READY TO RUMBLE: TWO AUTO-INDUSTRY INNOVATORS AIM TO REV SALES OF PRE-OWNED MOTORCYCLES.

AuthorChilton, Charlotte
PositionNC TREND: E-commerce

With almost everything else being sold online, veteran auto-dealership executives Marshall Chesrown and Steve Berrard figured why not Harley-Davidsons and Yamahas? The duo started Charlotte-based RumbleOn Inc., a public company that projects it will reach $100 million in revenue this year, a 14-fold increase from 2017.

Such stupendous growth hopes stem from the company's goal of simplifying

the buying and selling of motorcycles. It's an estimated $7.5 billion market, with about 800,000 used motorcycles trading hands annually, about half involving Harleys, according to a company filing. Reselling cycles now mostly happens through online listing services such as Craigslist.

RumbleOn takes a more active approach, buying cycles from consumers and then taking responsibility for selling them online, through dealer partners or at auctions. The company has forged numerous partnerships with motorcycle dealers and third-party companies such as MotoLease and Sonic Automotive.

To target the die-hard biker crowd, they've attended various motorcycle events across the country, such as the annual Daytona, Fla., and Sturgis, S.D., Bike Week rallies, where the company offered free Wi-Fi, charging stations and merchandise.

Berrard, 63, and Chesrown, 60, took over what had been a shell company and created RumbleOn in 2016. Chesrown, who is the CEO, co-founded Vroom Inc., a New York-based online seller of cars that has raised about $300 million in capital since its inception in 2013. He also ran his own car dealerships in Colorado before starting a...

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