Performance Brokerage Services, new car and Harley-Davidson dealership broker is pleased to announce the sale of Dudley Perkins Co. Harley-Davidson in South San Francisco, California from Janet Perkins to Rich Gargano and Cliff Chester. Dudley Perkins Co. Harley-Davidson is the world’s longest running family owned Harley-Davidson dealership. The dealership was established in 1914 by Mr. Dudley Perkins, Sr. in San Francisco and remained in the family ever since. The business also operates Harley-Davidson of San Francisco, an alternate retail outlet on the famous Fisherman’s Wharf. Rich with history, Dudley Perkins Co. Harley-Davidson endured global events such as World Wars I and II, and the Great Depression. During WWI, Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s entire manufacturing inventory was supplied to the United States Military, so Dudley Perkins, Sr. shifted the dealership’s focus to buying and selling used motorcycles. Years later, the motorcycle unit for the California Highway Patrol was formed and the dealership provided not only the equipment to the CHP, but the training for the riders. After WWII, Dudley Perkins Co. Harley-Davidson purchased the excess used motorcycles from the military, refurbished them and offered them for sale to their customers. In 1968, Perkins, Sr. handed over the baton to his son, Dudley Perkins, Jr. who owned and operated the dealership until 1996, when he then passed control onto his son, Thomas Perkins, the third Perkins generation. Wounded in a motorcycle accident, Tom Perkins had lost his leg, although that did not stop him from continuing to ride. Tom operated the dealership until his untimely death in 2015. Tom’s wife, Janet and their son, Christopher continued to manage the dealership in his honor and the way Tom would have run it. Janet and Chris, along with Nicole Perkins, Sgt. Eric Batchelder and Mark Sangervasi, founded the Tom Perkins Legacy Foundation, which provides support and assistance to individuals who have been affected by the loss of a limb.
Today, Dudley Perkins Co. Harley-Davidson is a nationally renowned dealership and a significant piece of Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s history.
In 1998, Dudley Perkins, Sr. was inducted into the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame honoring him for pioneering the sport of motorcycle racing, his success as a racer, and for lobbying the city officials and arguing on behalf of motorcycle rallies and the benefit to their communities.
Dudley-Perkins Co. Harley-Davidson was purchased by Rich Gargano and Cliff Chester. Rich and Cliff also own West Coast Harley-Davidson in Salinas, California and its alternate retail outlet on Cannery Row in Monterey, as well as House of Thunder Harley-Davidson in Morgan Hill, California. Following the purchase, Gargano commented, “I want to thank George Chaconas from Performance Brokerage Services for introducing us to the iconic and historic Dudley Perkins Co. Harley-Davidson. This is a perfect strategic fit for me and my partner, Cliff. Each dealership we own together was purchased with George’s assistance. Thank you for helping to make our dreams become reality.”
George C. Chaconas, the exclusive agent for this transaction and the head of the National Harley-Davidson and Powersports Division for Performance Brokerage Services commented, “I feel honored to have represented the Perkins family and blessed to have met them. After so many years of taking care of their employees, customers and their community, they have selected the perfect buyers in Rich and Cliff to carry on the Perkins family legacy.”
