Sales roar at new Harley store

The new Harley-Davidson dealership near Interstate 75 and Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers has barely been open two weeks but dealer Scott Fischer says sales already have exceeded expectations.

For example, Fischer says the merchandise department is already 5% ahead of the 50% sales-increase projection for the entire fourth quarter. The merchandise department inside the cavernous 54,000-square-foot store sells clothing and rider gear.

Fischer moved the dealership from a location on Colonial Boulevard and renamed it Six Bends Harley-Davidson, after the number of bends in a motorcycle handlebar.

In addition to merchandise sales, Fischer says the dealership sold 33 motorcycles in seven days at the new location. That's twice the rate of sales from the previous location.

Six Bends offers a rider academy, where Fischer expects to teach 1,500 people to ride next year, up 25% from this year. He says 30% of the students buy one of his motorcycles.