Suomy is pulling out of USA!!! NO!

[R1100S-Rider]

Originally Posted by OldSchlPunk

There is another supplier besides Parts Unlimited, I just can't think of it at the moment and am too damned lazy to go find it.

Parts unlimited is the only supplier in the US for Suomy helmets... Trust me on this one. If there were another. I would go through them. Because Parts Unlimited freakin SUCKS!

[jim schmidt]

I suspect this decision was based on the relative value of the dollar. That's why the Setup brand was abandoned by Sidi. Mid-priced (affordable-tier) Euro stuff just isn't affordable here anymore. So it gets harder to move.

[HighsideSV]

Get ready to watch a lot of upper-mid prices items in general start to dissapear as their customers become unable to afford them. The rich are still buying the high price-point stuff (so Ducati is safe) and there will always be the innexpensive gear. That middle ground where the discerning middle class shopper splurges to get value in place of price is the market segment that is going to be hardest hit by our economic situation right now. The middle class shopper is worrying about enough problems right now that they are having a hard time justifying Soumy lids in place of Skorpians. Low-end imported luxury items (the things that regular people "treat" themselves to) are going to be hit VERY hard in the coming months I think.

[OldSchlPunk]

Originally Posted by R1100S-Rider

Parts unlimited is the only supplier in the US for Suomy helmets... Trust me on this one. If there were another. I would go through them. Because Parts Unlimited freakin SUCKS!

Alright, you forced me to look it up:

Suomy USA announces today, that effective immediately, it has ceased operation and no longer represents Suomy Spa, Suomy Helmets or its distributors. Suomy USA will no longer be responsible for customer service, warranty, product support, sales training, sponsorships or anything associated with Suomy helmets whatsoever.

Rick Marlin, Director of Suomy USA - "We are sad to end our long standing cooperation with the Suomy Spa and our distribution partners. However, the 5th consecutive year of a very weak dollar and a slumping economy have worked against us, and while I have made significant personal sacrifices to keep the doors open hoping things would turn around, I'm simply not in a position to carry on."

Rick Marlin first imported Suomy Helmets into the USA in 1998 through Gearbox International, then a completely unknown brand in the USA. "We are proud of our accomplishments with Suomy - our mission was to position the brand as a relevant competitor to Shoei and Arai's best, and establish a national distribution network. With Suomy Helmets being the #1 performing helmet in a well known national Helmet Satisfaction study 5 years in a row, and establishing national distribution partners such as Parts Unlimited, Van Leeuwen Enterprises and Romaha Importer and Distributors, we can leave knowing we attained those goals and more."

Those goals and more, indeed. Suomy was the first modern premium helmet to be established in the US market, not with the Snell approval rating, but with the British standard - the venerable BSI 6658 Type A standard. In doing so, Rick Marlin and Suomy USA demonstrated that the more demanding, alternative European standards could be sold in the USA and effectively knocked down the old myths about Snell and truly started the conversation of alternative helmet standards now so widely discussed in all the major industry magazines. Say Rick, "I am certain that we at Suomy USA, and Suomy Spa put the helmet standard discussion firmly into the minds of the American consumer, and in doing so I will leave a lasting legacy to the improved safety of every motorcyclist in the USA. This is an area of which I am most proud."

Suomy helmets will continue to be made available and serviced in the USA directly from it distribution partners.

Rick Marlin continues as Director of Modern World Ventures, a would leader in optical insert technologies Welcome To Modern World and as Director of Maric Group, a consulting firm providing services for overseas helmet manufacturers seeking innovative assistance with sales training, brand development, distribution and marketing.