20 • July 2024 • Powersports Business

BY MADELYN PEGG ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Walnut Street of Denver , Colorado , has become somewhat of a “ moto block ” and it is the home of RevZilla , Rev ’ It and Erico Motorsports . “ One of the things we ’ ve done since we ’ ve been here so long , we ’ ve purchased real estate in the area ,” says John Beldock , owner of Erico Motorsports . “ Since we own a bunch of real estate around the dealership , we brought in RevZilla ’ s first brick and mortar store in the U . S . right next to the dealership .”

Rev ’ It is also a protective clothing brand and , based in the Netherlands , its U . S . headquarters has been in New York for the last 20 years . “ They just moved their whole U . S . headquarters right across the street from us ,” Beldock says . “ They opened a big flagship brick and mortar showroom in there to show off their gear . That will be the only one in the country .”

He says he rents out to a restaurant that recently opened at the end of the block , and another restaurant next to RevZilla . He has one more location on the street that has a courtyard , and he hopes it will become a motorcycle themed café or bar .

Beldock meets with leadership from RevZilla and Rev ’ It regularly to discuss how the businesses can work together . “ We look at these three businesses as a little bit of a Venn Diagram ,” he says . “ We ’ re each starting to really work on what we bring to the table . The other businesses don ’ t sell units and they don ’ t offer service . That ’ s what we can really emphasize . Protective gear , we ’ ve now got three sales points on the block . We ’ re just being cognizant of that . Instead of competing , we are complementing each other . It ’ s been fun to be involved with everybody .”

CO-PROMOTING EVENTS The businesses have also co-promoted a few events , which Beldock says have gone well . Since Triumph has entered the dirt bike market , the dealership hosted an event to introduce the company and the dealership to the new segment . ( Erico Motorsports only sold street bikes until this point ).

“ Ricky Carmichael is the announcer for Supercross , so he was in town for the Denver Supercross , and he came by the store ,” Beldock says . “ We had a three-hour event and I

interviewed him , and had a great conversation in front of a big crowd of people . We did a Q and A with him , and then he signed autographs . It was awesome .” Carmichael helped develop the Triumph dirt bike line .

Erico Motorsports also hosted the Distingquished Gentelmen ’ s Ride ( DGR ) Denver ride . “ We ’ ve done the ride based out of here for the last 13 years ,” Beldock says . “ We typically get about 300 riders . We always get a big crowd . This year , we also promoted with RevZilla and Rev ’ It . RevZilla hosted a big party after the ride . We had vendor tents , a food truck , and a little bike show – it was great .”

The addition of the apparel and parts stores has brought more attention to the block . Beldock says they add a new energy that is centered around the moto lifestyle , which will combat the ups and downs of this year .

John Beldock poses with his wife , Tai , and dog , Viva , for an advertisement for the dealership .

Photos courtesy of Erico Motorsports

The dealership sits in an old brick warehouse in the heart of the RiNo Arts District in Downtown Denver , and Beldock has vintage bikes on display in every corner of the facility .

Beldock opened Erico Motorsports in 1993 and took on Triumph in 1999 .

“ I think that ’ 24 has pretty much followed ’ 23 , which wasn ’ t the best year ,” he says . “ We ’ re dealing with a world that ’ s changing quite a bit , and I think that economy-wise , there are a lot of question marks in the air right now . I think that ’ s going to last probably through 2024 . We ’ re not expecting much of a change from 2023 . I ’ ve got high hopes – I think 2025 is going to be a change year .”

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND MANAGEMENT

He says the dealership is usually a top regional performer in sales and CSI . “ We treat our customers really well . We have a very antique feel to our dealership and it ’ s a non-corporate feeling here . People really respond to that .”

Beldock makes a point to connect with and have a relationship with his employees and customers . His outlook on customer service is to treat everyone who walks into the dealership as if they are joining a party he is hosting . “ Imagine you ’ re having a party at your house and your mom just came over ,” he says . “ You ’ re going to take her jacket and offer her a drink and invite her into your home . That ’ s how we treat this place . Anybody that walks through our door has been invited to our party , so we welcome them like they ’ re part of our party .”

And the daily Erico Motorsports party is hosted in a 20,000 square foot facility and run by about 20 employees . While it ’ s a great team , adding additional dedicated and passionate employees is a difficult task .