BARTELS’ HARLEY-DAVIDSON: A DIFFERENT BREED OF DEALERSHIP

It was busy the way a legendary dealership like theirs always seems to be, but I didn't have to look long before I was greeted by different members of the Bartels family—first Glenn, then Colton, then Ron, and then finally the legend himself, Bill Bartels—all of whom welcomed me with stiff handshakes and happy smiles.

When we got into the dealership and found a quiet corner for me to ask some questions, it quickly felt less like an interview and more like catching up with old friends.

That’s sort of the whole deal here. You’re not just walking into a Harley dealership. You’re stepping into a family business that operates today the same way it has for the last 40 years. Old school.

But what makes Bartels’ so special? Let’s start at the beginning.

The Bartels story starts well before Marina del Rey was home.

Before Bartels’ became one of the most recognized names in Southern California’s Harley scene, Bill Bartels was just a young guy chasing speed in the dirt.

He got his first bike, a clapped-out 250 BSA, sometime in his early twenties. Though his passion for two wheels started in the dirt, it quickly snowballed. By 1964, he was riding a Sportster, and from that moment forward, everything he rode had a Harley badge on it.

By 1971, Bill was all in, working as a service writer at LA Harley.

In 1983, Bill took over the franchise and opened up shop in Culver City. While the dealership wasn’t much at just 5,000 square feet, for the better part of a decade, that little spot (thanks to the stewardship of Bill, Ron and Bill’s other son, the late Rick Bartels) became ground zero for what the Bartels name would come to mean in the SoCal Harley world.

While they admittedly struggled early on, by 1988, Bartels’ Harley-Davidson was selling more Harleys than anyone else in the world. Yes, really.

By the early ‘90s, the family relocated the business west to the place they still call home today: Marina del Rey.

Today, the dealership spans over 40,000 square feet. But even with all that space, it doesn’t feel like some bloated showroom operation. It’s tight, focused, and intentional.

“We saw what happens when dealerships get too big,” Ron says. “The owner’s never around. The employees feel expendable. We didn’t want that. We’re here, every day.”

And they are. On the floor, in the service bay, behind the parts counter. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to walk into a shop where the name on the sign is also the person handing you your keys, this is it.

Of course, it’s not just Ron and Bill anymore. Glenn Bartels started in service back in 1990 and eventually launched the dealership’s rental business in ’94. These days, as Bartels’ Harley-Davidson’s Operations Manager, he keeps the trains running on time.

Colton, Bartels’ Sales and Inventory Manager, is also carving out his own lane, bringing a younger generation’s perspective into the mix without breaking away from what made the Bartels’ name so famous to begin with.

“Colton has his group and he’s always bringing the next generation of Harley riders in the doors and keeping us open to new things,” Bill says.

That balance between staying open to what’s next without losing what made them famous in the first place is something Bartels’ has gotten right for decades.

They’ve worked hard to keep departments specialized, too. “Sales handles sales. Parts runs parts. Everyone’s got their lane,” Ron says. “We’ve avoided tyrants.”

That kind of structure keeps things humming like a well-oiled machine around here. Nobody’s stepping on toes. Everyone knows their role. And the result is a place that functions with the precision of a race team which, funny enough, is where a lot of this comes from.

If you spend more than five minutes talking with the Bartels crew, racing is going to come up. And for good reason.

“Racing’s in our blood,” Bill says. And he’s not exaggerating.

Bill worked alongside legendary H-D race team manager Dick O’Brien and helped push the brand’s performance legacy into new territory.

Over the years, Bartels’ has built and supported drag bikes, Top Fuel monsters, and land speed record chasers at Bonneville. 

Through Bartels’ Performance Products, from 1990 to the year they closed down the operation in 2004, they engineered everything from cams to pushrods to intake manifolds and exhausts, all designed to squeeze every last ounce of power out of a Harley motor.

They’ve got the trophies, the timeslips, and the calluses to prove it.

But it’s not about chasing glory anymore. It’s about passing that DNA along to the next generation of riders.

While many shops have evolved to chase trends or corporate polish, Bartels’ has doubled down on what’s always worked: quality service, honest advice, and treating people right.