ClassicMotorcycleMechanicsJune2020

(Jacob Rumans) #1

cmm


Marketplace


Coping with


Covi d-


T


he social andeconomic effects of the
Covid-19 pandemic will clearly beseen and
felt for decades tocome, butweatCMM
wanted to getasnapshotof whateffect it has had
on our hobby and,for some, their livelihoods.
At the centreofo ur industry is the Vintage
JapaneseMotorcycle Club.Int he UK alone the
VJMC (foundedbackin1982) has more than 6000
members.With all the various VJMC eventsnow on
hold, what’shappenedtomembership?Aspokesman
said: “TheVJMChas seenadefinite andsignificant
increaseinmembership applications, renewalsand
lapsed membersduring the lockdown.”
Somepositivity then–more membersmeansmore
enthusiasts to spend moneyint he industry: but
whatofbusin ess atthecore of ourhobby?
Wemotoareone of th ebiggestplayers inthe
market,stock ing almostone andaquarter MILLION
parts for around 14,000different models of
motorcycle fromthe 1970s right up to the present
day.InastatementWemoto said: "For safety
reasons,we've had to temporarily close our
showroom, butwe've remained open tofulfil online
orders. For some of ourcustome rs,their motorcycle
is their only mode of transport, so we're happy we
can help keepthem on the road!
"Some of us are nowworkingfrom home and
safetymeasures are in place for ourremaining
warehouse team.While anumber of riders have
chosen to puttheir bikes awayforthis period, plenty
of people are using this time to completeunfinished
projects, so we have actually beenvery busy."
Thisise choedbyour veryown Ralph Ferrand,
who (whenhe’snot penningCMM articles) is
runningBiker’ sToolbox.Ralph said:“I feelatad
guilty given themisery caused bytheevil that is
Covid-19,but fo rBiker’sToolbox thelockdownhas
transformedourbusiness. We are allworking 10-
hoursaday,seven daysaweek to sa tisfy the
demand. All goods coming in arequarantined for
72 hours before being putinto stock.Ithink that
the UK will havethe bestfettledbikesint he world
soon and many forgotten projects finallyfinished. My
own bikesare, of course, sufferingneglect.”
Conversely,Sealey had this tosay: "Sealey’srange
is vast and includes products for both the
professionaltrade and home environments. Overall
sales have takenahit duetot he temporary closure

The coronavirushas changed
thingsbig time–but how has
our industry/hobby been
coping and what’sthe outlook
for the future?
WORDS:BERTIE SIMMONDS

Wemoto's HQ (above) and
below,parts in stock ready to
go...

8 /classic motorcyclemechanics
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