LEEDS HARLEY FRANCHISE CHANGES HANDS

The latest from Harley-Davidson UK;

Following expansion into Leeds, Yorkshire’s only authorised Harley-Davidson and Buell UK dealer is now the largest distributor of the legendary motorcycles in the north of England.

The Summer Retail group – owners of the Manchester, Newcastle and Doncaster franchises – has extended its reach with the opening of Leeds Harley-Davidson at the former Eddie Wright facility on Kirkstall Road.

The group has employed the existing workforce and will be looking to create further employment opportunities when they open a new facility later this year. The takeover enables Harley-Davidson and Buell enthusiasts in Yorkshire to benefit from the group’s resources with access to a wider range of motorcycles, clothing and accessories.

“Leeds is the second biggest city in the north behind Manchester,” says Leeds Dealer Principal and group Chief Executive John Cooke. “With the existing strong working relationship that we have with Harley-Davidson and Buell UK and our other established dealerships in the north, it made sense for us to take over as Leeds Harley-Davidson.

“The city is vibrant and there is a lot of ongoing development. We wanted to be part of that to create a new Harley-Davidson dealership that is worthy of the city and of a similar standard to our existing facilities. We first became an authorised Harley-Davidson dealer in September 2002, and although the inward dealer investment is higher than with other manufacturers, we believe that the overall package provided by the Motor Company is superior.”

The dealership will unveil four new models in the next two months. The Harley-Davidson Softail Rocker and Cross Bones will be on display on 29 and 30 March, while the new liquid-cooled Buell 1125R and Ulysses XB12XT will be unveiled on 12 and 13 April. A varied range of clothing and accessories is available in the dealerships. The clothing encompasses safety apparel as well as fashion clothing.

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