Lynnwood Motoplex

Growing, Growing, Growing

In the late 60's the state of Washington closed down one of its liquor store locations along Scriber Lake Road. The location reopened in March of 1970, not as a state liquor store, but as a motorcycle dealership. 

Photo: Garrett, Jim Powers Sr. and Jim Powers Jr. take the three decade old dealership into the 21st century.

Jim Powers Sr. came from Canada where he had played professional hockey and changed gears opening up a Yamaha dealership that has since grown, and grown and grown and grown.

The original store location boasted 4,000 square feet, but in six months Powers had to move the store and opted for a location along Aurora Avenue that doubled his size to 7,500 square feet. That lasted until 1999 when Powers made a big step and a major splash on Aurora moving his store to the old Jack Roberts appliance center providing the dealership with 32,000 square feet. Today they carry Yamaha, KTM, Polaris and other lines.

Throughout that time the dealership has been a family affair. "I actually ran the store myself in the beginning putting the 'back in 15 minutes' sign on the door anytime I had to go to the bank or the restroom" says Powers. But slowly he got help from his wife and kids, and today his sons , Garrett and Jim Jr. manage various aspects of the store, while his daughter, Janice, functions as the book keeper.

Yamaha's sales explosion in recent years has been the fuel behind Lynnwood Motoplex' expansion. But it takes consistent customer service and incentives to keep customers coming back again and again. To that end The Powers' have developed some unique programs such as pre-paid service which saves a customer up to 33% on regular servicing after they purchase a new bike at Lynnwood Motoplex. They call it the Platinum Plus Maintenance Program, and to sweeten the deal, if a customer decides to trade the bike in before the end of three years, the service package is transferable.

"Customer satisfaction is critical to our business" notes Powers who has now served up to three generations of families for their riding needs – "Kids I sold bikes to in the 70's are bringing their kids in now for bikes."

Being a part of the motorcycle community plays an important part in Lynnwood Motoplex' culture. Many staff members race, some on dirt, others on the road. Their trailer can be spotted at numerous riding events throughout the various seasons. In addition, it was in their previous incarnation of Lynnwood Yamaha that the Star Association began, the only club for Yamaha's Road and Venture Star riders sanctioned by the manufacturer itself. Today it is a national association, and the local chapter continues to meet at the Lynnwood Motoplex store.

Speaking of service, Lynnwood Motoplex features one of the most advanced service bays in the Northwest that is tech friendly. The space they now use is four times larger than at the previous location. The air system that was installed in the new location is state of the art and exchanges 100% of the air every 15 minutes, making the space safe for workers lungs. This is in addition to pipe vacuums which are also installed.

TM/Summer 2001