The Good Life - January/February 2014

traditional motorcycle riders and
drawing an entirely new generation
of bikers into the mix of motorcycle
enthusiasts. By the mid-1970s, more
people were showing an interest in
riding motorcycles in North Dakota
and western Minnesota, especially
those who had lake cabins and liked to
go camping in the summertime.
Around 1991, Del and Renee
wanted to expand their Harley-
Davidson dealership to sell more golf
carts and accessories. They bought the
building in West Fargo, on the frontage
road off Main Avenue, where Harley-
Davidson is still located today. And a
few years ago, Del increased the back
side of the building to include an entire
line of Harley-Davidson clothing.
Del & Renee
Photo submitted by: Del HOfer
SEE THE WORLD ON A HARLEY
Sixty-two years later, “See the
world on a Harley” could easily be
Del Hofer’s family slogan. Although
he fell in love with motorcycles at age
14, it was Del’s first Harley-Davidson
at the age of 16 that truly solidified
the marriage he and Harley-Davidson
would have. One’s destiny is not
always in one’s hands. Some go with
the flow and others merely drift along
with the waves of letting life happen
to them. Del Hofer did the opposite.
He followed his passion, while
applying his mechanical aptitude
with his innate salesmanship. The
tri-combo led to traveling the world
to places such as New Zealand, a
favorite spot to tour for Renee and
Del and one they made a “sister city”
with an entire country to bond with
for present and future riders.
34
Del speaks of a creed of honor
he learned from his father while on
the farm in Huron: “If you borrow
a bushel of oats, always return
it plus one.” In the 42 years Del
and Renee Hofer have lived and
owned the only Harley-Davidson
dealership in the Fargo/Moorhead
area, they have indeed given back,
paid it forward and come to the aid
of many charitable institutions, not
in the thousands or even hundreds
of thousands of dollars, but with
millions of dollars. In particular, the
Muscular Dystrophy Association and
the Children’s Miracle Network have
been huge recipients. Several other
benefactors are Adopt a Family every
Christmas season, the West Fargo
Youth Hockey Association,
the Big Brothers Big
Sisters program, Red River
Zoo, the Rape & Abuse
Foundation, Families
of Deployed Veterans;
Humanity for Animals
at NDSU, the F-M Acro
Team, Riders Educational
Motorcycle Training, and
the Salvation Army. And
the list doesn’t end there.
Del Hofer has spent
the last 53 years promoting
Harley-Davidson motorcycles as a
way of life. For Del, Harley-Davidson
represents the biggest, longest-lasting
and best. Del, Renee and their two
sons are the embodiment of a family
that doesn’t seek the limelight or
fanfare, and who have continued to
give to their community time and
time again.
Among the many achievements
Del Hofer has made in his 78 years
of living life to the fullest was being
inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle
Hall of Fame. For anyone who has
not experienced Sturgis, think of it as
winning the Oscars and the Grammys
at the same time.
When asked what he believes
makes a “good life,” Del Hofer
replies,
“Knowing that
you get out of
life what you are
willing to put into
it. Life doesn’t hand
out freebies; it all
takes work.”
Del and Renee Hofer sold the
Harley-Davidson dealership recently
with plans to do a bit more traveling,
and Del has a passel of antique
motorcycles he’s been storing over
the years that he’d like to bring back
to life.