Across Canada, dealerships have long been the backbone of our industry. They’ve celebrated the highs, weathered the lows, and adapted to every twist in the ever-changing motorcycle market. Ask any dealer what it takes to succeed, and they’ll tell you: patience, determination, and above all, a genuine love for the sport.

One dealership that embodies all of this is Blackfoot Direct Moto, located just around the corner from the Wild Rose MX Park in Calgary, AB. Whether you’re eyeing a new or used Street, Motocross, E-Bikes, or even a Snow Bike for the winter, BFD has earned its reputation as a one-stop dealership in Calgary.

Dean Thompson takes us through the dailly workings as well as the history or BFD.

MXP: How long has the BFD dealership been around, and how are you enjoying your new location?

Dean: We were incorporated in 2007 but I was running Blackfoot direct in conjunction with working on the Motocross team and road race team from 2007 until we finished racing in 2011. From then, his win, it was more a full-time effort and we started selling motorcycles (Husaberg) In 2013. So next year will be our 20th anniversary, which has flown by.  He started off in a 2000 square-foot bay and as you mentioned, you recently moved into an 11,000 square-foot Storefront which has been awesome for both our customers and staff. 

MXP: Thinking back to the late 1990s until now, it’s amazing how many riders Blackfoot Motorsports and now BFD have supported. Your imprint on the sport in Canada has been incredible?

DT: Yeah, I was going through a bunch of memorabilia from the old race days a while ago, and looking at some of those jerseys was pretty cool. I learned a lot over the years working alongside Jason Mitchell, and the partners at Blackfoot.

MXP: What have been the biggest changes in the industry over the past decade that have affected how you run the business?

You have to be proactive rather than the active we live in a fast pace world that Requires business to evolve with it. You have to have a Web presence including social media. Everyone has expectations to get answers and product immediately, Long on the days waiting for magazines to be published to see race results.  This bills into business as well with so many people having Amazon at their fingertips dealerships need to be stocking the parts customers need or they will go elsewhere. This is always been something BFD has worked hard to do, and as always, our focus Particularly on our website. 

BFD is a large multi-brand dealership.

MXP: BFD is a multi brand dealership in an area where you can ride almost 12 months of the year depending on Mother Nature. You’re also blessed with a lot of open space in the surrounding area that sets up well for off-road riding. Looking across all the brands and models you sell, which is the most popular?

DT: For sure, we have an amazing area to ride. The Wild Rose Motocross Park is literally a stone throw away But it is the off-road riding in the foothills that is amazing and a large portion of our business.  This is both Enduro riding and adventure motorcycle riding. To be honest, this is the majority of our business.  

MXP: Obviously bike sales is a big part of your business Dean, but can you please talk about what else BFD offers to customers?

DT: As mentioned online sales through our website is a area that we have been spending a lot of time on. As we are more of a specialty shop, we want to be able to offer all these parts that are often difficult to get to all of our customers not just here in the Calgary throughout Canada.  Locally we have really been building our service department and we work on all models not just the ones we sellas well. We have a dedicated suspension division called Direct Suspension and we are a WP authorized centre but we also do all brands of suspension, including adventure bikes. 

MXP: BFD has done a great job in adapting to the ever-changing landscape of our industry. If we dare to look say ten years down the road, where do you see BFD and its customer base?

DT: I would say the largest change that we are seeing is in regards to the e-mobility side of the business. Whether that be E bikes or EMoto It is becoming a large portion of our growth in business. Gas gas and Husqvarna E bikes were very popular the past three years, but the DT: Moto bikes, such Talaria and Bonnell are very popular. With accessibility for off-road riding becoming more difficult and more areas/tracks closing this will become more popular and an area of growth. 

For over a decade, the Blackfoot Racing Team was a championship winning machine!

MXP: Okay Dean, final question. Looking back to the Blackfoot Racing days and competing in the CRMC Pro Nationals. Can you give us a few of your best moments?

DT: My favourite moment for sure was right when I started. I was a huge Moto fan and made a major career change to work on the race team as previously I was in corporate Accounting. 

I remember one of my first tasks was to organize a photo shoot in 2005 and I had a friend in California with some connections so I was able to book the infamous Castillo Ranch For the team. I just remember, pulling up and looking at those hills and that recalling the Terraferma 2 video with Jeremy McGrath. 

A few days later, we were lined up at the Hangtown national breaking in our race bikes. Lining up with all the riders seeing in magazines for years It was amazing. 

Then there was bringing Team Canada in 2007 to the MXDN in Buddy’s Creek. It was a three rider Blackfoot team with JSR, Colton Facciotti, and Blair Morgan all racing against the best riders in the world. 

All the years of racing and being part of the Blackfoot team was an amazing experience that I will never forget and taught me so much about professionalism. This is something I continue to try to do in my business as much as possible.  Many of the relationships developed in these years still carry forward today and that is very important and would not have happened without racing! 

BFD carries multiple brands of moto, off-road, and adventure bikes.

Once inside BFD, it’s bikes as far as the eye can see.

The staff at BFD is very helpful and everything is extremely organized.

BFD also has a plethora of gear and accessories.

The Oakley’s are for sale, but the old Scott boots aren’t.

BFD is also an authorized WP Suspension dealer.

The BFD Experience

From the moment you walk into the BFD Moto Dealership, you instantly feel welcomed. With a plethora of motorcycles, parts, gear, accessories, and just about everything else you could want, it’s easy to find what you need. The extremely knowledgeable staff also can answer any questions you might have, either on the specifications of a new bike, or how a certain piece of gear works. One of the key components to any successful dealership is the ability to the staff to connect to its customers, and this was something we notice right with the BFD employees.

It’s rare to leave a dealership feeling energized, but that’s exactly what BFD delivers. Between the people, the vibe, and the endless cool gear and accessories, we found ourselves wishing we didn’t live on the other side of the country so we could drop by more often. However, even though we do live so far away, we’re still able to take advantage of their online portal.

When visiting Calagry it’s easy to visit both the Wild Rose MX Park as well as BFD as they’re minutes apart.

One Of Highlights While Visiting Calgary

Visiting BFD and their new location was easily one of the highlights of my trip to Calgary and the opening round of the 2026 Triple Crown Series. To go there and experience how welcoming everyone is was great to see in person. It was also great to get a tour of the entire dealership, including the service bays, and suspension shop in the back. With BFD being one of the busiest dealerships in Canada, there seemed to be an abundance of energy all around.

A huge thank you to Troy, Dean Thompson, and the entire BFD team for their hospitality. With the Wild Rose MX Park looking to remain open into 2027, we will hopefully be back in Calgary next summer, and we will certainly find time to stop in and see everyone at BFD.

For more information, check out bfdmoto.com