Carson Motorsports
By Kirk Caraway
Nevada Appeal Staff Writer
Dennis Belingheri and Paul Ziegler grew up riding dirt bikes in the Las Vegas desert, and moved to Northern Nevada to go to college.
After graduating with degrees in geology (Belingheri) and marketing (Ziegler), they decided that instead of slaving away in the corporate world, they would follow their passion for off-road motorcycles.
"We decided it's a lot more fun talking about dirt bikes all day," Belingheri said. "So we opened up our shop in Reno and it really took off."
They opened Reno Motor Sports in 1996, and last September expanded with Carson Motor Sports on North Carson Street.
"When the KTM franchise became available for Carson City, we decided to take our knowledge of off-road motorcycles and products and combine them with KTM sales," Belingheri said.
Belingheri said the Austrian-made KTM motorcycles are the third-leading off-road motorcycles sold in the U.S., behind Honda and Yamaha. They are high-performance machines, shipped ready to race right out of the box.
"Probably 99 percent of people who buy a KTM bike will never ride it to its full potential," Belingheri said. "You buy these bikes, you can take it to almost any race and compete at the highest level."
Besides off-road motorcycles, KTM recently began making four-wheelers.
"That thing is not for putting your wife on who has never ridden before," he said. "It's not a beginner quad, that's for sure."
Another bike not for beginners is the one road racing bike in the shop, a KTM 2009 RC8 super bike, which can go 180 mph, and carries a $20,000 price tag.
Their biggest sellers are the dual sport bikes, 450cc or 530cc, street legal with lights and turn signals.
"That way, you can ride direct from your house to the desert, instead of having to truck your bike there," Belingheri said.
Besides KTM sales, Carson Motor Sports offers parts and service for all types and models of dirt bikes, street bikes and ATVs, and a wide selection of tires.
They also carry all the gear you need to ride, from helmets to casual wear. And they use what they sell.
"Our employees all race motocross or the desert, so we are doing something every weekend," Belingheri said. He also said they helped found the
Motorcycle Racing Association of Northern Nevada, which has more than 1,000 members, and they are the title sponsor for that organization. They also sponsor motocross races in Fernley and Mustang.
Although the current economy is challenging, Belingheri said they are doing OK, except for the lack of financing for customers.
"That's the biggest problem," he said. "I could have sold 20 more bikes if I had someone willing to lend money. Right now, if you don't have cash, it's hard to get financing."
But Belingheri said they will just keep trying to provide good service for their customers and ride out the financial storm. And it helps that he loves to come into work every day.
"Motorcycles aren't a hobby, they are a lifestyle," he said.
Contact reporter Kirk Caraway at kcaraway@nevadaappeal.com or 775-881-1261.
Carson Motor Sports
3737 North Carson Street
882-5655
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Saturday
Closed Sundays
Owners Dennis Belingheri and Paul Ziegler