Frank’s, Triumph Parting In Vermont

ESSEX JUNCTION, VT – Frank’s Motorcycle Sales & Service gave its website a reboot on Thursday, introducing a new logo for the dealership in the process, and conspicuously missing from the cleaner and more comprehensive website was any mention of Triumph.

Dealer ownership Lester Pelkey reported today that the Triumph line is going away as a result being unable to comes to terms on a franchise renewal with the British bike-maker.

“For the health of my business, I just don’t want to go there,” said Pelkey, explaining that financially the contract offered by Triumph made “no sense to me.”

Among the conditions that Pelkey said he considered onerous were a requirement that he have 41 new Triumph models on the showroom floor at all times and an “auto-delivery” requirement that would have seen a replacement bike shipped from the manufacturer as soon as one sold.

Pelkey said the parting with Triumph had nothing do with the quality or appeal of Triumph’s products. “It isn’t that we don’t like the bikes,” he said.

Pelkey’s comments came after he responded to an email inquiry this morning from RIDE-CT / RIDE-NewEngland. A similar inquiry to Triumph went unanswered by evening.

Frank’s Motorcycle Sales will now concentrate on selling BMW motorcycles and Yamaha snowmobiles. Pelkey said he may explore adding a line of quads and side-by-sides.

Meanwhile, Frank’s Motorcycle Sales’ new website is a dramatic improvement over the one that preceded it.