Power Profiles

Dreyer Motorsports – Indianapolis, IN – May 15, 2006

CONTACT
Dreyer Motorsports
4170 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, Ind. 46241
877/413-8881
www.dreyercycle.com
OWNERS
Junior Dreyer and sons Duane and Michael Dreyer
BUSINESS PROFILE
Dreyer Motorsports is the oldest Honda dealer in the United States. The dealership was first opened in 1926 in Indianapolis. When the Yamaha dealer next door went bankrupt in 1983, Duane Dreyer took that as an opportunity to expand the family’s business. Today, he runs the Yamaha store, which also offers Kawasaki and Suzuki products, and his brother runs the Honda store. The company recently acquired another dealership a half hour south of its current location. In addition to Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki, Dreyer Motorsports sells Dinli, United Motors and Vento lines. Customers can browse ATVs, motorcycles, scooters, snowmobiles and utility vehicles at Dreyer Motorsports locations. The company employs more than 70 people during the busy summer season.
GREATEST CONCERN
While many dealers might cite competition, Dreyer Motorsports’ greatest concern is competition from tropical vacations, plasma televisions and the like, Duane Dreyer said. There are lots of places people spend their discretionary income. The dealership’s goal is to make a new unit a higher priority for that money than any other item.
WHAT’S HOT?
So far this season, the dealership has seen more motorcycle sales, while there has been less activity on the ATV side. Although Duane Dreyer can’t explain the shift, he’ll move with it. “It is a trendy business,” Dreyer said. “You’ve got to select what’s going right now.”
CUSTOMER BUYING TRENDS
Customers turn to Dreyer Motorsports for accessories. “About eight years ago, I realized that our accessory business wasn’t what it should be and we made a lot of improvements,” Dreyer said. “Motorcycle people are feely, touchy people. They want you to have [what they want or need] in stock and the only way you can do that is having more inventory.”
PARTS AND SERVICE
Having profitable parts and service departments won’t often happen on their own. Keeping parts in stock is a key component for a successful service shop at Dreyer Motorsports. The dealership also has started a “green lane” service initiative to try and speed up potential same-day service work. “I’ve found with saying no and yes to the right work, you can make money in service,” Dreyer said.
PROMOTIONAL HOME RUNS
Dreyer Motorsports’ annual Christmas sale initially surprised Duane Dreyer as one of the dealership’s biggest events. “Five years ago, if somebody would have told me our biggest parts day would be in December, I would have said they were crazy. But we’ve developed it and it is our biggest sale,” Dreyer said.
WORDS OF ADVICE
“I would strongly urge them to join a 20 group,” Duane Dreyer said. “It’s forced me to look at this as a business instead of a hobby.”
— Lisa Young

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