“Ray Laks Motorsports closing, owner focusing on cars - Buffalo News” plus 1 more

Ray Laks Motorsports closing, owner focusing on cars - Buffalo News

Posted: 06 Oct 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Ray Laks Motorsports in the Town of Lancaster is preparing to close.

The business, which opened in 2006, sells Honda motorcycles, ATVs, motor scooters, personal watercraft, apparel and other items. It is targeting Nov. 1 as the closing date, said Michael Laks, general manager of the Ray Laks Auto Group.

Laks said he wants to concentrate on the three Ray Laks auto dealerships which sell Honda, Acura and Mitsubishi and found that there was not the crossover in running a motorcycle dealership that he had expected. I'm a good car guy, not a good motorcycle guy, he said.

Laks said he found that among motorcycle buyers, there is not the same loyalty to a particular brand or dealership as in the auto business. Customer loyalty programs did not translate well to the motorcycle side, he said.

The economy has also made it a tough market for recreational vehicles, with consumers being more hesitant about their spending, he added.

Laks said he approached American Honda Motorcycles earlier this year for additional help in offsetting marketing expenses for the dealership, but was told no additional help was available.

I'm going to stick with what works for us, and that's the auto business, he said.

The closing date could change slightly, depending on whether additional time is required to complete the final deals, Laks said.

After the business is closed, the dealership's location, which sits on 28.5 acres on Walden Avenue, east of Pavement Road, will be put up for sale. Laks said there has already been some interest in the property.

Many of the employees of Ray Laks Motorsports have been offered jobs at one of the Laks auto dealerships or have found other jobs, he said. About a dozen people currently work at the motorcycle dealership.

mglynn@buffnews.com

Burton man gets plea deal in theft of van, trucks, six ATVs and a ... - Grand Rapids Press

Posted: 05 Oct 2009 02:44 PM PDT

A Burton man has avoided trial on charges he helped steal more than $87,000 worth of vehicles from a Bay County auction house.

Jonathan M. Burton pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle and prosecutors agreed not to pursue four identical counts.

Prosecutors charged Burton, 19, his 18-year-old brother, Joshua W. Burton, and a minor who remains unidentified, after the March 3 break-in at Bay Auto Auction, 573 S. Tuscola in Portsmouth Township.

Joshua Burton struck the same deal and received 210 days in jail, with credit for 117 days already served.

Circuit Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt is to sentence Jonathan Burton at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9.

Investigators claim the Burtons stole a van, two trucks, six ATVs and a dirt bike.

Intruders cut a lock to get access to the yard where they found the keys in the trucks, authorities have said.

The culprits loaded the ATVs onto the trucks and drove off.

Bay County sheriff's deputies recovered a Kawasaki on M-15 near German where it fell off one of the trucks.

Flint police recovered two of the four-wheelers and a dirt bike in an abandoned garage hours after the break-in, detectives have said.

Automotive ATV

Selasa, 06 Oktober 2009