J&W Cycles, Washington, has made the Dealernews Top 100 for the 22nd year in a row.
This year, 36 states and one Canadian province were represented in the Top 100. Missouri had the most winners with eight dealerships claiming the honor, but J & W is the only dealership in the United States to win the award every year since its inception in 1991.
Bob Jones chalks up the winning streak to persistence in providing the best quality customer service and a huge selection of inventory.
The shop carries both on and off-road, new and used motorcycles, ATVs, utility vehicles (UTVs), sports scooters and numerous accessories. The store also has a parts and service department.
Jones, along with his brother Jim, started the dealership in 1977 with just Kawasaki motorcycles.
“Then we added Suzuki, then Yamaha, then Polaris and then Victory,” he said. And last year, the brothers were able to buy out Unique Powersports in Sullivan, which allowed them to become Honda dealers.
Jones said business dropped some in 2009, but it has been steadily growing again in the last few years.
“This year is starting off good,” he said.
Jones said the hottest item of late has been the two-seater UTVs like the Suzuki Mule, which has a short bed behind the bench seat that can be used to haul tools and equipment.
“Farmers really like them,” he said. “They used four-wheelers a lot until these came out.”
Streetbike sales also have been on the rise. Jones attributes some of that to the spike in gas prices.
Jones said he was a history teacher at Pattonville High School when he and Jim first opened the store. Back then, he worked only part of the year because motorcycles were seasonal items. But when ATVs came out, the business picked up enough for him to work all year.
The brothers have always been into motorcycles, Jones said. He bought his first dirt bike, a British made cycle called an Ariel, in 1966. The next bike he acquired was a BSA, another British bike.
“You’ve probably never heard of (an Ariel) he said. “That was back when most bikes were British, before the Japanese came into the picture.”
J&W Cycles is located on Highway 47 south of Highway 100. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The company’s website is www.jwcycles.com.
