Scottish Dealerships

[Scottch]

Looks like Alvins have called it a day - read here hope all the staff find alternative employment quickly.

Since Shirlaws is now a Ducati Service Centre only, I think this now means that Martins' is the only dealership where you can buy a new Ducati in Scotland.

Good luck Martin!

 

[Gizmo]

Not good news Scott. Guess most of you have read the the advertising policy and the reasons I've tried to help the dealers as I've been concerned that we won't have dealers to service our bikes and do warranty work. it reinforces that we do need to support our dealers when we can or we won't have anywhere local to us for servicing. Hopefully Martin will be able to look after all those Alvins customers needing servicing and warranty.

 

[Ray]

One or two more official service centres are popping up. DUK are also Looking for new dealers on their website to fill in the gaps in their network.

Ray

 

[Scottch]

Mikey,

At the end of the day - if no-one supports their dealer, who is to blame when the dealer closes?

I'm very sorry for the staff who may face hardship as a result of Alvins closing, but I did not support them in recent years either.

But, if the dealer makes a customer wait from May to November to repair their bike then that dealer does not deserve support from that customer.

Thankfully, we have Ducati Glasgow to look after us up here -and I know they won't treat me like Alvins did.

Sure, the locality may not be best for everyone - but from my point of view (going round the Edinburgh by-pass) Alvins was only 10 minutes closer than Ducati Glasgow.

Scotland must be a very difficult territory for Ducati, I'm sure Ducati UK will be aware of the potential problems they are now facing this side of the border and what difficulties the dealers cope with.

Hopefully they will offer more support to the existing dealer network to prevent similar closures.

Just my thoughts

 

[Freak]

I have every confidence in Martin and the guys helping out the bikers who have lost their local dealer Alvins.

I think hard times are ahead for a while but the dealers like Martin, Charlie, John Hackett (OK not Northern) are there and will be there for a long time because of their ongoing commitment to making me Joe Public a happy chappy. :beer:

 

[Geoff]

Trained tech's

Hi,
I believe Motocal sold Ducati's and other Italian exotica. Does that mean their are trained technicians looking for employment ? A rarity in Scotland from all accouts.
Geoff

 

[Scottch]

Jon,

I hope when the weather turns a bit warmer those dealers will be in for a great time!

Geoff,

You're right, Alvins were a Ducati dealer. Don't quote me, but I think they had 1 Ducati trained technician.

Cheers!

 

[berto]

Ayr motorcycle services are now doing Ducati servicing with George Ligerwood so that's gotta be good for Ducati owners(and off li:beer: cence owners)

 

[gordj65]

Jon,

I hope when the weather turns a bit warmer those dealers will be in for a great time!

Geoff,

You're right, Alvins were a Ducati dealer. Don't quote me, but I think they had 1 Ducati trained technician.

Cheers!

i think it was more like one partially trained ducati mechanic ......and thats not being cruel to the guy cause i believe he was a good worker ross i believe his name is just that alvins hadnt sent him on many courses.there is still brian pilchard who does ducati on a homer basis (probably the best mechanic ive ever worked beside) and ill quite happily take up the slack in clothing and other accessories that they cant supply anymore.
still its a shame for a lot of edinburgh bikers who will have one place less to go and fewer options to spend their money on.
but lets be realistic they were mainly a suzuki dealership so if it means less gsxr`s on the road that can only be for the good:comp2:

 

[gordj65]

i think it was more like one partially trained ducati mechanic ......and thats not being cruel to the guy cause i believe he was a good worker ross i believe his name is just that alvins hadnt sent him on many courses.there is still brian pilchard who does ducati on a homer basis (probably the best mechanic ive ever worked beside) and ill quite happily take up the slack in clothing and other accessories that they cant supply anymore.
still its a shame for a lot of edinburgh bikers who will have one place less to go and fewer options to spend their money on.
but lets be realistic they were mainly a suzuki dealership so if it means less gsxr`s on the road that can only be for the good:comp2:

oh and as a follow on anyone desperatley needing their ducati serviced i shall now be doing ducati servicing at a fine price......am i ducati trained? well i wore a set of their overalls once and i have held a ducati pencil as well though i would say look at my quote at the bottom of this page :comp2:

 

[eonan]

Well…I could write a book on Alvins, and I’ve only been dealing with them since last November! I’m not going to go into the details…but I’ve spent the last 3 months ranting and raving to friends, family, other forums, passing children, small animals, lamp posts…you get the idea.

The last piece of work I got them to do though [last week!], was to fine tune a set of FCR carbs I’d fitted, and dyno test it. I also asked them to do the valve clearances, cam timing, compression / leakback tests, and finally to check the alternator rotor retaining nut.

I also asked them to deliver it back to me with the engine casings removed…they’re at Jacksons getting blasted and re-sprayed as we speak. I mention this, because it means I havn't actually been able to test out the bike yet.

Thing is, I’m not sure if any of the work I asked them to do has actually been done

I got an invoice for 4 hours work…but with no breakdown as to what was done. They couldn’t give me a dyno print out because their printer wasn’t working, and as for the clearances? Well I’ve just taken off the valve covers to re-spray them, and I’m pretty sure they havn’t been off in quite a while. Either that or they’ve just stuck the old gaskets back in there.

I don’t give a toss about the money, all I want to know is what was done, if anything, just so I know what to ask Ducati Glasgow or Shirlaws to do for me. If they’ll ever have the time that is.

I don't want to sound like I'm having a go at Alvins eh...I really do believe they did as much as they possible could to help, and given what we know now, well I guess it explains a lot.

 

[Scottch]

Eonan,

Unfortunately mate - I doubt you're the only one in this situation.

 

[Martin Ducati Glasgow]

Thanks for all of the votes of confidence here folks.
We are more than ready and willing to look after the customers from the East of the country and relish the chance to do so. We have just taken on two more sales staff and another technician to cope with the added flow of business that is already coming through the door!

To be honest there has been many customers coming in from all over the country for some time to benefit from the service we offer.
We will be doing some kind of pick-up and drop-off service to the East Coast to make it far easier for those folks getting their machines the care they require.

Thankfully it's been the busiest "close season" we've had since we opened the store, having had such an upturn in business since the tail end of last year, the new team we have assembled are attacking this year with a whole new approach

Probably best to point out here that we are the ONLY official dealer and service centre between the dealer in Newcastle (nice blokes at M&S) and the service point of the guys in Aberdeen (nice blokes at Shirlaws).

Lastly a big thankyou to all of you that have supported us throughout the quiet season. It is thanks to you all that we are going from strength to strength so rapidly. The workshop has never been so busy (thanks for all of your effort Charlie) and sales have simply never been so good.

The rideouts are starting again this weekend (weather permitting), trackdays in May and we'll keep you informed of all the beer and pizza nights!!!!:beer:

Martin

 

[eonan]

i think it was more like one partially trained ducati mechanic ......and thats not being cruel to the guy cause i believe he was a good worker ross i believe his name is just that alvins hadnt sent him on many courses.

Well I think someone should give this guy a job right now, and send him on the rest of the courses. His name has been on the work sheets for all the jobs they've done for me, and his work has been really good. He did all sorts of little extras too, things that he wasn't even asked to do...and no charge was made for them. THe guy obviously cares about what he's doing.

 

[eonan]

Thanks for all of the votes of confidence here folks.
We are more than ready and willing to look after the customers from the East of the country and relish the chance to do so. We have just taken on two more sales staff and another technician to cope with the added flow of business that is already coming through the door!

To be honest there has been many customers coming in from all over the country for some time to benefit from the service we offer.
We will be doing some kind of pick-up and drop-off service to the East Coast to make it far easier for those folks getting their machines the care they require.

Thankfully it's been the busiest "close season" we've had since we opened the store, having had such an upturn in business since the tail end of last year, the new team we have assembled are attacking this year with a whole new approach

Probably best to point out here that we are the ONLY official dealer and service centre between the dealer in Newcastle (nice blokes at M&S) and the service point of the guys in Aberdeen (nice blokes at Shirlaws).

Lastly a big thankyou to all of you that have supported us throughout the quiet season. It is thanks to you all that we are going from strength to strength so rapidly. The workshop has never been so busy (thanks for all of your effort Charlie) and sales have simply never been so good.

The rideouts are starting again this weekend (weather permitting), trackdays in May and we'll keep you informed of all the beer and pizza nights!!!!:beer:

Martin

Thanks for this post Martin...it's certainly good to know that we're not being left swimmin' with the fishes see

Erm...I guess I'll be calling you in the morning to see if you can help me out with that little list of jobs mentioned above

 

[Scottch]

Glad to hear you were so impressed with that Alvins tech Eonan.

Unfortunately I was less than enamoured when I discovered he had installed a secondary oil filter in my 996r incorrectly.

I can only hope that he has completed a lot more training since my experience.

 

[eonan]

Karate Kid

Glad to hear you were so impressed with that Alvins tech Eonan.

Unfortunately I was less than enamoured when I discovered he had installed a secondary oil filter in my 996r incorrectly.

I can only hope that he has completed a lot more training since my experience.

Hmmm...maybe just needs a little nurturing :hug:

 

[Martin Ducati Glasgow]

Thanks for this post Martin...it's certainly good to know that we're not being left swimmin' with the fishes see

Erm...I guess I'll be calling you in the morning to see if you can help me out with that little list of jobs mentioned above

No problems mate, give me call direct and I'll sort to you out no problem at all.

M.

 

[Superduc]

Ayr motorcycle services are now doing Ducati servicing with George Ligerwood so that's gotta be good for Ducati owners(and off li:beer: cence owners)

What are you like chunky???

Any cheap dig at your old job eh? Like yer Murphy's Yer no bitter??? (much!!!)
Could of seen it coming a mile off! Do you think folk that are reading this can't see what yer trying (and failing) to do? :gay::jerkoff:
You are as transparent as feck!

The service up at DG is the Daschunds Danglies, and no amount of bitter pish from you will change that! :twak:

So far i've had nothing but good experiences up at DG, just like alot of the other folk on here I see, all the staff (has anyone seen the 6ft blonde thats started in there at the weekends!!!!!) are great and Charlie is a reet good mechanic, he always goes the extra mile for me!

"Berto, with this total crap you keep posting up, you're really spoiling us!"
(In my best Forrero Rochet accent!!!)

Have you actually got anything worth reading to type? :gay: :jerkoff:

Super D

 

[Neepdocker]

.there is still brian pilchard who does ducati on a homer basis (probably the best mechanic ive ever worked beside) :

Got to agree with you on this. Brian has just completed an engine service on my 916 and this guy is meticulous. I would recommend Brian to anyone who has an older Ducati that is out of warranty. He has been Ducati,Suzuki,MV and Yamaha factory trained. If anyone would like his number P M or e-mail me and I'll send it on to you.

 

[SS_al]

Thanks for all of the votes of confidence here folks.
We are more than ready and willing to look after the customers from the East of the country and relish the chance to do so. We have just taken on two more sales staff and another technician to cope with the added flow of business that is already coming through the door!

To be honest there has been many customers coming in from all over the country for some time to benefit from the service we offer.
We will be doing some kind of pick-up and drop-off service to the East Coast to make it far easier for those folks getting their machines the care they require.

Thankfully it's been the busiest "close season" we've had since we opened the store, having had such an upturn in business since the tail end of last year, the new team we have assembled are attacking this year with a whole new approach

Probably best to point out here that we are the ONLY official dealer and service centre between the dealer in Newcastle (nice blokes at M&S) and the service point of the guys in Aberdeen (nice blokes at Shirlaws).

Lastly a big thankyou to all of you that have supported us throughout the quiet season. It is thanks to you all that we are going from strength to strength so rapidly. The workshop has never been so busy (thanks for all of your effort Charlie) and sales have simply never been so good.

The rideouts are starting again this weekend (weather permitting), trackdays in May and we'll keep you informed of all the beer and pizza nights!!!!:beer:

Martin

Talking of rideouts this weekend - Is anything organised? Who's up for it? Any suggestions for routes/destinations?.

I think I'll do the proper thing and start a new tread in rideouts.......

 

[Scottch]

Depends on what sort of state I'm on on Sunday

 

[SS_al]

Depends on what sort of state I'm on on Sunday

I think I might be in the same boat since you've offered moi a spare bed at casa charles..

 

[borderduc]

I was a little shocked to hear about Anvils going under, although the Ducati side was not their strong point from my experience. It's a bit cruel to say now but they could have learned a lot from Ducati Glasgow in terms of customer service.

 

[gordj65]

alvins

I was a little shocked to hear about Anvils going under, although the Ducati side was not their strong point from my experience. It's a bit cruel to say now but they could have learned a lot from Ducati Glasgow in terms of customer service.

i think alvins lost theyre way with the departure of mike parker.he knew what he was doing and you could have a laugh with the guy and importantly do a deal with him.i whined that much he arranged cheaper servicing for me and it was him that made sure brian did all the work on my bike.
shame to see it go tho as they had some good ideas.



the future for ducati in edinburgh is more of a worry unless we get someone like martin going for scottish domination we will probably end up with ducati edinburgh being run by eastern western car sales just like harley davidson in edinburgh......not that im one for rumours but i did hear from a fairly good source that eastern wanted ducati for the logo on their headed note paper more than an interest in the bikes.
martin if you want to open up through here ill supply clothing and put at least 50p into the kitty mate (generous to a fault me ):comp2:

 

[centurysup]

Ross Barlass was the Ducati technician at Alvins. Has looked after my 998 since new and I've had no complaints.

If Martin at Ducati Glasgow is going to do a collection service then he's just got himself a new customer.

 

[Martin Ducati Glasgow]

Ross Barlass was the Ducati technician at Alvins. Has looked after my 998 since new and I've had no complaints.

If Martin at Ducati Glasgow is going to do a collection service then he's just got himself a new customer.

Well mate, the plan is to run a van every Wednesday and Saturday morning over to Edinburgh!

We will suggest a meeting point of somewhere at the Edinburgh side of the M8. We can pick up and drop off two bikes at a time. Hopefully that will help us cater for you guys over there on the East side saving you the hassle of coming all the way through.

We haven't started doing this quite yet, but it wont be long!

As usual we are flat out in the workshop at this time of year!!! We have taken on a new tech but he wont be starting properly for a couple of weeks yet.

If you want to give me a call, do so at anytime and we can get you fixed up.

Remember, even if we post things out, the postage is probably going to be cheaper than the petrol / time to get to us, but do try and come through and get to know us, you'll defo have a good time!

Mart

 

[centurysup]

Thanks for the update Martin. It's good to know your plans.

I've just had my bike serviced and MOTd in the last month but I'll bear it in mind for next time, and will let my mate know who's got a 999R.

Incidentally, I've been through to your place when the Scottish Ducs yahoo group was originally set up by Scott and we met there one snowy afternoon. Good place it is too.

 

[Martin Ducati Glasgow]

I'll bear it in mind for next time, and will let my mate know who's got a 999R.

Incidentally, I've been through to your place when the Scottish Ducs yahoo group was originally set up by Scott and we met there one snowy afternoon. Good place it is too.

Thanks mate, i'll keep this site up to date with the latest as and when it happens.

It's got to be the best way for us all to keep in touch!

Mart