LONG BRANCH – Like so many icons, the image of the typical biker as a leatherclad, highway cruising “hog” has gone upscale.
“Some people consider the average biker to be an outsider,” said Jeff Margaritell, owner of Harley-Davidson/Buell of Long Branch.
“The rider today is so varied. It is much more upscale today. There is a much broader appeal. We have everyone from blue collar to executive to lawyers and doctors riding bikes.”
Still the county’s only Harley dealership, Harley-Davidson/Buell of Long Branch is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and according to Margaritell, who has owned the dealership since 1972, the business continues to evolve with the times.
“We sell a lot more bikes than we did in the 1970s,” he said.
According to Margaritell, the average Harley-Davidson customer is a male in his mid-40s, but he added that motorcycling has wide appeal.
So great is the appeal, that an acronym arose to describe groups of Harley enthusiasts – HOG, for Harley Owners Group.
“You can’t say it is one type of person,” he said. “Anyone [rides Harleys], from all walks of life.”
Bikers, like the rest of the population, he noted, are aging.
“The age of buyers has slowly shifted up over the years. But Harley is trying to gear advertising to the younger generation,” he said, adding that women are becoming a larger share of the market.
“The female segment has been increasing,” he said. “Females used to represent 1 to 2 percent [of customers]. It is now at 7 to 8 percent. There is also a lot [of emphasis] toward expanding the amount of clothing geared toward women.”
Margaritell and three partners opened the dealership on Broadway in West Long Branch in August 1972.
It remained at that location for 19 years while one by one, Margaritell bought out the other partners and relocated in March 1992 to 671 Broadway as the sole owner of the dealership.
“We started the dealership in 1972 when there was no other [Harley-Davidson] dealership in Monmouth County,” Margaritell, a Brielle resident, said. “We started from scratch. The business has been tremendous. It has been increasing since. I never thought of it as a business. It was always about the motorcycles.”
PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Jeff Margaritell surveys a record of consistent growth as he looks back on 35 years as the owner of the Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership in Long Branch. Since it opened, the dealership has grown to 20,000 square feet and currently has 25 employees.
“When I started, there were three models,” he said. “This year, we have 34 models.”
Margaritell said his staff’s dedication to quality and safety is highlighted by their recent awards, which include: Harley-Davidson Motor Company Bar & Shield award; Top 100 Dealer, ranked by Dealernews magazine; and is the No. 1 service department in the district, according to Harley-Davidson Motor Co.’s customer service surveys.
The dealership carries Harley-Davidson heavyweight bikes that range in cost from $6,695 up to $22,000. There are also some special edition Harleys that sell for as high as $35,000. The dealership is also a Buell dealership, a division of Harley-Davidson, and sells sport bikes that range from $4,700 to $12,000.
Margaritell got his first motorcycle when he was 17 years old and said he’d dreamed of having a bike since he was just 4 years old.
“My dad had a bike and my cousin had a bike,” he said. “My cousin had polio and one of his legs was shorter than the other. He walked with a limp, but he rode that Harley. Ever since watching him ride, I wanted to ride.”
The appeal of riding a motorcycle is something Margaritell attributes to the sense of freedom experienced on the open road.
“It is the openness and the fact that when you are riding, the scenery is much more open,” he said.
“You can see the world so much more than when you are driving in a car. It is the thrill of riding a two-wheel vehicle.”
Although he always had a passion for riding, owning a Harley dealership was not something Margaritell initially set out to do.
“I had a Harley,” he said. “I customized it. But I never thought there was a chance to be dealer.
“I had graduated from Ocean County College with a degree in electronics,” said Margaritell, who added that he looked into owning fast-food franchises but they were too expensive.
“I was a customer at the Harley-Davidson in Point Pleasant, which no longer exists, and I just started talking to the owner about the business,” he said, adding that things just fell into place from there.
The Harley-Davidson Co. changed and adapted to the times over the years, Margaritell said.
From 1961 through 1981, Harley-Davidson Motor Co. was owned by American Machine and Foundry Co. (AMF). During the 1970s, AMF did not do much to develop the product, Margaritell said. In 1981, AMF sold the motorcycle operation back to Harley- Davidson.
“That is when it really took off,” Margaritell said. “Once Harley got it back, it really started to improve and had a lot more offerings.”
He added that Harley Davidson Co. began offering more styles of bikes, accessories, clothing lines and collectibles to meet its customers’ needs.
He said his hope for the future is to continue to grow both the dealership’s inventory and market.
“We want to continue to try to expand our offerings and increase our customer base,” he said. “We have expanded. The building plot we are on, there is no more room to expand.
“Exceeding our clients’ expectations each time they visit the dealership is our goal,” he added.
Margaritell said he realizes that he is in a very unique position – owning one of only 17 Harley dealerships in the state and 700 dealerships nationwide.
“To have one of only 700 jobs, that is pretty amazing,” Margaritell said. “And to get to do something you enjoy and like, what more can you ask for?”