If you’re into ATVs, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, mountain bikes, hiking, camping, overlanding, basically insert any hobby here, you have to buy parts and accessories pretty regularly. If you’re a racer, whether old-guy-C-class like me or front of the fast guy pack, and everywhere in between, maintenance and hop-up parts burn through a paycheck almost as fast as Uncle Sam at tax time. Finding the best deals are just part of our reality, and is unfortunately part of our local shops’ reality.
It’s the age-old question of, “Do I buy from my local shop or the online warehouse?” And it is definitely not an easy answer. Yes, I fully want to support my local motorcycle/ATV/bike shop, but when I’ve got a big purchase to make, it’s not always that simple.
A perfect example being today. I called three local shops looking for prices on a new front tire for my YZ250X. All three gave me basically the same price, some of them with the caveat of when they can get the particular tire I want. Rocky Mountain ATV’s Kentucky Warehouse is along one of my weekly commutes, so I usually look on their website in my spare time. Not only did they have the tire I want in stock but it was $27 cheaper! Granted, RMATV’s competitor Motosport.com had the tire at the same price I was quoted from my local dealers, but I can’t find any special rebates or anything telling me why it’s so much cheaper at RMATV, either.
This isn’t a unique example, you can apply it to basically anything. Same goes for bookstores versus Amazon or Dollar General stores versus the old country store, I guess. But that doesn’t erase the guilt that comes with buying from an online giant over the much deserving, but desperately out-gunned local dirt bike shop.
How do we fix it? Well, I suppose that’s a personal judgement.