An iconic motorcycle dealership abruptly closed its doors for the last time after 110 years amid some ‘chaotic’ final days, with the corporation now facing backlash for its woke DEI initiatives.
The San Francisco Harley-Davidson was founded in 1914 by Dudley Perkins and was passed along to three generations, becoming the longest-running family-owned Harley-Davidson dealership as it survived two world wars, the Great Depression and the COVID pandemic.
But the iconic location had been ‘run in the ground’ after it was taken over by Cliff Chester in 2018, former employees told Mission Local.
‘Everything was just kind of chaos,’ Carlos Martinez, who worked at the dealership for 22 years told the outlet.
He and others described how Chester allegedly mismanaged the dealership, amid surging crime in the Bay City.
They said the new management under Chester failed to enforce a number of rules as auto parts sat unlabeled and merchandise regularly went missing.
Workers also claimed there was no system for employees to organize invoices or packing lists, so orders were left unfulfilled.
Additionally, they said Chester put much less emphasis on building a good rapport with customers – something that was key under the Perkins family.
‘It just became a dealership,’ Martinez said. ‘That’s not the way Dudley Perkins was… you were part of a family, the motorcycle community.’
Mechanic Christopher Weber also told Mission Local that the dealership was ‘like a museum’ for HOG enthusiasts.
But he said that in the last few days the dealership was in operation, it seemed like it had been ‘run into the ground.’
He told how he expressed his concerns to Chester about theft within the business in 2023 and 2024, writing in one email: ‘I just don’t want the doors to close at the dealership.’
Martinez also said he sent Chester an email that stolen parts were being sold ‘on the down low.’
But neither employee ever received a response, they said.
Finally, on June 22, workers stayed at the dealership for hours, awaiting a staff meeting that had been scheduled for noon.
Chester did not show up for hours, with employees still waiting at around 6pm as they became nervous that the historic shop may close, according to Mission Local.
Chester then announced the bad news, and sent the employees packing.
‘There was no preparation,’ Weber said. ‘There was no warning. Just abruptly, we had to put all our tools down in the middle of working on customers’ bikes.’
