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| Barger Harley-Davidson was established in 1977 by Loretta & Gene. At that time, we also had Sherman Oaks Honda & Triumph on Ventura and Van Nuys Blvd., which was sold in 1982.
Loretta drew the plans and supervised all of the construction of the new buildings, which were started in 1977 and complete expansion in 2002, with the addition of our new showroom.
Harley-Davidson was having a difficult time in the early '80s until they had a turnaround in popularity in the late '80s and early '90s, which continues to the present time. Harley-Davidson was then the only American motorcycle manufacturer and was getting undercut by the Japanese products selling at too low a price. That's when the federal government stepped in and put a ban on the unfair practices of the Japanese imports. From that time on, Harley has taken front and center in the large cc motorcycle market.
To this day, Loretta and Gene still operate the dealership. Gene mainly supervising sales, parts and service and Loretta takes the responsibility of most of the paperwork required, accounting systems, management systems and employment practices. Today there are so many rules and regulations that are imposed on employers and dealerships it takes too much time away from our real purpose and passion of motorcycles.
A bit of nostalgia, in how we got started advertising with our animals. In 1977, a customer gave us an all black kitten, who we named Fatbob. When he was little, he would climb up the parts-man's pant leg to get onto the counter and see the customers. It didn't take long for anyone behind the counter to lift him up when he meowed & a lot less painful! Sometime in 1978 when Loretta was out of ideas for an ad... she looked at Fatbob sitting on her desk, and decided to do a full page ad in Cycle Trader with the cat title "Bob Sez" i,e, Bob Sez we had an Open House; Motorcycle Sale...etc. He advertised for us about 15 years - and sadly passed away in 1998. In the meantime, Loretta bought 3 Siberian Huskies, who were raised at the store when they were pups. All of us took turns taking them for a walk. When they grew up, Loretta decided they could also do ads for the store. This time they would be talking to each other. We all had great fun with the ads and the customers also took part by doing Hi Fives at the counter with the Siberians. Sadly, both Cody & Blue passed away earlier this year (2009) we all miss them!
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 Arlene Sorizo - Accountant |
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 Sue De Muro - Sr. Administrative Assistant & Office Manager |
| Our mascots are Loretta's favorite pets: Blue and Cody, who on occasion would spend a Saturday at the store greeting customers with a high-five. |
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Barger Harley-Davidson
22107 Sherman Way Canoga Park CA 91303
Phone: (818) 999-3355
Fax: (818) 999-3434
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Employment Application Get up to 50 miles per gallon!
Come visit
our Showroom
to find out how! Community News
Zine takes lead on pay cut for council
City Councilman Dennis Zine has asked for a 10 percent cut to his $149,159-a-year salary - with the money to be returned to the city's general fund - and may ask the 14 other council members to do the same.
"I think it would be an important gesture to show the public we are aware of how they're hurting and that we are sharing the pain," said Zine, a retired LAPD sergeant.
Needless to say, the proposal hasn't received much love toward Zine, who said one colleague visibly blanched at the prospect of a 14,000 pay cut. Thank you Dennis Zine for being a guest speaker at our March general meeting. You made some very informative points on safe riding tips and on the politics that we should all be very attentive to, never mind your quick wit and humor! Thank you for your continued support of our and your community. We appreciate your hard work and dedication to all of us. 
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