Indian Motorcycle revs up North Hampton’s Route 1: New shop opens near Harley-Davidson

NORTH HAMPTON — A new Indian Motorcycle dealership has opened on Route 1, making for two major motorcycle brand sellers on the same road less than two-tenths of a mile apart.

Seacoast Indian Motorcycle had its official ribbon cutting on Friday. The location at 32 Lafayette Road once housed Golden Garden Chinese Restaurant.

The new dealership, owned by Nault’s Powersports of Manchester, brings new competition to North Hampton’s longtime dealership Seacoast Harley-Davidson.

Curt Grenier, general manager of Nault’s four locations, said people from both dealerships have visited each other’s stores and view their proximity to each other as an attraction for motorcyclists looking to shop. At the same time, Indian Motorcycle has long been looking to get a share of the competition in New Hampshire’s Seacoast.

“If Harley is the greatest McDonald’s on the planet, isn’t this where you want to put your Wendy’s or Burger King?” Grenier said.

Seacoast Indian Motorcycle's new building with large glass windows and motorcycles on display is a welcome change for local officials. The Golden Garden had been an eyesore on the road since it was shuttered after a fire in 2016.

Gov. Chris Sununu attended a ribbon cutting, praising the Naults for bringing a new business to the Seacoast while improving the location’s aesthetics.

“We’re very appreciative they cleaned up the old eyesore,” said Sununu, who lives a few towns over in Newfields.

Before leaving, he shook owner Richard Nault’s hand.

“This is a home run,” Sununu said.

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In 2021, Indian Motorcycle started looking to find a property in the Seacoast for a new dealership.

“The Seacoast has always been on our target list,” said Mike DiFonzo, area manager for Indian Motorcycle. He said that was due to the population of motorcyclists and the number of scenic routes. It also didn't hurt that the Seacoast was home to a very large volume Harley-Davidson dealership in North Hampton.

DiFonzo said he reached out to his former employer Richard Nault, the 84-year-old owner of Nault’s Powersports. Nault, whose grandfather started selling motorcycles 116 years ago, prides himself on becoming one of the first dealerships to bring Honda east of California in the 1960s.

Nault’s family had urged him to sell his businesses rather than invest in another store given his age, according to his wife Karen. Nault, who said he’s still healthy, saw the opportunity differently.

“He came home and said, ‘I have a chance to do Indian, I’m doing it,’” Karen Nault said.

What remained was finding a good location on the Seacoast. Grenier said Indian was asking them to find a place in Portsmouth, but Grenier recommended they look to Route 1 in nearby North Hampton.

Grenier said he and his team were driving around North Hampton when they passed the Golden Garden and saw a for-sale sign and later a “sale pending” sign posted.

As time passed, Grenier eventually circled back to the Golden Garden and called the Realtor’s number for more information about the pending sale. He was told Starbucks was in talks with the owner but ran into problems with requirements for building on the lot. A concern, he said, was long lines backing up onto Route 1.

Grenier said they were able to work out a deal with the former owners of Golden Garden, who were eager to move to California.

Grenier and Nault both saw an opportunity for success.

“I would say it’s kind of a dream of both of ours,” Grenier said. “We’re going to make a pretty big dent in the marketplace.”

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Dealership is a welcome addition to North Hampton

Local officials and business leaders said the new business was a welcome change from the old Golden Garden building. Selectman Jim Maggiore said the lack of cleanup at the former site included condiments still sitting on the restaurant’s tables years after it closed.

“That’s disgusting,” Maggiore said. “This is an amazing improvement to the site, and it’s such a benefit to the community as well.”

While the new Indian dealership is taking a share of the competition in the Seacoast, Grenier said the bond motorcycle enthusiasts feel between each other trumps any rivalry. He noted the local motorcycle community also includes Max BMW Motorcycle and believes it has benefited from being just three miles up Route 1 from Seacoast Harley-Davidson.

“Do we compete in the same market? Sure, yeah, but I think it’s the camaraderie of riding a motorcycle,” Grenier said. “We coexist.”

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Indian Motorcycle opens in North Hampton near Harley-Davidson