Honda/Yamaha of Troy Closes its Doors
Monday, January 31, 2011 | 10:15 AM
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Throughout the '90s and into the 2000s, the Honda and Yamaha of Troy team was a fixture on the national motocross and supercross scene, winning countless races and several championships along the way. Known as "The Fifth Dragon" as they fought the then "Big Four" factory teams of the era, the team's champions included Ernresto Fonseca, Stephane Roncada, Nathan Ramsey and Jason Lawrence.
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Photo: Simon Cudby
Photo: Simon Cudby
Today we learned that the Dayton, Ohio-based dealership has closed its doors for good as a result of the ongoing recession. In a letter sent to customers and suppliers over the weekend, the dealership said, "The nationwide recession and resulting slow sales of motorcycles have had a devastating effect upon P&A Motorcycle, Inc., dab Southside Honda Suzuki Yamaha and Yamaha of Troy (the "Company"). After months of trying to find ways to operate the business profitably and to find a purchaser for the Company as a going concern - both of which efforts have proved unsuccessful - the Company has made the decision to cease operations."
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Does that mean izzi doesnt have a ride anymore?
Wow. These guys have been around forever. I remember I thought they had the coolest looking bikes in 1994, those CR125s with a black gas tank.
Too bad all the support they provided to the MX community and all the dollars they spent racing didnt save them. That sux.
Mike- I heard that Izzi's deal fell through with them a while ago.
It's sad to see what the world is coming to because of the worldwide recession.
Motorcyles sales are down 70% since 2006, surprised more companies haven't folded.
Sad to hear that another Ohio dealership(s) are putting up the shutters. New bikes are great machines, but 7.5-9k for something you can't ride on the street is outrageous. It comes down to the job markets and not many people can leverage that kind of coin to plunk down on a toy.
WoW this is a big loss to the MX world and a reality eye opener of how bad things are in this world , Very sad.
To heck with these four strokes !! They are the reason for high bike prices and maitanence cost !
You could rebuild a 2 stroke for under a 100 bucks, but a 4 stroke would cost you a 1000 thats if you didnt harm the bottom end !
BRING BACK 2 STROKES I SAY !!
If we Stop wasting all our country's money on war for oil and greed, like millions upon millions per day and focused on making our own home better shit like this will keep happening! GO USA. Lol Retards
It is not just the dirtbikes most dealers make most of the money with the street bikes and yes sales are way down. I have not saw it this bad for a long time. Heck I have a friend with a shop and he is just happy to sell a shirt.
Re: 2Strokes comment. I too am a die hard 2-stroke fan. Tried the thumper thing in '05 and went back to the 2-stroke the next spring. But, sales numbers tell the story. People were buying the thumpers and not the 2-strokes. Yamaha still offers the 2-stroke, but sell very few. But I know I can just keep rebuilding my trusty ol' CR250 for many more years of fun.
What a shame! Sad to see one of the big names close its doors and obviously shows the struggles the smaller companies must be having. And, unfortunately, a sign of the current times!
i rode for their local team this past year. its been going downhill for a long time. hell the building has been in bad shape for years. i would have to say from my stand point that it wasnt just the economy
The economy had very little to do with Yamaha of Troy closing.The stories I could tell about this place would make your jaw hit the floor.
That's interesting to hear; puts a spin on the announcement and reason for closing.
People in ohio are shocked it was open this long. Owners are very wealthy and didnt feel effects of it losing money like most of us would have.Still sad. F & S suzuki, Kenworthys and Troy were huge in motocross around here for a long time. Hell all our good tracks are gone also..... Sign of the times.
last time i was in there the place looked like a dump and their help behind the counter sucked. back in the 90s it was a pretty well run place even when the shop was actually in troy.when f&s bowed out i quit going to dayton for parts or bikes.
Yamaha of Troy, F&S Suzuki and Kenworthy's all had one thing in common... Poor management and stubborn idiots at the top..
Very true weasel... all 3 once great establishments emploded themselves.... you must change and evolve with times..............
true, F&S was awesome with all the contingency money and suzuki money but not the best run shop. Once went to troy to get a part for a honda and they showed 9 in stck but box was empty, not run real well. Don Kenworthy was awesome but his wife at sign up was very, very difficult. They had my classes 25+ and 250b back to back and I asked her (very nicely) if there was a was to put a class between us. She WENT OFF big time on me asking why they should change the entire race order JUST FOR ME. she was bi polar or something.....
Alot of todays problems at bike shops are the computer, eveyone buys online and they do not support the local shops anymore selling bikes are a part of business but not everything, but then again who's going to blame someone for trying to save money, sort of a no win situation
i worked there for 4 years, from 02-06. i am very surprised they lasted this long. it's a shame and i hate to say it, but they brought most of it on themselves.
the weasel's here!
F&S was great, they did a lot for my brother when we was racing. They had a great race program. Kenworthys was all about the money, once the Nationals left they were done. (Great track) Sucks Troy closed the doors, a lot of good people worked there.
DGY is the same way, look down their nose at you because ther" BIG TIME" you could spend 50Gs there and the wouldnt cut you a deal on a spark plug...
re: 2strokes> Have to applaud the manufacturers out there that continue to produce two strokes! I'll take the engine rebuild on a Service Honda 500 over a CRF450 any day of the week. More moving parts means more complexity and labor cost...moving closer to road racing(sportbike/autocross). In the end mx is still the greatest sport to be involved with!
I bought a yz250f from YOT, paid with a cashiers check, didnt get the bike shipped to me in Calif. for 2 months! I'm not sorry they are gone.
The economy is going to be the final nail in the 450's coffin. We had a good run with it, I've blown about 30k on a few 450's, but the reality is the factories are the only one's who can burn vast sums of money racing four strokes week end and week out. I've got a good income but my thinking is- 9k for a new bike not gonna happen. Their building new cars for 10k what the hell cost 9 grand to build a bike. Its just a dam dirtbike for heavens sakes you know the things you beat to smithereens. With todays takehome pay in America i can see maybe $5000. But 9k give me a frookin break
So sad to hear. Met Phil Alderton years ago and he was always very cool to me. Never a good thing when a motorcycle dealer that supports MX goes under. This (gag) administration certainly didn't help things...
Chad Reed first sx title came with YOT winning 6 of 7 races 'East Region 125SX'
I bought 3 bikes from YOT in 2010... and could never get my titles from them... so here I sit with 3 bikes, not titles... and cant sell them.... thanks alot jerks!!! Going out of business could not have happened to a better bunch of losers...
lets be real YOT AND HOT going out is a huge loss for the mx community, scott paul and flipper for years helped to build the sport and industry to what it is today, sure some customers got the short end of the deal a few times through out the years, cant makem all happy. Good luck dayton ohio and surrounding areas not having a shop that gives a crap about mx. The area is left with Competition Accessories..... WHAT A JOKE those guys suck!
Clinton County Motorsports has Yamaha, Kawasaki and KTM. Usually have parts in stock for MX bikes or you can order them online, get a discount and pick them up at the shop in three days. They treat MXers pretty good in my opinion. Sad to see YOT go, but their customer service had gotten horrible and they did not update the shop at all to keep pace with all the surrounding shops in the area.
bring back the 2 strokes to get the cost back down. How many kids can go up to their parents and ask them to buy them a new four stroke every other year to stay competitive. bikes are way over priced that is why sales are down.
even if the economy was in better shape i wouldnt spend 6 or 7 grand for a new bike every year or two. the factories are cutting their own throat.
Its a bummer. Good thing we still have great places like NCY (North County Yamaha) if you need to do mailorder on Yamaha or KTM parts. Super guys and great prices. Been Motoing since Metzger and Clowers. And they help the Star BoyZZZZZZ.
YoT AKA Troy Racing had nothing to do with Kilbarger Racing's 2011 efforts so Izzi's ride is secure.
Really you include Jason LOSER Lawrence as a champion for YOT or HOT but not Chad Reed. Hasn't it been about 5 years coming now that the team was going to fold? It was an awesome team back in the day but the shop had problems supporting itself therefore the team had to have problems too.
Dayton most certainly has a dealer who is into MX, Vista Kawasaki. We have been getting our kids race bikes there for years, the owner, Jim, and his kids all race too. Super nice and knowledgeable staff, Jim and Terri are the nicest dealer owners you will ever meet.
Hey obama up there. Make sure you wear a condom or better yet, get a Vasectomy before you have sex. People as stupid as you should not breed!!! Moran!
Sorry to see this happen. I bought an FJR from these guys last year and felt I was very well treated. Yeah, it wasn't the smoothest transaction, but then I didn't pay a ton of horse sh!t fees and the guys were riders, and really knew their products. I hope they all find a place to go.
I expect the failure of Southside had much more to do with the poor customer service than the poor economy. For four years I had been taking my new motorcycle in for the 3k services (I had the extended warranty and did not want anyone claiming it was not properly serviced if I had a claim). Discovered that they were charging me the full service price for just changing the oil. After having transmission and brake issues I now go to Vista. Poor service and high prices, what more can you ask for? Just look at their BBB rating! Plus they never had the parts on hand for my scheduled repairs or service. I had to remind them each time to order an oil filter or it would take an extra day or two because they didn't stock it. And this was one of the most common Yamaha filters!
Well now of course the Weasel has something to say.
Southside was always the place to go for bikes and parts for me. They were so much cheaper than my local dealer that I'd drive the 74 miles to Dayton and pick them up. Their service was always excellent for me. Having the GM plant a mile down the road close probably didn't help them much.
Under Riders they have Jason Lawrence as the only listed rider, but in the picture, that's a picture of Ernesto Fonseca from the 1999 Season...I remember watching the Yamaha of Troy Team's Maiden Supercross Race...It was on ESPN2 back then & I remember, in those days they showed all the 250cc Class Qualifying Heats; Heat Races 1 & 2, then Semi-Finals 1 & 2, then the Last Chance Qualifier, then they'd show the 125 Main Event & then the 250cc main Event (which, in those days, usually consisted of Doug Henry on his Lone #20 Yamaha YZ400F & other riders slowly were put on Thumpers as time went on) & I remember there was 2 riders, riding Yamaha of Troy YZ125's, #16 Casey Johnson, & #33 Casey Lytle & those to Got out front EARLY & RAN AWAY WITH IT....& then on the West Coast Yamaha of Troy had uh, I think Stephane Roncada (#32 I think) & Ernesto Fonseca (#100)....
My family and I have bought 7 fourwheelers from these guys over the years and have friends who have bought more than 10 total. It is very sad that they couldn't keep their doors open and now we will have to go elsewhere for parts and service. Sorry Steve
well racerx let me tell you from first hand, it was partially the economy; however, it was 95% poor ownership decisions. Anyone that has ever been in that dealership can tell you, the dealership was run down. The owner, was as unfriendly as a snake and could not keep his word for nothing. Customers as well as the employees were treated horibly. The company was financially backed by a gready business man named Al Votz III, yes the same gready person that is the president and ceo of Hildleberg distributing in Cincinnati, Oh, Clevland, Dayton, northern Ky. Trust me when I tell you all this.....the economy only had a small roll in this company comming to a crash. Now the owner has bought another dealership in the dayton area to run into the ground. I feel sorry for the poor guy that invested in this go around, because it is only going to happen again! I mean look at all the lawsuits from past riders, that never recieved pay they were do. Bottom line is they did not care for us employees and sure as heck did not care about their customers they ran off!
MX'er : Scot is now up at Sporty Honda. Might be able to get your titles if you pay him a visit.
Never been to their dealership, but ordered parts countless times from them and they were cheaper than anything here in MI. even after paying shipping. I hope Sue the parts lady found employment, she did a good job with my orders.