Moto International
 Come on in, The Italian's Fine
Selling motorcycles can be a tough business. Selling a small line like
Moto Guzzi (goot-zee) can be an even tougher business, but for nearly a decade it's been a
way of life for Dave Richardson and the staff at Moto International.
Richardson bases a lot of his business on the premise of being a big fish in
a small pond. Just selling a line motorcycles and servicing them probably
won't pay the bills, but Moto International has had a number of developments
over the years that has put it on top of its game in other ways.
Beginning with a rocky business start, to finding their niche and ultimately
landing a franchise for a second line - the getting-hotter-by-the-second Aprilia, Moto International is a unique story of struggle and success.
The Mail (Order) Is In
For starters, the standby of selling the same helmets and jackets that
everyone else in town is carrying doesn't bode well for a small dealer when the
big boy up the street can pound you all day on price. Rather than move to
carrying boutique apparel, Richardson moved the business into heavy mail order
mode. Today Moto International runs one of the hottest mail order parts
houses in the US for Moto Guzzi. In addition to readily available parts,
Richardson also buys up NOS parts (OEM parts no longer manufactured or
available) during global treks he makes each year looking for rarities and
cutting deals for current OEM inventory. As a result the fanatics know
where to go for what they need: a nice chunk of business at Moto is done by
mail and over the phone.
Guzziology
 You become king of your domain when you continue to satiate your
customers appetite over and over again. Richardson has taken his many
years of working with Guzzi's and created an enthusiasts bible/handbook - Guzziology. The book is an excellent companion to a shop manual, and for
those who can get a hold of one of those much of the work you need to do can be
performed just using this book.
Guzziology features nearly 800 pages of tips, tricks, philosophy, fact,
grids, illustrations and then some about nearly every aspect of a Moto Guzzi.
It Discusses such things as the use of unleaded fuels, clutch arm variations,
headlight bulb selection and much, MUCH more. The Guzzi owner is guaranteed to receive
enough
information to truly make them fall in love with their bike all over again by
just knowing that much more about the machine.
Some of the advice crosses over to other brands of motorcycles as well, and
even if you don't own a Guzzi, the tips and tricks concerning electrical and
mechanical issues can likely be applied to your own motorcycle.
The Other Italian
 A few years back Guzzi was looking for a shot in the arm and got it when a
younger Italian upstart, Aprilia, came in and purchased a stake in the
company. On the surface it seems like an odd pairing but for both
companies and Moto International the deal couldn't be sweeter.
Guzzi has made its reputation for durable road machines that are great for
touring the highways. Aprilia on the other hand is quickly making a name
for itself on the track. So by becoming partners there was little chance
that the minute crossover in the lines would have much bearing on the growth
potential created by the marriage of these two companies.
For Moto International the same philosophy holds true. Now instead of
just offering highway bikes, Richardson is able to appease the racing
enthusiasts as well with a broad selection of track machines from Aprilia.
And it's starting to show as more Aprilia's are spotted around Puget
Sound and the various Northwest tracks.
Moto's story is one of growth by grass roots means. No fancy gimmicks, just good people, a little Guzzilla marketing and clever thinking keep this ship afloat.
TM/Summer 01
Check out the Moto International website at http://www.motointernational.com.
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