Our Road to Drachten

“If you'd told me fifteen years ago that we would one day become the exclusive BMW Motorrad dealer for the entire north of the Netherlands, I probably would have laughed at you.”

Hendrik-Jan Boerrigter says it with a smile. Not because he takes it for granted now, but precisely because he still remembers exactly where it all began. In 2012 he started out as an independent mechanic, without a grand business plan or the ambition to build a large dealer organisation. His goal was simple: deliver good work, offer quality and treat customers the way he would want to be treated himself.

“I never started out with the ambition to become the biggest. I simply wanted to work honestly, deliver craftsmanship and make sure customers went home satisfied. To this day, that is still exactly what we get up for every morning.”

That way of doing business turned out to be the foundation of something far bigger than he could ever have imagined. Within five years the one-man business grew into Friese Motorexperts, and in January 2017 the newly built premises in Menaam were taken into use. The team grew along with it, the customer base kept expanding and the name Friese Motorexperts became a household name in the north of the Netherlands.

In 2018 Janke joined the company. Not just as a partner, but as an entrepreneur too.

“From the start we complemented each other well. Hendrik-Jan is the one with the wild plans. He sees opportunities, thinks big and dares to take steps. I'm the one who works out what it takes to actually make those plans happen. How do we organise it? What investments are needed? How do we keep an overview? And above all: how do we make sure we never lose our quality and personal attention? It's precisely that combination that makes us strong.”

While Hendrik-Jan is first and foremost the craftsman and entrepreneur, Janke gets her energy from building a future-proof company.

“My passion isn't just motorcycles, it's entrepreneurship too. I get energy from innovating, improving and looking ahead. We constantly look at developments in the market, changes in society and new technologies that can help us serve our customers even better. That's why we invest heavily in automation, smart processes, AI and a modern online environment. Not because innovation is a goal in itself, but because it lets us work more efficiently. The more efficiently our organisation runs, the more time we have for personal attention. In the end, every investment has to contribute to one thing: a better experience for our customers.”

Despite all these developments, the foundation has always stayed the same. Customers and quality come first.

“A customer may remember which motorcycle they bought,” says Janke, “but above all they remember how they were welcomed, how they were listened to and how a problem was solved. That's where you ultimately make the difference.”

After eight years of running the business together, a new turning point arrived. Paula's Motorkleding announced it would stop at the end of 2026, which put the question on the table of what the future of the premises in Menaam would be.

“That was really the trigger to look beyond just the upper floor,” Janke explains. “We were both about to turn forty, and I had started a coaching programme around decentralised leadership. Not because anything was wrong, but because we wanted to discover where we wanted to be in ten or twenty years. During that programme the pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place. If we wanted to make one more big move, it had to happen now.”

Menaam had brought the company a great deal, but the next step called for a more central location. At first, attention even turned to Leeuwarden. At the same time, conversations began with BMW Motorrad about the future of the dealer network in the north of the Netherlands.

“To us, BMW Motorrad is the finest motorcycle brand there is. Innovative, high-quality and built from the same passion for motorcycling that we feel ourselves. Together with BMW, a shared vision eventually emerged in which we would grow into the exclusive BMW Motorrad dealer for the entire north of the Netherlands.”

During those conversations, yet another opportunity unexpectedly came along. Motorplaza Groningen was about to close down because there was no successor.

“For us, all the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place. Taking over Motorplaza was never the end goal, but the springboard to our own future. It gave us the chance to work step by step towards our dream: a completely new motorcycle experience centre in Drachten.”

The name of that new chapter came about almost by itself.

In Menaam, virtually everyone had been talking about FME for years. But 'Friese' no longer fitted the ambition to serve motorcyclists from across the whole north of the Netherlands. During the search for a new name, all kinds of ideas came up. Even Florijn, the street where the new building is being constructed.

“And then it suddenly clicked,” Hendrik-Jan recalls. “FME didn't just stand for Friese Motorexperts, but for Full Motor Experience too. We looked at each other and knew immediately: this is exactly who we are.”

For Hendrik-Jan and Janke, Full Motor Experience is not a slogan but a promise.

“We want to bring everything around motorcycling together. Sales, maintenance, parts, motorcycle clothing, rentals, workshops, travel, tours, events and special editions. But in the end, Full Motor Experience isn't about what we do, but about how we do it.”

According to Janke, the dream goes one step further still.

“We hope FME Moto becomes much more than a motorcycle shop. We want to create a meeting place for motorcyclists from across the north of the Netherlands. A place you deliberately ride a little out of your way for, to have a coffee, meet other riders or start or finish a ride together. Whether you're out on your own or with a group of friends, we want FME Moto to feel like a home base for everyone who shares the same passion.”

That is why Drachten will be much more than a new company building.

It will be the place where everything Hendrik-Jan and Janke have built over the past fifteen years comes together. A modern showroom, a state-of-the-art workshop and everything around motorcycling under one roof. But above all, a place where the same culture lives on that made Friese Motorexperts great.

“We're not building a bigger company because it looks good,” says Hendrik-Jan. “We're building because we want to help our customers even better. More space and better facilities are wonderful, but in the end our most important investment is the same as fifteen years ago: attention for the customer and quality in everything we do.”

Janke nods.

“For us, success isn't measured by how many motorcycles we sell, but by how many people are happy to come back. The finest compliment isn't that we have a beautiful showroom, but that someone says: 'What a great atmosphere this place has. I feel welcome here.' That is exactly the culture we're bringing from Friese Motorexperts to FME Moto.”

When Hendrik-Jan is asked what he hopes for in five years' time, he doesn't have to think long.

“I hope people don't talk about the building or about BMW first. I hope they say: 'You really have to go there some time. Not just for the motorcycles, but above all for the people.' If riders soon make a deliberate detour to have a coffee at FME Moto, meet fellow enthusiasts and feel welcome, then we will have achieved what we've been working towards all these years.”

From one mechanic to Full Motor Experience. The dream has grown bigger than we could ever have imagined. But the foundation is still exactly the same: craftsmanship, personal attention, quality and a genuine passion for motorcycling. That was true in 2012. And it will be no different in Drachten.