The closure of Tucsonβs only dealership for Italian motorcycles in late 2016 left enthusiasts without local dealer service for several months last year.
Now, the Old Pueblo has not only regained its dealership for Ducati and other Italian brands, but it has gained a new, full-service motorcycle showroom and repair shop.
On Any Moto, mainly a service and accessory shop since its founding in 2008, acquired the assets of Renaissance Motorcycles, which closed in December 2016 after 40 years in business and became a dealer for Ducati, Aprilia and other Italian bikes last summer.
In early March, On Any Moto moved from its small location off West Grant Road across the street and down the block to a much larger showroom and shop in a small industrial park, and on Saturday the company is holding its grand opening.
On Any Moto partner and general manager Michael Battaglia said he worked for Renaissance Motorcycles owner Steve Spreter when he first moved to Tucson in 2006 and started the local Ducati owners club.
Battaglia said he started On Any Moto after trying to buy Renaissance, and 10 years later when he heard Spreter was retiring, he jumped at the chance.
He called Bob Stevenson, a longtime friend and another big fan of Italian bikes, and they formed a plan to buy Renaissanceβs assets and get the dealerships.
βTucson Italian moto enthusiasts still have a place to go that has lineage and connection to the past 40 years,β said Battaglia, who declined to disclose terms of the deal.
Battaglia and Stevenson, the companyβs president, were joined as company partners by Gary Ellerd, who serves as vice president and chief financial officer.
Last summer, On Any Moto inked dealership agreements with former Renaissance Motorcycle brands Ducati, Aprilia, MV Agusta and Moto Guzzi motorcycles, and scooter makers Vespa and Piaggio.
The company also became a dealer for Beta Motorcycles, an Italian maker of off-road bikes, and Zero Motorcycles, a maker of electric motorcycles based in California.
The partners operated a showroom for a while in On Any Motoβs small shop on West Grant Road while looking for a bigger and better space.
Stevenson wound up buying a nondescript, 10,000-square-foot industrial building on North Jackrabitt Avenue, across Grant to the north near a building he already owned, Battaglia said.
βIt was a really ugly building β we had to pour 3 inches of concrete just to level the floor,β Battaglia recalled.
After improvements costing in the range of $1 million, Battaglia said, the revamped building is anything but nondescript.
Patrons are greeted by a large, round portico featuring a 40-foot diameter steel lattice structure that is a tribute to Ducatiβs βtrellisβ frame design, painted in the companyβs bright-red livery, and the shopβs ample front parking is reserved for bikes.
The glistening, new 6,000-square-foot showroom features an Italian-tile floor and displays about 60 bikes with room to spare, along with helmets, accessories and attire. It also features multiple big-screen TVs, while a customer lounge features a big TV screen, comfy chairs and coffee service.
Since a soft opening in March, the shop has already hosted the viewing of a major superbike race.
In the back, a 3,000-square-foot service center β about the entire size of On Any Motoβs old location β features six repair bays and a dedicated Ducati service area.
While On Any Moto formerly offered only tires and basic maintenance and repairs, the company added several mechanics as it doubled its staff to eight and now offers full, headlight-to-taillight service on virtually any modern moto make, Battaglia said.
βWe still do service for a lot of the customers we used to take care of, so we still work on all major manufacturers,β Battaglia said.
With bikes ranging in costs from about $8,500 to $40,000 for a top-of-the-line Ducati Panigale V4 Speciale superbike, Battaglia said the shop hopes to appeal to a broad range of riders.
βWe plan to focus on a strong marketing plan,β Battaglia said, with a campaign of radio and social media advertising and a new website.
Though U.S. motorcycle sales have declined in recent years, Battaglia said Ducati has gained sales share partly by regularly rolling out new models, giving the On Any Moto partners confidence to make the Italian maker its flagship brand.
The leader of the local Ducati ridersβ club said during the gap in local dealer coverage, some members had to travel to Phoenix to get factory-authorized dealer service, though other shops here service the brands.
Andy Ruhl, president of the Desmo Southwest club, said the club and rider community was already familiar with Battaglia from his work with the club and at On Any Moto, while Stevenson has ridden with the club for years.
βHeβs very well-known to the sort of tight-knit local community of Ducati and Italian bike riders, so weβre very happy that he teamed up with Michael and the other guys at the new shop β itβs really great for us,β he said.
Ruhl also was one of the new shopβs first customers β he bought a new base-model Ducato Panigale V4 from On Any Moto about three weeks ago to replace an older model he sold a couple of years ago.
βItβs better than everything,β Ruhl said of his new ride.
He noted that On Any Motoβs grand-opening event Saturday will offer demo rides on about 20 different models of bikes.
βThey really have something for everyone,β Ruhl said.
