If you ask literally anyone what the worst part of buying a new vehicle is, they'll all inevitably say, "The dealership." In recent years, that's only become a growing chorus thanks to Tesla's direct-to-consumer model, which many have enjoyed. It also doesn't help dealership likability when their own association is fighting tooth, nail, and with machetes, with states across the country to preserve the broken model they profit from.
The reasons behind everyone's disdain for dealerships are too numerous to count, though the main contention is that dealerships are always trying to pull the wool over your eyes and lock you into some sort of conman-esque scam of a monthly payment. Basically, everyone believes dealership salesmen are dirty, rotten scoundrels. And my own experience would agree with that assessment, having not only dealt with them in buying my personal vehicles, but also having worked as a salesperson for exactly two months.
I legit couldn't handle how shady everything was and bounced without telling a soul.
Which is why when I saw that Zero Motorcycles was moving to direct-to-consumer sales for its XE and XB all-electric dirt bikes, I jumped for joy. Not only is this a great thing for consumers everywhere, but this model will allow Zero to compete with the other major electric dirt bike manufacturers and simplify the process for everyone. It could lead to the company's Rennasaince.
So how's this all going to work? Well, the DTC model is a direct-to-consumer sale, with either selected EV dirt bike getting drop-shipped directly to your door in a big-ass crate. From there, the customer will assemble their dirt bike at home in the comfort of their own garage, and with the help of both a large instruction manual and video guidance. Having built a few of these EV dirt bikes in my garage, they're pretty damn simple, as most of it comes pre-assembled, with the big things usually being installing the battery and front end.
And those are both stupid simple.
Now, this doesn't cut out dealers entirely, as Zero states, "Effective immediately, dealers may sell XB and XE models in-crate, enabling customers to complete final assembly themselves." Likewise, dealer support and maintenance will still continue. Rather, this move is meant to "streamline fulfillment and accelerate delivery timelines," as well as allow Zero to position these dirt bikes "more competitively in the e-moto space while maintaining Zero’s dealer-backed structure, warranty support, and service ecosystem." And that seems like what Zero is doing, as this move allows it to compete with the likes of the other EV dirt bike big-wigs, i.e., Stark, Sur-Ron, Talaria, Niu, etc.
Speaking ahead of the announcement, Zero Motorcycles' VP of Sales and CX for North America, Garret Johnson, said, "The X Line opened the door to a new generation of electric off-road riders. This program streamlines the purchase process and gives customers a quicker, more flexible way to get on an X Line bike without sacrificing service support from our dealer network."
Zero added that this move also benefits participating dealerships, as it removes the need for multiple models on the showroom floor, thereby freeing up space for other motorcycles. See, dealerships, it's a win-win!
Honestly, I hope more motorcycle manufacturers do this. Hell, I hope more car and truck manufacturers do this. The dealership model is broken. You and I both know it. We both hate it. And the sooner we can move away from it, the sooner we have the ability to not deal with their asinine, shady-ass behavior, making the buying process that much better for everyone.
Good work, Zero.
