Motorcycle tyre wholesale is a highly specialised job with relatively few players and only a handful of large operators. One of the leaders in the field is Birmingham-based national wholesaler, Bike Tyrestore, an assertion confirmed by the presentation to the company of the 2008 “Best Trade Service” award from a leading two-wheel trade magazine.

Company MD, Peter Smith, explains that the award recognised the best trade service across the whole of the motorcycle industry, not just amongst tyre suppliers, although, he says, “tyres are all we do.” Smith also explains that, unlike some in the marketplace, BTS is 100 per cent trade dedicated and has no retail arm.

This bike tyre wholesaler has always been at the forefront of the industry with a number of firsts, including a freephone customer service number, “YOUR Online Warehouse” where customers can view live stock and pricing data and place orders directly into the BTS Call Centre computers, and a customer loyalty rewards programme, aptly named “Moto-Vate.”

BTS acknowledges that relationships with leading tyre manufacturers are an important part of the package. The firm was not only the first UK importer of replacement product from the now market leader, Bridgestone – whose major UK trading partner they remain in the two wheel product sector – but has become additionally a crucial part of “Moto-Europe;” a forward-looking new business programme from Michelin.

As the catalyst between manufacturers and motorcycle dealers, BTS knows that it needs to excel in communication, offering a lively and daily-updated website, a weekly e-newsletter, and a field sales force available to call on customers nationwide.

Together with the leading manufacturers, notably Bridgestone, Michelin and Avon to date, BTS arranges free track day events where customers can enjoy the freedom of riding at major circuits, while trying out some of the latest rubber. The French tyre giant recently supplied their Pilot Power 2CT and Power Race free of charge to a group of more than 40 riders at Oulton Park.

Peter Smith told us that, “these days, motorcycle dealers hold very small tyre stocks, for reasons both economic and operational. The reality is that motorcycle tyre buyers plan the event, perhaps to coincide with a service appointment, so there is plenty of time to discuss riding style and tyre expectations beforehand. On the basis that the choice of quality motorcycle rubber is so vast that it’s impossible for a dealer or bike tyre specialist to stock everything, it makes sense to rely on the next day delivery offered by BTS as standard.”

Despatching at least 1,000 tyres every working day, BTS has a fully automated system designed to provide this next day service. Operator input is required to confirm an order, whether received on the freephone number or arriving online. The rest of the job is down to that system, which prompts for labels and picking notes, so that the half-dozen vehicles collecting on behalf of the onward carrier are always full within minutes.

Enthusiastic bikers

On the subject of BTS’s customer base, Smith knows that the vast majority of riders are enthusiasts and, even in difficult times for the economy, they will find a few pounds to spend on their pride and joy. So despite all the economical doom and gloom, BTS sales are well up on last year and never a day passes without a number of new accounts being opened, with most new customers approaching the company following personal recommendation.

One factor which can certainly be explained by economic downturn is the huge expansion in scooter tyre sales, as commuters move from four wheels to two. Rumour has it that in certain parts of the country, notably London, good used scooters cannot be found “for love nor money,” Smith quips.

“We’ve certainly bucked the trend this year”, he states. “With good growth in an otherwise stagnant market the only thing that holds us back is the weather; only farmers and the bike tyre industry are so completely weather-dependant. Ask me about prospects for 2009 and I can say that I am completely optimistic, confident in our relations with the main manufacturers and looking at an expanding customer base. But we do need a warm spring to get bikers out on the road, and a long hot summer to keep them there!”

Important online presence

“YOUR Online Warehouse” is a free of charge service, available to everyone with a BTS Trade
Account and accessed through the company’s website. The, if you will, e-nitiative has – according to the company – been taken up with enthusiasm by a large percentage of the customer base. Working on a number of levels, it allows the dealer or distributor to trade 24/7 at their own convenience and be able to make a sale quickly, with secure information as to what is in stock and how much it costs. In a year when rising costs have forced producers to raise prices several times, paper catalogues tend to become out of date within days of publication. “Not so, online!” states Smith.

He continues, “Our weekly e-newsletter is a powerful tool as is the database it gives us. Anything we need to make our customers aware of can be communicated instantly, and the website at
www.worldofbiketyres.com is a daily news section along with “Features”, including product reviews, pictures of some “World of Bike Tyres” people and events, video entertainment, a special offers area and a zone dedicated to reporting the action within Bridgestone Motorsport.

Popular brands

As for Bridgestone’s market share, Bike Tyrestore reports that Bridgestone continues to exercise domination of the UK two wheel replacement tyre business, but competition is heating up between other premium bands, Michelin having achieved remarkable growth during the last two years. As for more specialist customer interests, BTS says that MotoGP has largely driven the technological development of both these manufacturer’s products with “Transfer Technology” being the philosophy both in Japan and France. Dunlop has a large traditional following to compliment similarly high-tech rubber and, along with Pirelli/Metzeler, is a specific choice for a lot of “hypersports” riders. Avon and Continental are consistent selections, while Sava – the only manufacturer producing scooter tyres exclusively in Europe – has gone from strength to strength since appointing BTS as its sole UK Trade Distributor a couple of years ago. There are newer players too, not least Maxxis, which Smith predicts will be a force to be reckoned with before long.

So, faced with a sometimes confusing range of high performance products, many machine or style-specific, and customers who are knowledgeable and interested in the available products – unlike, Smith notes, the many car-owners for whom a tyre is a “distress purchase” – BTS’ Peter Smith offers a one-stop solution: “A motorcycle tyre wholesaler, which can provide advice and technical support, ideally run by bikers, which carries the stock and delivers the goods, while offering levels of customer service and return value, like “Moto-Vate” and our Track Event programme.”