About Harley-Davidson® of Indianapolis
Founder - Russ Dellen Current Owners - David & Donna Dellen
Our history begins back in 1976.
Gerald Ford was the president; "One Flew Over the Cockoo's Nest" won Best Picture at the Academy Awards; "Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim was Song of the Year; and the Dellen Automotive Family took it's first step into the world of motorcycle sales.
At the time, Dellen Automotive had established itself as an automotive dealer in Indianapolis selling GM cars and trucks, but Russ Dellen and his father, R.P. "Red" Dellen, wanted to explore other options in the world of transportation. When a friend of Russ's put his motorcycle shop (then called Fun Club Kawasaki) up for auction, the opportunity to get into the world of motorcycles was there for the taking, so they took a chance and purchased the dealership.
Their first task was to turn a profit selling Kawasaki's and put some black ink on the ledger. They did just that and soon after Harley-Davidson® approached them in 1978 with a franchise opportunity. At the time, Harley-Davidson® was owned by AMF, American Machinery and Foundry, and was going through a low-point in their company history where quality was down and sales were suffering.
Not long after Russ's decision to add Harley-Davidson® to their lineup, the motor company was bought back by the original owners in 1981. The company was then revamped and quality of the product and sales went up tremendously. A boom occurred for all Harley dealers, then called Keystone Cycle Sales, the store went from having 150 bikes in stock at the shop and couldn't give them away to having 1-year wait lists on Fat Boys and Ultras. Not until the early 2000's did this wait list stop.
In 1996, the company added Honda and Suzuki to their line of motorcycles. Soon after, Harley-Davidson® approached Russ with a request to move to a better location and build a new store. The old store was lacking the much needed facility space and was falling apart, so the decision was easy. It was time to start fresh, so they moved to the current location on the north side of Indianapolis and renamed the company, Motorcycles of Indianapolis.
Business continued to boom for Harley-Davidson® sales at our store, but Kawasaki sales were slower than ever. In 1998, they made the decision to drop Kawasaki and concentrate more on Harley-Davidson®, Honda and Suzuki. At the time, all three lines were still producing profitable results, until 2004 brought the end of Suzuki at the store and the beginnings of a two-line dealer with Harley-Davidson® and Honda. That lasted until January 2011 when the Honda franchise was dropped and the dealership was 100% Harley Davidson!
Since then, the Harley-Davidson® of Indianapolis family has continued to establish itself as Indianapolis' premier motorcycle dealer. Home to one of the largest new and pre-owned motorcycle inventories in Indiana, we are staffed with experts in sales, motorclothes, service and parts that are ready to service your every need.
For thirty five years, Harley-Davidson® of Indianapolis has been a family-owned business. We constantly seek to provide the best sales and service experience possible to our customers and to always "go the extra mile". We take pride in being one of the leading motorcycle dealers in the Midwest and strive to be the best at what we do.
Our mission is to do business in a fair and honest manner. We are committed to creating a friendly atmosphere in which both the customers and employees expectations are exceeded.
Harley-Davidson® of Indianapolisis conveniently located near the areas of Carmel, Fishers, Broad Ripple, Beech Grove, Anderson.
