Westside MotorSports, a big West Plains motorcycle dealership, says it has added the upscale, German-built BMW line of motorcycles to the three other brands it carries.

Scott Schmidtman, one of the dealership's owners, says it secured the line last month, just before the Inland Northwest Motorcycle Show held at the Spokane Convention Center. He adds that the line diversifies and strengthens the store's inventory.

"It brings in another group of riders and customers that weren't coming in to begin with," he says. "It's just a real nice addition to what we have already."

The dealership is located on the south side of Interstate 90 next to the Geiger Boulevard interchange and employs about 17 people. Along with BMW, it sells new Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki motorcycles; Yamaha WaveRunner and Kawasaki Jet Ski personal watercraft; Ski-Doo snowmobiles; five brands of all-terrain vehicles; and a similarly broad mix of trailers. It also offers a wide range of motor-sport accessories, including some apparel, and operates a large service department.

One of its service technicians already has received BMW training, and the dealership is mulling looking for an additional technician to hire who already is trained in servicing BMWs, Schmidtman says.

Beaudry Motorsports, in Post Falls, has been carrying BMW motorcycles among its offerings for some time, but Schmidtman says BMW decided it wanted to add another outlet here, and Westside MotorSports was able to secure the franchise.

Aries Northwest LLC, a Spokane company owned by Scott and Carolyn Schmidtman and a family trust, bought the assets of the dealership from Ken Wimer in 2003 for an undisclosed sum. The company's holdings now include the 16,000-square-foot dealership building, a 7,200-square-foot warehouse it built after acquiring the dealership, and about 16 acres of land.

Schmidtman says he and his wife set up a separate company, Aries European LLC, doing business as BMW Motorcycles of Spokane, to handle the BMW line, but the company is operating under the umbrella Westside Motorsports dealership name.