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Jim Shotton successful with
downtown motorcycle shop
Story and photos by Vinnie Williams
Jim Shotton—who owns Shotton Enterprises, aka “Your Motorcycle Shop” on School Street—is a graduate of Clemson University, which he attended on a baseball scholarship. His degree is in psychology.
So what is he doing as a Harley Davidson specialist in Oconee County?
“I became fascinated with motorcycles after I graduated and raced them for a living for four years,” explains the slender young man. “During my travels and work, I was in the Athens area. I discovered that Oconee County was where I wanted to be.”
The country living and lack of a motorcycle distributorship here brought Shotton to Watkinsville in July 1982 with, as he descries it, “a desk, a tool box and little money.”
A year of long hours and hard work followed. Now, Shotton has three buildings and three
emp∂loyees.
Shotton appears one of the busiest men around. Customers and workers come and go. So do
The late Jim Shotton came to Watkinsville in July 1982 to start his own motorcycle business.
several dogs. Shotton is patient, kind and low-key with customers or visitors who tell him, “I’m just looking.” He goes to endless trouble helping people. He explains, “I am really grateful for those who trade with
Editor’s note: TThe following story
about the late Jim Shotton was
written by The Oconee Enterprise
Publisher Vinnie Williams and into the new parts and accessories showroom owned published Oct. 20, 1983. Shotton, who by Jack Smith and the big warehouse across the street owned a motorcycle shop in
Vinnie’s Vault
Watkinsville and was a factory representative for Harley-Davidson, died Aug. 1, 2006 at the age of 61.
owned by Charles Murrow.
Shotton, a native of Philadelphia suburb, hung up
me.”
This has led to the expansion from the old tire shop
his motorcycle racing career in 1975 and began traveling for a motorcycle dealership.
He made an application to Harley Davidson and was their factory representative for three years in the mid-West; he covered seven states and oversaw
150 dealers.
“I got tired of traveling, retired and moved back to this area,” he says. “I decided I’d go into
businessformyself.Mymottois,‘Wetrytogetwhatyouwantquality-wise.Wegiveyougoodservice and affordable parts.’”
A mark of Shotton’s business success is that the city of Athens has contracted with him to maintain its fleet of motorcycles.
Shotton himself owns about a dozen motorcycles, including, of course, a Harley-Davidson and several of the well-known Japanese brands: Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki.
“Harley-Davidson is the last of the American-made motorcycles. It dates back to 1903,” he says. “Once there were half a dozen manufacturers of motorcycles in the United States. The Japanese
sVinnie Williams was the owner and publisher of The Oconee Enterprise newspaper in Watkinsville, Ga., and OCONEE THE MAGAZINE. PAGE 46 | OCONEE THE MAGAZINE | FALL 2021