30 • October 2026 • Powersports Business www. PowersportsBusiness. com

CONFERENCE

BY CHRIS OFFICER

• ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Near the shores of Lake Ontario, the village of Sodus, New York, is the perfect backdrop for outdoor recreation, and Peake Powersports provides the small-town community with the quintessential form of fun and excitement.

Peake Powersports has its roots in the auto industry and is an extension of Peake Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat. The owner, Thad Peake IV, purchased the Chrysler store back in 2016. Peake IV’ s son, Thad Peake V, has served as general manager since the store first opened its doors in 2022.

The two dealerships operate in the same building, an old historic cheese factory. Peake IV recognized an opportunity to sell powersports in the Sodus area and first tried to get involved in 2019, but faced challenges picking up brands due to the pandemic. Kawasaki was initially interested, but Peake was forced to sit on the sidelines since the OEM had production paused.“ It wasn’ t a no, it was just a not right now,” Thad recalls. A few years later, still trying to get its foot in the powersports door and Kawasaki still on hold, Peake was introduced to Mahindra Tractors, which was looking to sign on new car dealers.

After signing on with Mahindra, a dealer friend suggested the store look into bringing in this up-and-coming brand, CFMOTO, which Peake would eventually add. After the pandemic eased, Kawasaki began manufacturing at pre-pandemic rates again, and Peake picked up its third brand.

Thad recalls the initial plan was to sell two or three tractors a month, and when Kawasaki became available, maybe put an ATV in the corner. But the demand from Covid put Peake in a position to expand the business even further.

“ Covid kind of jolted the industry, and everyone was buying powersports,” Thad says.“ So within a year we went from no powersports brands to Mahindra tractors, Kawasaki, and CFMOTO.”

Everything came so fast, and the dealership wasn’ t prepared to sell all the inventory it was being delivered.

“ We couldn’ t even sell the Kawasaki motorcycles we were getting shipped. We didn’ t have an inspection station, because we weren’ t a motorcycle dealership yet. We had them, and we were ready to go, but we couldn’ t sell them for about three to four months.”

Top, the exterior of Peake Powersports storefront. Bottom left, Thad Peake V, left, at Peake’ s grand opening. Right, Peake also sells E-Z-GO golf carts and features a golf simulator inside the dealership.( Photos: PSB and Peake Powersports)

INVENTORY MIX Inventory soon outgrew the capacity of their auto dealership, so they expanded its showroom space by taking out the connected NAPA Auto Parts store to make room.

Today, Peake Powersports now carries seven brands, keeps about 180 units on the showroom floor, and sells roughly 350−400 units annually. Located in Central New York, Peake serves a range of enthusiasts looking for various machines— primarily dictated by New York’ s four seasons. Thad says about 40 % of the units sold are motorcycles, with around 30 % in the UTV