BOOMING SALES AT SUN SPORTS CYCLE & WATERCRAFT

FORT MYERS BUSINESS EMBRACES GROWTH OF SIDE-BY-SIDE COMMUNITY

The popularity of side-by-side vehicles is growing like crazy—and Iain Johnstone saw it coming. He owns Fort Myers, Florida-based Sun Sports Cycle & Watercra , Inc. and is experiencing that growth first hand.

A er moving to the Sunshine State in the 1970s to race motocross, Johnstone opened Motorcycle Salvage in Fort Myers in 1977. He soon grew the business into one of the largest stores in the area for motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats and parts.

In the 1990s, Johnstone changed the name to Sun Sports Cycle & Watercra , Inc. and acquired the local Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha dealership, expanding and remodeling his showroom in the process. In 2007, Sun Sports Cycle & Watercra built its current modern air-conditioned facility on Colonial Boulevard, rounding out its brand mix with e side-by-side market has an interesting history. Originally called utility task vehicles, or UTVs, they have been around for years, largely in agricultural business use. e Kawasaki Mule was introduced in 1988, with most of these hardworking vehicles finding a home in the rural farming industry. In 2004, Yamaha introduced the Rhino, adding recreation and fun to the mix, and the popularity of this new type of UTV soared.

Can-Am, Kawasaki, Polaris, Sea-Doo and more.

An increasing percentage of Sun Sports Cycle & Watercra ’s sales in recent years has been in the side-by-side market. is concept has an interesting history—originally called utility task vehicles, or UTVs, they have been around for years, largely in agricultural business use.

Written by: Dave Kelly PHOTO BY ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Finally, in 2007, Polaris took full advantage of this trend and introduced its wildly popular RZR brand, focusing solely on o -road family fun. e original RZR with two seats soon evolved into more family-oriented models with four seats and stowage features, catapulting the RZR family into the top spot among UTV manufacturers.

“ e idea of a side-by-side vehicle has evolved in the past 80 years,” explains Sun Sports Cycle & Watercra ’s general manager Ralph Graettinger. “ e original side-by-side vehicles were the Jeeps of the 1940s, which transformed into the dune bu ies of the ’70s, eventually morphing into the ru ed sporty concept that we are familiar with today,” Graettinger adds.

Sales of these family-friendly all-terrain vehicles have exploded recently, and Sun Sports Cycle & Watercra has been at the forefront of this movement. In years past, a family of four would o en purchase four separate ATVs in order to all ride outdoors together.

Decisions such as that involved smaller ATVs for children— who would soon grow out of the size and model that they rode, creating the need for new vehicles every couple of years. Side-by-side vehicles circumvent that problem, because many of them seat four to six family members comfortably and still leave room for camping gear and coolers. is approach also leaves a much greener carbon footprint, with one vehicle on the road instead of four. To that end, Polaris and others have also begun to produce electric vehicles that look to be the future of the UTV category. Additionally, side-by-sides lend themselves to individualized customization. Owners can come in and choose from a wide variety of add-ons to modify their rides to their taste.

All types of gear, from li kits to lighting packages to sound systems, are available at Sun Sports Cycle & Watercra ’s on-site parts department. Its top-notch service department keeps these machines humming with quality maintenance and repair, too.