Linda Varady, owner and dealer principal of Kennedy’s Sports Cycles, said the since the business opened in 1961, it has provided fun for all ages.
Located at 1019 Lowell Street in Elyria, the establishment is veteran-owned and -operated and is recognized as “the oldest Yamaha dealer in the eastern United States,” said Varady, who handles the daily operations.
“We started on June 1, 1961, and we will be having a big anniversary party to be announced in June,” she said.
The opportunity arose to take over the business when Bill and Joan Kennedy retired from the motorcycle business, and Bill decided to start a drilling career in the gas and oil industry in West Virginia.
Varady is Bill and Joan Kennedy’s only daughter.
She and her husband, Ken Varady, continue the family business.
Ken Varady also teaches a motorcycle safety class at Lorain County Community College and at Tri-C West campus.
“The brands and products have changed throughout the years,” Varady said. “We had the Yamaha auto-lube two-stroke that didn’t require mixing gasoline and oil.
“In 1961, we had Triumph motorcycles. In 1974, we had Kawasaki motorcycles. And some brands came and went, such as BSA, Bultaco, Norton, Kymco, Motobeta, Kayo, Q-Link and Honda.”
Over the year, Kennedy’s Sports Cycles saw ups and downs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Varady said.
“It actually was a good thing for us because everybody was riding motorcycles at that time,” she said.
Varady recalled how a customer bought four motorcycles during that time, wrote out a check, and said, “This is cheaper than a trip to Disney World.”
“While things might be slow now, another season of fun will be coming up at the Amherst Meadowlarks Motocross track in Amherst,” she said. “Kennedy’s Elyria Sports Cycles is very involved with sponsoring the race teams.
“Jacob Beverage is in the Pro class, Charlie Beverage is in the Pro-Am class and Brian Beverage is in the Amateur class.
“Granddaughter Kylie Cook is in the PW-50 class. Everyone is looking forward to the Super Cross event coming to the Huntington Bank Cleveland Browns Stadium on April 16.”
For more information on Kennedy’s Sports Cycles, call 440- 322-7755 or visit kennedyscycles.com.
On the job
Each week in The Morning Journal we’ll meet someone from across Lorain County “on the job” and get to know a little bit about them. Got a suggestion for someone we should meet? Email news@morningjournal.com.
