MotoInk Motorcycles

Boutique Motorcycle Concept

Story and images – Ray Vysniauskas

Sitting between a row of barbers’ chairs and a brand new CF Moto 450 I’m talking to Con Cristalidis, co-owner of MotoInk, a motorcycle dealership on Sydney Road, Coburg.

MotoInk first opened in 1996, starting the business in Keilor before moving to North Melbourne and then five years later to the current location in Sydney Road.
“At first we imported used learner bikes from Japan; CBRR250s, NSR250s and Honda RVF400s mainly, they were big sellers, and we sold hundreds of them,” Con said.
“We gradually phased out the used imported bikes and started in franchising CFMoto, then we added Suzuki and later Royal Enfield and Kymco, and now we are dealers for all those brands.”
All the while MotoInk continued their custom work which had become a popular product for them.
“We still have a big market in customising Yamaha XVS650 V-Stars and transforming them into bobbers, but that’s the only used bikes we really sell now,” he said.

Their signage alludes to some tattooing as well but Con says they no longer do that.
“We wanted to do something different when we first moved in here and give the place a bit of a vibe, but as the bike sales kept growing it became harder to run different businesses in the same space. In the end we used the tattooing space to add our Royal Enfield dealership, and that has been very successful.”

While the barbershop area is looking modern and hip, it also remains empty.

“It’s hard to find anyone wanting to take on hair cutting and barbers are getting a bit hard to find. The facilities are all there, but again, the bike sales are going well so there’s no great urgency.”

So what has been the philosophy behind MotoInk?

“We hit a sweet spot years ago when we were trying to attract younger customers and we advertised a lot on the Kiss and Hitz FM radio stations, which provided the perfect forum for us to reach out.
We advertised to a younger market and we got a real kick out of that, and it couldn’t have been better. Now there are so many stations it’s hard to target particular segments. Back then it was a small market and everyone listened to the same music on the radio and in night clubs and that filtered it out for us.”

Back then Con also used to have a regular segment on Kiss FM where he would answer bike-related questions for riders on-air.
MotoInk has worked hard to maintain its unique market.
“We are a boutique store and up against the big boys, and we are one of the biggest advertisers on bikesales.com.au in terms of enquiries. We are so popular because of how we sell bikes, and we have customers all over Australia; many still buy from us even though they can get the same bike from another dealer, even in another state.
Moni Kandili joined MotoInk 15 years ago and we both understand the market and know how to help a customer buy a bike, get a licence and keep them happy.
We don’t have sales people working on commission, so we make sure that our customers buy the right bike for them. That’s what’s kept us going for 30 years.
Customers appreciate that we have a few brands so we can suggest the best bike for their particular needs, and not just try to sell them the one brand that is more profitable to us,” Con said.

And what are the biggest changes in the industry since Con started all those years ago?

“I was 20 when I started and everyone was older than me, and I just recently turned 50, so now everyone is younger than me,” he laughed.
But bike-wise, he says people don’t really buy sports bikes much anymore; adventure bikes, cruisers and cafe racers have become the mainstay of the industry.
“If a sports bike falls off its stand that will cost you at least five grand, and then there’s nowhere to really ride it properly these days.”
Getting rid of the arbitrary limit of 250cc for learner bikes has made a big difference in the long run in the motorcycle industry and has proved a great bonus for MotoInk.
“Before you only had your learners permit for a year so people used to almost dispose of their first 250cc bike. Customers were paying seven or eight grand for their first bike, but now they are paying 12 to 15 thousand for a better bike because they can keep them for longer so it’s a different market.
CFMoto was our first new bike franchise and we got involved about five years ago and they have been fantastic. They have a big range that is constantly being updated, and they relate to people today.
CFMoto are adding many models on a yearly basis and has now become one of the biggest motorcycle brands in the world, and the bigger the range the more customers you can attract.”

“The CFMoto 450MT is the biggest selling bike ever for us, and has been selling like crazy for one and a half years now, and it’s happening all over the world.
In Australia they sold well over 1,000 units of the MT450 in the first year.”
Con says that now the average buyer is closer to their 40s, even some into their 70s, but now everyone’s buying the same bikes, this crossover has been a big change to the industry.
Royal Enfield make that easy too because nearly all of their models are Learner Approved Motorcycles (LAM).
Royal Enfield have been manufacturing bikes for a long time and have refined their product, manufacturing processes and most importantly, their market analysis.
“Royal Enfield is as good in build quality as any Japanese manufacturer now. They are not in that cheap sector anymore and they have a unique market look. And that’s why we got involved with them.
When you buy a Royal Enfield you can customise it so easily, there are so many options, and that’s very attractive to buyers too. With most other makes you can’t really add any accessories or do much customising without some modification.
We also have a few of our own accessory options like white-walled tyres, pipes, stripes and all that sort of thing,” Con added.
Personally I was interested in the new Royal Enfield Classic retro bikes. For a brand that is already retro, having a retro version seemed a bit of overkill, but Con assures me it’s quite a popular bike, and selling very well.
MotoInk are also a Suzuki dealership. Most of the Japanese manufacturers are in transition at the moment, with many of them moving to twins instead of the four cylinder across-the-frame bikes that were their staple for so long. They are moving to cheaper bikes too, trying to catch the momentum of the newer players.
“At the end of the day, price is the main driver of many of these decisions. The CFMoto 800MT explorer has a big price advantage over its Japanese competition while offering more in some areas.
We pretty much just deal in new bikes now and that’s 95% of our stock.
Selling popular bikes usually means some delivery delays, but so far supply has run pretty smoothly as CFMoto, Royal Enfield and Suzuki are centrally warehoused and just need to be sent to us, but with the more popular models you might need to wait a bit longer as shipments continue to replenish stock.”

“But if someone comes in and wants something on the floor we can have it registered and ready to ride out in 15 minutes.”

Being a new bike dealer MotoInk naturally have a full workshop and service department doing preparation, warranty, insurance and licensed repairs, and that has remained a vibrant business, along with their customising, and I’m interested in how reliable the new breed of bikes are these days, and the verdict is good.

“Bikes are easier to diagnose today,” Con tells me, with the added electronics they’re easier to fix. “You are not spending all that time working out a problem, and you don’t spend all that time tuning carbs, which was always a big pain. That’s made it a lot easier in the workshop. Bikes are more disposable now too, you can just replace a part. The worst thing you can really do now is put in bad fuel.”

And at the back of the MotoInk store there is an accessory and tyre section, but Con explains that they don’t push that so much.
“We sell helmets and full protective clothing and customers usually buy their whole kit here after they buy a bike, in fact they often go over and pick out gloves, helmets, pants, boots and jacket while we prepare the paperwork.”

And finally, how does the future look?

“I don’t see electric coming in anytime soon. Just the whole feel, sound and weight of the bikes. And the price, it’s not an option for learners. “The market is good for us. I’ve heard others are struggling, but since Covid our sales have continued to rise and stayed consistent.

“In fact I think we could push the business further, but that might be a job for some younger people,” Con smiles.