It seems like only two months ago that I wrote that the “Great Distribution Experiment is Over“, and that electric motorcycle companies Brammo and Zero Motorcycles need to get on-board with established motorcycle distribution methods. As I mentioned in what I’m sure many found to be a snooze fest of an article, there are of course drawbacks and flaws to the dealership model, but for early-stage cash-strapped companies like the ones in the E2V market, this is a battle of the middleman is best to be fought another day.
I have to apologize to my regular readers, as I’m sure the relevancy of such an article to your daily “eat, sleep, ride” lifestyle was dubious at best, but from time-to-time the words on this site are meant for a select group, but better aired publicly (even if it does land me in a heap of trouble from time-to-time). As such, it’s refreshing to see then that Zero has recently announced its signing of several key dealerships, and now we get word that Brammo has hired Jim Marcolina away from Harley-Davidson, to build the Ashland, Oregon company’s dealer development team. So…umm…group hug?
Anyhoo…Marcolina formerly held the title of Director, Dealer Development/Dealer Relations at Harley Davidson, and will be in charge of prepping and signing-up established top-tier motorcycle dealerships to carry Brammo electric motorcycles, or as Brammo’s CEO Craig Bramscher puts it: “Jim brings a deep knowledge and understanding of the motorcycle industry that will accelerate the growth of our dealer network.”
“There are hundreds of dealers who have applied to carry the Brammo range of motorcycles and Jim will be helping us to select the best and will then ensure that they become successful Brammo dealerships,” Bramscher concluded.
It’ll be interesting to see now how many bikes Brammo sells, and perhaps more importantly who buys them, now that the company is selling its product next to Honda motorcycles instead of Kenmore dryers. Time, as always, will tell, but I think this is a smart move for the Ashland team, though the prior endeavor was an intrepid one to say the least.
Source: Brammo; Photo: Jensen Beeler / Asphalt & Rubber – Creative Commons – Attribution 3.0
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