Mechanic buys dream dealership, continues passion for wrenching

This article originally appeared in the September edition of Powersports Business.

Shore Cycles of Salisbury, Maryland, has a new owner as of July 1. James Summerson, new to his role as owner, is not new to the motorcycle industry or to Shore Cycles.

“I have been in the motorcycle industry since 2005,” he says. “I grew up riding dirt bikes and raced a little bit of Motocross. I went to the University of Maryland, and while I was there, I worked at a small independent shop called The Dirt Shop, which has a very solid, historic background. It was there for 45 or 50 years, owned by Ralph and Carol Flanigan. I learned a lot from them. Really great people worked there and went on and had really good careers in the industry.”

The dealership closed around the same time Summerson graduated from college, and he began working for Tom Heyser and Caroline Spar at Heyser Cycle in Laurel, Maryland. “I was there for about nine years and that’s where I became an A-level technician,” he says. “I could work on bikes, but those are the years I really learned to be a professional mechanic.”

Previous Shore Cycles owner John Churchman interviewed Summerson for a motorcycle mechanic position. “I just loved the shop,” Summerson says. “…and John and I clicked really well.” Summerson started at the dealership in 2018.

Today, Churchman is a part-time consultant. “He’s certainly still a guiding light for us,” Summerson says. “I think in his personal life, it was just time for new ventures. He’s kind of a creative entrepreneur type, and I think he was ready for his next challenge.”

Summerson as owner

“I’m still trying to figure it out,” he laughs about balancing his roles as owner and as a technician. “I love to wrench,” he says. He believes it’s important to work along-side employees, as he observed most of his bosses do in the past. “I’m just following in their footsteps.”

Summerson is focused on making sure the culture of Shore Cycles stays consistent. He says he wants employees to come into the same dealership that they have loved to work at for a long time.

“We have very little turnover here as far as employees go, and I think that’s a good sign. When people stay for years and years at their job, especially in an industry that sees a lot of turnover, it’s a good indicator of a positive workspace,” he says. “Financially, we make sure our guys are paid at a competitive wage or above competitive if we can.”

Tyler Moore is the assistant sales manager and oversees the dealership’s social media. Alex Terlizzi, who has worked at the dealership longer than any of the Shore Cycles team, is the parts and accessories and service manager. Pat Johnson is a mechanic and Summerson highlights his extensive experience.

“It’s such a small team, if any one person was missing, we would have serious problems,” Summerson says. “It’s kind of the shop I’ve always wanted… It’s a nice little community, small, independent dealer, which is unique in the industry right now.”

Diverse offerings in sales

“We have a lot of people that buy their first bike from us and then a year or two later, they get their next bike, and then a year or two later, they get their next bike,” he says. “It’s cool to see people progress and buy multiple bikes from us.”

The dealership offers used motorcycles, along with Kymco, Hammerhead, SSR, Genuine Scooters, and Wolf Brand Scooters. Summerson says that for a small dealership, it offers a surprisingly diverse selection of motorcycles, some with less than 50 miles on them.

“We do a really good job with bike acquisitions,” he says. Because he wrenches on the motorcycles that will be displayed on the showroom floor, he can ensure they are in top condition. “We have something for everyone, something in every price range, and something for every skill level,” he adds.

The dealership lists its used motorcycles at a fair price, and Summerson says this allows reasonable local trade-ins and purchases. “We don’t try to make giant margins,” he says. “That allows us to make smart purchases and pass the savings along to the customers. I think our prices are very fair and that’s partly how we acquire bikes and how we sell the bikes at a reasonable rate that keeps the showroom floor rotating constantly.”

He says the service department is also unique for a small dealership. Shore Cycles will work on everything. “Right now, I’ve got an Aprilia sitting on the lift for servicing, next to a Hayabusa that’s getting a motor swap, sitting next to a Harley that’s getting tire changes, sitting next to a Kawasaki that’s getting a diagnostic,” he says.

The team prides itself on providing a large variety of services while ensuring that customers can get their motorcycles in and out of the department quickly.

“We are a small town, independent dealership – not corporate,” Summerson says. “This shop has been around since 2010, so we’re pretty established in the community, and we have a good reputation.” He says the Shore Cycles team knows many customers by name.

“We do charity rides… Being part of the community is a big focus for us, being a smaller shop. We want to make sure people don’t just see us at work, they see us on weekends, too.”