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Should you buy official imports or grey market bikes?

So you’re thinking of buying a new bike, you have decided on the brand and the model, and now the big question is, do you buy from an official dealer, or do you buy from one of those neighbourhood shops that offer any kind of bike and accessory, but nothing in terms of after sales or warranty claims. It is a big problem but one whose answer is pretty straightforward.

Let’s take a look at the facts first, most grey importers like ABC Motor Sdn Bhd usually have Approved Permits or have friends who have AP’s to import the bikes. There is very little in terms of after sales service and warranty coverage. Though some of these shops belong to families and have probably been sited at the same location for generations; should any of them shut down, you will have no place left to go to claim your warranty because the chances of another shop honouring your warranty is close to none.

Many of us who have went around trying to claim our warranty have heard a lot of this by now, “You tak beli motor dari sini kita mana boleh bagi warranty claim?” (You didn’t buy the bike from us, we can’t honour the warranty). It’s common, predictable and has been the law of the land for many years.

And to make matters worse, it has been that way for decades now, Malaysian bikers never quite had a choice when it came to buying bikes. You either had to buy it from ABC Motor or import it yourself. And that is before we even get to the point of maintaining the bike and such.

Before the variety and professionalism demanded by today’s consumer oriented markets, these shops never had nor needed to have the tools needed to properly maintain your bike. Send in your shiny new Yamaha R1 and it would not be a surprise to see it being serviced next to a Honda EX-5, while you wait under the baking sun as your bike gets worked on. The tools some of these shops use could very well service a WW2 war bike, which means the chances of damaging your bike is actually quite high, especially for sensitive bikes with a load of electronics that need the right tools and computers.

We have however entered a new era and it is called the era of the consumer, your era, our era.

Organisations like Ducati, Kawasaki, KTM, Yamaha, BMW Motorrad, Triumph and even Harley Davidson have all now matured and understand the importance of its customers and go out of their way to take care of them. Not only do they offer brand spanking, never-before-been-molested new bikes, but they even offer superbly well maintained used bikes at a bargain. And psychologically, you know you can trust these guys to know what they are doing with the bike before selling it to you.

These days it is quite normal to hear of a company offering a replacement bike while your bike is being worked on. It is also normal to have state of the art equipment to work on your bike and most importantly, highly trained mechanics who have been trained by the manufacturer itself and who understand the basics of your bike. This is an important fact that often gets overlooked. A highly trained mechanic is equally as important as a highly experienced mechanic.

Next there is the state of the art workshop with all the tools you need and a well stocked warehouse so that you never need to wait for a replacement part. One such workshop we have visited was of Ducati Malaysia at their flagship showroom in PJ. The workshop was flawless, clean, well stocked and everyone was well dressed. The bikes were placed on proper hoists and only one or two mechanics were allowed to work on the bikes to ensure consistency.

Electronics play a big part in modern bikes and this makes the use of proper computers and software extremely crucial. A wrong program is a matter of life and death for a biker, it is something we, as riders all know and accept. But that doesn’t give room to slack and this makes it more crucial than ever to buy and maintain your bike at a proper service centre.

This is typical of a modern service centre but what makes it even more impressive is some of the amenities these service centres offer. Back to the topic of Ducati Malaysia, the flagship showroom in Petaling Jaya boasts a cafe, a boutique and even a gym for members of the Ducati Club Malaysia. Shouldn’t all bike manufacturers be offering such luxuries to its owners? Makes you think doesn’t it?

Now, before you go out and buy that special Ducati Diavel from that shop around the corner, think for a second if it’s worth the drama and the hassle should there be any. Then think of maintaining the bike and what you are going to do while waiting for it. The choice is obvious, always buy official.

Look out for more upcoming stories on why you should be spending money buying official bikes rather than grey market bikes.

Co-founder of Bikes Republic and a motoring journalist by night. He is a self described enthusiasts with a passion for speed but instead rides a Harley and a J300. A man of contradictions, he is just as passionate about time off in the quiets as he is about trail braking into turn one at Sepang Circuit on two or four wheels.

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