Honda has doubled the size of its specialist Montesa dealer network and appointed a new Off-Road Sales Manager to further support continued growth in the UK’s trials market. Five new dealers have recently been awarded a Montesa franchise, extending the network across the UK to ten. Each franchisee has been selected due to its specialist knowledge and experience in off-road motorcycles, and is exclusively able to sell the revered Honda Montesa models loved by high-adrenaline two-wheel enthusiasts.
In a further move to focus more on the off-road market, Honda UK has also this month confirmed the appointment of new Off-Road Sales Manager, Graham Foster-Vigors, charged with supporting and developing the Honda and Montesa network. Working within Honda’s UK motorcycle business in various customer and dealer-facing roles since 2007, Graham also has experience in competing in and management of two-wheel motorsport including Enduro and MX. In his new role, Graham will be the principal contact for wholesale and retail performance for Honda and Montesa, as well as overseeing Off-Road Racing, Off-Road Experience Centres and events, such as the Dirt Bike Show, to deliver the best possible promotion for the two brands.
Nick Campolucci, Head of Motorcycles for Honda (UK) comments: “The Honda and Montesa brands are heavyweights in trial biking, and with the sector currently experiencing such strong growth we are in an ideal position to capitalise on this and continue to delight customers with the very best products and technologies from both stables. The expansion of the specialist Montesa franchise network underlines our ongoing commitment to offering our off-road customers the very best in advice, service and expertise; while the appointment of Graham to look after our dealers and keep a dedicated eye on our racing and other promotional activities ties our whole offering together very nicely.”
The five new dealers recently awarded the Montesa franchise are Thunder Road Motorcycles, Hempsted, Gloucester; Colwyn Bay Motorcycles, Clwyd; Derbyshire Off Road Centre, Buxton; Kestrel Honda, Coventry and Marsh MX, Merthyr Tydfill.
Honda (UK) currently markets four models bearing the revered Montesa badge – the Montesa Cota 4RT260, 4RT Factory Race Replica and 300RR, and the Montesa 4RIDE. Each model is manufactured exclusively for worldwide distribution at the Montesa Honda facility, in Santa Perpetua de Mogoda, Barcelona.
The Montesa Honda Cota 4RT began a revolution in trial biking on its introduction in 2006, bringing the environmental benefits of four-stroke technology, along with strong power and torque, to a world previously dominated by two-stroke. The 260 model carries a reputation for performance, quality and proven reliability, while the Factory Race Replica offers the more demanding customer the exclusiveness of its superior equipment and the look of the race bike. Such is the reputation of the Cota 4RT, that of the last 17 Trial World Championships won by the Montesa team, the last nine were all achieved on this model.
Moving up the performance scale, the Montesa Cota 300RR (‘Race Ready’) is an exclusive and unique race-oriented machine which builds on the success of the 4RT models but with a focus on increased power and reduced weight to meet the needs of the most demanding racers, particularly those competing against two-stroke models.
Making up the Honda Montesa range is the most recent addition, the 4RIDE. This versatile off-roader, aimed at the ‘pure adventure’ seeker, is light yet strong, powerful yet manageable, and comfortable and easy to handle. Along with strong Dunlop tyres for plenty of grip, the front axle is light and agile with strong suspension to deal with the most uneven and demanding terrain.
For further information on the Honda Montesa off-road motorcycle range please visit www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles.