Caberg has stopped exporting their DOT approved helmets into the USA. 

In 2005 Nichols Motorcycle Supply began distributing Caberg Helmets into the United States.  In August of 2007, Nichols officially severed their relationship with the Caberg manufacturer.  During the 2 years Nichols was supplying US Retailers with Caberg helmets, they were not keeping up with the high demand for the Caberg line.  Retailers and their customers were becoming frustrated with frequent stock shortages and delays bringing new stock into the country.

Why did they eventually stop?  COST.  Because the value of the US Dollar is significantly lower than the EU Euro, European products are much more expensive to import compared to products manufactured in countries like China.  For a US Distributor to properly profit from importing a European made helmet line, the helmets would have to retail for an amount that would not seem reasonable to most US Consumers.

What now?

My company has been retailing the DOT approved Caberg helmets since they first arrived in the United States.  We were very upset to learn that the Caberg line was no longer available.  In an effort to continue to provide North American customers with Caberg helmets, we have reached out to the manufacturer with the hope of negotiating an agreement to resume the role of importing their helmets.  We are confident that we could import significantly more helmets than Nichols Motorcycle Supply had done in the past.  Because we have the ability to sell direct to US Consumers, we are less effected by the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the EU Euro.  We should still offer these helmets at a price the US Customers can still afford. 

The response from the Caberg manufacturer has been disappointing.  Initially they expressed interest in finding a new US Distributor.  They seemed caught off guard by their loss of the recent US Distributor.  They acknowledged that they suspected something was wrong when it had been a year since they had fulfilled a US order.  Eventually, we were told that they were not going to pursue a US Distributor in the near future, and that they would reevaluate this decision late this year.

I believe this is an unfortunate decision for both Caberg and US Consumers.  Folks who've already purchased a Caberg helmet in the US are now unable to find replacement parts.  US Consumers are unable to get a helmet that they have a strong desire for.  The reputation of the Caberg brand is becoming more and more tarnished every day the US demand for the brand name is not met.  If too much time passes, it will be difficult for anyone to believe that US Retailers can supply this helmet line to customers.  Also, there are already less expensive helmets showing up in the US that have similar features that are very good quality for their significantly lower price bracket. 

We still want to convince the Caberg manufacturer that the US market can be profitable if they supply the helmets to a direct consumer retailer rather than a traditional distributor.  Help us show them that there is a strong demand for this product to be purchased over the Internet rather than through traditional brick and mortar retailers.

Please add your comments to this blog entry if you would feel confident purchasing a DOT approved Caberg helmet online.  We hope to use these comments to show there is an immediate and strong US demand for the Caberg line.  If you provide an email address with your comment, it will not be displayed, and we will only use this email address to inform you with any news regarding the availability of Caberg helmets in the US.

Hopefully, together we can make this happen!