Motorcycles Cruise Into Mainstream - The Citizens' Voice
By Jim McCabe
Citizens' Voice Correspondent
Car enthusiasts have the Mustang and the T-Bird. But for Dennis McCartney, president of Edwardsville-based CBXMan.com, there's no business like the bike business.
He has noticed a surge in bike sales, fueled by high gasoline prices that are causing motorists to seek alternative transportation to automobiles to save traveling expenses.
The CBX motorcycle was considered a technological breakthrough for Honda when it was introduced in 1978 because it featured a six-cylinder double overhead cam engine with 24 valves, a technology that didn't become widely available in automobiles until later in the 1980s.
McCartney explained Honda used the technology to make the bike's performance smoother. The motorcycle featured 85 horsepower at the rear wheel. It could run a quarter mile in 11.5 seconds at 120 mph.
The bike was available in the 1000, 750 and 550 series and was discontinued by Honda after four years, makint it collectable. According to McCartney, only an estimated 25,000 of the original 38,000 CBX bikes manufactured remain in use.
His business offers parts improvements and re-builds custom bikes from previous parts for fresh devotees of the model. CBXMAN.com's warehouse, located adjacement to the showroom at 378 Main St., Edwardsville, is full of CBX Parts. And through its website, the company services customers nationwide, McCartney said.
"We'll field calls from all over the country for, say, a guy from Hawaii who wants us to build a specific CBX for him," he said.
While the CBX bike remains the "bread and butter" of McCartney's business, CBXMan also features utility and sport ATVs, motorcycles, cruiser motorcycles, dirt bikes, scooters as well as accessroies and apparel.
Cruiser motorcycles and select types of scooters are also popular because they include technologically advanced automatic transmission techniques, which make the vehicles easier to ride. "If you can ride a bike, you can buy these scooters," McCartney said.
What was once considered a hobby is becoming a mainstream mode of transportation, which translates into more business for companies like CBXMAN.
"There's a direct correlation between the price of gas and the sale of motorcycles and motor scooters," McCartney said, adding particularly some scooters his dealership sells can get up to 75 miles per gallon, better mileage than most cars and they're being built to be more durable and better handle longer trips.
"we have some scooters that you can go to Florida on," McCartney offered.
Many scooters at the Edwardsville store are purchased from South Korean company Daelim Motor Company, which also manufactures ATVs.
This brand, along with Q-LINK and United Motors products, provide CBXMAN with many of the alternatives to motorcycles sold at the showroom.
When shopping for motorcycle parts or new bikes, it's important to remember to do research before committing to a purchase, McCartney suggested. Online resources can be very helpful when shopping for a motorcycle.
In fact, McCartney, who noted his company originated as a Internet-based company, says the Internet is an effective medium to keep motorcycle and bike parts manufacturers and dealers competitive. He urges anyone considering purchasing a bike to check out Internet message boards and reviews that could help them choose the bike that's best for them, as well as what models, types of which they may want to steer clear.
if the manufacturers have a problem, it's on (message) boards like that," McCartney explained. "What really disciplines dealers is the Internet."
"We have a great crew and a good following," he said.
The showroom is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Appointments are also available by calling (570) 718.1844