Fred Fox , who was a great friend to me for over 45 years and also to many in the motorcycle sport and industry around the world , passed away here in Orange County , California , on Sunday ( 2 / 5 / 23 ) due to natural causes . He was 86 years old . Fred was a motorcycle industry leader and pioneer of the modern era of aftermarket product distribution and promotion . He was the only employee when he started his Parts Unlimited distributing business at his house in Janesville , Wisconsin , in 1967 . In the years to come , the business grew fast , and he incorporated as LeMans Corporation , which continues to this day as the largest privately-owned motorcycle distributing company in the world . In the early years , LeMans moved a couple of times into larger warehouses in Wisconsin , expanded into other areas around the United States and Canada and many brands were added . Some became suppliers for Parts

Unlimited and also Drag Specialties , which he acquired in 1988 . Other brands and companies were bought outright , including THOR MX and

Moose Racing . Fred was always a hands-on manager who oversaw every detail to make his organization grow into the industry leader that it is today . He made the decisions to buy the land , designed the facilities for the additional warehouses

throughout the United States and Canada , built a National sales rep force , secured leading brands to carry , and invested heavily in promotion of Parts Unlimited ' s " We Support the Sport " campaign , which has been active since the 1990s . He also served on the Board of Directors of the Motorcycle Industry Council from 1994 to 2007 . A multi-year personal project culminated in 2009 when LeMans opened the Parts Europe warehouse in Trier , Germany . An all-new warehouse was built there with state-of-the-art order filling technology that results in dealer order fulfillment speed never seen before in the motorcycle industry . In addition to the Parts Europe warehouse , LeMans Corporation currently has warehouses in Sparks , Nevada ; Ballston Spa , New York ; Flat Rock , North Carolina ; Grapevine , Texas ; and Janesville , Wisconsin , plus

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