More Than Just Machines | Cycle Zone Sports

For some customers, the journey to Cycle Zone Powersports on Highway 24 begins with a motorcycle. For others, it starts with a side-by-side, a lawn mower, a generator or a piece of equipment they never imagined they would own.

But according to Cycle Zone leadership, the people are what keep those customers coming back.

“We’re just trying to provide a product that’s really good for the customer,” said Jared Haas, operating manager of Cycle Zone. “We want them to feel heard so they will ultimately be satisfied with their experience.”

That focus has helped transform Cycle Zone from a specialty motorcycle shop into a broad powersports and outdoor equipment dealership serving customers throughout Topeka and well beyond. The business is one of six companies that make up Haas Group, alongside HME, Inc., Topeka Foundry & Iron Works, Peak to Peak Engineered Railings, Topeka Foundry Commercial Door and Haas Crane & Equipment Rentals. Although each company specializes in a different area, the businesses share resources, people and capabilities, creating opportunities to draw on expertise across the group.

Today, Cycle Zone offers an array of products designed for work and recreation, including motorcycles, side-by-sides, all-terrain vehicles, watercraft, lawn equipment, generators and more. The business has also grown substantially in recent years, including its 2025 acquisition of Topeka Powersports.

For Jared, the evolution has been driven by a simple question: What do local customers actually need?

That means Cycle Zone’s inventory reflects the interests and needs of the people it serves. In Topeka and surrounding communities, for example, side-by-sides have proven especially popular.

Cycle Zone’s customers, however, have a wide range of interests.

“There really is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Cycle Zone customer,” said Rebekah Williamson, service manager. “We serve such a fun mix of people.”

That diversity also extends to the Cycle Zone team.

Jared says many powersports dealerships tend to focus on hiring people who are already deeply immersed in motorcycles. But as the industry has expanded, so has the type of customer walking through the door.

“Our team has such a variety of backgrounds and interests,” said Jared, “but they all relate to people and like to build those personal connections.”

That approach is especially important when someone is purchasing a powersports machine for the first time.

Rather than automatically steering a customer toward the biggest or most powerful option, Cycle Zone’s team asks questions: How will the machine be used? Is it for work or recreation? What features matter? What is the customer’s experience level?

The idea is simple: put the customer on the right machine for them.

Rebekah sees that play out every day in the service department, where the relationship continues long after a customer has signed the paperwork.

“The sale is just the beginning of the relationship,” she said.

Every new customer is introduced to the service team, parts department and other members of the Cycle Zone staff. Customers can ask questions about maintenance schedules, break-in periods, accessories and anything else they may need to know about their new purchase.

The goal is to make sure customers know exactly where to turn when they need help.

“We aren’t just servicing machines,” Rebekah said. “We’re taking care of the people who own them.”

That customer-first approach has created relationships that span generations.

One customer has been coming to Cycle Zone since Jared was a teenager working there. Over the years, Jared has watched the customer purchase machines for himself, then for his son and eventually for his grandchildren.

Rebekah has her own favorite stories, including a recent experience with a customer none of the team had ever actually met face-to-face.

“We had only done business with this one gentleman over the phone,” said Rebekah. “But then he made a trip to Topeka specifically to meet our service team and let them know that he had been so blown away by our ‘consistently great service’ that he wanted to make the trip just to shake our hands and say thank you. That was one of those moments when I thought, ‘Wow. We really are doing something right here.’”

For Rebekah, that’s the kind of interaction that defines the business.

That level of service also extends to customers who didn’t originally purchase their equipment from Cycle Zone. The dealership services the brands it sells and performs certain minor services on other brands, helping customers who may have struggled to find a local service provider.

And while Cycle Zone’s customer base is largely local, some customers travel much farther. Rebekah says customers now come from across northeast Kansas, including the Kansas City area, Osage County and even Nebraska.

What brings them to Topeka?

Experience, she says.

Customers may be greeted by name, asked about their families or reminded that the staff remembers a conversation from their previous visit.

“People are blown away by being greeted by their name because it is so infrequent these days,” Rebekah said.

That personal attention is supported by a service team Jared considers one of Cycle Zone’s greatest strengths.

Among those technicians is Eric Green, a longtime Cycle Zone employee who has been with the dealership since the early 2000s. Eric is passionate about dirt bikes, and customers can tell.

“He’ll talk their ear off,” Jared said with a laugh. “He knows everything.”

The business has continued to grow, but Jared says the purpose of that growth is ultimately to give customers a better experience. The acquisition of Topeka Powersports brought additional employees, expertise and brands into the Cycle Zone family, helping the business expand its ability to serve customers.

And there is more growth on the horizon.

Cycle Zone is moving forward with a Honda Powerhouse location in the same parking area, giving Honda its own dedicated store. The company also recently became an authorized JLG dealer and is expanding into heavier equipment, including telehandlers and scissor lifts, with service support through the Haas organization.

For a business that began as a much smaller specialty powersports operation, it is another significant step forward.

But even as the products and footprint continue to grow, the people remain at the center of the business.

“We do it for the people,” Jared said. “To work with people — I mean, that’s what makes life great. It’s the people around you.”