campaign to remind people that not only are we open for business, but actually that this time of year continues to be really busy. ‘But why?’ we hear you say! Because prices on used bikes particularly are at their most competitive through this period. And it’s probably not rocket science to determine why that is!

Yes, it’s chilly. Granted, we’re in the North and it’s probably raining (or snowing) and blowing a gale. But what would you rather have in your garage? Your old bike that is overdue a service, ready for a set of new tyres and starting to make funny noises OR something newer, better, lighter and needing NOWT doing to it! That’s why people continue to flock in at this time of year.

Of course, it wasn’t always so when you consider that once upon a time every other bike we sold was a supersport or superbike. And who wants to test ride a Fireblade on Supercorsa tyres when it’s about 3 degrees C? With the advent of……well…..errr…..adventure bikes being the top seller, riders are much more accustomed to battling the elements. Not least because they’ve got a big screen to hide behind, heated grips to warm their fingers, in lots of cases a heated seat to warm their backside AND (for the poshest amongst us), heated vest and even heated gloves. Kit just got so much better than those cold, leaky textiles or teabag perforated leathers we all used to wear.

It’s worth remembering though that thanks to living near coastal waters, salt is heavy in the air all year round but particularly during Winter. So it’s well worth considering an anti-corrosion for anything that doesn’t suffer from being slipperier than it should. Paint protection is also going through a bit of a boom and maybe some of that is down to customers who just don’t keep their bikes very long. The prevalence of PCP finance agreements has seen customers well versed in paying for a bike for when they need it and not having to fight over their residual value at the end. Equally, they want the bike low maintenance so protecting its painted and metal surfaces means they can focus on riding and less on cleaning.