BY MADELYN HUBBARD ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Perk Bearden , owner of Texas Motor Sports in Harker Heights , Texas , explains that the objective in business is to clean the toilet bowl twice . He learned this saying from his father , Bob Bearden , who explained to him that , “ the first time [ you clean the toilet bowl ] it ’ s because someone is paying you by the hour and they told you to do it . The second time , it ’ s because it needs cleaned and you own the place .”

Sr . Bearden opened the dealership as something to share with his sons . “ All my brothers worked here at one point and time at different capacities ,” says Perk Bearden . Sr . Bearden had considered multiple lines to carry during the startup of the business . He decided to work with Yamaha after speaking to other dealers to learn which OEM seemed to have the best relationship with its dealers at the time . Texas Motor Sports opened in 1973 as a single line dealership in a converted lumber yard .

Perk Bearden has been involved with the business since it first opened when he was around the age of 21 . Besides his father teaching him that in business , the goal is to become an owner , he brought home many other lessons like the importance of exceptional customer service and having fun .

“ And we had a lot of fun with it ,” Bearden says . “ We taught him ( Sr . Bearden ) to ride a motorcycle at age 51 and we entered him in his first motocross race at age 53 . It was something he had to .” Sr . Bearden also jumped with the 82nd Airborne Division during the invasion of Normandy , France , on D-Day .

Coming from the military , Sr . Bearden understood the persistent need for an adrenaline rush after combat . And the dealership , located near Fort Cavazos , provides that adrenaline rush for soldiers via two wheels

Texas Motor Sports will be relocated by the spring of 2025 , doubling in size and offering an ATV safety course and small track for youth dirt bike riders .

and a motor . Bearden explains that the dealership still gets much of its business from the fort today . “ In Texas most dealerships are probably 70 percent , maybe 80 percent offroad ,” he says . “ We ’ re still over 60 percent motorcycle here and that ’ s because of the military influence .”

In 1990 , during Desert Storm , soldiers from the military base were deployed and the five surrounding dealerships only sold about 700 to 800 total units over one year , according to Perk Bearden . Bearden became an RN in January of that year , and worked as an ICU nurse during Desert Storm to keep the dealership ’ s doors open .

“ I stayed in nursing as an ICU nurse parttime on the weekends until 2012 when I semiretired , which meant that I no longer worked in the hospitals ,” he says . “ I worked in a nursing capacity as a triage nurse for the local free clinic until and through Covid . Today I still retain my license just in case there is a disaster where I can actually be of help .”

“ When people asked me why I became a nurse I said , ‘ so I could afford to have a motorcycle dealership ,’” he continues . “ I mixed motorcycles and medicine . The nurses I ’ ve worked with have accused me of supplying my own patients ,” he laughs .

MSF MOTORCYCLE TRAINING And although there may be a bit of irony when comparing his two chosen careers , there is no doubt that rider safety is important to Bearden .

“ I ’ ve been a [ motorcycle safety training ] instructor since 1978 ,” Bearden says . “ We started teaching people before MSF came to Texas because in 1973 , Yamaha came out with the RD350 , and it was a very highpowered machine . In the first six months we were selling those , we had four young men crash the bike before they got on the

street .” And Bearden comically explains that “ because back then the testosterone level wouldn ’ t let you admit that you didn ’ t know how to ride ,” the dealership started its own training program .

Training took place behind the facility on a small residential road where students were taught the basics of motorcycle riding . “ When MSF asked if we wanted to become a motorcycle instructor , I jumped on the chance ,” he says . The MSF training program is now run by Debra Bearden , Bearden ’ s wife .

CHARITY SUPPORT Bearden is on the board of directors and was at one point a triage nurse for The Greater Calean Community Clinic . “ We support a couple of charities that I work with and the fact that we can help them out makes all the difference in the world ,” Bearden says .

The dealership donates to the clinic and to the Central Texas performing arts theater . “ I ’ ve been with that group for 25 years ,” he explains . “ They allow us to use their parking lot for motorcycle training . In turn , the motorcycle classes donate a certain amount of money for each theater student . It ’ s been a win-win situation .” ( He was in theater when the facility was built and formed a partnership right away ).

LOW PRESSURE OR NO PRESSURE Bearden explains how proud he is of the dealership ’ s CSI score from its manufacturers .

“ With Yamaha , we ’ re rarely out of the top 50 when it comes to national numbers ,” he says . “ And many times , we ’ ve been in the top 10 for the nation . Kawasaki doesn ’ t give me that kind of information , but we ’ re always in the top three to five in our region . On all three brands , we run four to six points above the national average . And we get such good reviews from our customers . We want

Perk Bearden , owner of Texas Motor Sports , started at the dealership in 1973 and still works full-time today , doing what he loves . Photos courtesy of Texas Motor Sports

them to have an experience that makes them happy . Because then they tell other people and they come back to my sales team .”

And there ’ s a good chance that customers return to the dealership because of the motto that the sales team works by , which is ‘ low pressure or no pressure .’

“ We allow the customer to make the choice . We give them all the information and we are either low pressure or no pressure ,” Bearden explains . “ They have the option . They get to make the decision and we ’ ll give them as much information as we can . We don ’ t try to push them .”

And Bearden has conducted business this way for 50 years . April 16 was the official 50th year anniversary , and the dealership hosted a celebration event two weeks later .

“ We had a lot of fun ,” Bearden says . “ About every 10 years we ’ ve done something . We were able to get the CFMoto demo truck to come in and we had food and door prizes for our customers . We gave away two CFmoto Papios .” And after receiving positive feedback from the last anniversary celebration , caricature artists were also in attendance , and they were a big hit .

FUTURE EXPANSION The next big milestone for the Texas Motor Sports will be an expansion and relocation . Bearden was excited to share his expansion plans . “ I just got my estimate from my architect and civil engineer for the new facility ,” he says . “ We are planning a new facility about three miles from the current facility .” And building from the ground up , Bearden is aiming for completion of the facility by April of 2025 .

The dealership is currently a 12,000 square foot building and its square footage will double at the new location , totaling 24,000 square feet . It will also sit on enough property for an ATV safety course and a small track for youth dirt bike riders . “ We ’ ll be able to do offroad ATV demos and we ’ ve never had that . I ’ ve been trying to do something like this for 35 years and it has finally all come together . That ’ s what is keeping me here ,” he says .

He works at the dealership full-time , explaining , “ I love what I do . The old adage ‘ if you love what you do , it ’ s really not work ,’ that ’ s true . My wife asks me when I ’ m going to retire , and I have to tell her when I stop having fun .”