Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/243961
22 • January 27, 2014 • Powersports Business MOTORCYCLE www.PowersportsBusiness.com ww V-Twin Expo an industry gathering place C V-Twin Expo attracts newcomers, repeat dealers due to a wet spring. But she also found that her profit margins had increased. A conceal carry leather vest, along with AMSOIL products, were her top sellers for the year. "I always say my shop would be a great reality TV show," she said. "We've got a nice big side porch where everyone comes to hang out. It's a meeting place here. If I could sell beer I'd be a millionaire. We're a small store, but people really enjoy stopping by to see us." BY DAVE McMAHON EDITOR IN CHIEF Nobody at V-Twin Expo knows whether Michelle Storts owns and operates a 10,000-square-foot dealership or a gear and accessories store 1/10th that size. And she fits in perfectly. That's why Storts, owner of the 1,000-square-foot Hocking Hills Motorcycle Ranch in Rockbridge, Ohio, will be back in Cincinnati for the sixth consecutive year. "I'm always looking for something new and different there," she said. Storts found from the first time she attended V-Twin Expo upon opening her store — she was a naturalist at the city's parks department before putting on her gearhead — that she was as welcome as the rest of the dealers in attendance. "I have the nickname 'Stalker' when I go to Cincinnati, because I like to track down all the big-name guys and get my picture taken with them," she laughed. Hocking Hills' location at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains is no laughing matter, however. Helmets, leather and bike accessories take up the bulk of the space inside the store, and Storts hopes to add to that inventory by finding more must-have products in Cincy. 'LIKE CHRISTMAS FOR ME' Michelle Storts, owner of Hocking Hills Motorcycle Ranch, counts meeting Arlen Ness as one of her favorite moments at V-Twin Expo. She'll be looking for parts and accessories for her 1,000-square-foot shop in Rockbridge, Ohio, for the sixth year in a row in Cincinnati. "I started this shop because I got tired of going into dealerships and not finding stuff for real women," she said. "And I don't know how to do anything halfway, so I opened the store. It's not an imposing place to walk into. We're family friendly. We don't get into some of the trashy things that you might see at other stores." Storts has hired a retired woman to oversee the store on weekends — she still needs to ride — and from the beginning, she's countered the competition's hours by being open on Sundays and Mondays. "When I first started I stayed open seven days a week," she said. "Then I decided to close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays." Storts, who rides a Road King Classic 250300 miles a day on her days away from the store, said business was down in 2013, mainly The dyno at L-A Harley-Davidson in Lewiston, Maine, runs daily during the summer months. But being located in a seasonal riding environment forces the dealership to deliver sellable performance packages during the offseason. That's why you'll find Wes Perham, the dealership's assistant service manager, in attendance at V-Twin Expo. "It's like Christmas for me," said Perham, who oversees the store's service technicians. "We are a dealership, but we're also a huge performance shop. It's a great place to interact with a lot of the people I talk to during the year. You get to talk to the owner or the person that's fully responsible for answering technical questions." From S&S Cycle to SuperTrapp to T-Man Performance to Dynojet to Andrews cams, Perham already had his itinerary planned for Day 1 in Cincy. "I like to talk to everyone there, really," he said. See Cincy, Page 23 A bike on a lift in the showroom increases traffic BY DAVE McMAHON EDITOR IN CHIEF The Polar Vortex had not yet reared its head, but the weather outside was frightful when Crossroad Powersports outside Philadelphia held its annual service department open house. Even so, customers came in droves. "I was shocked at how many people we had at the event," owner Eric Osner said. "We brought a lift into the showroom and brought in some chairs to make it a classroom setting. It was a super cold day. It was also part of our Customer Appreciation Day, and a lot of people came in." Pete Alberici, a 35-year veteran of powersports service departments and the dealership's service manager, had a motocross bike on the lift and presented seminars on a variety of topics, from oil changes to storing and maintaining a bike in the offseason. Dubbed a success by Osner, the event was a way for the dealership to bring bodies into the store on an otherwise miserable winter day. "Pete does a great job of putting it all together, and it's a good time for us to do it. We include 50 percent off select parts and accessories to get the customers involved even more," Osner said. Crossroad never was able to overcome a second quarter in which "it rained every day in March, April, May and June," Osner said. "It was horrendous rain. We've been playing catch-up since July. We had a strong OctoberNovember-December, but we couldn't catch up with what we lost. In service, people weren't bringing in their bikes because it was raining, but then come July, everything hit the fan and it got busy. He's still busy back there now and it's 5 degrees outside." Osner's 17 years in the business has him taking a positive outlook for 2014. "I think 2014 is going to be good for powersports, I can just feel it in my bones," he said. "For five years we've been getting pounded. I noticed at Christmas time. We sold a lot of little bikes. 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