Sunday Motorcycle Sales Could Soon Be Legal in PA

By Yasmin Tadjdeh | PA Independent

A law prohibiting the sale of motorcycles on Sundays could be removed, allowing motorcycle dealers to profit from customers who have crossed state lines for more than 25 years to buy a motorcycle on Sunday.

Bryan Perry, owner of the Appalachian Harley-Davidson in Mechanicsburg, supports the repeal of the 1983 law, which outlawed the selling of vehicles and motorcycles on Sundays. 

Senate Bill 419, which was introduced by state Sen. Robert Tomlinson, R-Bucks, amends the 1983 law by permitting motorcycles to be sold but not cars and trucks.

The bill passed through the House Professional Licensure Committee on June 22 and now heads to the House for a vote.

Perry said he and other motorcycle dealers have been pushing for the repeal of the no-sale Sunday law for years. Losing sales to other states not only has hurt businesses near the border, but has limited the state’s sales tax revenue. Currently, motorcycle dealers can sell only parts and merchandise on Sundays.

Following the unanimous passage of the legislation in the state Senate earlier this year, Tomlinson said in a statement that his legislation will help keep motorcycle sales in the state.

“In the past, New York and Delaware allowed for Sunday sales of motorcycles. But last year, both New Jersey and certain counties in Maryland began permitting Sunday sales,” Tomlinson said.

As a result, consumers in the southeast part of Pennsylvania can travel out of state to purchase their bikes, rather than going to local dealers.

“My legislation would help Pennsylvania dealers compete with stores in other states and increase their sales,” Tomlinson said. “That will not only help our local economy but also bring in additional revenues to the state.”

State Rep.  Mario Scavello, R-Monroe, supported the measure but wondered why the motorcycle industry supported the change.

“You’re not going to sell any more motorcycles; you’re just putting more of a burden on yourselves,” Scavello said. “And once you open that door, it’s not going to go away, it’s going to be there forever.”

Nathan Benefield, research director for the Commonwealth Foundation, a fiscally conservative Harrisburg think tank, said the original 1983 law was designed to prevent competition between dealers. He said it was unnecessary for the state to regulate the days a private company could make sales.

State Rep. Julie Harhart, R-Northampton, chairwoman of the committee that passed the bill June 22, said she believes the 1983 law was enacted so car and motorcycle dealers could have a guaranteed day off to spend with their families.