Harley-Davidson revs up again in Tri-Cities
By Loretto J. Hulse, Herald food writer
Chrome gleaming, the motorcycles, ATVs and watercraft on the showroom floors of Rattlesnake Mountain Harley-Davidson and RideNow Powersports Tri-Cities are ready for fun.
The doors of the former Shumate Motorsports on the corner of Highway 395 and 19th Avenue in Kennewick have been locked since John M. Shumate filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year for his dealerships in Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Spokane and Lewiston.
RideNow Powersports of Tempe, Ariz., recently took over the assets of the dealership and plans to reopen the business at 9 a.m. today.
This is the first RideNow Powersports dealership in the state.
The Kennewick business has two parts. One is the Harley-Davison dealership which sells cycles, accessories and licensed clothing and collectibles. The RideNow Powersports portion sells imported cycles, ATVs, watercraft and accessories. There's also a full service shop and parts department.
Overseeing everything is operating manager Paul Griffith who's been with RideNow Powersports for nearly 19 years.
He will have 30 to 35 employees during the fall and winter, ramping up to 40 to 45 in the spring. Many of them are former Shumate employees.
Griffith said there's been a lot of interest in when the dealership will reopen because the only other Harley dealerships in the area are in Yakima, Wenatchee and Boise.
Right now the businesses are stocked with what was on site when RideNow acquired the dealership but Griffith says that's changing daily as new stock comes in. Plus, if someone doesn't see what they want, Griffith can draw on the resources of over 20 other RideNow stores.
In addition to repairs, the service department also does customizing.
"The average Harley-Davidson rider spends about $3,000 over the purchase price of the bike customizing it, the import riders, not quite as much," Griffith said.
Griffith said the dealership has always been associated with a Harley-Davidson riding group and is working with the Tri-City Hog Chapter.
"In fact we already have the dealership T-shirts in stock," he said.
The retail store is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The service department is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through
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