Via Moto - Sheffield

[KungFooBob]

I've heard a rumour they're moving away from Sheffield as the introduction of a congestion charge has dramatically reduced passing trade.

They're apparently moving to Wombwell near Barnsley.

[weeksy]

I wondered if Fowlers may suffer from that too, as they're in the green air thingy zone in Bristol.

[KungFooBob]

I wondered if Fowlers may suffer from that too, as they're in the green air thingy zone in Bristol.

That's no good for me, I don't live in Bristol, I live in Wombwell

[cheb]

It's still not good a place name as Blubberhouses.

[mangocrazy]

I'm not really sure why the CAZ in Sheffield has reduced passing trade. My van and car are 20+ year old dirty diesels and they're exempt from the charge, so if they are then pretty much any other small(ish) 2 or 4 wheel vehicle should also be exempt.

[KungFooBob]

I'm not really sure why the CAZ in Sheffield has reduced passing trade. My van and car are 20+ year old dirty diesels and they're exempt from the charge, so if they are then pretty much any other small(ish) 2 or 4 wheel vehicle should also be exempt.

I dunno. It's 2nd hand info. I can only pass on what I've heard.

I bought my Guzzi from them, they're not the easiest bike shop to get too and I imagine city centre rent/rates aren't that good.

They are hardly a destination dealer like SMC where you've got a cafe and big car park to hang about and talk shite in.

[MrLongbeard]

I was going to check, but then saw;

Private passenger cars and motorbikes will not be charged.

Clean Air Zone for the most polluting heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), light goods vehicles (LGVs), vans, buses, coaches and taxis that drive in the Clean Air Zone

Maybe they're having issues with stock delivery.

[KungFooBob]

The 'rules' of the zone are not very well known to people who don't live in Sheffield. I know them because I googled it after I spotted a sign on my commute. Some people would find it easier to just stay out of the city centre than to google it (old people).

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I wondered if Fowlers may suffer from that too, as they're in the green air thingy zone in Bristol.

That's no good for me, I don't live in Bristol, I live in Wombwell

You're a womble

[Yorick]

I wondered if Fowlers may suffer from that too, as they're in the green air thingy zone in Bristol.

That's no good for me, I don't live in Bristol, I live in Wombwell

You're a womble

Very common?

[mangocrazy]

I've only personally visited three bike dealers in Sheffield; Via Moto, SMC and Manhattan Motorcycles on the A61 Chesterfield Road. Of the three Manhattan are the 'best' by miles - knowledgeable, helpful people and definitely in the 'backstreet' category. I could put any of my bikes in there and be confident it would be serviced/fixed properly, SMC probably not so much. No real knowledge of Via Moto.

There is another place that sells high end stock at ridiculous prices, but I've only been there once to have a gawp. I wouldn't class them as a dealer, really.

I think Potter's point about there being very few mid level dealers is probably right. Twenty-odd years ago I used to travel from Stafford to Wylie and Holland in Wellington (who fitted that description perfectly) because they were a first class outfit with excellent customer service, but they closed their doors in the mid 2000s as the business was becoming uneconomic to run. I'm sure there are many more like that.

[Supermofo]

I can't remember the statistics but obviously sales are the reason, I'm struggling to remember the figures but I remember being amazed by the amount of new bike registrations in the 1970s compared to recent years, then you've got secondhand sales and then you've got spare parts and motorcycle accoutrements like clothing and PPE.
I'm sure it dropped by something like a factor of ten.

Back in the 1980's and early 90's bikes were the focal point of our lives for me and my mates, we rode to work on them daily, rode to the pub at night, and they were the thing that most of our social lives circulated around.
Now it's just a casual hobby for most on the odd sunny afternoon.

I think we (royal we for our age group) are probably doing what we should be doing. It's the fact no one replaced us. Not sure if that's all the barriers to entry, safety culture etc but no where near the amount of young uns on bikes we need.

[mangocrazy]

From memory I think that 1976 saw the highest ever number of bike registrations. No coincidence that it was a scorching hot summer.

[Bigjawa]

Back in the 1980's and early 90's bikes were the focal point of our lives for me and my mates, we rode to work on them daily, rode to the pub at night, and they were the thing that most of our social lives circulated around.
Now it's just a casual hobby for most on the odd sunny afternoon.

This is it in a nutshell. Back when I was 16, there was a little row of PTWs at school, wee 50cc jobbies and 125s, I asked my kids did anyone at school ride bikes and they looked at me like I was mad.

It doesn't help that the licence system is so complicated. We didn't have 2 part tests in NI until well after GB did, you simply bought a 125 or 250, stuck your Ls on and off you went, then did your test and got something bigger.

Now kids want to sit in front of screens and doing the various tests is too much effort compared to getting a car. The vast majority of small bikes sold here are crappy Chinese and Korean junk and then they're wrecked in a year and the rider gets a nice reliable 1.9PD VAG motor.

[Whysub]

Glad to report that 16 year olds on multiple geared 50cc two strokes, and 17 year olds on 125's are a common sight (and sound) here.

[KungFooBob]

The other larger dealship in Sheffield is shutting up shop!

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/202 ... -20-years/

Never bought a bike from them, the 2nd hand stuff always seemed a bit overpriced to me.

Shame tho'

[mangocrazy]

Blimey - never saw that one coming. Doesn't entirely make sense to me. If he'd claimed that the motorcycle trade was on its arse (which realistically it is) I could understand. But the owner is all upbeat and jolly, which is at odds with what's happening. But it will leave a big hole in the Sheffield motorcycling community, that's for sure.

Like KFB I never bought a bike from them although I've bought the odd item of clothing. They did seem a tad pricey.

[KungFooBob]

I drive past a small trading estate about 2 miles in to my commute where there's a car dealers and a hot tub shop, one of the empty units has been branded up over the weekend with Via Moto logos.

[mangocrazy]

The days when you could walk to a town centre motorbike shop are now way in the past, although I do remember walking to SMC in Sheffield on sunny lunchtimes when I worked in the city centre. The future seems to be a unit in a trading estate well away from ULEZs or CAZs, preferably close to a decent twisty, well surfaced B-road and that also runs a comprehensive online store.