Our series partner, the motorcycle accessories chain Louis, is returning to the roots of its founder Detlev Louis by re-entering off-road sports: he was a successful off-road athlete in the 1950s and even took part in the team world championship, the ‘Six Days’, twice. Since 2022, the range has been expanded to include clothing and technical parts for motocross, enduro and supermoto riders, initially in the online shop and now also in the branches.
The history of Louis goes back to 1938, when Walter Lohmann opened a motorcycle shop in Hamburg. After the war, Detlev Louis and Lohmann continued to run the business under the name Lohmann & Louis, with Louis becoming the sole owner in 1946. The economic miracle of the 1950s led to a real boom in two-wheelers, and Detlev Louis hit the bull's eye with his business. But even in difficult times, such as the 1960s, Detlev Louis proved he had the right products, business acumen and continued to expand the company. In 1964, he was the first to send a mail order catalogue directly to customers and with the motorcycle boom in the 1970s, the company grew into a limited company. In 1981, Louis opened its first branch outside Hamburg, and there are now over 80 Louis branches in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. After even becoming a motorcycle importer for several brands, including Kawasaki, the company parted with the vehicle business in 1996, as the business with clothing and accessories became the main source of income in the reunited Germany. After the turn of the millennium, the motorcycle industry's long period of growth slowed, but Louis set a course for the future by expanding its services and launching its online shop in 1997.
In 2022, the decision was taken to significantly expand the range for motocross and enduro riders. MX clothing was already part of the programme, including the in-house brand ‘Madhead’ as an MX clothing line, but so far there has been no strong focus on dirt bikers. In Kai Sedlak, they gained an experienced man with a great deal of motocross know-how for purchasing. With Kai's experience as a former international professional rider and trainer, which he still is today, the range was quickly expanded to include accessories. Now, at Louis, you can find tubes, brake pads, plastic parts, tools and much more that a motocross rider needs on a daily basis. Initially, the MX products were only available in the online shop, but now they can also be found in stock in a large proportion of the more than 80 branches. ‘If you realise on Friday afternoon that you still need brake pads, you can now simply drive to the Louis branch near you and get them quickly so that you can go to training or a race on Saturday as planned,’ explains Kai. The online shop, with its huge bike database, offers many special options. For example, you can enter your motorbike model alongside a chainring and the system will only display suitable parts. At the same time, availability at the store where you can also have the part deposited for collection is also displayed. ‘Our product range and the brands we offer are constantly growing. Our commitment to motocross and enduro sports is long-term.’ It was therefore a matter of course to show a presence at events such as the ADAC MX Masters. ‘This is where we meet 100% of our target group,’ explains Linda Schäfer, who heads the marketing team at Louis. ‘We have also joined the ADAC MX Academy as a partner in order to be there for our future customers from the very first metres.’ Furthermore, numerous regional motocross series are supported. The company has been working with the Becker Racing Team and riders such as Nico Koch and Marnique Appelt since the 2023 season, helping to develop a new generation of top German riders.
Louis on the web: www.louis.de Instagram: @louismotorrad Facebook: @louismotointernational
