By Chris Officer | Associate Editor
At 22, Justin Brinn turned his passion for off-road racing into running a full-fledged motorcycle dealership, selling the same machines that first fueled his love for the sport.
Brinn has been Spyke’s KTM general manager since 2013 but has been involved in its rider program since 2007. Originally housed with Harley-Davidson, the KTM brand was transferred over to Brinn’s father before he took over as GM.
With Brinn from day one is Spyke’s Service Manager David Quillen. Similar to Brinn — who self-proclaimed himself an above-average racing enthusiast — Quillen was also involved in off-road racing, including GNCC. This experience helped both become fluent in KTM and Husqvarna brands, developing a skill set that ultimately grew Spyke’s to where it is today.
“We have a really strong extreme-terrain background,” Brinn says. “Scrum racing, XT racing, GMTC racing, sprint enduros, enduros… Anything with that off-road dynamic is definitely our niche.”
What was an exclusive KTM dealer, it was their knowledge of Husqvarna and WP Suspension that eventually led to Spyke’s becoming Indiana’s only KTM group store — a dealership that carries KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas, as well as being an authorized WP service center.
“We were kind of in a weird spot because we were just a KTM dealership, but we were working with the Husky race team hand-in-hand every week… And I told KTM, ‘can we get Husky in here,’” recalls Brinn. “KTM did not want to house all three brands under one roof, but we finally got the green light, and ever since then, it’s been awesome for us, especially on the floor side.”
Now a KTM group store — one of only about a dozen in the U.S. — the dealership has the advantage of offering customers a wider range of vehicles; if certain KTM models sell out, it can offer similar models from the GasGas or Husky line.
“It’s really worked well for us,” Brinn says. “We’re just so appreciative of being that group store.”
Offering the full suite of Bajaj Mobility AG allows Spyke’s to serve a diverse customer base. From young to old, entry-level to experienced racers, Spyke’s sees a wide range of enthusiasts.
“We have three-year-olds buying a 50 SX, and also have a guy doing the Glen National at Glenn Helen who is 80,” Quillen says. “So, we can talk to anybody from a toddler to an 80-year-old enthusiast multiple times a day.”
Despite the wide age range, Spyke’s primary customers are around ages 9 to 35. The dealership is seeing increased popularity in the dual-sport category, especially in the 25 to 45 demographic, with accessibility being the main selling point.
“Dual-sport bikes give people the opportunity to do a lot more riding than it would take to go spinning 15 laps at their local moto track on the weekend,” says Brinn. “I think a lot of guys are realizing that they can use it for transportation, so the economics of it makes sense in everyone’s world.”
“They’ve factored in that they can have one bike to do multiple facets,” adds Quillen.
In total unit sales, Spyke’s says it sold about 460 new and used units in 2025, — 2026 projects slightly higher. Current inventory is low, but Quillen emphasized that it’s all about finding the sweet spot in terms of inventory, especially post-Covid.
“It’s always a balancing act, but we are extremely current on inventory,” Quillen says.
“We counted less than 15 2026 bikes, and the majority of that was street, which is current. So, it’s been interesting from the buyer’s market. In the last 90 days, there are definitely guys looking for leftover deals, but we don’t have any leftovers, and there’s not a lot of trade opportunities.”
Inventory was something KTM also had to battle, after it failed to properly adjust to the post-pandemic demand drop-off. The company over-anticipated how much customers would buy, and financial troubles ensued, culminating in the investment from Bajaj and a restructuring plan. But both Brinn and Quillen said there was really no blowback felt on the dealership level.
“For us, it was business as usual. Nothing ever went off the rails,” Brinn says. “There was just the backup of all the Covid stuff, but as far as running the company day-to-day, I think KTM had it handled.”
Being involved in off-road racing, selling bikes both of whom rode and worked on for years, and seeing customers grow with those same vehicles, Brinn says, is perhaps one of the more gratifying parts of running the dealership.
“I get the biggest kick when I see a kid that I worked on their 50cc 10 or 12 years ago, and then they come here, and now they are at Purdue University going to college now,” says Brinn. “I laugh at that every time,” like, man, I remember when you were a toddler. But a lot of these customers we retain, they’re through and through Spyke’s guys from day one.”
But at the heart of Spyke’s KTM success is the passion both Brinn and Quillen have, not only for off-road motorcycling or the machines they ride, but for the riders — regardless of age or skill set — and their shared enthusiasm.
“We build everything based on what we needed as racers... We try and replicate that day in and day out,” Quillen says. “We’re just really contributing to honor KTM, building Spike’s as a brand and kind of doing what we do.”