In the main, motorcycle dealerships in South Africa are one-brand affairs; the multi-franchise dealer is a rarity. However, in the current market climate, perhaps we are seeing a swing towards the latter concept.
The latest evidence is to be found in Alberton. Many people will be familiar with FAST. KTM, sitting right next to the N12 highway in the north of the town. For many years, the site was also the home of ROC Harley-Davidson, but a change of ownership of Harley-Davidson Johannesburg meant that that arrangement came to an end.
More recently, MV Agusta also gained a presence on the site, which made sense as, at the time, that fabled brand was part of the Pierer Mobility group, which, of course, also owns KTM. Even though MV Agusta has returned to the full ownership of the Sardarov Family, after KTM’s financial woes, the brand still has a home at FAST. KTM.
Now, in a significant move, the space once occupied by Harley-Davidson has been filled with Yamaha’s latest dealership, One. Yamaha, to be run by the FAST. KTM team, which means that it is sure to be a huge success, particularly as it fills a geographical gap in Yamaha’s dealer structure in Gauteng.
When looked at closely, combining KTM and Yamaha under one roof, so to speak, makes a lot of sense, as Yamaha plays in several areas that KTM doesn’t, namely scooters, quads and 4×4 four-wheelers. In the areas where both brands compete head-to-head – road and off-road bikes – it can only benefit the customer to have more choice in one location.
We see the many accessory brands from Yamaha South Africa‘s umbrella stocked at One.Yamaha, joining the collection of the Fast. umbrella, making the picking easy and the options vast, bringing clients a truly premium experience.
At a very relaxed and well-attended opening night, both Adrian Bac of Yamaha South Africa and Nathaniel do Amaral of FAST. KTM showed every sign of being very happy with the collaboration, Adrian praising Nathaniel and his team for being incredibly easy to work with during the intense set-up period, and Nathaniel emphasising the importance of Yamaha as a brand. Certainly, everything Nathaniel has done in the motorcycle world has been driven by a passion for motorcycles, and FAST. KTM has always been well-run and very successful; bringing their expertise to the Yamaha brand could just be a masterstroke for all parties involved.
So, if you live in the South of Johannesburg and have felt out of touch with Yamaha simply because there was no dealer nearby, then One. Yamaha has to be your new favourite weekday and weekend destination.
The full address is Corner Voortrekker Road & Louis Trichardt St, Alberante, Alberton, Johannesburg 1448, and the telephone number is 011 867 0092.
