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Powersports Business • July 2023 • 25

The dealerships , located at 2747 Crossroads Blvd , will be rebranded to Teddy Morse ’ s Grand Junction

Harley-Davidson and Teddy Morse ’ s Grand Junction Powersports . drive . It ' s hard to really test-drive some of these vehicles . You can do it on a street bike , take it out on the highway for a test drive , and you ' re fine . But with a dirt bike , we don ' t have a track behind the store . And with a PWC , we can ' t just trailer it out to the Gulf of Mexico . So it ' s a little different in that sense .”

According to Morse , the main difference between a powersports and an automotive consumer is that people buy a car because they need one . “ People don ' t need a dirt bike , and generally , they don ' t need a sport bike . You ' re dealing more with the fun side of it . And that was the exciting part for me . You get more joy and emotion out of [ powersports ] like you do with buying a Harley . We always joke that ' s where all the fun stuff lives . With car dealerships , you have your needs . Powersports fits the wants .”

BUYING DAYTONA H-D After Bruce Rossmeyer , owner of Rossmeyer ’ s Daytona Harley , passed away in 2009 , the family ran the dealership for many years while looking for the right buyer . That buyer was the Ed Morse Automotive Group , which purchased the dealership in 2022 . “ My guy came to me and said he had another Harley store . And I looked at him and said , ‘ I was talking about getting one Harley store . You bring me a deal with three Harley stores and powersports .’ We were not even done with our first Harley deal , and he ’ s bringing me another Harley deal ? I told him to get out of my office . He kind of smirked and said , ‘ I understand , but you might want to listen to this one .’”

And that ' s when Morse found out it was Daytona . “ That dealership is Mecca in the Harley world . It ' s no t the biggest dealership . That ' s

Grand Junction Powersports sells new and preowned BMW Motorrad and KTM motorcycles , as well as brands like GasGas , Timbersled , Intense , and Royal Enfield .

With the Grand Junction H-D acquisition , Teddy Morse is adding to an impressive portfolio of motorsports stores that includes Daytona Harley . in Scottsdale . We don ' t sell the most motorcycles . That ' s a store out in California . But it ' s the most iconic Harley store in America . So we had an opportunity to get that . And you can ' t say no to that because that opportunity doesn ' t come around but once in a lifetime . It was really exciting . Still is really exciting .”

Morse says during Bike Week this year , he was there every day on the property , just making sure he could get around and meet with the vendors and thank them for being there . “ It was great to meet everybody , and they all want to know who the hell is this arrogant guy who takes Rossmeyer ’ s name off a building and puts his own on it . I understand . I wrestled with that myself . I knew Bruce . Not well , because he was much older than me , but my dad and Bruce were buddies . And I knew the family , which I think is the big reason they chose to sell to us , because they had offers for years . And they kept saying no . I was humbled and honored that they picked us to carry on the store ' s legacy .”

Morse acknowledges that the Rossmeyer family were “ great stewards ” of the Daytona dealership . “ They kept that store rockin ', and we still have some of the family working there . Shelley is still the general manager . And Bruce ’ s son oversees the property and the fixed side of the business . And he ' s an incredible asset . And his grandson works at the store in sales and other things . We kept them all and have a great relationship with them . Their knowledge of the business is invaluable to us . And they also understand that when you write a check like that for that property , you don ' t leave somebody else ' s name up on the building ,” he adds .

EXPANDING TO COLORADO As we went to press , Ed Morse Automotive Group announced it had acquired two more dealerships , this time in Colorado . The dealerships include Grand Junction Harley-Davidson and Grand Junction Powersports , which will both be rebranded to Teddy Morse ’ s Grand Junction Harley- Davidson and Teddy Morse ’ s Grand Junction Powersports .

These acquisitions add to the company ’ s increasing Harley-Davidson and powersports footprint across the country , joining their other prominent locations in Daytona , Austin , San Antonio , Beaumont , and St . Robert .

“ This is our first acquisition into the beautiful and vibrant state of Colorado , something we are tremendously excited about . These well-established dealerships have a loyal following of passionate onroad and off-road enthusiasts , and we look forward to supporting the incredible staff there and delivering world-class customer service ,” says Morse about the acquisitions .

Grand Junction Harley-Davison was established in 1996 and is located on the western slope of Colorado in the heart of one of the country ' s most beautiful motorcycle touring regions . Grand Junction Powersports sells new and preowned BMW Motorrad , KTM motorcycles , and brands like GasGas , Timbersled , Intense , and Royal Enfield . Both dealerships serve Grand Junction and its surrounding areas , including Glenwood Springs , Aspen , Vail and Durango .

With more than 2,000 employees across his vast automotive and motorsports dealership portfolio , Morse says it is challenging to engage with everyone directly , so he keeps up with his teams via his Instagram account , Teddy Cadillac . He says he chose that moniker after being named the top Cadiillac dealer . And at the rate he is going in powersports , he may add more honors to his trophy cabinet soon .