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Post by kz1000st on Feb 28, 2013 9:59:34 GMT -6
I probably have too much time on my hands but when I want to know something I don't mind sending up smoke signals. I've been quite discontented with the silence by CF Moto on what they plan to do in the future and I love to needle people who need needling. So I sent the first message in bold and their response is in italics
While the new Jetmax and 650cc motorcycles are quite nice I would be interested to know what plans you have to promote your two wheeled offerings. You seem to be making a name for yourself in ATVs but your dealers seem to be moving on to other brands since you dropped the 150cc scooters. There's talk in several scooter forums that you're going to leave the two wheeled market in this country and concentrate on four wheeled vehicles. I bought a 250 Fashion last summer so I'm now an owner and would like to know where you're heading? Scott Colissimo has been making an impression on Cycle World magazine even though you're bigger, have more dealers and been around longer. SYM and Kymco are constantly in the news at motorcycle-usa.com but CF Moto has only appeared with news of an NK 650 at the Isle of Man by a British firm.
Hello, Thank you for contacting CF Moto. We will be promoting our entire product line through various forms of media outlets in the form of printed materials, digital and televised formats. CF Moto will support all of our current product offerings and work vigorously to provide innovative new product to be sold and supported through our dealer network for many years to come both on road and off. Thank you. Thank you & have a great day!!
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Doc's Anything Goes
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Post by jct842 on Feb 28, 2013 10:53:43 GMT -6
In the void left by the big 4/3 names of japan cf or some one could make a ton of 2 wheel vehicles and a ton of money. About all that has less than a 650cc engine that the have their names on is some thing for a little kid or a 90 lb rider. Its like toy shop cruisers or 700 lbs. For years and years 350/360 were great and the big ones were 650s all except the iron monster v twins.
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Post by cookees on Feb 28, 2013 11:21:38 GMT -6
If this is any indication... I recently tried to order parts for a customers scooter only to find out that I was unable to log in using my dealer ID.
Turns out we are no longer even listed on the dealer locator's page. This has happened to a whole slew of scooter only dealers. We have not heard a peep from CFMOTO management in over a year. We have sold and serviced CFMOTO products since 2005 ( back when they were Baron).
To be so callously disregarded in such a manor only speaks to the current crisis within CFMOTO US.
By my reckoning, we've sold over 300 CFmoto scooters in the past 8 or so years. Many are still within the warranty period. I finally was able to speak to the new service department head, and his advise was to search around for a surviving dealer and see if they will sell us parts.
Their goal is to be associated with "big name OEM" dealers. Good Luck with that. ( Um, side note... KYMCO has already done that very successfully...and with a full line, I might add)
The up-side of the whole mess is that we aligned with SYM...and their product and customer service leaves CFMOTO in the dust.
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Post by kz1000st on Feb 28, 2013 11:49:33 GMT -6
Hmm. This sounds like a job for Letter Man. I'll let them have it now........
OK, done. Let's see what the PR guy has to say.
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Post by Alleyoop on Feb 28, 2013 12:52:00 GMT -6
Well I think it all started when they were BARON I mean even then you could not get parts. If you had a baron you were out of luck and poorly made at that. Alleyoop
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Post by cookees on Feb 28, 2013 13:30:03 GMT -6
Yep, Lev's saving grace at Baron was to convince CFMOTO China to give him exclusive rights to distribute in the US. That knocked out QLINK, Diamo, and a couple others. He then dropped/sold off the Baron badge and started building CFMOTO. China canned him for losing too much money, but at least he had built the Name CFMOTO into a respected brand. Unfortunely the new clowns at CFMOTO are wringing the life out of a once enviable brand.
Mr Lai, the president of CFMOTO China lied to us all at a dealer meeting. Hey...that rhymes... Mr Lai..Lied!!!
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Post by kz1000st on Feb 28, 2013 13:42:24 GMT -6
That's kinda depressing. I hope I can keep the Fashion running on available Helix and CN 250 parts. It would be sad to have to stop riding it for lack of a part. Sadder that they seem to be making a name for themselves in Europe and Australia but abusing us.
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Post by Alleyoop on Feb 28, 2013 13:44:09 GMT -6
HAHAHA, Good one, yep LEV was a get the money and run type of guy allright. A lot of people got hurt by him. Alleyoop
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Post by cookees on Feb 28, 2013 15:26:21 GMT -6
That's kinda depressing. I hope I can keep the Fashion running on available Helix and CN 250 parts. It would be sad to have to stop riding it for lack of a part. Sadder that they seem to be making a name for themselves in Europe and Australia but abusing us. Supossedly Scrappydog Scooters is buying parts from CFMOTO directly from China.
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Post by kz1000st on Feb 28, 2013 15:27:21 GMT -6
China canned him for losing too much money
Like nobody else was losing money after 2008. I seem to recall a few banks losing billions at the time, not to mention a few car companies. Who did they replace him with? It's just odd to me that a small outfit like Cleveland Cycle Werks is getting all this ink and a bigger company like CF Moto is invisible to the motorcycle press.
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Doc's Anything Goes
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Post by jct842 on Feb 28, 2013 17:39:12 GMT -6
There is some stuff we will never understand even if we had the facts. Around 2002-3 I was wanting to buy a brand new bike around 650cc. I ended up getting a 1200cc bandit used. I did not want a cruiser with the leg forward riding position. I absolutely could not find a thing in this area of the country. The only thing I could find was small framed bikes, I had a 2000 suz savage and that was a nightmare/joke. A tiny frame and I was screwed over by the dealer I bought it new from. I lost a couple thousand bucks on that fiasco. I would even have welcomed a like new honda 360, had one and it was great. Now honda will tell us we do not need one of them, but we need to buy a 7-800 lb hunk of iron instead.
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Clinician
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Post by hodakabob on Mar 1, 2013 10:00:03 GMT -6
If this is any indication... I recently tried to order parts for a customers scooter only to find out that I was unable to log in using my dealer ID. Turns out we are no longer even listed on the dealer locator's page. This has happened to a whole slew of scooter only dealers. We have not heard a peep from CFMOTO management in over a year. We have sold and serviced CFMOTO products since 2005 ( back when they were Baron). To be so callously disregarded in such a manor only speaks to the current crisis within CFMOTO US. By my reckoning, we've sold over 300 CFmoto scooters in the past 8 or so years. Many are still within the warranty period. I finally was able to speak to the new service department head, and his advise was to search around for a surviving dealer and see if they will sell us parts. Their goal is to be associated with "big name OEM" dealers. Good Luck with that. ( Um, side note... KYMCO has already done that very successfully...and with a full line, I might add) The up-side of the whole mess is that we aligned with SYM...and their product and customer service leaves CFMOTO in the dust. I went to the Indi dealershow last year (I was dealing with Massimo). Stoped by there booth to BS and look at the new offeings (had SxS only on display) Went to there web site 2 weeks later for availability so I could place an order and found out they made a deal with Tractor supply and dropped ALL there dealers. There website only has SxS's now. Never sent me a e-mail or anything. Glad I found another distributor that works with me not stepping on its dealers. Hodaka Bob County Line Cycles Grovertown, IN
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Post by cookees on Mar 1, 2013 11:23:16 GMT -6
Well I'm sure you know that Massimo is just the new name for the old SUNL. Same building, same phone. That's a Chinese thing... went the going gets tough...just change your name. ( and leave the lawsuits in the dust)
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Post by kz1000st on Mar 1, 2013 15:13:40 GMT -6
Although I'm sure Cookees isn't surprised but I ahave to wonder if I wounded their pride. I copied and pasted Cookees post and sent it to them, added a few comments of my own and haven't received a reply-yet. I'm sure the PR guy will either ignore me or spend several days concocting a message that tells me how wrong I am and that the company is alive and well-in Minnesota?? Maybe they're in hibernation
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Post by cookees on Mar 1, 2013 15:27:29 GMT -6
Thanks KZ... now I'll be double banned from CFMOTO !!!! Dean Wormer is gonna put us on double secret probation!
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