LIHU‘E — Chris Artley loved mopeds since he was 15 years old and liked the idea of riding around his home between the Hyatt Regency hotel and Embassy Suites in Po‘ipu, but there was no moped dealer on Kaua‘i at
LIHU‘E — Chris Artley loved mopeds since he was 15 years old and liked the idea of riding around his home between the Hyatt Regency hotel and Embassy Suites in Po‘ipu, but there was no moped dealer on Kaua‘i at the time.
So his dad bought a second-hand one for him from O‘ahu.
“My first moped was an old Sears and I had to pedal it” when it broke, said Chris Artley, owner of MIP.
The problem was two-fold, there was no dealership on Kaua‘i and there was no one to repair them, he said. There have been other moped sources on Kaua‘i since then, but with the recent closure of Garden Island Motorsports, 15 years later, Atley is making sure no one has to be in his childhood predicament.
Last week, he opened up Mopeds in Paradise, a dealership focusing on selling mopeds under two horse-power for “a thousand dollars less” than the brand sold at the last motorsports dealer on Kaua‘i, he said.
The showroom is in the Industrial Park Phase Two next to Pacific Tile in one of the bays in D&W Services at 2989 Aukele St. Mopeds in Paradise has 85 Jonway mopeds in eight different models and five different colors, most of which get 100 miles per gallon, he said.
He also carries parts and accessories for the Kymco brand, which he said was previously handled by Tom Leighton, previous co-owner of the now closed Two Wheels in Kapa‘a, who recently moved to the Big Island. In addition to his retail sales, Artley is offering guided group tours on mopeds to scenic areas such as Wailua Falls, Loop Road in Wailua and Menehune Fish Pond. Lunch is provided and riders are equipped with helmets. Maximum speed of the mopeds are 35 miles per hour so he said he will try to keep to lesser traffic areas.
Artley’s future plans are to expand eventually into small ATVs and dirt bikes, other vehicles that he enjoys riding. “I’m excited. This is what I want. I’m ready to stay with the business and make it work,” he said.
