Just read the article below, retailers must be doing it tuff at the moment given the amount of product being purchased off the internet.
Cheers Colin

The iconic dealership in Melbourne's eastern suburbs has closed its doors, and will be wound upOne of the most well-known motorcycle dealerships in the country, Mick Hone Motorcycles in the Melbourne suburb of Mont Albert, has gone into liquidation.

A liquidator was appointed on January 27 (here) with the remit to wind up the business, which first opened its doors way back in 1979 as a Suzuki dealer, with well-known road racer Mick Hone running the show — as well as banging bars with the like of Graeme Crosby on race tracks around Australia.

Mick Hone Motorcycles then rode the wave of the motorcycle boom in the 1980s, and the popularity of the business soared even further when Hone decided to hang up his leathers full-time and hand over the reins of the Suzuki superbikes to Rob Phillis.

The decision proved to be a masterstroke as the hitherto slightly 'wayward' Phillis got his act together in a big way and was a dominant figure in the 1980s alongside other names such as Andrew Johnson and Malcolm Campbell.

Mick Hone Motorcycles was also the long-time Australian importer for Yoshimura, the iconic Japanese high-performance company.

Mick Hone Motorcycles, like all bike dealerships, has had to deal with an increasingly tough retail climate over the last 10-15 years, and the demise of the once thriving business provides another cautionary tale of just how difficult it is for those at the coal face.

Thats not good. I have bought many bikes from Mick Hone. I wonder if it has anything to do with Ziggy given that Ziggy is/was a director of the business. 

Not good,  indeed.

ive developed a great relationship with Mick over the years (as has many others), and his timing (for me) couldn't be worse, as I planned to visit him this week to discuss all thins V-strom.

I'll pop down tomorrow and see if I can have a chat.

Raced against Mick when we were both on TR500mk3 Suzukis, he was a tough competitor. He decided to shorten the expansion chambers on his and wanted to see how much better? it might be. We came onto conrod straight at Bathurst side by side and went for it up thru the gears. Mine was geared for 155mph flat out and I guess Mick was the same, we wheelied over the last hump side by side (this was before they put the kink in to slow the pussies down) and were having so much fun neither of us wanted to brake first. I was not convinced his was any quicker.

At this same meeting (in 1976) I was doing OK in a race and once again had it nailed down conrod when unbeknown to me - The carbs fitted had nylon guides to stop the slides turning and one of mine had broken off, when I sat up after the front wheel was back on the tarmac after the last hump and slammed on the brakes one carb stayed flat out - SHIIIIIIIT. Luckily for me they had installed a run off at the end of the straight (after  Ross Barreli had been killed running into the armco at the end of the straight when his Suzuki brake disks disintegrated thru too many holes being drilled) and I was able to run off down there on the way back to Bathurst town with my thumb firmly on the kill switch. I got rid of the nylon guides and made my own aluminium ones which I checked quite often for a while, but Fark we had some fun sliding those Suzukis around without traction or wheelie control or all the other stuff that turns a bike into a rolling computer game.

Grouse Ken. Love it.

Spoke to Mick quite a few times when i was rebuilding a 1989 RM250 and he was very knowledgeable and a down to earth bloke .
Seems a real bummer that they have gone.
Lots of expertise gone.

Love your story Ken.

So Serge - A V-strom ey.

While at Frankston Yamaha getting bits for the dreaded in laws YZ250 I had a look at the new KTMs and BMWs next door. I was really taken with a F800R that I had not seen in the flesh before. This is one good looking practical motor bike. They have a ride away price special on at the moment with lots of sensible options thrown in. Check this one out as well Serge.

PS the seat is very close to the ground.

As a point of interest, what age group is Mick.   Time marches on and businesses have to re refreshed.   We need to train the younger generation to step over our worn out shoes.    Younger, fitter and more tech savvy.   
Phil R. 

Don't you go picking on young Mick Phil, he would be about the same age as me and my shoes are fine.