NewsPrevious Top Daily StoriesTop News EnewsletterTop Stories

Power 50 dealer gets new ownership

The family of hall-of-fame motorcycle racing legend Ray Price announced its decision to sell Ray Price Harley-Davidson/Triumph to John Morotti, an experienced businessman from Arizona who owns and operates three motorcycle dealerships in that state.

Ray Price Harley-Davidson, the No. 9 dealership on the 2017 Powersports Business Power 50 list, has been a Raleigh institution for 35 years and a cornerstone of retail and industry in the Triangle region of North Carolina. The dealership has hosted its annual Ray Price Capital City Bikefest event for 13 years, attracting an estimated 1 million motorcycle enthusiasts to downtown Raleigh over the years. Financial details of the sale have not been made public.

With Ms. Jean Price’s decision to retire, Morotti will take ownership effective in January 2018. The dealership will continue to sell and service new and previously owned Harley-Davidson and Triumph motorcycles, operating from its current location at 1126 South Saunders Street in Raleigh. The business will continue to operate under the Ray Price moniker at this time as no decision has been made about a name change.

(From left) Ray Price Harley-Davidson general manager Mark Hendrix, Robin Richardson, Superstition Harley-Davidson general manager Justin Umbs, Ms. Jean Price, owner John Morotti and Mother Road Harley-Davidson general manager Tony Campbell.

“The Price family has been honored to serve Raleigh and the greater Triangle community for 35 years,” said Mark Hendrix, the dealership’s general manager, on behalf of Ms. Jean Price and her daughter Robin Richardson. “Ray, Ms. Jean and Robin have built a community of loyal motorcyclists that we all consider family and who see the dealership as their home away from home.”

Ms. Jean, as she is affectionately known, is the widow of Ray Price and a matriarch of the local motorcycling scene. She and Richardson have served in an ownership role since Ray’s passing in December 2015. After 35 years in the motorcycle business, they have decided the time has come to retire.

“The Price family is grateful to be handing over the controls to John Morotti, a longtime friend who’s as passionate as they are about the spirit of our motorcycle riding community,” said Hendrix, who will remain as general manager.

Ray Price Harley-Davidson’s new owner is John Morotti, shown here second from left with his general management team.

Morotti owns three motorcycle dealerships in Arizona: Superstition Harley-Davidson in Apache Junction, and Mother Road Harley-Davidson and Route 66 Motorsports, both in Kingman. He also owns London Bridge Harley-Davidson, in Lake Havasu City, the area’s only genuine Harley-Davidson retail shop.

“Ray Price built an amazing dealership and family of riders here in Raleigh and across North Carolina. We’re thrilled to continue that heritage,” Morotti said. “We see the growth of Raleigh as a tremendous opportunity, and we will continue the family’s legacy of education and community service that’s been part of the fabric of the Triangle for 35 years.

John Morotti is the new owner of Ray Price Harley-Davidson in Raleigh, N.C.

“I’ve known Ms. Jean and Ray Price for decades, and we intend to serve the community with our experience and our passion for motorcycling, forming new friendships and enthusiastic new riders for the next 30 years and beyond.”

For 35 years, Ray Price Harley-Davidson and Ray Price Triumph have made Raleigh, N.C. a top motorcycle destination. The knowledgeable staff provides award-winning customer service and education programs for riders of all experience levels. The dealership has been named a Powersports Business Power 50 Dealer nationally in each of the past five years, and the U.S. dealership that annually serves its community better than all others receives the Power 50 Ray Price Community Service Award. In 2015, the N.C. Retail Merchants Association named the dealership its “Retailer of the Year.”

Founded by hall-of-fame motorcycle racing legend Ray Price, the dealership actively supports nonprofit charities. In recent months, $14,000 was raised for charity at Capital City Bikefest; $3,000 was raised at the dealership’s Whole Hog BBQ Cook-Off last month; and $3,000 along with more than 50 bicycles were donated to Toys For Tots earlier this month.

Ray Price was a Johnston County native and is an inducted member of the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame. He also is an inducted member of the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame, the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the N.C. Drag Racing Hall of Fame, the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame, and the National Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame.

Advertisement

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button