I never thought I’d say this, but here we are: is it even worth staying in this sport anymore?
One by one, GTA bike shops are shutting their doors. The ones that survive? Half of them act like they’re doing you a favour just by unlocking the door.
Try buying a new bike—good luck. Inventory is thin, prices are insane, and every model you want is “coming soon” or “allocated” or “maybe next season.” And servicing? Don’t even get me started. Every shop has its horror stories: sky-high labour rates, techs rushing jobs or cutting corners, and bikes coming back worse than they went in. Yet somehow the bill is always eye-watering.
But the real kicker? The greed baked into the system.
Distributors mark parts up like they’re made of gold. They want maximum margins, luxury lifestyles, and bigger bonuses, and that cost rolls downhill straight onto riders. Dealers then tack on their own markup, charge stupid prices for basic service, and shrug like this is just “how the industry is.”
Meanwhile, riders get squeezed from every direction. Can’t buy local because pricing is ridiculous. Can’t buy online because you get lectured about “supporting your shop.” Can’t get service because you either get gouged, ignored, or treated like an inconvenience.
It feels like the whole ecosystem—distributors, dealers, the lot of them—decided the sport is a cash grab instead of a community.
And honestly? That’s how you kill a sport.
Not with noise complaints.
Not with land closures.
Not with regulations.
You kill it by making it so expensive, so frustrating, and so inaccessible that normal people just walk away.
I love motorcycles. But the industry around them? It’s making it harder every year to stay in the game.
Anyone else feeling the same?
One by one, GTA bike shops are shutting their doors. The ones that survive? Half of them act like they’re doing you a favour just by unlocking the door.
Try buying a new bike—good luck. Inventory is thin, prices are insane, and every model you want is “coming soon” or “allocated” or “maybe next season.” And servicing? Don’t even get me started. Every shop has its horror stories: sky-high labour rates, techs rushing jobs or cutting corners, and bikes coming back worse than they went in. Yet somehow the bill is always eye-watering.
But the real kicker? The greed baked into the system.
Distributors mark parts up like they’re made of gold. They want maximum margins, luxury lifestyles, and bigger bonuses, and that cost rolls downhill straight onto riders. Dealers then tack on their own markup, charge stupid prices for basic service, and shrug like this is just “how the industry is.”
Meanwhile, riders get squeezed from every direction. Can’t buy local because pricing is ridiculous. Can’t buy online because you get lectured about “supporting your shop.” Can’t get service because you either get gouged, ignored, or treated like an inconvenience.
It feels like the whole ecosystem—distributors, dealers, the lot of them—decided the sport is a cash grab instead of a community.
And honestly? That’s how you kill a sport.
Not with noise complaints.
Not with land closures.
Not with regulations.
You kill it by making it so expensive, so frustrating, and so inaccessible that normal people just walk away.
I love motorcycles. But the industry around them? It’s making it harder every year to stay in the game.
Anyone else feeling the same?
