Harley-Davidson is no stranger to Dodge City, Kansas. On July 4th 1916 a young Milwaukee, Wisconsin native by the name of Irving Janke won the 300 mile Dodge City Classic. He became the first rider in this premier speed and endurance race to ride a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle. These long distance races were interupted by World War I but Harley-Davidson remained in the hearts and minds of Southwest Kansas.
In 1978, Burt Davis, owner of the Honda House was convinced by his accountant, Johnny Maupin, to take on the then struggling Harley-Davidson franchise. Mr. Maupin promised Burt that if he would take on the franchise he would buy the 1978 75th Anniversary FLH Electra Glide® from him. It was the first Harley-Davidson bike sold by the new franchise.
The first few years were difficult with so much competition from the less expensive, more reliable Japanese brands. In 1980, Burt built a new facility and moved his multi-brand dealership to its present location, 1312 S. Second Ave. In 1983, the Harley-Davidson family and its employees purchased the brand back from AMF and committed themselves to improving their product and increasing sales. With the next year came the introduction of the "Evolution" engine and consumer perception began to change. Harley-Davidson was now providing a reliable American made product and sales started to reflect the new consumer confidence. In 1987 Darren Rhoten, the current owner, came to work for the dealership as a parts salesman. That particular year, Harley's allocation for the dealership was 9 motorcycles.
In 1999, Darren purchased the dealership from Burt and it became known as Dodge City Harley-Davidson. The change in ownership completed a unique circle as Burt had originally purchased the Honda dealership from Darren's parents, Terry and Novella Rhoten in 1976. When Darren purchased the shop he had three employees. Today he employs 15 full time and two part-time people. In 2002, F&R Motorsports was purchased and Dodge City Power Sports was added to the mix to enlarge the product offering with Yamaha, Kawasaki and KTM.
