Discount ticket to ride

A new Costa Mesa shop is targeting people who want to ride on a

budget.

Family Motor Sports opened in late July on Newport Boulevard. The

store’s assortment of dirt bikes and dune buggies fill space that was

once home to Mainly Seconds, a pottery and plants store that closed

in March.

The new shop’s owner, Rob Zahr, said a key part of his business

plan is to keep prices down. That means that Family Motor Sports’

selection is not built around high-profile motor sports brands like

Yamaha or Honda. Instead, most of the store’s stock is produced by

the less-expensive Yamoto Motor Corp. Price tags for some of the

store’s vehicles are less than $2,000.

“Typically people buy one ATV for the family. We give them the

opportunity to buy one for each of the family members,” Zahr said.

A motor sports enthusiast, Zahr said he could not afford to ride

when he was a child.

“The reason I did this is because, growing up, the closest I got

to riding a motorcycle was my dad taking me to a motorcycle

dealership and letting me sit on one,” he said.

Zahr’s favorite off-road vehicle is his 200-cc four-wheeler. He

said his 3-year-old son has already started riding a 50-cc vehicle.

“Riding builds confidence -- it really does. I’ve seen a change in

him. There’s a sense of accomplishment when you ride,” Zahr said.

The store also carries motorized scooters and skateboards.

Skateboard riders use a wireless remote to control the board as they

ride.

“It’s just four gears and a remote control, and it’s fun, fun,

fun,” Zahr said.

Family Motor Sports may broaden its offerings by next year. Store

general manager Brad Olshen said there are plans for the shop to

carry an American-made line of street-legal choppers as well as boats

and watercraft.

The Costa Mesa shop is the first Family Motor Sports, and Zahr

wants to establish a chain of dealerships. He said he chose Costa

Mesa for its demographic concentration of “youth and youthful

adults.”

Family Motor Sports is at 1785 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa.