Is the lack of Ducati dealerships a problem for you? would it impact your choice when buying a new bike?
Had you asked this 2 or 3 years ago I would have said yes as I had other dealers such as BMW and Triumph relatively local to me but D, T and BM have now gone so whichever brand I go for will involve quite a journey. So locality makes no odds anymore
I don't think it would, i am a used bike buyer and take my bikes to a decent Indie for any works needed. oil changes i can do my self and all the basics that need doing.
It’s a pita in Kent, now there’s no representation. I’m hoping it’ll be resolved soon. But no. If I was in the market for another new/used Ducati, I’d still buy one.
My bike is out of warranty and I'm unlikely to upgrade any time soon, In the fortunate position of having a local Ducati trained and well respected independent mechanic. So, no, it doesn't bother me.
I’ve always been happy to travel for a reasonable independent Ducati dealer or main, like Motorapido which is 1.25 hours from me, I’d rather that than a multi franchise dealer like Blade Abingdon who are utterly incompetent
Ducati is a niche brand, its more akin to a Ferrari or a Lamborghini from a dealer profile perspective, there will never be a dealer in every town like Honda or Yamaha
Here in Toronto Canada I have an X Ducati mechanic and X racer I depend on for big jobs on my 998 and 1199s. The rest I do myself, if and when he retires I guess I am going to have to step up my mechanical skills. I don't plan on changing these bikes especially in todays financial climate and the amount of KMs I get to ride these days. The 1199s is a pig to work on compared to the 998 but such is the case with these newer rides. In terms of dealership I only have one within 35km which I consider my local dealer and there are another two I think within around 100km.
We lost CW in Dorchester a BMW dealer a few years ago, the nearest alternatives were Dick Lovett and Bahnstormer, neither were even close to the standards CW set. There is a relatively new BMW dealer at Brockenhurst who have been helpful. We have three Ducati dealers within an hour of our house, so good coverage. Recently Blade at Swindon and Dock Gate 20 have shut their shops, no loss as far as I’m concerned, hopefully it will help the better dealers and marques.
Oh I like those OK diners that are in certain locations usually right on a major A road. https://okdiners.com/
Luguna's in Ashford just lost it's Ducati franchise. It was my go to place for getting my Monster serviced, etc. I now have to go to Hailsham, apparently. :-(. Not having a closer dealer is a problem for me...and would impact me buying a new Ducati.