GOT TORQUE?

Ed and Jeff Gallo BMW Motorcycles in south Fort Myers is where Ed Gallo and family sell those glistening two-wheeled rides, great for traversing Alligator Alley through the middle of the state or traveling cross-country and getting an uncovered look at American countryside.

"Last summer, I took my son to Sturgis, South Dakota for the annual motorcycle rally," he said. "We rode there from here. The worst part of the trip is getting out of Florida - it's long, straight and boring. There are better motorcycle roads up through Georgia, Tennessee and Missouri. You get to see the beautiful country side, a great part of the United States."

Gallo started the business in 2002, and recently celebrated a five-year anniversary with a weekend of food, door prizes, and special prices on parts and motorcycles.

"I had sold my previous company up in Cleveland, [Ohio] and basically retired and moved to Fort Myers and became bored," Gallo said. In that other, northern life, he owned Gallo Displays, Inc., designing custom exhibits for trade shows of any variety.

This new venture sprung from his own motor biking enthusiasm, and a family he could share it with. His son Jeff is the sales manager and his daughter, Jennifer, is the operations manager. Gallo lives in south Fort Myers and vacations in north Georgia, he said, "to get a break from the heat of the summer."

"I've ridden motorcycles since the early 1970s and it was always a passion," he said. "I started off with a Honda, and rode Harley Davidson's in the late 1990s. Then I had the opportunity to ride a [BMW] and discovered what a great motorcycle it is. BMWs are more engineered for performance, safety, durability and rider ergonomics...Harley Davidson's are a little more about style."

Gallo recently added some new bikes to his showroom floor as well.

"Because of market demands, we needed to bring a brand in that built cruisers [primarily for riding 'around town'] and we wanted to bring in a well known name, very high quality and price competitive," he said.

That brand is Triumph, which he has carried since 2005, available in colors like jet black, cardinal red, graphite and scorched yellow. It's done well, but the higher priced BMWs are still the most popular, he said. He also carries "touring" motorcycles, made for long trips; as well as "enduro" motorcycles, which are sportbikes good on and off road. To satisfy that end of the market, Gallo brought in the MV Augusta and Ducati lines last year, both old Italian sportbike manufacturers.

"The only segment of the motorcycle industry still growing is the sportbike segment," he said. "The sportbike lines we were looking at had to be high quality and well known...They're design and engineering is more artwork than you'd expect in a motorcycle."

And the business sells all the accoutrements to frame that artwork: boots, gloves, hats, apparel and accessories.

"We service all the motorcycles here also," he said. Technicians are factory trained and certified, of course. Gallo has about 14 employees in all, and is currently looking to hire an experienced motorcycle salesperson, to work in his 14,000 square foot facility, which includes the showroom and service department.

"We pride ourselves in our service to our customers," he added. "We get local customers as well as from north Tampa and along the East Coast. They know if they come here they'll be treated properly and fairly. It's an ongoing process. When you buy here, you become a member of our family."

Customers who visit BMW motorcycles get test rides also, he said, proper gear and license permitting. He also recommends that anyone who buys or rides a motorcycle take a safety course.

"Everybody who rides a motorcycle will encounter a situation where trucks or cars are unaware of your presence or are unaware of a motorcycle rider's right to the road," he said. "Riders need to ride defensively and be 110 percent aware... always assume some will do something to imperil you, and be ready to react to protect yourself. People who ride motorcycles need to be aware they are taking on additional risk, and need to accept that increased risk, but it's a manageable risk."

Starting a business is also a manageable risk, something Gallo also knows about. Good help is the ticket, he said. He plans to turn over the business in the next one to three years to his son and daughter, the best help of all, as well as a few "key" employees. Maybe he'll travel cross-country again, or just stay home and enjoy his canines, which he said are not allowed to ride on the motorcycles.

"Besides having a passion for motorcycles, we're all dog friendly," he said.

And the dogs are friendly too. They wander happily through the showroom: two Cairn Terriers, one Norwich terrier, and a German Sheppard. A sign on the door says, "Please don't let the dog(s) out."