After retiring from a long career in law enforcement, Harry Sandwith could have chosen any number of second acts. Instead, he decided to turn a lifelong passion into more than just a hobby.
Sandwith is a motorcycle guy. Long before he founded Dirty Harry’s Detailing, motorcycles were a major part of his life. When he wasn’t at work or spending time with his family, he was working on, riding, or simply wiping down his bike.
As his time as a police officer was winding down, Sandwith had a decision to make. After spending more than 25 years protecting and serving the people of Jersey City, NJ, he was not ready to ride off into the sunset. But he didn’t want to just take any old job — he wanted a second career that could be as fulfilling as his first.
While he was keeping the streets safe, his brother was building a career at an automotive dealership, starting out in the detail center and eventually becoming the department manager. It didn’t take much to persuade Sandwith that opening a detail shop with his brother following his retirement could be the next chapter he was searching for. Unfortunately, his brother passed away before they could turn their dream into reality, but Harry had already embraced the idea and was more focused than ever on making it a reality.
But Sandwith is a realist. While he had been detailing vehicles all his life, he lacked the know-how to do it on a professional level. Rather than jumping into business based on instinct alone, Sandwith committed himself to learning the craft.
About a year before retiring, he and his son, Joe, traveled to California to train with renowned detailer Renny Doyle. The experience introduced them not only to advanced polishing techniques and paint correction, but also to a professional community that viewed education as an ongoing process rather than a destination.
That week would change everything. Sandwith and Doyle hit it off and became more than just teacher and student; they became colleagues and friends.
“I guess Renny was impressed with my work ethic because he asked me to join the Air Force One team,” says Sandwith. “We became friends, and it developed from there. Over the next two years, I got involved in a number of projects. Then Hurricane Sandy hit. A friend of mine was the fire chief in Union Beach, which was hit hard. I got a group of guys together, and we detailed the Union Beach fire trucks. That was basically the first project for the Detail Mafia, and I became the first president of the organization.”
Like his detailing peers, Sandwith worked on anything that came through the door when he first launched Dirty Harry’s Detailing. Cars, trucks, boats, RVs, you name it — Sandwith detailed it. But motorcycles were his true passion. And as word spread throughout the motorcycle community about how Dirty Harrys could make a bike shine, motorcycles became not only Sandwith’s specialty but the foundation of his business.
Since its founding, Dirty Harry’s has grown steadily, though not without its challenges. Health issues have plagued Sandwith over the past few years, but now he is healthier than ever, and the 70-year-old shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he continues to evolve.
After years of refining motorcycle-specific techniques, he has developed a unique set of skills he wants to share with the detailing community. As one of the preeminent motorcycle detailers in the industry, Sandwith has taken it upon himself to develop a curriculum to pass on his hard-earned knowledge.
“There really wasn’t anybody teaching it,” says Sandwith. “A lot of the techniques are similar to automotive detailing, but there are some key differences. Ideally, motorcycle detailers should know about motorcycles. But at a minimum, they need to know how to start them, move them, and pick them up. Safety is the main thing with motorcycles.”
He has partnered with long-time friend Doyle to provide motorcycle training at all of Doyle’s Detailing Success training centers across the country.
In addition to developing the training program, Sandwith has also undertaken another major career shift. He and his wife Deborah have recently relocated from their home in North Jersey to Cape Coral, FL. They left Dirty Harry’s Detailing in the capable hands of their son Joe and daughter Gina. Over the past few years, Sandwith has been traveling back and forth between Florida and New Jersey to assist with the business and oversee the transition, but now he is fully rooted in Florida and committed to growing his latest venture.
Sandwith and Deborah recently launched Hogfather Motorcycle Steam Wash & Detailing, bringing his experience and passion to a new market. While starting a new business venture in his 70s could be stressful, Sandwith is confident in his abilities and the market’s inherent need.
“We are doing mobile detailing operating out of our home shop,” he says. “But we will be renting a permanent shop starting this fall. We have two high-end steamers and want to do a lot more steam bike washes, as well as bike details and coatings. There are two big Harley dealerships within 20 miles in both directions, and I am talking to them about polishing their bikes. Also, I am still active in bike clubs, so we are getting the word out through my contacts. There is a lot of opportunity for us here.”
Sandwith’s ambition continues to drive him, even at the age when most detailers are ready to put their polisher up on a shelf. If you ask him about his long-term plans, he’ll joke about relaxing on the beach with a cigar and a glass of bourbon while someone else runs the shop. But ask anyone who knows him, and they will likely smile and say, “Not likely.”
