Liberty Motorsports
When he was in the Air Force, Louie Hirth had occasions to pass through the town of Liberty, Ariz., on his travels to and from Luke Air Force Base. Back then, in the 1960s, Liberty was tiny and maybe not much to speak of, but it would become one of the motivating factors for the new name Hirth selected for a motorcycle shop that previously employed him and that he would one day own.
That business is well-known to Yumans today -- Liberty Motorsports, 1999 S. Arizona Ave. And while it continues to be a dealer of various makes of motorcycles, it also sells dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, utility vehicles. scooters and
generators.
David Lee started the business in 1957 as a motorcycle shop at 4th Avenue and 16th Street, at what is today the Yuma Mesa Shopping Center, Hirth explained. In the 1960s it was among the first Honda motorcycle dealers in the country.
The business later moved to 4th and Orange avenues and, as it began serving customers seeking boating equipment, Lee renamed it Lee Cycle and Marine.
While in high school Hirth went to work at the shop as a technician in 1962, working on and off there until he joined the Air Force and went off to Vietnam.
As it turned out, his military assignment would prove beneficial to Hirth in his career in the civilian world in later years. “The Air Force taught me to be a fantastic mechanic.”
Hirth concluded his military service, and returned to Yuma and went back to work for Lee, who in 1971 moved the business to its current location on Arizona Avenue. In 1981, Hirth purchased the business and within a couple of years added Yamaha, Polaris and Can-Am products to its lineup of motorcycles and allterrain vehicles. The business, meanwhile, underwent several name changes to reflect its growth and evolution. First it was Southwest Honda, then it became Liberty Honda and finally Liberty Motorsports. In keeping with the liberty theme, a bell is located on the floor of the business, and customers get to ring it when they make a vehicle purchase. Hirth said the bell, similar to the design of Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell, once was used at a plantation in the Southeast to summon workers from the fields.
While sentimental memories of passing through Liberty, Ariz., contributed to the name change, Hirth said the name pays a fitting tribute to the nation and the military branches that protect it. “I appreciated my liberty and I appreciated my time in the service.”
Born in Riverside, Calif., Hirth lived in various places while his father made a career of the Air Force. One of those duty stations was Vincent Air Force Base, which occupied what is now the Marine Corp Air Force Station.
Retiring from the military in 1960, his dad had a question for Hirth and Hirth’s five brothers. “’Hey boys, where would you like to go now?’ We said we’d like to go back to Yuma. He said, ‘That’s what I was thinking.’” Hirth went to McGraw Elementary School, then became part of the first graduating class of newly built Kofa High School in 1965, then went on to Arizona Western College.
Today, Hirth employees nearly 30 people in sales, service and parts and accessories functions at Liberty Motorsports. Meanwhile, he looks for opportunities to add new product lines to the business.”Right now I’m keeping my eyes open, but mainly just maintaining what we have now.”
The last couple of years, he says, have presents challenges and opportunities for the business. The COVID pandemic has led more people to explore leisure activities outdoors, among them offroading in the desert. That means potential customers. On the other hand, the chip shortage has affected his business just as it has automobile dealers. Hirth divides his time as owner general manager of Liberty Motorsports with his service with various clubs and non-profit organizations, among them Caballeros de Yuma and the Yuma Regional Medical Center Foundation Board. Now 75, he’s been asked when he’s going to retire from his business. “I say, ‘Why would I want to retire? Every day I go to work doing what I wanted to do when I was 14.’”