The news mostly has been bad for Harley-Davidson recently. The iconic American brand is selling a lot fewer motorcycles than it did in the giddy days of this decade, when some dealers charged more than sticker price for popular models.
The publicly owned company will cut about 1,100 employees this year and is looking for about $100 million in labor concessions from union members next year, according to published reports. Dealerships are closing throughout the country, and owners with multiple locations are consolidating.
But, if Harley-Davidsons are a hard sell, you wouldn't have known it Saturday afternoon at the shop near downtown Fresno on Blackstone Avenue. The service bays in back were full. New bikes crowded the showroom and spilled onto a side street. Melissa Walters greeted a steady flow of regular customers by name.
Mathews Harley-Davidson Inc. -- founded by Walters' grandparents in 1953 in Merced and operating in Fresno at the same spot since 1961 -- appears to have what it takes to ride out tough times. It is near an off-ramp of busy Highway 180, and there are plans for a $1 million expansion.
When completed, the dealership would double in size and include a museum featuring 15 restored motorcycles owned by the late Harold Mathews. Some of the motorcycles previously were displayed at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum, and the collection undoubtedly would attract riders and nonriders.
You'd think that Harley-Davidson officials in Milwaukee would be thrilled at the thought of a dealer investing heavily in its brand at an established location. That apparently isn't the case.
"They want us to move to a high-class neighborhood, a wealthier neighborhood," Walters says. "And we like where we're at. We're not willing to spend millions of dollars on a new property and a new building. We'd rather put our money into what we have right here."
Judging by letters from the company to the dealership since 2004, the folks at headquarters have a love-hate relationship with the shop in a gritty neighborhood.
Walters showed me correspondence in which the company repeatedly dinged the dealership for its appearance and cramped quarters. Other letters praised the operation for its sales and service. Just three years ago, Mathews was cited as a top three dealership in a district with 23 shops.
But the shop -- pending expansion and a renewal of its franchise agreement -- doesn't fit Harley-Davidson's vision of a modern showroom and service center. Rather, it's a reminder of Harley's past when motorcycles were sold out of small garages and dealers such as Mathews carried their own contracts instead of steering customers to Harley-Davidson's financial services arm.
Walters believes that her family's loyalty to Harley-Davidson -- which she calls "the motor company" -- has earned them the right to invest their money where they see fit.
Especially since her grandparents stood by the company in the days when it made cranky, unreliable motorcycles and dealers knew that what they sold new on Friday likely would be in the repair shop the following Monday.
Besides, riding a Harley is supposed to be a statement of independence. Harley-Davidson symbolizes and markets freedom, the open road and the right to make your own choices.
How ironic -- and sad -- it will be if the company decides to part ways with a longtime dealer that embraces independence and its spot on a path less traveled.
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
Contents of this site are © Copyright The Fresno Bee. All rights reserved.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@