British Dealer News March 2021

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key business information for the UK motorcycle and scooter industry

Key business information for the UK motorcycle and scooter industry • March 2021

CLICK BAIT FOR NEW PLATE New lockdown roadmap keeps showrooms closed for new plate registrations in March See page 8

k c i l C Collect &

+PLUS+ Industry lobbies for CBT extension Dealer Attitude Survey goes live BMW self-isolates Dealers’ views in Trade Talk MCN Bikes for Sale boost Bike It restructures Duell UK launch New and used bike data Zero invests in UK base

March 2021

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Contents

Contents March 2021 : Issue 236

the news

contact us

HEAD OF CONTENT Andy Mayo: editorial@dealernews.co.uk tel 01237 422660; 07780 857693

4 6 8 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 22 24 25 26 30

FINANCIAL EDITOR Roger Willis: motobusiness@icloud.com PRODUCTS EDITOR/DESIGN MANAGER Colin Williams: design@dealernews.co.uk DESIGNER Maurice Knuckey: creative@dealernews.co.uk WRITERS Roger Willis; Adam Bernstein; Dan Sagar; Rick Kemp; John Featherstone ACCOUNTS MANAGER Mark Mayo: accounts@dealernews.co.uk ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE/AGENT Alison Payne: tel 07595 219093 Paul Baggott: tel 07831 863837 adsales@dealernews.co.uk CIRCULATION circulation@dealernews.co.uk TAIWAN AGENCY Albert Yang, Pro Media Co: info@promedia.com; tel +886 4 7264437 PUBLISHER Colin Mayo: editorial@dealernews.co.uk British Dealer News, 10 Daddon Court, Clovelly Road Industrial Estate, Bideford EX39 3FH

Zero invests in UK base Orwell lockdown showroom refresh New retail roadmap Looking back, moving forward Intense off-roader by Parts Europe Brexit marks the spot Electrifying start for Energica Industry lobby for CBT extension Bikes helping to beat Covid BMW self-isolates from major shows Trade Talk – National dealer roundup Radio boost for MCN Bikes for Sale Remote control business On the Move – Bike It restructure International news – Manufacturer results Off-road news

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Copyright © Mayo Media Ltd:

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part by any electronic or mechanical means without express permission is strictly prohibited. Mayo Media Ltd can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by advertisers. Printed by S&G Print Group.

the knowledge

36

the business

32 REACTION Campaign required for e-scooter sense 36 DUELL IN THE CROWN Scandinavian distributor targets the UK market 38 THE BUSINESS ESSENTIALS Dealing with a distressed company 40 MARKETING MATTERS Avoid making a drama out of a crisis 42 DIGITALLY CHARGED Digital hide and seek 44 PRODUCTS Retail profit opportunities

advanced copy

54 ON THE MONEY Roger Willis talks Brexit 55 INTERNATIONAL SHARE PRICES A snapshot of global performance 56 NEW REGISTRATION DATA MCIA statistics, NMDA and BDN report 58 USED BIKE DATA From Auto Trader and Glass’s Guide

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• April Issue 10 March 2021 • May Issue 12 April 2021 • June Issue 10 May 2021

MARCH 2021 3

Business news

Zero invests in UK base G

earing up for further UK sales growth in 2021, despite Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, Californian electric motorcycle brand Zero has established a stand-alone British presence.

Previously, Zero had enjoyed the benefits of the EU’s single market, fulfilling motorcycle orders, spare parts and service functions overnight from its European HQ in the Netherlands. But, post-Brexit, the company has been obliged to set up additional UK facilities, to ensure as seamless an operation as possible and minimise disruption for UK dealers and their customers.

A warehousing operation, based close to Leeds, is already in place. It has an initial three months’ worth of stock, to ensure customer orders can be fulfilled. This will be backed by a UK national sales office, to support the dealer network and liaise with European operations.

“It goes without saying that 2020 was challenging for the whole motorcycle industry,” says Zero UK and Ireland country manager Dale Robinson. “But it is a great credit to our dealer network and the strength of our product that we were able to record our best-ever sales in the UK.

“We now go into 2021 with the dual challenges of Brexit and Covid to tackle. But I am confident that we can continue to grow, as our dealer network expands and an increasing number of British riders turn to electric.

“The investment Zero has made into UK operations is a marker as to just how important our market is. And it will allow us to offer our customers and dealers some certainty in the coming months. The aim is to hold a minimum stock level in the UK to ensure continuity of supply.”

New Midlands plant for Norton

N

orton’s new state-ofthe-art production site in Solihull will open shortly, following a multimillion pound investment by its Indian parent TVS Motor.

This will be the most advanced manufacturing facility in the 122-year-old motorcycle brand’s history.

The new site will be the central hub for all Norton operations, providing a permanent base for staff. It will be home to design, engineering, purchasing, sales, marketing and support teams, as well as the skilled production team that is resuming manufacturing of motorcycles.

Some of the specialist tooling and equipment previously used at Donington has been carried over to the new site but it’s also

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benefiting from substantial new investment.

Norton will resume production of the Commando Classic model at Solihull, building a limited quantity to honour customers who had ordered and paid a deposit on these bikes. Production of the V4SS will commence soon.

Commenting on this announcement, TVS Motor joint managing director Sudarshan Venu said: “The opening of the new headquarters represents a significant step forward for Norton. It will create the foundations for a sustainable long-term future. The new bikes will meet the world class standards our customers expect.

“We are excited to be moving into our new home and we are

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delighted this has been created by the Norton and TVS teams in just nine months. This new facility, underpinned by strong quality processes, will produce bikes truly worthy of the illustrious Norton brand.”

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Business news

Orwell grasps lockdown opportunities W

ith its showroom shut owing to the current Covid lockdown, Ipswichbased Kawasaki, KTM and Suzuki dealership Orwell Motorcycles is viewing the absence of footfall as an opportunity.

“We’ve put the closure to good use by reorganising the showroom,” says Orwell director Dave Willis. “We’re bringing all the KTM products together in one display area at the front of the building. We want to keep our wide range of KTM merchandise with the motorcycles, to concentrate the brand image and make an even bigger impact.

“We’ll also have more KTM bikes on display in the showroom and will be growing our demo fleet with a total of 15 models available over the riding season, as well as five presentation machines kitted out with KTM PowerParts personalisation and performance items.

“This highlights how important the KTM franchise is for us and how well it is going after our first full year. And we’ve now been awarded the Suffolk franchise for KTM’s off-

road range in addition to its street bikes. The new motocross and enduro models are due to arrive here in June.”

Willis stresses that Orwell’s other brands won’t suffer through the reorganisation. “It will also give our Suzuki range a prominent road-facing display position,” he adds.

“It makes sense to do all the work while the showroom is shut. As part of the revamp, we’ll be refreshing the paintwork too and we plan to have it all finished during the lockdown.”

His fellow director Rob Walters is equally positive about adapting the way of doing business in these strange times. “We learned a lot from the first lockdown last year and are being flexible to help customers until we return to some normality,” says Walters.

“Having got through that, we thought about how to work behind closed doors, remotely and over the internet.

“Now, being in lockdown at the quietest time of the year is not too bad. We’re still doing a lot of internet sales of parts and accessories

and selling bikes online. But, if it goes into April, May and June again we’ll just have to adapt further and cope with the situation as best we can.

“We’ll do everything we can within reason.

Although it’s not helped by some parts and accessories being delayed due to a combination of new Brexit regulations and Coronavirus restrictions.

“Our workshop is keeping busy too. We only have two technicians in at any time, to keep them distanced, plus manning service reception. We’re making a great effort to extend our local pick-up and delivery service for bikes, to save people having to turn out in the bad weather or if they’re isolating.

“There’s only one member of the sales team in each day to deal with calls and online inquiries. And we’re rotating the staff, so they don’t come into contact with each other.”

Safety concerns fuel fight against fraudsters

L

ondon-based GBRacing has been tackling fraudsters passing off cheap imitations of its secondary engine covers for several years but is finding that the problem is now rising to unprecedented levels.

GBRacing says that, to its credit, the online auction portal eBay has removed no fewer than 110 listings covering more than 350 different counterfeit GBRacing products through its Vero programme, after the company filed a number of complaints.

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great victory against unscrupulous traders.

However, while eBay is proving to be an ethical operation, GBRacing says fighting fraud elsewhere has met with varying degrees of success. The discrepancies between copyright laws in many Far Eastern countries often prove insurmountable for a relatively small UK engineering firm.

Several website vendors have also been brought to the firm’s attention. And while potential damage to the hard-earned reputation of the GBRacing brand is clearly a concern, more worrying is the threat to

rider safety of sub-standard fakes.

“All our genuine engine covers have been developed over many years of racing at the highest level in conjunction with some of the world’s best teams,” says GBRacing managing director Graham Banks. “As a result, both the design and the patented material have evolved to provide worldclass motorcycle protection, with the priority being oil containment to minimise the chances of injury to a following rider crashing on spilled lubricant.” www.gbracing.eu

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Business news

New retail roadmap

BDN looks at the new government roadmap for lockdown relaxation, and how it will affect dealers across the UK

A

s we go to press, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had just announced his plans for an easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions across England. The rollout of the NHS vaccination programme went well in January and February and, with reduced infection rates, plus increasing pressure to open up the economy, Johnson outlined his plans for the relaxation of rules on 22 February.

The plans are cautious, with five-week breaks in between each step to review how infection rates evolve to the rule changes.

But the government is determined that the changes will be ‘irreversible’ and is hopeful that this period of lockdown will be the last.

Assuming the vaccination programme stays on track, no major vaccine-resistant Covid-19 variants appear in the UK and hospital admissions stay low, restrictions will fall away over spring and early summer.

Step One will kick off on 8 March with children returning to schools across England, and people allowed to meet one other person outside for a picnic or hot drink. There are two phases to this step though, with another

change on 29 March, when the ‘Stay at Home’ order will end.

This is a big move, meaning we can all leave home for any reason. Leisure motorcycle rides will be allowed once again, which should boost sales of riding kit, tyres and MOT/servicing work. Sales of ‘21’ registration bikes will also be possible, using the remote selling techniques pioneered by many dealers last year. The ‘Rule of Six’ will return, limiting groups to six people from two households, and social distancing will still apply.

For the retail motorcycle trade, Step Two on 12 April is perhaps the biggest date for the wall planner. That’s when ‘non-essential’ retail is planned to re-open, and bike, kit and accessory departments can open their doors and start selling as normal again. Hospitality can re-open too, so any in-house cafés or burger bars will be able to serve customers again, though only for outdoor consumption. Finally, for Step Two, gyms, hairdressers and nail salons will reopen, so the whole dealership can look their best for the returning throngs of customers!

Step Three, from 17 May, has a whole slew

DEALERS’ ASSOCIATION IS DISAPPOINTED PADDY O’CONNELL, HEAD OF THE NMDA, commented, “We understand that it is important to bring the virus under control, but it is very disappointing that motorcycle dealers will not be allowed to re-open until April.

“Since the outbreak of the virus, the motor industry was one of the first to work with the government to develop guidelines enabling a safe return to work. Dealers have invested heavily to adopt best-practice measures and ensure maximum protection for staff and customers.

“Dealers operate from large areas, they generally have outdoor space, and showrooms have been adapted to be Covid-secure, with social

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MARCH 2021

distancing easy to maintain. Dealers can operate by appointment and take all necessary steps, such as measuring customers’ temperature when they enter, wearing masks, working behind protective screens and sanitising bikes and keys.

“PTW dealers have demonstrated their resilience and ability to adapt, providing online sales and click & collect services. However, these are not enough to sustain businesses this year nor fully satisfy consumer demand, especially with the upcoming plate change in March. Dealers are looking forward to a full re-opening where they can respond to the traditional seasonal uplift in sales and expected pent-up demand.”

Click and collect sales will be vitally important for new 21 plate registrations throughout March

of relaxations. Indoor hospitality will return, so customers can consume food and drink within your dealership – ideal for MotoGP viewing events and open days. Very large outdoor venues, such as racetracks, can open with up to 10,000 people, so the opening BSB round at Oulton Park on 29-31 May looks to be a fairly secure date in the calendar.

The final point on the roadmap is Step Four, pencilled in for 21 June. This is when all legal limits on social contact will be removed.

Everything will open, including nightclubs and large indoor events. By then, though, the bike trade should be roaring away, looking to put the pandemic behind it as quickly as possible.

DEVOLVED NATIONS SCOTLAND HAS PRODUCED A ROADMAP out of lockdown which is more cautious than the English plan. There is flexibility to reduce restrictions sooner if conditions permit though.

From 15 March, the rules will be eased to allow four people from two households to meet outdoors. Three weeks later on 5 April, ‘Stay at Home’ rules will be lifted, and ‘click and collect’ will be allowed again for non-essential retail, including the motorcycle trade. Three weeks after this on 26 April the country will return to local control levels, with restrictions varying geographically according to virus levels.

Wales hasn’t published a firm roadmap as we go to press, but non-essential retail may be able to open from 15 March. Northern Ireland is also still reviewing its measures, but non-essential retail should open from 8 March, and a full lifting of lockdown measures could come as early as the 1 April, subject to the NI Executive’s review.

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Business news

Looking back, moving forward Motorcycle manufacturers and dealers started 2020 with some optimism following years of stagnation in the new market. With a timeline in place for Brexit and a General Election out of the way, it seemed the UK could look forward to a new beginning NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED WHAT happened next. With the rapid global spread of Covid-19, on 23 March the UK went into national lockdown. Critically, this came at the start of the motorcycle season. With dealers unable to open until the beginning of June, there was concern that much of the season was lost.

Paul McDonald, Glass’s Leisure Vehicles Editor said, “2020 was a tough year globally, with personal and economic restrictions in place for much of the year. The UK motorcycle market has proved remarkably resistant, especially following lockdown-1 with strong sales activity.”

Once dealers re-opened in June, they were inundated with enquiries and sales. The moped and scooter markets benefited from commuters choosing to ride to work isolated from passengers on public transport. Demand was strong across the board with consumers purchasing motorcycles using money from holiday funds unused due to travel restrictions.

Newcomers to the market boosted sales in 2020. This came as great news for the industry as a lack of new riders has been a concern in recent years. Following lockdown-2 in November, December enjoyed an astounding recovery, well ahead of 2019. Whilst some growth has attributed to pre-registrations in preparation for Euro 5, a growth of 57.1% is still very impressive.

Meanwhile, data published by the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA) shows year-end total registrations were only 2.9% down on 2019, highlighting the strong recovery. Mopeds and scooters were the two categories to record yearly growth of 14.6% and 10.2% respectively.

NEW MOTORCYCLE MARKET Feedback for sales and demand in December was mixed with some dealers reporting a reasonable month with sales ahead of last year. Demand in December continued the recent trend with mopeds, scooters and smaller capacity machines the strongest and healthy levels of interest

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remaining across the board. Right now, one of the main issues moving into 2021 is supply shortages, particularly for commuter machines.

Understandably, dealers are concerned for February due to lockdown-3. However, once again they are cautiously optimistic for 2021 with lots of new machines set for launch encouraging a bounce-back in demand at the end of lockdown-3.

WHAT CAN THE INDUSTRY EXPECT? With dealer showrooms closed again, February is another challenging month for dealers. However, with processes like ‘click and collect’ services, this

Once again they are cautiously optimistic for 2021 with lots of new machines set for launch encouraging a bounce-back in demand at the end of lockdown-3 lockdown should have a lower impact on sales.

That said, the recent Scottish government rules tightening including banning non-essential ‘click and collect’ could see a further negative impact on the motorcycle market.

Additionally, it is not certain when lockdown-3 will ease with various restrictions likely to remain in place for several months. The other concern is the ongoing effects this will have on the economy, potentially reducing consumer spending. However, the industry proved to be remarkably resilient in 2020, giving hope for 2021. It is also positive to see Covid-19 vaccines rolling out across the country, giving a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.

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USED MOTORCYCLE MARKET Following lockdown-2 and the Christmas period, recent feedback suggests variable retail activity in December, with some dealers reporting strong enquiry levels. However, with the start of another national lockdown in January, dealers are understandably concerned about the used market.

Although this is a disappointing start to the year, dealers remain cautiously optimistic that 2021 will be positive overall, with a significant bounce-back predicted at the end of lockdown-3.

TOP-SELLING MODELS Apart from larger capacity sports machines that are typically quiet at this time of year, demand continues to be good across the board. Mopeds, scooters and 125cc machines remain the most sought after and this is likely to continue for the near future, especially with a shortage of new machines. The Yamaha MT ranges continue their popularity whilst the Kawasaki Z1000SX also remains in strong demand.

STOCK Stock availability continues to be a challenge for many dealers and most auctions have strong bidding activity. Covid-19 working restrictions in factories are extending order to delivery times for 2021 new stock. These delays are increasing demand for late plate used machines. Dealers report forecourt stock levels are leaner than last year, however many are currently satisfied with these levels because of the current lockdown situation.

SALES ACTIVITY Unlike recent years, 2021 started on a cold note with snow and ice for some parts of the UK leading to poor riding conditions. However, taking into account strong market prices, and the fact that dealers are ordering stock for the season ahead, values have been moderately increased across the board in Glass’s February edition, except where trade feedback or evidence from the market has indicated certain models require further specific adjustments.

Paul McDonald Leisure Vehicles Editor

Data courtesy of the MCIA

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Business news

Parts Europe electrified by Tazer off-roader

P

arts Europe has established a partnership with Intense Europe for European distribution of the Tazer MX Pro e-MTB. This tieup is based on an existing collaboration between Intense and Parts Europe’s US parent LeMans Corporation/Parts Unlimited.

“Having seen the success in North America, we couldn’t be happier to bring the Tazer MX to Europe with such a strong partner,” enthuses Intense Europe managing director Werner Kastenauer. “We are truly stoked to offer a MX-specific e-bicycle to powersports customers, backed by Parts Europe’s unrivalled service.”

Parts Europe will supply this new Tazer MX Pro exclusively to a selected number of dealers who would like to develop their way into the e-bicycle/e-MTB world, and to those already working with e-bicycles.

“We are fully committed and dedicated to support participating dealers with the same reliable service they already experience in their motorcycle and ATV businesses,” adds Parts Europe purchasing manager Anthony Damevin.

The Tazer MX Pro is based on Intense’s successful Tazer e-bicycle.

But what sets it apart is a component package easily recognisable by any motocross fan – brand names such Öhlins, Renthal, Magura and ODI. In addition, it features pedal-to-power transfer via Shimano’s new EP8 motor and drivetrain.

NMDA welcomes further clarity on support for “closed” businesses

I

t is reassuring to see further clarification from the government on the support that is potentially available to National Motorcycle Dealers Association members and other PTW retailers” said the NMDA’s head of association, Paddy O’Connell.

“We encourage our members that are experiencing further disruption to their business due to the latest Covid measures to check their eligibility for the Closed Business Lockdown Payment (CBLP)”, he added.

The government updated its website on 21 January with details on eligibility criteria which can be accessed at www.gov.uk/guidance/ check-if-your-business-is-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-closed-businesseslockdown-payment. Among the criteria, the guidance states a business may be eligible if it “has been unable to provide its usual in-person customer service from its premises”.

O’Connell continued: “It is important to note that applications are made through your local authority where interpretations of the guidance may vary. We encourage NMDA members who require any assistance to contact us”.

NMDA members can contact the helpline on 01788 538303 or email O’Connell directly at: patrick.oconnell@rmif.co.uk

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MARCH 2021 11

Business news

Brexit marks the spot

N

ew product marking rules have changed the landscape for those in the supply chain from manufacturer to retailer. While there are some similarities between old and new, there are many differences and firms in the sector would do well to understand the changes.

The changes were noted by the Motor Cycle Industry Association back in December when it wrote to the government of its concerns over the new rules – that official bodies weren’t ready. The response set out the official position but didn’t seem overly helpful.

So, what has changed?

Following the end of the Brexit transitional period, the well-known CE mark on many products sold across the UK was replaced by the new United Kingdom Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark. The good news, according to Claire Burrows, a director in the Regulatory and Compliance department of Walker Morris, is that, unlike other product labelling requirements, “the UKCA marking requirements have adopted a phased approach, with the CE mark remaining temporarily valid on most products until 31 December 2021, easing the pressure on businesses.”

label, they too will need to make sure products meet the requirements of the regime.”

The two markings are largely the same, says Burrows “apart from the fact that the UKCA only applies in the UK, only requires information in English and that the UKCA mark derives compliance from UK conformity assessment bodies as opposed to the EU Notified Body System.” Not unsurprisingly, the EU declaration of conformity with the relevant and applicable product standards has been replaced with a UK-only declaration of conformity to be derived from relevant UK law.

Claire Burrows, director, Walker Morris

THE CURRENT POSITION Currently, certain goods placed for sale in the EEA must bear the CE mark – the manufacturer’s declaration that its product meets all the specified essential safety requirements set out in EU directives specific to the particular product type.

As Burrows explains, “EU legislation sets out the rules that manufacturers (or their appointed ‘authorised representatives’) must follow in order to demonstrate that their products comply with the applicable safety requirements.” She continues: “This can include a self-declaration by the manufacturer, the assessment of the final product by an EUaccredited body (known as a Notified Body) or an assessment of a product’s design by a Notified Body followed by testing/quality assurance processes.” Until the end of 2020, either the manufacturer or their representative (the ‘responsible person’) had to be based within an EU member state. It was this level of preparedness that the Motor Cycle Industry Association was questioning.

WHAT IS THE UKCA MARK? The UKCA mark is essentially the UK equivalent of the CE mark. It is a mandatory mark on a product confirming its compliance with UK product safety legislation and applies in Great Britain – it does not apply in Northern Ireland which will continue to use the CE mark.

Burrows says that as with the current CE marking, “either the manufacturer or their authorised representative will be responsible for affixing the UKCA mark to a product; it’s worth noting that if a business – a retailer for example – is selling a product under their own

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MARCH 2021

Enforcement of the CE mark is undertaken by the UK’s market surveillance authorities which include Trading Standards and the Health and Safety Executive Burrows also points out that “the scope of the products covered, technical requirements and conformity assessment procedures will all remain largely the same as they are now.”

WHAT THE CHANGES MEAN FOR UK BUSINESSES The UKCA marking can be used from 1 January 2021. But a natural question is what firms can do with CE marked stock they still hold? Here, Burrows advises that they will still be able to use the CE mark until 1 January 2022 in most cases, allowing them to get rid of existing stock. “But” she says, “this will only be the case if firms currently apply CE marking to their goods on the basis of self-declaration; any mandatory thirdparty conformity assessment was carried out by an EU-recognised notified body; and the certificate of conformity previously held by a UK approved body has been transferred to an EU-recognised notified body.”

It’s notable that the ability to use the CE mark on products sold in the UK between 1 January 2021 and 1 January 2022 will only continue for as long as the UK and EU requirements remain the same. Should the UK and EU requirements diverge at a later date, Burrows says that the position will change.

That said, she highlights how, in certain narrow circumstances, the UKCA mark will need to be used immediately from 1 January 2021. This would be where the product is for the UK market, is covered by legislation that requires UKCA marking, requires mandatory third-party conformity assessment by a UK conformity assessment body and the firm hasn’t transferred its conformity assessment files from its UK body to an EU recognised body before 1 January 2021. Again, she points out that “this does not apply to existing stock. So, if, for example, a product was fully manufactured and ready to place on the market before 1 January 2021, it could still be sold in the UK with a CE mark, even if covered by a certificate of conformity issued by a UK body.”

But there is a problem for those that export to the EU. In this situation Burrows warns that UKCA marking will not be recognised on the EU market. “Essentially,” she says, “where firms sell a product in the UK as well as export the same product to the EU, it is permissible to bear both the CE and UKCA marks on products simultaneously, which will likely mean a large cost saving.”

PENALTIES So, with the landscape set out, what are the penalties for non-compliance with the UKCA requirements? Burrows says that they remain the same as for non-compliance with the CE marking requirements as they are derived from the EU legislation. She tells how, at present, “enforcement of the CE mark is undertaken by the UK’s market surveillance authorities which include Trading Standards and the Health and Safety Executive. These enforcement authorities have the ability to request sight of technical documentation to ensure compliance, so it is important that all technical files are up to date and reflect the UKCA marking requirements from 1 January 2021.”

But in serious cases of non-compliance, there is the possibility of a potentially unlimited fine and imprisonment.

CONCLUSION It’s a function of fact that now the UK is fully outside of the EU and the transitional period has ended – the ground rules have changed.

Firms should familiarise themselves with the changes to product safety marking and how these apply to their business. Times are tough enough right now without having to deal with official intervention.

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SHORT CUTS SUPER SOCO

ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE BRAND SUPER Soco has appointed media agency AMS in a bid to attract more people through the doors of its growing dealer network.

Best-known for its work with Red Bull, AMS has been tasked with targeting prospective customers looking to go green and make the switch to an electric motorcycle or scooter.

AMS will work alongside Super Soco’s retained motorcycle PR and communications agency Holeshot, which has already secured extensive editorial coverage for the brand across various national, regional and specialist motorcycle titles. Holeshot also manages the brand’s social media accounts.

Super Soco senior operations manager Dan Frost explained: “AMS will be helping us to understand and attract new customers. Its experience in launching and building brands is impressive and exactly what is needed to best position the advantages of electric PTWs to the general public.

“The agency will be assisting us to not only optimise our new website, to ensure a seamless transition of online browsers to real world buyers, but also broaden the market to people keen to take advantage of the benefits of electric but who have perhaps not considered a motorcycle or scooter.

“It will be overseeing marketing campaigns for us consisting of payper-click, social media and additional outlets, as our experience and knowledge grows.”MCIA

PRO-BOLT

PARTS EUROPE HAS BECOME A DISTRIBUTOR OF Pro-Bolt’s leading range of high-quality nuts, bolts, washers, motorcycle accessories and bolt sets. This well-known brand has been supplying the motorcycle industry for 20 years, including race teams in MotoGP, World Superbikes and British Superbikes.

Products now available through Parts Europe span a wide range of aluminum, stainless steel and titanium bolt kits designed for thousands of different motorcycle models. These include engine side-cover bolts, fairing bolts, brake caliper bolts, brake disc bolts, front-axle clamp bolts, subframe bolts, fuel cap bolts, sprocket nuts and more.

Also featured are flanged hex bolts, predrilled Race Spec bolts, tapered socket-head bolts, pan-head bolts, countersunk head bolts, self-tapping bolts and the new DualDrive bolts. www.partseurope.eu

Electrifying start for Energica

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odena-based Italian electric superbike manufacturer Energica has kicked off the new year in style, with a record order worth £740,000 from Taiwanese importer Russ Tiger Enterprise.

“This order is the most significant in the history of our company, received in a single tranche, and includes all the models in our line-up,” said Energica sales and field marketing director Giacomo Leone.

According to Leone, it’s equivalent to about 14% of total 2020 annual turnover of £5.3m, which was in turn 87% up on 2019. And, with these bikes destined

for Taiwan, Energica has already taken orders worth more than £2m in January 2021 alone.

“Electric vehicles are the trend because of environment protection, and our government supports the industry by applying a reduced commodity tax,” added Russ Tiger Enterprise chief executive Russ Tsai.

“An electric bike range with unique Italian style, performance and being the MotoE supplier are the factors that make us place our trust in Energica.

This order is just the beginning. More will be coming soon.”

Motul goes off-road with Apico APICO FACTORY RACING HAS finalised a deal with Moto Direct to become an official off-road distributor of the Motul Lubricants and Care Range in the UK Carrying the full range of products to cater to the off-road market, Apico will also supply Motul’s suspension, transmission, brake, coolant, grease and off-road bike care ranges.

Dylan Brown, director of Apico International, said: “We’re really pleased to offer our dealer network the off-road range of Motul products. We are always looking for brands and products that will enhance Apico’s product portfolio and Motul will certainly do that.”

Moto Direct senior brand manager Richard Barrett welcomed the appointment: “Having Apico

as an off-road partner for Motul is a pivotal moment for us. The synergies between our two companies coupled with Apico’s unrivaled reputation and expertise in the off-road market will see Motul go from strength to strength in this incredibly important sector.”

Apico International: 01282 473 190 sales@apico.co.uk

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Industry groups lobby for CBT extension

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he Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA) is seeking parliamentary help to keep learner riders on the road during the current UK Covid lockdown, and calling for support from the trade.

Lockdown restrictions mean that approved training bodies (ATBs) are prohibited from offering motorcycle training, resulting in riders being unable to renew their expiring CBT certificates. Consequently, those affected, including key workers, cannot legally use their powered two-wheelers – so impacting their ability to commute or carry out their jobs.

To hopefully focus government attention on this issue, independent MP Jonathan Edwards has tabled an “early day motion” in parliament in support of the extension of CBT certificates.

To generate parliamentary support for this initiative, the MCIA would like as many people as possible to write to their MPs, asking them to support and sign Early Day Motion 1462. For sample letters and how to identify your local MP, see the links below: y Example letter: bit.ly/CBTmemsupport y Business example letter: bit.ly/CBTbussupport y Find your MPs: members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

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Dealers are now experiencing more than double the numbers of enquiries

MAG SUPPORT The MCIA initiative has also attracted support from the Motorcycle Action Group, which has written to parliamentary undersecretary of state Rachel Maclean MP, arguing that continued refusal to extend Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) certificates is discriminatory.

MAG claims that removing the legitimate use of motorcycles by not extending expiring CBTs is unfair. Motorcyclists are the only road user group facing this restriction on legitimate travel during the lockdown.

MAG is not asking for a permanent change to the two-year renewal regulation. The call is for a temporary intervention of similar style to the first lockdown’s extension of MOTs. MAG is also urging its members to write to their local MPs.

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Across the country, teams of volunteers have offered help throughout the Covid pandemic. In London, concerned bikers have stepped up to provide rapid transport of lifesaving equipment

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he past twelve months have seen a revolution in the British motorcycle industry. Covid-19 has taken its toll on all aspects of life and many of us have suffered the loss of friends and loved ones, but one glimmer of light has come out of it, apart from our re-discovery of what a wonderful resource the NHS is. The motorcycle industry has boomed. Many of us in the trade have seen a massive surge in bike sales and, for dealers like myself, our workshops have spent most of the year stretched to capacity, the likes of which some of us have never seen before.

Not only have the public finally realised motorcycling is the way forward for personal transport, it has literally saved thousands of lives. In April, I was desperately looking for a way to get involved in the fight against Covid, something that involved the use of my bike and riding skills. I didn’t have to look far when I found out that London based Bike Shed was looking for volunteers to distribute PPE in association with organisations like the Scrub Hub and other PPEmaking volunteer organisations.

After enrolling I spent a month

Karen Neill’s Harley-Davidson isn’t quite as polished as it used to be

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MARCH 2021

Bike Shed co-owner Vikki Van Someren (right) who organised PPE deliveries and the oximeter response in London

Bikes helping to beat Covid riding around London collecting PPE and delivering it to hubs to be then taken across the country by other bikers. It was an amazing feat of organisation, overseen by Vikki Van Someren, co-owner of the Bike Shed.

As if this amazing service wasn’t enough, within weeks we were asked if we would be happy to deliver and collect rapid Covid tests for NHS front line workers and then blood oximeters for

Harley Sportsters, a Moto Guzzi, Hondas, BMWs, KTMs, Suzukis and even a push bike. We are truly A United Nations of motorcycle brands.

To date, we have made over 2500 urgent deliveries, working seven days a week, for almost a year in all weather conditions. We operate only in London, but NHS England is currently looking at the service with the possibility of expanding it to other areas.

Before, my bike was my pleasure, fixing them was my bread and butter. Now, my bike is literally a lifeline and what may stand between someone making it or not.

Covid patients at home. After a while the PPE deliveries stopped, as did the test deliveries once rapid testing became more organised.

But oximeter deliveries grew and grew and the real seriousness of the situation became our daily lives. For those of you who don’t know what an oximeter is, it’s a gadget that goes on your finger to monitor blood oxygen levels, to help prevent hypoxia deaths of Covid patients at home. We have a 90-minute delivery window for the service and this is where the motorcycle has once again proven itself as a big gun in this fight. We are a curious band of bikers. We have a little red Piaggio Zip 50cc, to date one of our superstars in response time and delivery numbers. We have a Sinnis, a Mutt, several Ducatis, a few

Vikki Van Someren works closely with Dr Sharon Raymond of Covid Crisis Rescue to keep the project going and to make sure we have funding – no state funding is provided! Their lives revolve around this project and us volunteers.

This past year, I have seen things in the course of my “duty” I never expected nor wished to see. We see desperately ill people of all ages to whom our delivery is literally keeping them alive. We see people terrified of the disease they have, lonely, isolated and many of those faces stick with you day and night. Volunteers cover their own costs – fuel, and everything that comes with riding all day are provided by us.

So much for the big, bad biker reputation huh?

Karen Neill, one of the many London bikers helping the fight against Covid

I am now a different person to the one that signed up for this project almost a year ago.

Before, my bike was my pleasure, fixing them was my bread and butter. Now, my bike is literally a lifeline and what may stand between someone making it or not. My bike and I have become unrecognisable. Like me my bike is worn out, rougher than it usually looks and not quite as polished as it used to be. One thing I can say, is that I can’t stop. I work six days a week at my workshop, but I will be with my co-volunteers until the end. The day we make our last delivery will be one of massive victory.

I hope none of you mind me sharing this with you. I just want the whole British bike industry to be proud of itself. It had a part to play in this without even realising it. Our parts suppliers that have struggled through, our main dealers that have kept bike sales going, the mechanics and sales reps. You don’t realise it, but you have all had a part to play by keeping us volunteers going.

Thank you.

Karen Neill, director Zenith Motorcycles Harringay, London

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

BMW selfisolates from major shows

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MW Motorrad has dramatically moved its new product launch strategy away from big industry events.

The company has decided that live and digital product presentation formats will increasingly take the place of trade fair appearances in the future. In particular, this means traditional commitments at the two leading European shows, EICMA in Milan and Intermot in Cologne, will no longer apply.

However, BMW Motorrad will continue to present its product range to visitors at

selected regional motorcycle shows.

“Our strategic communication realignment, in which we make use of increased live and digital formats, will enable us to inspire even more people worldwide, and to approach them in an optimally targeted manner,” explained BMW Motorrad supremo Markus Schramm.

“By using our own formats independent of trade fairs, we can time world premieres and product launches more flexibly. And it also enables more intensive interaction with all target groups, as well as an increased information reach.”

Bennetts back in BSB action

SPECIALIST MOTORCYCLE INSURANCE BROKER Bennetts will continue as title sponsor of the British Superbike championship, after agreeing a new deal with series promoter MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR) for at least 2021-2022, and potentially beyond.

Bennetts has a long history with BSB, having been title sponsor from 2005 to 2008 and then resuming the role in 2018. The agreement will give the brand major TV exposure through extensive coverage on the Eurosport and free-to-air Quest channels.

Bennetts’ own BikeSocial online platform will be the official digital media partner for the championship, creating coverage and content on www.bennetts.co.uk/ bikesocial.

Commenting on the deal, Bennetts MD Vince Chaney said: “It made perfect sense to continue our association with MSVR and BSB. The partnership provides an exciting opportunity to be at the heart of a huge community of fans, while simultaneously supporting British motorcycle racing.”

The 2021 Bennetts British Superbike championship is scheduled to begin at Oulton Park on 29-31 May with a further ten rounds held at circuits across the country.

The final round is at Brands Hatch on 15-17 October.

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

THE UK’S NATIONAL BIKING SHOWCASE Motorcycle Live, in association with Bikesure Insurance, plans to be back in business this year. A somewhat brave decision, given current circumstances, has confirmed dates as 4-12 December. Location will be the NEC in Birmingham, as usual.

Organisers claim that to have the timing confirmed, in the midst of such uncertainty, underlines a commitment to returning to not only a physical show, but also one where the NEC’s halls are brimming with entertainment, interaction, manufacturers, retailers and motorcycles.

The show will house regular interactive features and displays along with brand-new entertainment, to give a full day out to visitors, while ensuring the event is safe for all. Bringing together the very best of the industry under one roof, where people can interact face-to-face in person, rather than just digitally, will undoubtedly be a unique selling point.

Commenting on the event’s revival, Motorcycle Live managing director Finlay McAllan said: “We’re excited to welcome visitors back to what is already shaping up to be a fantastic show. It will see us end the year on a high, where once again two-wheel fans can be together to soak up the first major show in the UK for two years – a real treat which everyone deserves.”

Tickets will go on sale later in the year.

NMDA encourages dealers to complete spring survey

T

he National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) has announced that the Spring 2021 edition of the Dealer Attitude Survey (DAS) is now live, as of 1 March, and will run through to 2 April.

“Dealer feedback is vitally important, and the NMDA encourages all PTW dealers to complete the survey” said Paddy O’Connell, head of the NMDA which represents PTW dealers in the UK. The NMDA started the DAS to bring together the views of motorcycle dealers. Being confidential, it lets dealers respond honestly to issues.

Findings from previous DAS have enabled the NMDA to strengthen its member dealers’ voice around issues affecting the business relationship with their respective manufacturers.

This edition of the survey will be conducted almost entirely online due to the pandemic and will include new questions to reflect concerns around businesses’ performance during the

lockdown and other Covid-19 related restrictions affecting dealers. However, if you are an NMDA member and have any queries or would like to request a physical copy or link to the survey, please email jordi.skilbeck@rmif.co.uk.

Philip Youles, NMDA chairman urges members to complete the survey: “Please take five minutes (and it really does only take five minutes!) to fill in the DAS. I find it interesting how often dealers openly speak out about the apathy within our industry and the lack of will to change the course of events, in particular the dealer/ manufacturer relationship. Well, this is your opportunity to affect change”.

If you are not currently an NMDA member and would like to talk about all the great benefits please contact partrick. oconnell@rmif.co.uk or call the member helpline on 01788 538303 A full report on the DAS results will be published in the June issue of British Dealer News.

MARCH 2021 17

Business news

Motorcycle Live to rise like a pheonix

Business news

WHO IS FEATHERS? LIFE LONG BIKING ENTHUSIAST JOHN FEATHERSTONE (known as Feathers to his many friends in the trade) joined Suzuki GB in 1972 as a sales representative in the North then joining Vespa in the eighties and later Aprilia.

Although “retired”, John retains a keen interest in the industry and keeps his ears close to the ground to compile this quarterly sampling of what the UK’s dealers are really thinking.

You can contact him on 07541 998290 or john.featherstone1@hotmail.com

14 15 Talking to dealers across the country during the first half of February, I was pleasantly surprised at how optimistic most of them were about the season ahead. As the latest lockdown comes to an end most were confident of a good season, many reporting very strong customer interest in new plate registrations for March. As always, there is often a negative to balance positive news and in this case its low stock levels, a problem that could continue through the season if manufacturers’ new bike deliveries don’t get back to anything like normal.

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John Featherstone

Lancashire and Yorkshire LANCASTER MOTORCYCLES is a relatively new dealership and owner Justin Reynolds, like most, remains optimistic, but reflects on a business slowdown and in particular a current delivery shortage of Peugeot scooters, an important seller for them: “We have remained open for key worker supply, MOT and workshop, but Classic bike showroom at Lancaster Motorcycles

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Lancaster Motorcycles Morecambe, Lancashire

18 MARCH 2021

need to sustain our growing 125cc leisure and commuter market. Used bikes and scooter sales have been good, but most of all we’re looking forward to our café reopening, smiling again and getting back to being normal.”

CRAIGS HONDA is a solus Honda dealer in Shipley, West Yorkshire, and CRAIGS MOTORCYCLES is a multi-franchise offroad dealer in Dewsbury. Eponymous owner Craig Holmes has a long association with motorcycle retail and raises a concern: “I fully understand the value of submitting manufacturer composites and the need to identify opportunities for supplier and dealer, but I would question the use of composites as a discipline to retain power and control. More important, I feel, is to keep the supplier/dealer relationship personal and viable, and to keep talking to each other. This unique industry is all about people and has been built over decades of

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Craigs Honda Shipley and Dewsbury

success with understanding and experienced decision makers – not just endless form filling.” Moving on he says the same as many other dealers in mid-February: “There’s plenty of rider interest but a lack of stock to satisfy demand. New registration plates have little meaning now for many riders.”

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

KH MOTORCYCLES sells only used bikes in Market Harborough and Sandiacre, Nottingham, but Lee Kearney is keeping a close watch on the developing electric scooter sector: “We have tried a few and our enthusiasm has not changed. You only have to look at Tesla to see the market direction with cars, but I’m not expecting electrics to alter rider attitudes significantly within the next five years.”

He adds: “We’re holding around 240 bikes in stock at present [early February] and it’s been a fantastic last eight months for us.

Customers have been returning bikers in the main, rather than entry level. We blasted through last year’s sales target and are looking for similar this year.”

The two masked bandits of KH Motorcycles of Market Harborough and Sandiacre

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KH Motorcycles Market Harborough, Leicestershire

Known as “The Zero Hero” sales manager Jason Brunt at STREETBIKE in Halesowen echoes an oft repeated dealer observation to Trade Talk and does not hold back: “Manufacturers are usually good at making bikes, but not always the best at selling them.

What sells a bike reminds me of the old saying that ‘people buy off people’ and not the manufacturer. PR departments should tell the customers where to find the product, leaving the dealer to do the rest. I feel we are being

and they go that extra mile to help us with any parts supply problem.”

Streetbike’s Jason Brunt AKA “The Zero Hero”

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Griff Woolley (left) and Stephen ‘Snox’ Snoxall

Streetbike Halesowen, West Midlands

taken down the car sales route and it makes me wonder what I have been doing after 35 years in retail and 21 years selling motorcycles.

In an increasing online sales environment, he questions the need for an annual industry show. “The massive investment for a major manufacturer to attend a week-long consumer show at the NEC could be better spent with instore regional product launches. We need to think ahead and move with the times”.

AP WORKSHOP is based in Tamworth and the rollercoaster existence of the enduring Aprilia brand has a lot to thank the specialist skills of owner Griff Woolley and Stephen ‘Snox’ Snoxall for. The iconic marque they specialise in servicing for riders throughout Europe, and even worldwide, is challenging but satisfying, says Woolley, whose previous experience as technical manager for Aprilia UK goes back many years. Excited about the new Aprilia RS660, Woolley believes it’s going to be an absolute winner. “It’s got everything the rider wants and, priced at £10,150, it is very sports sector competitive. This bike will definitely lift Aprilia sales again.

“We have to search worldwide for spares at times but I’ve got to say in a difficult last few months Fowlers of Bristol has been ‘golden’ as ever. What a great company to deal with

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AP Workshop Tamworth, Staffordshire

STEVELIN MOTORCYCLES in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, sells AJS, Zontes and Peugeot and sales manager Simon Harris was very enthusiastic about the year ahead.

“We can’t get enough 50s and 125s at the moment, but part exchanges are very welcome and helping. Saying that, big bike sales have dropped off completely in recent weeks. We’re still doing MOTs, of course, but we’re desperate to get the CBT situation, which is slowing things up, resolved.”

Asked about future electric sales he said: “We are watching the market closely, but many customers are saying they are looking for more range, with Ramsey to Cambridge, where many work, being a 60 mile round trip.”

Stevelin Motorcycles Ramsey, Cambridgeshire

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Administration manager Howard Morgan taking a MOT test with sales manager Simon Harris

London and South East JIM AIM MOTORCYCLES in Braintree, Essex, is the longest serving KTM dealer in the UK and Alistair Aim remains as positive as most in the trade:“We just have to keep that resilience going. We saw what happened from June last year with strong bike demand and now it’s purely wait and see till new stock arrives to keep that vital customer interest going. We had an encouraging resurgence on Duke 125 entry level sales and ended 2020, like most dealers, providing alternative

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Jim Aim Motorcycles Braintree, Essex

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

transport for people to get to work. Now we have simply run out of stock.”

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Salesman Mike Envis on left handing job card to technician Barry Barber

Haslemere Motorcycles Bordon, Hants

Mark Lucock at HASLEMERE MOTORCYCLES in Bordon, Hants, last spoke to Trade Talk in April 2017 commenting: “It’s the car you need – but it’s the bike you want.” Salesman Mike Envis at this Suzuki and Yamaha dealership takes up the story. “We have had to adapt to a new style of selling during these testing months but I’m pleased to say we’ve not had any disappointed customers. It has worked well and given us the opportunity

to reflect and adapt. Best of all, despite the Euro 5 delivery slowdown, is that rider enthusiasm matches ours.”

LAMBA MOTORCYCLES in Carshalton, Surrey, is a solus Premier Yamaha dealership with the family sales team headed by Derek Baker: “We’ve had a tough time since October, but some good off-road sales have helped.

We’ve got a lot of road bikes pre-sold, which is encouraging, and hopefully they will arrive in March. I’m looking at a showroom with 20 bikes on the floor, it usually has 70. We desperately need the N Max 125 scooter back in stock for delivery riders.”

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Lamba Motorcycles Carshalton, Surrey

MARCH 2021 19

Business news

Midlands and Eastern Counties

Business news

Wales and Ireland

South West

BEVAN TRIUMPH in Cardiff, was in lockdown when Trade Talk spoke to Geoff Bevan in mid-February: “These are testing times, but if we were not optimistic and experienced we would not be dealers and doing this job” he said. “There are limited business opportunities at present, of course, but we have the experience and determination to see it through. Good news is that the Triumph Trident triple at £7195 is coming through to lift mid-sector sales.”

Bevan has long associations with the MRA and latterly the NMDA and this year celebrates 10 years as a solus Triumph dealer.

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Bevan Triumph Cardiff, Wales

Over in Belfast, Northern Ireland, there’s an equally confident outlook from David White, sales manager for Yamaha at multifranchise CHARLES HURST MOTORCYCLES. “We have a lot of Euro 5 bikes pre-sold and no doubt the part exchanges will be welcome used stock to take advantage of as well. It’s a bit stricter over here on lockdown rules with ‘Click and Deliver’ only, so definitely no journeys for riders to collect.

Saying that, we have done very Charles Hurst well, despite the challenges, and we are certainly keeping upbeat, with 11 Motorcycles Belfast, rider enthusiasm very evident.”

Northern Ireland

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The new Completely Motorbikes depot at Hinckley

COMPLETELY MOTORBIKES opened as retailers for Yamaha and Kawasaki in Gloucester and Worcester with an impressive launch hosted by Suzi Perry at their Staverton site. Sales director James Ayland updates Trade Talk: “We are now fully open at our Hinckley storage facility which takes our immaculate as-new stock of bikes to more than 500.

How should I describe them?

All nice enough to be cherished and good enough to go into an owner’s personal collection”.

He adds: “We have our own free of charge nationwide delivery service carried out by us, and there are definitely no catches.”

ST BLAZEY MX has a long family history looking after the off-road scene near St Austell in Cornwall. Andy Annear tells it how it is: “Yes, we had a good 2020, but now it has gone quiet

Completely Motorbikes Gloucester and Worcester

and motocross interest has slowed in the last few weeks for obvious reasons with lockdown, but we did do a few green lane sales which kept us going for a while. One salvation has been the increasing demand for battery assisted pedal cycles which have been selling well since the first lockdown. He adds: “It’s been said already, but we really do need a Covid exit date to look forward to, so we can get back to normal and resolve all the delivery situations.”

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St Blazey MX St Austell, Cornwall

Scotland and North East Stuart West-Gray is the sales manager at TWO WHEELS Honda and Triumph in Edinburgh and has had plenty to say before to Trade Talk on how business is going. This time his summary starts with a question.

“Do you want the cherry picker in the picture I’m sending you of the empty motorcycle showroom we are busy decorating?”

Looking beyond the showroom work, he

adds: “We had our best trading year ever in 2020 but now we are just waiting to be unlocked so we can get going again. CBT and training restrictions have brought 125 sales to a halt, so we have taken the opportunity to get those overdue refurb jobs completed. I’m looking forward to being on the roads again.”

IAN BELL MOTORCYCLES is a longstanding Premier Yamaha dealership

We had our best trading year ever in 2020 and now we are just waiting to be unlocked so we can get going again

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Showroom decoration commences, complete with cherry picker!

Stuart West-Gray

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Two Wheels Honda and Triumph Edinburgh, Scotland

Ian Bell Motorcycles Bedlington, Northumberland

in Bedlington, Northumberland, where Ronnie Laws has been in charge of sales for many years: “We have nothing but praise for Yamaha’s support and we have been kept busy these last few weeks, despite the dreadful weather. The interest in the new 21 registration plate has been promising and forward orders for March have been good.

Lockdown has given us time to sort out all our used stock, so we have got a good range prepped and ready to go.”

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

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Business news

SHORT CUTS MOTORCYCLE ACTION GROUP

THE MOTORCYCLE ACTION GROUP MET parliamentary under-secretary for state Baroness Vere of Norbiton, the DfT’s junior minister responsible for roads, on 27 January, for what it described as an “open and positive” exchange of views.

In a statement, Baroness Vere said: “I thank the representatives of the Motorcycle Action Group for the meeting, and the case they made for motorcycling. I feel there are a number of areas where MAG and the government can work more closely together in order to raise the profile of motorcycling and improve outcomes for riders. I have asked MAG to provide me with a list of their top five priorities and look forward to reviewing these.”

MAG is now surveying its membership, seeking their preferences for key actions that riders think will have the most positive impacts. with a final list to be submitted to Baroness Vere in late February.

MAG chairwoman Selina Lavender said: “I’m delighted by the minister’s desire to make positive change for riders. We cannot claim to have achieved everything our hearts desire, as our expectations must remain reasonable, but we have been given a great opportunity to get real results for motorcyclists.”

FIRST RESPONSE

NOTTINGHAM-BASED POS FUNDING provider First Response Finance has received the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award for a second year running, after previously collecting Feefo’s Gold Trusted Service Awards for three consecutive years. Feefo provides businesses with purchase-verified reviews and customer insights and opinions.

Working with more than 3500 clients, it ensures that all feedback is authentic, by matching it to legitimate transactions.

First Response Finance marketing manager Benjamin Garside said: “This 2021 award is a great recognition for all of our hard work, especially during such challenging times.”

DUKE GOES CONTINENTAL

KTM AND CONTINENTAL MOTORCYCLE TIRES have announced a new cooperation for 2021.

The Austrian motorcycle manufacturer’s KTM 890 Duke will now come equipped with ContiRoad tyres as standard equipment.

Radio boost for MCN Bikes for Sale A roll out boost of new radio ads on national and local stations has given motorcyclenews.com a strong start to 2021. Broadcast from midJanuary across Absolute Radio, Magic and the Greatest Hits Network with Simon Mayo, daily Google searches for “MCN Bikes for Sale” rose by 144% (compared to pre-campaign levels) giving a much-needed boost to dealers listing their used machines on the site.

MCN Bikes for Sale has undergone some fundamental changes over the past twelve months with a new free stock upload tool, free Facebook Marketplace and Friday Ad listings, plus all the dealers’ stock is co-branded with MCN and enquiries delivered to the dealer in the same way as from the MCN site. Dealers also have access to comprehensive response reporting on request.

The site’s new complimentary stock management system has been developed and provided by industry leader Motors.co.uk. The upload tool is intuitive to use and offers improved functionality, as well as accepting stock feeds in and out without any charges.

With used stock quickly and easily uploaded onto the Bikes for Sale website, the bikes are then automatically and seamlessly rolled out across Facebook Marketplace and Friday Ad – platforms that have proven to have boosted response rates by up to 108%.

The new innovations also

mean dealers can now offer ‘request home delivery’ and ‘video appointments’ on their listings, an especially useful addition in today’s challenging times.

Site layout and load speed of motorcyclenews. com has been dramatically improved in recent months with a page load speed now 60% faster than in 2019, resulting in a subsequent improvement in Google indexing and search

Dealers can now offer ‘request home delivery’ and ‘video appointments’ on their listings results. As of February 2021, overall traffic to MCN Bikes for Sale is up 41% year-on-year. MCN has an impressive 156 makes and models in the top three rankings and 305 placed inside the top ten.

In October 2020 the Bike Reviews section of the website underwent a comprehensive redesign driven by real user interviews and feedback. The Bike Reviews section is now at the heart of motorcyclenews.com home page with bike reviews linking directly to machines available in dealers, plus the increasingly

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Mobile use has also been improved and optimised for all platforms in both layout of bike listings and reviews. Overall page views within Bike Reviews are considerably up and, as a result the time spent on site by users is up almost a fifth on last year.

Prices for all the new features on motorcyclenews.com are said to be fair, transparent and great value. Packages start from £75 per month, with no fixed contract, meaning dealers can change or cancel at any time with no penalties.

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Business news

D

uring the Covid pandemic, motorcycle dealerships have been forced to shut their showroom doors, due to national lockdowns and local restrictions. But bike trade software specialist Deep Blue Systems says it has been able to provide a unique level of support to dealers, with remote and contactless working, thanks to its new dealer management system Cloud DMS. “Throughout enforced showroom closures, sales staff have been setting up at home with our Cloud DMS and selling motorcycles over the phone and online in record numbers,” explains Deep Blue sales director Jeff Batchelor. “All the documentation and invoicing can be e-mailed from the DMS direct to customers, who have then been able to click and collect or have their purchases delivered.

“These remotely-working staff can have full dealer management functionality via a web browser on their computers, smart phones or tablets, which has been crucial for their ability to function.

The same goes for dealers still operating their workshops and parts departments. Online service or MOT bookings, enquiries and parts sales could be made and processed via their websites.”

According to Batchelor, Deep

Remote control business Blue Systems’ offering is the only true cloud-based dealer management system available in the motorcycle industry to date.

“It has been developed totally from the ground up over the past four years, to replace our Pacific DMS that originated in 1995,” he points out. “Cloud DMS is hosted from a state-of-the-art data centre, with secure 2048-bit encrypted communication and automatic hourly backups. We’ve had a huge uptake in 2020 and so far in 2021, with both existing

clients upgrading and new dealers installing the system software.”

Batchelor underlines the advantages of its cloud-based characteristics: “All the setup is managed remotely, with training via team viewer support.

And another huge plus is that there is no need for expensive networked server installations – especially beneficial for dealers who trade from multiple sites.

Cloud DMS is fully functional on any web-enabled device anytime, anywhere.”

HAYBALL MOTORCYCLES “WHAT WE WERE USED TO AND what we have now, they are worlds apart. It’s a fantastic tool which has improved no end,” comments Denise Hayball.

“Having a cloud-based DMS has opened up our business completely.

Being able to use the system on a tablet allows me to stock-take in real time rather than printing off reams of paper to update later.

The email and SMS facilities are fantastic for keeping the customer updated too.

“The postcode and VRM look-ups mean we have the most accurate data with the minimum of detail from the customer. Technicians can update work orders at their station, and it is immediately available for the service department to view and relay to the customer.

“On the odd occasion I’m not in the showroom and a staff member has an issue, I can log in on my phone and see what the issue is and either advise or fix directly. The purchasing section makes stock re-ordering really easy and nothing can be missed. I love that we have an administrator facility, and the staff have access only to what they need.”

BMG SCOOTERS AND MOTORCYCLES “WE HAVE BEEN USING THE new Cloud DMS for several months now and are absolutely delighted with it,” says Bruce Milani Gallieni, managing director of the Richmond-based London dealership.

“The system is both intuitive and easy to use. Our staff required very little training to get to grips with it, which is testament to its design.

“Being cloud based, there is no longer a need to have a server network and all our data is automatically backed-up securely.

The ability to contact customers directly from the system via email for booking reminders or invoicing is both simple and cost effective.

I can’t recommend the system enough. It has transformed our business and the support from the team at Deep Blue is second to none.”

Bike It restructures

B

ike It, founder and owner Martin Mansbridge has returned to a handson role at the Southampton-based wholesaler, having spent eight years away running other ventures.

Mansbridge is keen to re-establish Bike It in the domestic and international motorcycle markets and has already made fundamental changes to its operations by restructuring its management team.

His first new appointment is Dean Cooper, former field sales director for Oxford Products, who has been appointed as sales director. Cooper brings a wealth of experience

24

MARCH 2021

of running successful sales teams in the industry. His new position with Bike It signals a new vigour in the business and kick starts the next phase of the company’s journey.

“I’m enjoying being back in the bike trade and looking forward to developing Martin’s ideas,” said Cooper. “I always remember Bike It as a ‘sleeping giant,’ so my job is to wake it up and get it going. The company and brands have real potential to grow. It has a much bigger range of products than any other A Covid-secure handshake seals the deal between new supplier in the trade”, he added.

Cooper can be contacted on 07498 902728; signing Dean Cooper (left) and Bike It owner Martin Mansbridge dean.cooper@bikeit.co.uk

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

All the latest jobs. Jobscene Live page 41

Third generation for Bickers

J

oshua McMartin has moved into the role of purchasing manager for Bickers, becoming the third generation of the McMartin family to achieve a management position.

After joining Bickers in September 2014 while obtaining a degree in business and marketing, McMartin has continued to develop professional relationships and understanding of the business, as well as improving his own existing

knowledge of the industry.

Derek McMartin, managing director, said “Joshua has proven himself as a great asset to the business in the years he has worked with us, and it is clear he will be a critical part of taking the company from strength to strength in his purchasing management position. We are all very excited to support him in the role and to embrace his ideas for the further development of the business’ purchasing strategy.”

THE NEW

2021 CATALOGUES

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Motohaus marketing boast BRITTANY CUTHBERT has joined Motohaus powersports to manage activity across the distributor’s portfolio of brands, which includes Keis heated clothing, SW-Motech accessories and S100 bike care products.

Brittany is an ex-FIM International Motocross competitor, as well as twice Africa Cup of Nations Champion and multiple South African Ladies Champion

in Motocross and Supermoto.

Armed with degree in media and marketing and experience in managing social media communities, collaborating with online influencers, and coordinating digital brand and marketing campaigns, Brittany will be perfectly placed to help Motohaus expand its reach to riders on social media. www.motohaus.com

Harvard high-flyer joins Harley board

H

arley-Davidson has recruited Edel O’Sullivan as its new chief commercial officer. She will replace existing CCO Larry Hund, who is to retire on 2 April.

O’Sullivan has extensive experience in omni-channel retail and durable goods, focusing on commercial excellence and organisational change, having served as a partner at management consultancy Bain & Company for the past five years of a her 14-year tenure there.

In this role, she led the development of major corporate transformations, including the strategic delivery of profitable growth initiatives across multiple industries, with an emphasis on retail, advanced manufacturing and OEMs. Previously, she worked in

financial planning and analysis for a division of US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble.

O’Sullivan holds a first degree in chemical engineering from the Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela, and has an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.

“Edel has an excellent track record that delivered strong financial and operational results,” said Harley chairman and chief executive Jochen Zeitz.

“She will bring new perspectives and capabilities to our leadership team.”

Hund will work closely with O’Sullivan, who joins the company on 1 March, to ensure a consistent handover. He will also remain as chairman of the Harley-Davidson Financial Services board of directors.

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

FIND ALL YOU NEED FOR YOUR BUSINESS IN THE NEW 2021 CATALOGUES ON OUR WEBSITE! Benefit from our connections to the top�players of the powersports�business, our professional service and uncomplicated assistance by the dedicated countries’ Sales teams and the high stock availability and fast delivery.

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MARCH 2021 25

Business news

ON THE MOVE

International news

International news with Roger Willis, BDN Financial Editor

Full-year results give distorted 2020 vision The past year was one of corporate nightmares for the obvious Covid-related reasons. Of the four manufacturers delivering full 2020 calendar-year results so far, all suffered declining profitability, some to a dramatic degree.

But two managed modest revenue growth.

HOG-WIMPERINGLY BAD H a r l e y - D a v i d s o n ’s full-year 2020 results proved to be lamentable, compounded by an unanticipated fourth-quarter loss. Other major global motorcycle brands have fought valiantly to recover from the Covid pandemic’s deleterious impact with considerable success.

Harley, distracted by much-hyped iconoclastic strategic planning by new senior management, simply hasn’t.

Investors were outraged at the results revelation on 2 February. Harley shares were discounted by six bucks in off-floor deals before the New York Stock Exchange’s opening bell that morning. After a brief 21.5% plunge, the price bumped along a low-level rocky road to end the session 17.2% lower than the previous day’s close of play – roughly a sixth of market capitalisation trashed.

As for inescapable facts, overall yearly revenue was 24.4% down at £2.978bn. Within that, turnover attributable to motorcycles and related products sank by 28.6% to £2.397bn.

Only the company’s financial services arm providing domestic-market POS credit and dealer inventory funding held station, putting on a marginal 0.2% revenue gain to £580.1m.

At least financial services delivered an

operating profit of £143.7m, albeit falling by 26.4%, because it offset the annual operating loss of £136.6m incurred by motorcycles and related products. The combined operating profit figure was utterly dreadful, though, a 98.3% dive to just £7.1m. Net profit, even after the benefit of tax rebates, was worse, plummeting by 99.7% to corporate loose change of £952,000.

Harley-Davidson wholesale bike shipments to dealers worldwide in 2020 shrank by 32.1% to 145,246. Global retail sales volume was 17.4% down at 180,248. Harley’s US domestic market dropped by 17.7% to 103,650.

International sales fell by 17% to 76,598.

Canada lost 27.6% on 6477. The EMEA region, which mostly means Europe, copped a 16.3% reduction to 36,906. Asia Pacific made a comparatively modest 7.8% retreat to 27,220.

Latin America took the hardest knock, 38.6% down at 5995.

Most aspects of Harley’s final-quarter numbers reflected greater grief. Shrivelling US trade demand saw Q4 wholesale shipments slashed by 48.3% to 20,921. Total revenue slumped by 32.4% to £532.2m, with a resultant operating loss of £87.7m and a net loss of £70.7m.

But squirreled away in this data was an apparently positive element. During Q4, while

Harley Financial Services revenue dropped slightly by 2% to £142.5m, its associated operating profit leapt 30.5% skywards to £56.3m. A similar phenomenon had occurred in Q3, delivering a 25.1% segmental profit increase. The same explanation was applied.

These improvements were “primarily driven by a decrease in provision for loan losses”.

Millions of Americans temporarily subsisting on dole handouts, owing to the pandemic, are allowed to take time-limited repayment holidays on their credit commitments. Their inability to service these debts isn’t deemed “delinquent” through the alloted period. So lenders aren’t required to book adjustments for potential defaults, according to GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles).

[Forex rates applicable on 2 Feb]

STRONG FINISH LIFTS POLARIS Full-year results for US powersports giant Polaris, which majors on off-road vehicle (ORV) output but also makes motorcycles, were a grim testament to the Covid pandemic’s impact through 2020. However, they would have been much worse without a truly sensational recovery in the fourth quarter.

Annual revenue actually rose, 3.6% higher at £5.117bn. But operating profit sank by 56.1% to £154.6m. And net profit plunged by 61.4% to a mere £90.9m.

Q4 figures were spectacularly different.

In the year’s final three months, Polaris revenue stacked on 24.2% to £1.57bn. The core ORV segment (including snowmobiles) accounted for £1.068bn of that, rising by

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PROFITS THIN AT PIERER Although Pierer Mobility’s full preliminary results for 2020 boasted a record turnover figure, there were some weaker details.

That 0.7% annual revenue increase to £1.35bn was indeed impressive, considering the ongoing Covid pandemic’s impact. But operating profit fell by 18.6% to £94.5m, with operating margin declining from 8.7% to 7%.

Net profit was 27.5% down at £61.2m.

During the year, combined motorcycle sales volume worldwide was 3.5% lower at 270,407.

Some 212,713 of these carried the KTM brand.

Husqvarna accounted for 49,046 and GasGas added 8648. Electric bicycle sales, under the Husqvarna and R Raymon brands, grew by 33.5% to 56,064, contributing £99.2m to total revenue.

European dealers shifted about 100,000 of the motorcycles and all of the e-bikes. The rest were sold overseas.

The company claims to have expanded

its presence in Europe, North America and Australia, taking a 12.7% share overall and increasing registrations by 21.6%.

In the USA, its largest single market, share rose from 9.4% to 11.6%. In Australia, a wholly-owned subsidiary outperformed a strongly growing market, with 46.5% registrations rise and share reaching a record 20.4%.

UK market share in categories relevant to KTM grew year-on-year from 8.8% to 9.5%, and reached 11.9% for the three motorcycle brands combined.

However, Pierer acknowledges that operations in India were hardest hit by the pandemic, but says local partner Bajaj nevertheless managed to sell more than 60,000 KTM or Husqvarna-badged machines.

[Forex rates applicable on 1 Feb]

RECOVERY WATCHWORD FOR YAMAHA Like everybody else, Yamaha’s full-year results were a tale of two halves. Covid kicked in to slash sales in the first six months everywhere except China. And then worldwide in-depth recovery was only restrained by inventory shortages in the second half.

Annual revenue for the dominant Yamaha Land Mobility division fell by 15.5% to £6.536bn. Within that, turnover from motorcycles was 17.4% down to £5.687bn.

Recreational vehicles (ORVs, ATVs, etc) were 1.1% up to £551m. Smart power (e-bicycles) dropped by 2% to £298m. However, combined Land Mobility operating profit sank by 55.7% to just £128m.

Global motorcycle sales volume declined by

24.8% to 3.802 million machines. Emerging markets took the worst hit. Sales in Asia retreated 27.8% to 3.077 million. Latin America and others were 12% down to 403,000. Individual countries varied widely.

Indonesian volume plummeted by 51%, the Philippines lost 34% and India was 19% in arrears. But China added 16% and Brazil equalled its previous year’s tally. Their overall revenue contribution was 22% lower at £4.172m.

Developed markets performed better.

Volume in Europe was reduced by 3.2% to 180,000, with associated revenue just 1% down to £908m. North American bike numbers fell by 11.1% to 56,000 and turnover slipped by 7.1% to £271m. Yahama’s domestic Japanese sales were 2.3% down to 86,000 and revenue retreated by only 1.3% to £260m.

The results statement noted that production didn’t keep up with rapidly recovering overall demand in the developed world. Temporary operational suspensions at Yamaha’s main Iwata plant in Japan and its factory in France, owing to anti-Covid measures, were held responsible. And the clear intimation was sales progress would have been much greater if sufficient inventory had been available.

On the back of that, 2021 forecasts are upbeat. Yamaha estimates that Asian countries will recover by about 900,000 bikes this year and Europe should be around 12% up to more than 200,000. Worldwide motorcycle revenue is expected to rise by 17% to in the region of £6.7bn, slightly higher than in 2019.

Improving profitability is also apparently being addressed.

[Forex rates applicable on 12 Feb]

International news

28.8%. Motorcycles – Indian cruisers and Slingshot trikes – contributed £107m, a 22.5% improvement. Associated operating profit went ballistic, 92.7% up at £191.3m. Net profit doubled, a 100.8% increase to £144.7m.

Polaris is always cagey about volume figures. It said North America retail sales of both ORVs and the motorcycle brands grew by roughly a third in the quarter. Effectively, without this surge in latent demand, the company’s yearly bottom line would have been written in red ink.

[Forex rates applicable on 26 Jan]

How European markets coped with Covid ACCORDING TO 2020 FIGURES FROM European bike industry association ACEM, Britain’s self-isolating mobility bounce in the second half of the year was pretty much reflected all over Europe. But it also acknowledged big surges of underogated Euro 4 pre-registrations distorting this picture as December approached.

Taken together, all powered two-wheelers

across the largest markets were 4% up. But those with the most apparent annual growth, the Netherlands and Germany on respective 30.3% and 27% rises, were both guilty of preregistered bonanzas. Declines of 5.3% in Italy and 8.8% in Spain were perhaps more realistic.

A total of 923,002 motorcycles and over50cc scooters were plated in the five strongest European markets – France, Germany, Italy,

Spain and the UK. This represents a marginal increase of 1.1%. Germany was on top of the pile with 220,304 machines, followed by 218,027 in Italy and 191,231 in France.

Volume in the main moped markets – Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain – rose by 13.7% to 287,096. France was leader on 98,592, pursued by the Netherlands with 84,732 and 35,010 in Germany.

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www.britishdealernews.co.uk

MARCH 2021 27

International news

The good, not so bad and still ugly

Kawasaki’s improved sales of off-road vehicles in the USA helped to drive recovery in the third quarter

Combined Q1-Q3 numbers for Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki, all sharing “old-fashioned” fiscal years through to the end of March, proved to be widely divergent HONDA GATHERS SPEED With three quarters of its 2020/2021 fiscal year now done and dusted, Honda’s motorcycle business continues to race ahead of competitors in Covid pandemic recovery stakes. And, unlike indigenous opposition, its profitability has never been in doubt.

Nine-monthly revenue to 31 December was 20.7% down at £8.73bn, compared to a 27.3% reversal at the halfway point.

Associated operating profit has fallen by 31.4% to £1.057bn, against a 46.1% shortfall three months earlier. Operating margin has revived to 12.1%, contrasting with 14% in the equivalent period of the previous fiscal year.

Once again, an abiding theme is two wheels good, four wheels bad. Although Honda’s much bigger car operations have moved back into the black after posting a six-month operating loss of more than half a billion quid at the end of Q2, this still only amounted to a feeble threequarterly operating profit plunging by 77% to just £365m – on a stupendous turnover of £44.118bn. Needless to say operating margin was pathetic at 0.8%.

Furthermore, bikes were improving rapidly in the third quarter. July-September turnover was only 7.4% down at £3.405bn.

And operating profit was a mere 2.4% lower than Q3 2019 at £504m.

Total global motorcycle wholesale volume over nine months stood at 10.591 million, 29.6% in arrears. Asia was responsible for

28

MARCH 2021

most of that decline, sinking by 31.2% to 9.257 million.

Among the largest Asian markets, India fell by 29.9% to 2.643 million, Indonesia by 53.9% to 1.677 million and Vietnam by 22.5% to 1.603 million. Conversely, Chinese sales were 9.1% up at 949,000.

In the developed world, North America led the way with an 8.6% rise to 240,000. Japan added 0.6% to 155,000. However, Europe dropped by 14.5% to 159,000.

For its full fiscal year to 31 March 2021, Honda is now predicting worldwide sales volume will be reduced by 22.4% to 15 million. Asia will account for 13.195 million.

European countries should be responsible for 230,000 and North America for 320,000.

[Forex rates applicable on 9 February]

TEAM GREEN TWISTS THE THROTTLE Shrugging off a 5.1% revenue decline, uninterrupted operating losses and weak forecasts at the halfway stage of its current fiscal year, Kawasaki’s motorcycle and engine division has bounced back.

Across the nine months to 31 December 2020, divisional turnover is still on the back foot, 2% down to £1.57bn. But that interim accrued loss has turned into an operating profit of £13.1m, versus a three-quarterly loss of £31.4m in the previous fiscal year.

Kawasaki blamed the revenue shortfall on significantly reduced motorcycle sales in emerging markets and the impact of a strong yen, despite improving off-road vehicle sales

in the USA. It attributed the operating income position principally to cost-cutting.

But a more lucrative motorcycle model mix in developed countries clearly played its part too. Although wholesale bike shipments to the developed world – mainly the US and Europe – fell by 9.9% to 91,000, associated revenue was 1.1% up to £511.9m. Wholesale motorcycle volume into emerging markets plunged by 40.1% to 151,000. Revenue from the sector was 23.9% lower at £311.1m.

Off-road vehicles including ATVs, plus personal watercraft, were the key recovery driver. Shipments rose by 13.7% to 58,000, with revenue also climbing by 13.7% to £502.4m. Turnover from general-purpose petrol engines flatlined at £240m.

For the full 12 months to 31 March 2021, the division’s accumulated annual revenue forecast has now been raised by 3.1% to £2.289bn, 2.3% down against an actual figure of £2.344bn in the 2019/2020 fiscal year. Having previously predicted a £35m annual operating loss, deteriorating from an actual loss of £13.2m a year earlier, Kawasaki now says it should achieve an operating profit of around £35m.

[Forex rates applicable on 4 Feb 2021]

SUZUKI STAYS IN THE RED Although cars have kept Suzuki Motor Corporation as a whole shiny side up, its motorcycle operations have been consigned to the loss-making doldrums.

Nine-monthly results to 31 December 2020 reveal revenue from motorcycles fell by 20.2% to £1.006bn. That inflicted an operating loss of £9.7m, against break-even at the same marker in Suzuki’s previous fiscal year. This constitutes a third consecutive negative result in the current year.

Production volume in the period declined by 21.3% to 1.042 million bikes. Global sales volume was 16.9% down at 1.117 million.

Emerging markets in Asia bore the brunt, collectively losing 21.1% at 877,000 machines sold. Associated revenue sank by 30.1% to £469.8m. Within that, India took the most punishment, 29.8% down to 377,000 in volume terms, while revenue dropped by 30.6% to £229m. Chinese sales actually posted 16.1% growth to 288,000.

In the developed world, Suzuki’s Japanese domestic market turned in the strongest performance, adding 4.2% in volume to 39,000. But related revenue made a 3.9% retreat to £102.4m. European sales were 4.7% lower on 31,000, with revenue falling by 9.2% to £157.8m. North America was hammered, as sales plunged by 35.1% to 37,000 and revenue was 13.2% down to £122.5m.

In full-year forecasts to 31 March 2021, Suzuki estimates its annual motorcycle sales volume worldwide will be 13.5% smaller at 1.478 million. Total production is expected to have fallen by 21.6% to 1.356 million.

[Forex rates applicable on 5 Feb 2021]

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

Off-road news

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DATATAG IS OFFERING A 20% DISCOUNT TO ACU members. Dealers might like to mention this to their customers as it provides them with the technology to tag their bike and includes a lifetime registration on the Database. If the bike is sold it can be easily re-registered to the new owner for a small fee. Datatag has a range of systems to suit every type of motorcycle. For more infomation visit: www.datatag.shop/motorcycle-systems

Off-road news With off-road correspondent Rick Kemp

Forestry events to continue AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF MOTORSPORT IN the nation’s forests has concluded that Forestry England can continue to allow events to take place on its land. The review showed that both two and four wheeled motorsports in the nation’s forests are "recognised globally as some of the best event terrain in the world". In addition, the facility and opportunity that the forests provide are a vital part of supporting grassroots activity and contributing to the UK’s position as a leading nation in motorsports.

The review also found that communities affected by motorsports events on the whole are supportive, and marginally impacted due to the limited frequency of events at each forest. Motorsport events also provide support for rural economies estimated between £2.2 to £2.4m per year. Safe and legitimate sporting events also help reduce illegal riding, and the ACU together with local clubs and organisers regularly work with local forestry officers to help combat illegal riding.

Trials and Enduro events play a vital role in getting club members and enthusiasts out to enjoy the public forests, while encouraging grassroots and competitive motorcycle sport across the UK. Many thousands of people every year visit the nation’s forests to take part and spectate in motorcycle sport events and secure the future of motorcycle sport.

The ACU will be setting up a Sustainability Taskforce to consider the impact of our sports and appropriate mitigation. As well as working closely with Foresters on the ground to safeguard nature, the ACU is committed to working with electric vehicle manufacturers. Both Forestry England and the ACU will be consulting on a new fees structure to ensure reinvestment into the public forestry asset.

The ACU is the only authority permitted to run two-wheeled motorsport events in the nation’s forests, so if your organisation wants to be part of motorsport’s sustainable future, contact pr@acu.org.uk for further details.

Maximum Maxxis

KTM MITAS

TYRES FROM THE TRELLEBORG GROUP’S Mitas brand have been chosen as original equipment for the new KTM 1290 Super Adventure S model. It will be shod with Mitas Terra Force-R rubber. This is the second factory-fit endorsement for the company from KTM. The 2019 KTM 690 Enduro R wore Mitas E-07 boots, for which the manufacturer was honoured with KTM’s Supplier Excellence Award that year. “We are really proud that our products impressed KTM once again,” said Gustavo Pinto Teixeira, Mitas VP for two wheels and specialty tyres.

POLARIS

POLARIS BRITAIN HAS ANNOUNCED IT WILL be the title sponsor of the British SXS Championship for 2021, its tenth consecutive year of supporting the race series. The championship has been an integral part of the growth of side-by-side racing in the UK, becoming the premier championship for all makes and models of SXS across the country.

Currently, the British SXS Championship has around 40-50 competitors across all categories, including expert, rookie and youth classes. Originally starting with just one day of racing at every round, the championship is now a full-weekend event with eight rounds across the UK kicking off on 3-4 April.

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MARCH 2021

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wo recent announcements have seen Maxxis Tyres raise its profile in off-road sport higher. The DIGA Procross GasGas Factory Racing team will be using the new MaxxCross range of motocross tyres in the 2021 MX2 FIM Motocross World Championship. This follows the news that the MaxxCross MX-ST will be OE on all 2021 GasGas motocross bikes. Also, Maxxis will now be OE supplier to Beta’s 2022 range of RR Enduro and RR Racing Enduro motorcycles.

To showcase the performance offered by the MaxxEnduro and the Beta RR Enduro range, Maxxis will supply tyres for the 2021 Beta Trophy, a series of five enduros to take place throughout Italy beginning on 18 April and ending on 3 October with Beta’s own event, Betaday. The 2022 Enduro range will be on sale this June.

“We are excited to demonstrate the capabilities of our championship-winning MaxxEnduro tyre through the Beta Trophy and to every rider of a 2022 Beta RR Enduro model. We have developed this tyre very carefully, considering every piece of data at our disposal, to find the perfect solution for enduro riders everywhere,” said Sjoerd Fokkens, product manager – motorcycle off-road.

Further to a series of test days, DIGA Procross GasGas Factory Racing have elected to race on the Maxxis range throughout the 2021 MX2 FIM Motocross World Championship.

Maxxis has been an official tyre supplier to MXGP since 2019 and as a result its team partnership portfolio has expanded year-on-year, but GasGas is the first MX factory team support agreement for the 2021 season.

Dunlop award GERMAN OFF-ROAD TITLE CROSS Magazin has hailed Dunlop’s Geomax MX53 as its product of the year for 2020, explaining that its performance and durability after testing was not only an improvement over its predecessor, but outstanding by itself.

The magazine concluded that Dunlop had “accomplished the feat of improving a product that was already proven to be good and, as a result, in great demand”.

Dunlop Motorcycle Europe marketing manager Luca Davide Andreoni said: “Cross Magazin’s experts were clearly impressed by an even wider range of usage compared to its predecessor, and we’re very proud of their award.”

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Performance from pedigree

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an-Am must be very pleased with its 2021 Dakar results in the SSV class.

In addition to its fourth win on the trot, the first eleven places and 24 of the 29 finishers all carried the Can-Am badge. It may not be the first brand people think of when it comes to off-road mobility in the UK – after all, the Japanese invasion into this market sector occurred decades ago – but if it’s pedigree you’re after, consider this. Can-Am is part of Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), which also produces Sea-Doo personal watercraft and Arctic Cat snowmobiles, Quads and Buggies, and its lifestyle on-road vehicles, the Spyder and Ryker three-wheelers. BRP is, in turn, part of Canada-based Bombardier Incorporated, a major producer of business aircraft including the Learjet brand, among others. And, until its sell-off at the end of January this year, Bombardier Transportation built locomotives, rolling stock and urban transport solutions.

An advantage of not manufacturing in the Far East is that the pandemic disruption to CanAm has been less than with most other brands in the sector. It doesn’t have to bid for slots on container ships as its major warehousing facility is in Belgium. As far as Brexit goes, district commercial manager Richard Gregg says that the company had been planning for a no-deal outcome, which meant that stocks across the sector had been kept high.

“Feedback from dealers about the way we’ve handled it has been very positive,” says Gregg.

“They’ve all known for a long time that there would be some disruption, but we were able to plan around it and kept it to an absolute minimum. We have managed to keep prices the same but we can’t escape import duty.”

The two ranges are SSV and ATV, or Buggy and Quad if you prefer. According to Gregg,

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the agricultural/utility Traxster models (starting at £12,399 SRP) account for the biggest numbers of vehicles sold and oddly it’s the petrol-powered vehicles rather than the diesel options that are in the ascendant.

The Maverick SSV range has Sport and Trail options, the premium model being the 200bhp, 3-cylinder, turbo X3 with active suspension and a price tag north of £30k. As is often the way with premium products, Can-Am can sell everyone it brings in and apparently the X3 is rapidly attaining cult status. So much so, in fact, that Can-Am dealer 158 Performance in Northamptonshire had a customer who insisted on parting with another £20k for performance upgrades and accessories.

“The main market for Can-Am is obviously North America, where there’s a huge market for spares and accessories, something the Japanese manufacturers have never quite got hold of in the same way. UK customers can benefit from that and, of course, the margins are worth having,” explains Gregg.

He also points out that the overall market has flattened out and Can-Am is therefore focused on growing market share. That being the case, the company is quite generous when it comes to dealer demonstrators and display accessories. Gregg recognises that ‘bums on seats’ is the best-selling technique for the brand. “All our product has got automatic transmission and independent suspension, and all our models have a very good performance/capacity ratio when compared to other brands. In many cases a smaller capacity Can-Am will deliver the same performance that customers are used to, which offers even better value.”

Can-Am’s sales have been increasing year on year due, in no small part, to its dealers.

“We’d like to thank our dealers for doing a

“SINCE WE BECAME A CAN-AM DEALER WE have noticed a higher proportion of sales are customers purchasing new Can-Am machines and we have also seen a rise in new customers coming to us wanting to P/X their previous make of machine for a new Can-Am. Our most popular model from Can-Am is the 450 PRO. I think this is mainly because it’s very competitively priced and it also includes power steering and a very powerful Rotax 450 engine.

The whole Can-Am range is very durable and extremely comfortable off road and stands up to all aspects of farm use with very few problems.”

Richard Jones, managing director, Richard Jones ATV

“2020 HAS BEEN A STRANGE YEAR WITH THE first part of it being business as usual and then lockdown. After the first few weeks of lockdown, business started to pick up and we have been busier than normal which has led us to expand our team and add a third employee to our workshop.

“We have seen that quad sales last year were stronger than ever, which has led it to be our best year yet. In the current climate and with no agricultural shows this year, this would have been difficult to achieve but thanks to CanAm’s promotions, which have run throughout lockdown, and their continued support we feel this has helped with our quad sales. In addition, as a business we feel that Can-Am’s ATVs/SSVs are market leading due to the build quality, performance and price points, which has led to a number of customers switching to Can-Am from other brands.”

Andrew Nicolson, Owner of Braewick Agri Services

cracking job over the last 12 months through the pandemic and Brexit. We’d obviously like to be expanding our dealer network where it’s right to do so as we have got some catching up to do with the more established brands.”

In the UK there are three types of dealership available: SSV and ATV, Spyder and Ryker, plus the Sea Doo personal watercraft. Unless, of course, you’re a BRP Centre like 158 Performance, in which case you can cover all three product sectors.

MARCH 2021 31

Off-road news

WHAT DEALERS SAY

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Your thoughts and opinions on the trade’s top topics

Your thoughts and opinions on the topics that make the trade tick are welcomed: editorial@dealernews.co.uk BDN, 10 Daddon Court, Clovelly Road Industrial Estate, Bideford, EX39 3FH

STAR LETTER Campaign required for e-scooter sense

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have to agree with the concerns of some dealers regarding the increasing use of e-scooters. The very thought of a proliferation of these highly dangerous and unregulated ‘vehicles’ running roughshod on our roads and pavements is a nightmare.

It’s bad enough having so many anonymous and unaccountable cyclists ignoring the Highway Code and being uninsured, but to add e-scooters to the mix, some of which are ridden by hooligans, seems at least foolhardy, and at worst potentially lethal. I almost wrote ‘murderous’ here, but changed it to ‘lethal’, although I still think my first instinct may be more appropriate, given the way the majority of these testosterone-fuelled youths so often wield these missiles! Believe me, I’ve witnessed some dangerously antisocial behaviour from e-scooterists on several occasions.

We need an intelligent, vocal and effective campaign to hammer some sense into our government and local authorities. Bristol Council has permitted a trial here in the city allowing the use of a limited number of e-scooters supplied by a Swedish company, and this has spawned many copy-cat riders of personally owned, unauthorised e-scooters.

To be fair, there has been only a modicum of publicity for this scheme, so one can assume that most of the illicit riding is being done in ignorance of the official scheme and the law.

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hat a year that was! A good number of us will be glad to see the back of it, but I still fear we are a long way from being back to normal. What is “normal” and what will “normal” be? Well, the high street is certainly not going to get back to its halcyon days. The internet is going to drive more and more people online quicker and faster than ever before.

As I’m getting older it annoys me that people won’t often pick up the phone and speak to you. They want to do everything via email or by WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram etc. Keeping on top of all these other methods of communication is a full-time job in itself, sitting in front of a keyboard

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The unlawful e-scooterists see others riding the authorised machines, and simply assume it’s okay for them to do it, too!

Exactly where do the MCIA and NMDA stand on this? Are they mounting a front to ensure government sees sense and rids society of this nuisance ‘toy’? Just because e-scooters are powered by electricity shouldn’t mean they’re eligible to be any part of the solution to the congestion on our roads. How many car/bus/train journeys will they save? To which demographic are they best suited? Certainly not to most of us, as they are simply glorified toys, so it’s the teens and twenties who may find them most attractive, rather than mothers taking their kids to school! Speaking of which, imagine what chaos would ensue from hordes of sixth form kids descending upon schools on their e-scooters?

The only age restriction in Bristol is the necessity of producing a driver’s licence, but the increasing illegal use of e-scooters means it’s far more difficult for them to be monitored, and the law upheld, by our already hard-pressed police officers. It seems to me that any relaxing of the law in respect of e-scooters will mean that it’s less likely that existing PTW riders or car drivers will be using them, so it will simply cause an additional sector of the public to be lured into e-scootering as a means of powered

transport. Many of these would have otherwise walked, used public transport, or hitched a lift with a parent/friend/colleague, which will lead to more vehicles on the road, as opposed to fewer.

Undoubtedly, a proportion of these e-scooter riders will be using them illegally, and, inevitably, many of them will be wholly ignorant of the Highway Code. Although people are required to submit their drivers’ licences in order to use the ‘official’ e-scooters in Bristol and Bath, others who are unaware – or simply don’t care – that their privately-owned e-scooters are illegal on public highways, cycle lanes and pavements, will continue to cause a nuisance to legitimate, insured road users, as well as cyclists and pedestrians.

In my opinion, it’s nothing short of madness to believe this idea has legs! In the UK, obesity is a major issue, and the government and local authorities should be re-doubling their efforts to encourage walking, and if not walking, then legitimate forms of e-transport other than e-scooters, rather than permitting people to race around on these potential death-traps!

Further feedback welcome!

Stephanie Fowler, Joint managing director, Fowlers of Bristol

STAR LETTER WRITER

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The year ahead without speaking to anyone, just type and type… We all better get used to it though because it’s coming faster than you ever thought.

Once furlough ends, the speed of change will be lightening. So, fasten your seat belts fire up your lap-top and bring on 2021. If we carry forward the positives from last year then we are in a very strong position as an industry. Although impossible to predict, we at the NMDA are hoping the market will exceed 110,000 new units this year. With the general public warming to the idea of Powered Two Wheel commuting and the likelihood that international travel will not be back to normal for quite some time, we could see PTWs as the

leisure choice to tour our beautiful islands.

Motorcycling is still definitely “cool” and with a bit more disposable income where spending is inhibited, it will become even more accessible.

Certainly, the used market has all the hallmarks of being buoyant, especially when adding to the fact that our businesses don’t rely on a high street presence. In fact, the internet has helped dealers in this respect, as physical becomes less critical. You can be situated on an industrial estate but with the right bike, at the right price and properly displayed, the internet will find you and marry you up with a customer. As yet, it’s still impossible to repair a PTW over the internet

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Rider training through the lockdowns

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ur Evesham & Worcester Motorcycle Training business started in 2016 with myself and my wife Tina running the business equally. Tina organises the customers, buys the test slots and brings them together in an efficient diary where our aim is to teach two people every day, come rain or shine. I teach, and have done so for 15 years now.

So, to set out how we have fared since our first CBT customer in December 2016, we now operate on average with just over 200 days training a year and had reached full capacity

by April 2017. The key to this success is a good reputation and good links with the many local motorcycle dealers in our area. We have not advertised, so owe our success to customers spreading the good word and dealers sending us more customers.

Where do we stand now in January 2021?

Well, to say business has been hit hard by Coronavirus would be an understatement.

Two days before the first lockdown we bought a brand new Yamaha MT-07 from Completely Motorbikes (Skellerns) in Worcester and were hoping to get it earning straight away, but alas it was not to be. Following lockdown we spent a lot of time contacting customers to tell them the bad news. As it was March the diary was full for about four weeks and with no end in sight to the lockdown we were pleasantly surprised to find most customers were happy for us to keep their deposits and only two young lads (these days anyone under 35!) wanted refunds, and to be fair, they both returned to do their CBTs later in the year.

Funnily enough, so far this year out of the more than 50 customers booked up to midMarch we have only had to refund two CBT customers to date. and that is one saviour we’ve had, allowing us to stay open during the Covid crisis.

We are an industry that supports “urban mobility”… that’s commuting to you and me. Our smaller PTWs are ideal for the key workers that we have been putting and keeping on two wheels. There is a lot to be positive about and a lot to look forward to.

The next twelve months will undoubtedly throw a huge number of challenges at us, but I don’t know anyone that in December 2019 had a business plan factoring in the possibility of Covid-19. So, unless most of your revenue was coming from your cafe, I’m predicting a good year.

Brexit is done and no matter which side of the fence you were on, after the vote it had to happen. I thought the deal would have been struck at the brink on 31 December, so was

Unlike the noisy minority moaning about government support and how badly they had been treated, we were very happy and surprised to find that the Furlough Scheme for the self-employed was a fair and easy system to use. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme worked really well and certainly has helped keep us afloat. Our accountant predicted what the figure would be when I contacted him for some advice, and he was only a few quid out when we received the first 80% (of profit) payment last May. Further to that we have received two further payments at 70% and then 80% again. To explain this further we lost 69 days

We were surprised to find the Furlough Scheme was a fair and easy system of training to lockdown one and lockdown two, up to the end of 2020, that’s over 30% of a normal year.

Work was slow after restrictions were lifted but we did a few days in late June and got a few CBTs done, concentrating on repeat customers with their own bike/moped and kit. These customers had struggled, as unlike the MOT relaxation, the law still requires a CBT. Don’t forget, a lot of key workers in hospitals use a motorcycle/moped as their only means of transport and we have a fair few on our customer list. For their safety, and mine, teaching was moved outside and everyone kept a two metre distance and my bike became my desk! Hand gel was in ready supply, thanks to buying a 5-litre can of the stuff from a customer who has a cleaning business. For customers without kit, we rotated anything surprised that it actually happened before the deadline. It does seem that our industry will be able to ensure a smooth transition and certainly by the time the season kicks in, I’m not expecting any issues with manufacturers.

The big question here is licensing laws. Will we be able to influence the government to create a more sensible approach in respect of access to motorcycles and scooters?

Well, the NMDA is keeping close to the Motor Cycle Industry Association. We have invited Tony Campbell, chairman of the MCIA, to speak online at our meeting on 25 February.

This should be an informative presentation and I’m looking forward to hearing what the MCIA’s perspective on this subject is. Not wanting to give too much away but the vibes are good. This meeting is open to any NMDA member to dial onto, so please do join. I know

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used for a few days but encouraged customers to go and buy a helmet if possible.

Due to the DVSA completely shutting down the test booking system everything got a bit more complicated. We had to do a lot of paperwork to make sure we received all our test fees back, but eventually we recouped the ten weeks of tests we had purchased, and cross referenced the payments against each test.

Obviously, with no system running we could not give customers any dates until the DVSA restarted its booking system again in mid-July.

Unfortunately, instead of a ten-week window to book people in it was only two weeks to start with and that gives little time to sort people out. Tina spent hours organising customers doing her very best to get me two customers each day to keep us efficient.

Demand was high but unfortunately, due to the lack of tests available, we were not back up to full speed until September. Once the system was back up to the ten-week booking ahead limit it was easier, but limited availability meant single tests early in the morning ruined any training plans we had (we have to travel over 30 miles to our nearest Mod 1 test centres in Gloucester or Wolverhampton).

Also we still had customers from March and April to get through before we could book in new customers. The booking system was kept running during lockdown two and is still operating normally at the moment.

So, as we stand with the uncertainty of when we will be going back to work and having to explain to customers already in the diary that we can’t give them a date, and to hopeful customers that we have more than 50 customers ahead of them and we are taking no further bookings, life is a bit difficult, but we are optimistic it will sort itself out.

James Longstone, Evesham & Worcester Motorcycle Training, Worcester

Tony is passionate about moving motorcycling forward on the government’s agenda and has done some good work so far with his “The route to tomorrow’s journey” policy document. Building on that and projecting the positive sides of motorcycling, is, I believe, the way forward. I certainly know that if I hadn’t been able to ride in 2020, it would have definitely affected my mental health. Someone once said to me that motorcycle dealers are either ex-racers or mad. I’ve never raced… so make your own mind up on that one!

Hopefully we will soon be out of this lockdown and be able to meet at industry events. We might even manage a meal and a drink at some point this year, so let’s look forward to the year ahead and take every opportunity that we can.

Phillip Youles, Chairman, NMDA

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Adding insult to injury

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he Covid-19 crisis has been responsible for many awful things in the last year. As if the loss of friends and family and the long term instability of the economy are not enough, we now have had to witness local authorities and central government playing panic road planning and pushing laws through that no one in their right mind would ever consider. An example of this is the e-scooter trials that are planned or happening around the UK right now.

E-scooters are a menace. They are not built for road use. They have small wheels that cannot cope with our patchwork quilt road surfaces, they are unstable, they have brakes that cannot deal with the speeds they are capable of and they are silent.

As I am based in London I can only speak from my local experience but every day I joust with pedestrians glued to their phones, cyclists ignoring red lights and crossings and now the new influx of the e-scooter.

Riding and driving in London since Covid has become even more of a game of Pac-Man than before. People ride these things without any training, road experience or safety equipment. They ride on the pavement, on the road and just about anywhere else that they can. I am constantly being undertaken by them.

They seem to pop out of nowhere, filtering through traffic at ridiculously fast speeds and never once have I seen the police

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when they can’t even be bothered to introduce compulsory helmet wearing for cyclists.

We do not need more modes of transport on our already overcrowded roads. We need to do the opposite, get these unsafe vehicles off of our roads, make the traffic flow and open up the arteries of our cities again. We do not need people throwing themselves in front of us on dangerous, un-regulated products masquerading under the name of transport.

Karen Neill, Director, Zenith Motorcycles Ltd, Harringay, London

Remembering Graham Miles

’d like to say a belated thank you to John Winthrope for his tribute to Three Cross Motorcycles founder Graham Miles. The history of the business was as John outlined in the October issue of BDN, although I think that before the Rafferty Newman sale a local collector had put some older bikes in the showroom as a means of storing/displaying them and Graham had been surprised by the interest they generated.

Comments made by the Davies family in the local press at the time of the closure that they had taken over a business that was selling “a few second-hand bikes” were a little wide of the mark. Under Graham, Three Cross was one of the UK’s largest dealers for Ducati, Harley-Davidson, and Moto Guzzi, plus it also sold Moto Morini and Laverda.

I was extraordinarily lucky to have been given my first break into the motorcycle trade

by Graham. When I was young man with little clue about anything other than motorbikes, he took me on as a trainee dogsbody at Three Cross in 1978. What a great year to get a job in a dealership specialising in Italian motorcycles, as Mike Hailwood had just made his famous comeback on the Isle of Man and suddenly Ducati was the bike to have.

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pulling anyone over, considering they are supposed to be illegal.

What is even stranger is that the cycling brotherhood of London, notorious for carrying a chip on their shoulders, seem, on the whole, to agree with other road users that e-scooters are a menace and need to be banned. It is sadly inevitable that in time this mode of transport, in effect a toy, will be responsible for many deaths and injuries when it could all be so easily avoided. I find it staggering to believe any government body would think e-scooters are a good solution to personal transport

In those days, Three Cross Motorcycles operated from a filling station and garage in the heart of Three Legged Cross. It was like a frontier town: to the south were the rich

We want your

Views Your thoughts and opinions on the topics that make the trade tick are welcomed: editorial@dealernews.co.uk BDN, 10 Daddon Court, Clovelly Road Industrial Estate, Bideford, EX39 3FH suburbs of Ferndown, while to the north lay a violent and lawless gypsy camp and the rural wasteland of Horton Heath.

Sunny Saturdays and Sundays were considerably enlivened by the comings and goings of customers’ Ducati V-twins, their Conti exhausts playing a major part in the

soundtrack along with Moto Guzzis, Morinis, Laverdas and even Harleys.

I did wonder about Graham’s health. I remember once having to hunt the streets of Bournemouth trying to find a chemist who could make up a prescription for him. Passing the little slip of paper over the counter seemed to generate an immediate and worried response from the pharmacist and the question: “This isn’t for you, is it?”

I could forgive him his occasional grumpiness more easily after that.

I also have very fond memories of service manager John Elliott, and parts manager and accountant Bob Thornton, who contributed considerably to my education, each in their own way! We also sponsored ‘larger than life’ local motocross racer Nigel Revell, on a 580 CCM. Looking back, the year or so that I worked at Three Cross contributed far more to my subsequent career than any other aspect of my education. There have been good times and bad times, but none of it would have been possible without Graham giving me the start that he did.

Richard Simpson, Launceston, Cornwall

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Products.

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Duell UK

DUELL in the Crown It might not sound very Scandinavian, but Duell UK has its roots in Finland where it is a leading distribution company for all kinds of powersports, marine and ATV/UTV products

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ust over a year ago Duell purchased the countries. In all, Duell has around 2000 retailers and in 2020 the parent company’s Swedish clothing brands Halvarssons turnover was €60m. As a wholesaler Duell and Lindstrands from Jofama. can supply in the region of 200 brands in all These brands have been available in the the relevant product sectors.

UK for the past 16 years under the Jofama In addition to its financial security, banner. Even though Lindstrands products the company also has the experience and were always available here, it was the expertise that comes with the evolution of Halvarssons name that led the way. a business started by the At about the same time as the purchase Duell UK As a wholesaler Nylund brothers, Tom and Stephan, in 1983 as the Bike was formed. Ed Miles, who Duell can supply Centre, a Yamaha and Suzuki many dealers will know, dealer in a sleepy Finnish was appointed as sales backwater. manager, Peter Storgård was in the region of The two clothing brands appointed brand manager for 200 brands in are complementary, with Halvarssons and Lindstrands all the relevant Lindstrands at the starter (previously he worked for going up to mid-price Rukka) and Peter Eriksson product sectors level points and Halvarssons was appointed as product being the premium manager (he joined from brand. “Halvarssons is quality and being Jofama), so all the major players have Scandinavian it’s perceived as such,” enthuses impeccable credentials.

Miles. “It uses some of the best branded A considerable investment has been made materials in the industry – Outlast’s climate in warehousing and logistics. All the UK control and Hi-Art’s abrasion resistance, stock is held in Sweden, which also services which extends the slide time before any heat Norway and Denmark, with the Finnish damage can occur – so helping to give the operation being responsible for the Baltic

HUNDREDS HUNDREDS OF OF BRANDS BRANDS ++ OVER OVER 100,000 100,000 DIFFERENT DIFFERENT PRODUCTS PRODUCTS ININ STOCK STOCK

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MARCH 2021

Ed Miles, sales manager

garments their double-A rating. Also in the range is our triple-A rated waterproof leather, as used for the Celtic jacket and pants.”

That Celtic jacket retails at £529 SRP and is specified with a Dryway 2.0 drop liner, HiArt reinforcement at shoulders and elbows with CE Level-2 adjustable protectors, and an Outlast lining.

To give an idea of Lindstrands textile all-weather jacket range it kicks off with the Halden at £155 SRP. It is double-A certified and features a Dryway membrane, detachable thermal lining and CE Level-1 shoulder and

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ON UK ON AND UK MAINLAND AND MAINLAND ORDERS ORDERS OVEROVER £150 £150 ADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL CHARGES CHARGES MAY APPLY MAY APPLY TO WEIGHT TO WEIGHT AND SIZE AND SIZE

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who are doing very well with clothing and Duell wants to fill more gaps around the country. But it doesn’t necessarily want to be in every motorcycle clothing shop in the country because exclusivity is part of the brand appeal.

“On the other side of the coin, Duell is a big company with a comprehensive parts catalogue, so we are going to be looking for dealers who want to take on all the top brands of tyres, chain and sprockets, batteries and the rest,” adds Miles.

Anyone opening an account with Duell will have access to its entire range of products including motocross and marine, and a UK post-Brexit price list is being worked on as we speak. The new prices will include the correct taxes, so there will be no ‘extras’ to pay.  Duell UK Ltd Unit 1 Whitwick Business Centre, Coalville LE67 4JP www.duell.eu

DEALER VIEW HIDEOUT LEATHERS “AT HIDEOUT, NOT ONLY DO WE manufacture our own range of made-to-measure leather and textile clothing, we also retail a range of other branded items thus providing our customers with a comprehensive range of kit catering for all their needs. In our showroom, where space is at a premium, it is imperative that every square foot of wall space works hard to provide a high return. This makes selecting the right brands important and we are lucky to be able to pick and choose from the best. We have worked with the Halvarssons brand since its start in the UK and have found great success over the years in stocking a full range of their kit. With the use of innovative textiles and materials along with its creative designs, we are able to provide quality kit at realistic and affordable prices to our customers. Working closely with Halvarssons over the years, we have been lucky enough to have forged an excellent working relationship with the team. We feel satisfied that we have reliable supply and excellent back up from Mick Wynn and the guys, and with a reinvigorated optimism for the year ahead we wish the new management every success.”

Kate Jennings, MD, Hideout Leathers

KEY CONTACTS

Sunne

Halden

• Ed Miles – sales manager +358 (0)20 118 000; 07783 563531; ed.miles@duell.eu • MIck Wynn – Midlands, North and Scotland 07506 531308; mick.wynn@Duell.eu • Peter Emmett – Ireland & Northern Ireland +353 (0)87 66 22644; peter.emmett@duell.eu

TIMELINE 1983 Brothers Tom and Stefan Nylund found Bike Center dealership in Mustasaari, Finland 1984 Bike Center starts to distribute snowmobile parts and accessories 1987 Bike Center moves to bigger premises in Mustasaari 1989 Motorfirman Holger Duells (SE) joins as a 33% shareholder. Bike Center changes name to Duell Bike-Center 1990 Retail shop closes. Distribution of snowmobile and motorcycle parts and PROX-210x76.pdf 1 19.02.2021 15:42:17 accessories continues, including new brands

AGV, IXS, Scott, Metezler and Pirelli 1996 Moves to new facilities in Vaasa, where the HQ and main warehouse are still located today 1999 Duell enters bicycle business as Trek importer and distributor 2003 Tom and Stefan Nylund buy back shares from Motorfirman Holger Duells and are again 100% shareholders 2009 Duell starts in skiing business as Rossignol distributor 2013 Duell establishes new company SDBC Motor AB in Tranås, Sweden

2014 SDBC takes over motorcycle business from Garage24 and becomes distributor for Metzeler, Pirelli and Schuberth in Sweden 2016 SDBC moves to new 2500m2 warehouse office and showroom 2018 Sponsor Capital joins as co-owner to support growth of Duell. Tranås extended with another 2500m2 warehouse. First sale rep in Norway appointed 2019 Purchases Halvarssons and Lindstrands clothing brands from Jofama. Opens UK/ Norway offices and central European sales 2020 DBC changes marketing name to Duell

PROX RACING PARTS COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF ENGINE COMPONENTS RANGE INCLUDES PISTONS, CONRODS AND CLUTCH MEET OR EXCEED OEM SPECIFICATION PARTS AVAILABLE FOR MANY DISCONTINUED OE LINES BACKED BY A COMPREHENSIVE WARRANTY

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Tel. 01536 265633 WWW.LARSSON.UK.COM

MARCH 2021 37

Duell UK

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elbow protectors. The Lindstrands range topper is the Sunne at £469 SRP. This is a two-layer jacket with a laminated Dryway membrane. Its detachable thermal lining can be worn separately. The storm collar is also detachable and adjustable CE Level-1 protectors are offered.

Both brands include ranges of smart and functional gloves. Neither brand does footwear but Halvarssons does have an extensive range of mainly woollen, high quality base layers, as you would expect from a company that produces snowmobile attire.

Duell doesn’t have any minimum stock requirements for dealers but there is free delivery on orders over £150. “We’ve got dealers who only want a couple of leather jackets and that’s fine,” says Miles. “We’re super flexible, so dealers can fill gaps in what they normally stock and we offer high margins on smaller stocking plans. Obviously if dealers want to take more, they’ll get better margins.”

As far as dealer support goes, there is instore POS and some merchandising available, but display units and dedicated hanging space with signage is work-in-progress.

“That’s very particular to the UK. It doesn’t happen in Europe but we will be adjusting our offer for the UK market,” claims Miles.

Miles points out that there is a hardcore of dealers Celtic

Business Essentials

CATALYST

The Business Dealing with a distressed company A Constellation Software Company

0116 230 1500 | sales@catalyst-uk.com | www.catalyst-uk.com

The latest news and views in the world of business

A review of recent news headlines paints a depressing, but not unexpected, picture. While the UK’s economy has been battered by the actions taken by the government to control coronavirus, a number of sectors have suffered a full-frontal assault on their ability to operate and generate revenue. The result is a number of high-profile casualties including Arcadia and Debenhams

T

he problem for those that traded with such firms is what they can do to protect their position. A company does not go from being in rude financial health one minute to insolvency the next, there is often a slow period of decline.

THE WARNING SIGNS “The cheque is in the post” famously ranks alongside “I’ll love you in the morning”, as one of the great promises in life.

However, as Paul Taylor, a partner in the corporate department of City law firm Fox Williams, explains: “Taking a long time to pay an invoice may in fact be a sign of a well-run company that is prudently managing cash flow. Negotiating longer credit terms to pay suppliers is an approach infamously deployed by certain UK supermarkets.” But for other companies without such bargaining clout, sudden delays in making payments should set alarm bells ringing.

Other tell-tale signs include a change in staff (unpaid wages); failure to file accounts at Companies House (an unpaid auditor) or a notice that a debt has been factored (an attempt to improve cashflow).

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Practical steps to take CREDIT CONTROL For Taylor, the best line of defence is to avoid unpaid debts or undelivered product in the first place. As he says, “a robust credit control policy should be a main stay of every well-run company. Beyond that, the next step involves

A robust credit control policy should be a main stay of every well-run company registering at Companies House for their web-check service in order to monitor filings in respect of key customers (and indeed suppliers).”

Another option is to take out credit insurance while using a carrot and stick approach – the carrot in the form of a discount for early settlement and stick in the form of interest for late payment.

Taylor also recommends that suppliers get to know the payment run date(s) of key customers and ring them the day before to make sure their invoice is included. He continues: “It’s important that suppliers chase down unpaid debts and make sure commercial partners know that they will not be fobbed off by repeated promises to pay. Businesses shouldn’t be afraid to call their bluff by putting them on a stop list. If a customer questions only part of an order, the supplier should insist on payment of the remainder.” At the same time, it’s obvious, but if a customer can’t pay, insist on postdated cheque(s) or personal guarantees from directors or shareholders.

RETENTION OF TITLE (ROT) Another option is use what is termed ‘Retention of Title’ (RoT) clauses in terms and conditions. These maintain a supplier’s ownership of goods until paid for. But from experience Taylor knows that a well-drafted RoT clause will be of little use unless it is properly incorporated into commercial dealings. This is why he says that “at the very onset of a commercial relationship customers should sign a copy of the terms. Those terms should then be included on the purchase forms/invoices.”

However, he adds that advice must be taken on specific wording: “Ideally, there should be sub-clauses that oblige the customer to store product separately and also, if possible, to label them as belonging to the supplier.”

Allied to this, Taylor says that it’s important

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to include a right to enter the customer’s premises to check that RoT provisions have been complied with and/or to recover product. It should, however, be noted that a supplier cannot use force to enter premises.

And if set up correctly, Taylor says that RoT clauses should be enforceable on non-payment and “without having to wait for a formal insolvency event ... In fact, a company may have more chance of enforcing against a supplier than it would a canny old insolvency practitioner.”

Firms should also include an all-monies clause. This may allow a supplier to recover all goods even if some individual invoices have

onwardly sold, but unless extreme care is taken, the clause may be void unless registered at Companies House. Not only that, but the inclusion of an invalid proceeds of sale clause may void the rest of the RoT provisions.”

Ultimately, suppliers should be realistic.

Where they are supplying labelled boxes of a product, the enforcement of a well-worded RoT clause should be possible. However, if they are supplying small products that are then incorporated into another – say, affixed to a motorbike, the claim could be lost as it may be impossible to identify the product from that of other suppliers.

It’s important that suppliers chase down unpaid debts and make sure commercial partners know that they will not be fobbed off by repeated promises to pay been paid. However, as Taylor comments, “the product being claimed under a RoT clause must still be capable of identification and a supplier must be able to link them to specific invoices.” But to do this the product should be marked with the name of the supplier, with serial numbers deployed and quoted on relevant invoices.

There’s another consideration for those wanting to deploy RoT clauses – a proceeds of sale clause. The problem as Taylor sees it, is that too often suppliers include the kitchen sink in their RoT drafting. He warns that “RoT clauses try to extend protection to the proceeds of sale when a supplier’s goods are

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS So, what can a supplier dealing with a failed customer do? As Taylor tells, often the knee jerk reaction of an insolvency official will be to reject RoT and other claims that are lodged with them. But he advises that “creditors shouldn’t be afraid to fight their corner and take legal advice as to the validity of the claim. Equally, directors may not always be able to hide behind the ‘corporate veil’ of a limited liability company.”

In other words, if a director has traded past the point where the company couldn’t have avoided insolvency or made personal promises, they may be personally liable for the company’s debts.

That said, it may be up to an unpaid supplier to

press (or even fund) this point.

A word of caution from Taylor though: “Where suppliers have extracted security or other comfort out of a distressed company, they should be aware that an insolvency official has the right to challenge actions taken by an insolvent company up to two years before its demise.” The key point is that transactions must not be at an undervalue or unfairly improve the position of one creditor over another, particularly when dealing with a connected party such as a relative or fellow director.

KEEP IT CONFIDENTIAL One last point. Where there are concerns over a supplier or customer Taylor says it is not a good idea to broadcast them to the trade as firms can be held vicariously liable for alleged defamatory comments made by employees. He cites the case of Norwich Union where comments about Western Provident Association (WPA) on an internal intranet alleged that WPA was in financial difficulties and that the then DTI was investigating WPA. “WPA discovered such emails and obtained an order directing Norwich Union to preserve all of the offending emails and produce hard copies.

WPA later obtained a further order allowing it to conduct a search of Norwich Union’s email records.” The case was settled out of court by means of an apology and damages (reportedly £450,000 plus costs).

TAKE ADVICE With the background of rising insolvencies, it may be a good time for suppliers, in particular, to review their terms and conditions. As well as checking their RoT clause, it would be prudent to have the express contractual right to cease to supply a customer if he fails to pay. 

INFORMATION: THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FORMS OF insolvency and they’re listed and detailed on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ liquidation-and-insolvency/liquidation-and-insolvency

In tune withSoſtware the industry, leading All-in-one Business Management through innovation and expertise for Motorcycle Dealers Complete Business Solution. Easy to Use 0116 230 1500 | sales@catalyst-uk.com | www.catalyst-uk.com www.britishdealernews.co.uk

CATALYST

A Constellation Software Company

MARCH 2021 39

Business Essentials

s Essentials

with Adam Bernstein www.abfeatures.com

Marketing Matters

MARKETING

MATTERS

Expert adv ice to improve how you promote and sell you r products or services

DAN SAGER FOUNDED THE FAB-BIKER PR AGENCY IN 1996 AND HAS been advising businesses in the motorcycle industry on marketing matters ever since. Here he shares some of the most important lessons he’s learned during that time. fab-biker.co.uk

HOW TO AVOID MAKING A DRAMA OUT OF A CRISIS

The opening lines from “If” by Rudyard Kipling are a poetic reminder of the importance of calm during a crisis. “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you”

W

hen things go wrong, so badly that the hard-won reputation of your business could be at stake, it’s all too easy to slip into ‘fight or flight’ mode and lose the ability to think rationally about how best to respond.

At these times, we find it helpful to turn to another great work of literature, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This fictional encyclopedia had the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.

And the best way to avoid panicking is to have a plan.

should not comment on the situation publicly, especially on their social media. If it’s a really serious matter, you might need to emphasise that failure to comply could be considered gross misconduct.

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

This is crucial, because everyone should be hearing the same message. You have enough to worry about, without the added stress of responding to rumours or misinformation that may have come from your colleagues.

Although we might not be able to predict what will go wrong, or when it might happen, there are some basic procedures you can put in place to help you manage the situation. Whether the crisis is small or large, you need to ensure clear and consistent communications.

1. Decide who will be responsible for talking to the media in a crisis and 2. Who will inform staff and/or suppliers and 3. Who will deal with the public – customers, neighbours, etc You need to make it crystal clear that ONLY these people should deal with enquiries and that other members of staff

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Respond quickly.

Take the initiative.

And whatever you do, don’t over-promise and under-deliver

DO IT RIGHT Respond quickly. Take the initiative. And whatever you do, don’t over-promise and under-deliver. If the problem concerns a person or group of people, it is worth asking those affected what outcome they are seeking. Some may only want an apology.

Others may be less reasonable – you don’t have to roll over on everything but if you know what they want, that’s a great starting point towards achieving the best resolution.

WHAT TO SAY Sorry is not the hardest word to say. Neither is it an admission of liability. If your company has cocked-up, hold your hands up and apologise. Sincerely. That’s the starting point for your communications.

Next, and this is the really important part, tell people what you are going to do to address the situation. Don’t try to hide a problem and hope it will all blow over. The general public can be remarkably understanding, especially if you are clear and proportionate in your response.

FULFIL YOUR PROMISES Take personal responsibility for ensuring that matters are resolved, so people can see that you care. Problems can arise, but if you sort them out quickly and completely, people are more likely to forgive and forget. Fail to fix things, and it looks like carelessness, in every sense of the word.

And finally – remember to support your staff. Morale can take a big hit when things go wrong, on top of which they may have to deal with angry or upset customers. Show them you care too.

Demonstrate leadership in a crisis and your stock will rise. 

NEXT MONTH Dan’s Top Six marketing tips to get you through tough times.

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

Job Scene

Contact Alison on 01237 422660 or adsales@dealernews.co.uk

www.donington-park.co.uk

CIRCUIT MANAGER – DONINGTON PARK CIRCUIT We have an exciting opportunity to lead a new era at Donington Park, where you will head up the team at one of the UK’s premier motorsport venues, reporting directly to our Group Operations Manager and Chief Executive.

Working effectively with representatives from race series and clubs that will visit Donington Park, the local authority and various tenants and contractors that are on site, is another important part of the job.

It is a demanding but rewarding role, ensuring that the venue grounds, facilities, buildings and of course the track itself are maintained and presented to MSV’s industry renowned high standards.

You will need to be a bright and driven individual who can also motivate the team around you to perform consistently at a high level, with meticulous attention to detail, strong organisational skills and the ability to cope with tight deadlines and fast changing situations.

You will also need to plan and manage all that happens at the venue, from trackdays to club racing and most challengingly major promoted events with big crowds, such as the British Touring Car Championship and British Superbike Championship.

Motorsport experience is a great asset but is not essential.

Experience of managing large public venues or events, maintenance of extensive grounds and facilities, and undertaking civil engineering projects would each be an advantage.

You will be responsible for Donington Park’s financial performance For full details and to apply, visit www.donington-park.co.uk and click on recruitment. with regard to operational and event budgets, as well as catering outlets, routine maintenance, development projects, health and safety and HR. You’ll have your own team and a wealth of experience from our other capable Circuit Managers to call on, as well as support from group functions.

PARTS WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA POSITION WALLASEY MOTORCYCLES | Merseyside Our company is steadily recovering from a major restructure.

We believe that we are in the top 10% of Moto GB’s independent franchised dealers. We sell Benelli, Sym, Keeway, Royal Alloy and Mondial.

We are looking for a person that can join our team to help us build a new parts website, assist building our advertising (including working on our social media platforms) and listing motorcycle parts on our eBay site. We are preferably looking for someone who has experience in this field and who has worked in the motorcycle trade or has motorcycle knowledge.

We require: Fully qualified mechanic (lower skill set considered) Parts / workshop reception Qualified instructor (CBT1 accepted with ambition for DAS)

Job roles include: • Building our new discount website – Taking pictures, adding motorcycle parts to the website with descriptions and quantity. As well as advertising the site.

• eBay – Taking pictures and uploading motorcycle parts on eBay. • Social media – We are looking for you to build our social media platforms.

• Advertising – We want you to be able to find new ways to advertise our company to build our name using marketing tools on eBay and our social media.

Please email info@wallasey-motorcycles.co.uk with your C.V.

Please send your CV to customerservice@ultimateparts.net

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FROM ONLY

www.britishdealernews.co.uk Contact Alison on 01237 422660 or adsales@dealernews.co.uk MARCH 2021 41

Focal Point

DIGITALLY CHARGED

Digital hide and seek The digital landscape has changed since Covid. So, where’s everyone hiding now, and how do you get to them?

T

he world is very different from a year ago with consumers spending more time at home and using devices and media right through the day. Writes Chris Day of Digitally Charged.

Before Covid, desktop use was declining, TV viewing had prime time slots, social media had specific devices and a time of day that maximum users were online ... that’s now been thrown out of the window (for the time being) All this is changing how we buy and display media. How do you stand out in a world where advertising is more accessible with more platforms, more data and more regulation than ever? Digitally Charged is how.

We have motorcycle audiences on Sky that we can target with live ads on TV, we’ve built audience data for people searching for specific items and added audiences for people looking at product on Amazon. We have multiple eBay audiences segmented by manufacturer so we can see who’s searching for what used model or who’s bought which used bike online.

Then we have all parts and accessories, all the way down to people who have searched for a helmet in the last three days, so we can target a like-for-like brand to sway them to an alternative.

We want to ensure businesses stand out. And not just stand out to everyone, but to stand out

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to the right person. We’ve had people ask why they should use data from eBay when people are just buying cheap stuff, or why they should target someone wanting MX jeans. When we reply with “who’s wearing those jeans or what are they doing with the bike cover they’ve bought?” you usually get that light bulb moment where they realise that they are active in the market and active motorcyclists.

Then we start talking more in depth.

We want people to get ahead of the game and be ready By the end of 2021 or early 2022 cookie targeting will be redundant so by using our partners’ first party data, on platform advertising and our internal sites, we can keep people functioning well into the future.

We want people to get ahead of the game and be ready. Here are some of the things we’re working with and why you should use them.

AMAZON DATA y 39.4 million UK monthly customers y Perfect for brand decision/brand switching y Combines digital signals such as shopper behaviour, demographic data, vehicle

ownership and vehicle research signals to hit them at the right time y Brand safe – Data spans a customer’s lifetime with Amazon due to their login data. One of the very few platforms where they stay logged in across multiple Amazon products y Not just for Amazon, it uses Amazon’s first party data and segments and targets internet wide

HOW CAN WE USE AMAZON? We can use it exactly the same as eBay but in addition to users searching or buying products, we can go that one step further and create a whole new audience of similar customers who are viewing products relevant to what we pick to target against.

Amazon has TV, audio and Fire tablets where we can pull through granular motorcycle data to target against. We can target people who have watched motorcycle shows on Prime TV with video ads and then find more of these people. We can target people on Fire tablets who have read motorcycl e biographies and, most importantly, we can build audiences to target across the internet for people that have viewed specific products and then create a whole new lookalike against it. We can choose product view data, product search data and

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Focal Point

product purchase data as well.

On top of this we can find lookalike audiences that are similar to people buying or searching for specific items by using lookalike profiles and matching characteristics to further increase the reach. There are no bikes on Amazon, but there’s a lot of kit and who uses this kit?

They’re the people we want and we can get them before they hit buy.

If someone bought a bulb for a Triumph Tiger then the likelihood that they own a Triumph Tiger is relatively high which means we can then serve relevant ads and drop them in a specific data pot. It’s the same method as we use within Amazon, but without the used bikes so the data is huge.

EBAY y 24 million unique users across all categories per month use eBay (41% of the UK population) y Perfect for brand decision/brand switching y Brand safe – there is a lot less ad fraud on eBay than most outlets because of users needing to log in to access their account y Data spans a customer’s lifetime with eBay and not just that one impression y Users targeted in real time (we can show an ad against the product they’re viewing within two seconds)

HOW CAN WE USE EBAY? We can target people based on their browsing and purchasing data through eBay for the last two years and hit them with a relevant ad. We have pretty much every bike manufacturer and most clothing manufacturers in the system, we have audiences triggering search data of people viewing helmets in the last three days and a similar audience for people searching for clothing. The reason for this is that we want to hit people with our clients ads at the point of someone being in the market for new kit, hence why, in some instances, we pull through recent audiences.

The manufacturer data is against used bike sales and searches through eBay and this is so we know what style of riding our potential client is doing. It also allows us to fire insurance ads at them knowing they’re an active motorcyclist, or clothing ads knowing what they’ve just bought.

If they bought an adventure helmet six months ago we can show them an adventure bike ad knowing they’re into this style of riding from the actions they carried out months ago.

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These people aren’t reading reviews and wishing they could own the bike.

They’re searching and buying product for what they’re into right now and we can hand hold them into their next purchase or educate them on what might interest them that they wouldn’t usually see.

SKY AND ADSMART Seeing huge increases in viewing data, TV is a relatively new offering to Digitally Charged.

What people don’t realise while they’re watching TV is that if they compared their ads to their neighbours, they’ll both be seeing a different set of ads. Why? Because the clever guys at Sky are building audience segments and allowing people like us to target our ideal customers for the product we’re pushing across their Adsmart platform.

We have an audience built on Adsmart for people who have watched every form of motorcycle show in the last 12 months.

This includes motorcycle hobbyist shows, motorcycle documentaries, MotoGP, World Superbikes, British Superbikes and so on.

It means we can get people viewing ads when they’re taking some downtime away

from multiple devices and tuning in to their favourite shows. It doesn’t have to be a motorcycle related show they’re watching, just the fact that at some point they’ve watched one of the shows we’ve dropped into our targeting pot in the time frame we selected which then triggers the ad in future viewing. We can then apply regional targeting, gender, affluence, age, and a load of other options to target deeper into potential viewers. And what’s even better, is that you’re only charged when 75% of the ad is viewed.

It’s fully reportable, it can track your leads, and it can tell you how many people that signed up for a test ride or bought a bike saw the ad giving you viewable ROI. I watched a lot of British Superbikes in 2020 and the odd World Superbike race and since running the latest campaign we’ve got live ads for the new Multistrada for Ducati. I’ve been served the ad on multiple channels. One was on Comedy Central and the other was during primetime TV whilst watching Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic.

We also have preferential rates not available to anyone else in the motorcycle industry, meaning we can get more motorcycle manufacturers and brands on a platform that they probably thought was unaffordable in the past, but it really isn’t. It’s clever, it’s waste free and it’s highly impactive.

The data we have across eBay, Amazon and Sky isn’t just people that “might” be interested in bikes but people that are actually riding and in the market for product.

Digitally Charged also provides advanced rich media programmatic display, standard display, video targeting, social media audience building, interactive advance social posts, instant experiences and lead generation, POS, Ad design and much much more.  Digitally Charged tel 01157 860680 digitalsales@digitally-charged.com

MARCH 2021 43

Product news

Products The latest products for your showroom

LS2 MX700 Subverter Evo LS2’S MX700 SUBVERTER EVO MOTOCROSS helmet has been updated for the new season with a revised shell and seven new colour schemes. The redesigned outer shell comes in three sizes and is made from LS2’s Kinetic Polymer Alloy (KPA), which is said to offer flexibility for energy absorption along with high penetration resistance. Multiple venting and channeling around the head allow plenty of airflow, while the breathable, hypoallergenic lining is removable and washable. The peak is adjustable and a wide aperture offers space to accommodate most styles of motocross goggles. Weight is a claimed 1300g.

The new colours include solid white and matt black, Rascal graphics in black/fluo/orange, Astro graphics in cobalt/hi-vis yellow or white/orange or Cargo graphics in matt military green or matt blue/fluo orange. The MX700 Subverter Evo comes in sizes XS-3XL at £119.99 SRP for solid colours or £139.99 SRP for the graphic options.

LS2 Helmets UK; 01670 856342; ukservice@ls2helmets.com

Limb protection 46 ITALIAN CLOTHING BRAND DAINESE has introduced new elbow and knee guards for off-road use. Both are EN1621 certified to level 2, and both also share the common features of a ventilated structure, Velcro adjustments and a non-slip upper.

They each come in sizes S-XL in a choice of copper or black colourways for an SRP of £59.99 for the elbow guards or £99.99 for the knee guards.

Bike It; 02380 658700; tradesales@bikeit.co.uk

FROM ONLY

RETAIL DEALER OFFER

Contact Alison on 01237 422660 or adsales@dealernews.co.uk

Centenary Guzzis MOTO GUZZI HAS LAUNCHED NEW LIVERY TO CELEBRATE ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY. THE centennial livery is inspired by the infamous Otto Cilindri racing model of 1955, which sported a miniaturised 500cc V8 engine with eight individual carbs – one for each cylinder. The new silver and green colour scheme will grace the flanks of limited edition V7, V9 and V85TT models only.

The fuel tanks will be finished in silver metallic paint that echoes the satin-finished aluminium tank of the original bike, while the green is a matt version of the original colour. The seats are trimmed in a brown leather-effect material, again echoing the racer’s aesthetic.

Moto Guzzi; 0080 0122 33700; www.motoguzzi.com

iPhone case 3 ULTIMATE ADDONS HAS ADDED A NEW MODEL TO ITS RANGE of rigid protective cases. The latest addition safely accommodates Apple’s sizeable iPhone 12 Pro Max and still allows calls, photos and other operations to be performed. The case is IPX5 rated for water resistance (which means it protects against low pressure water jets from any direction, ideal for a motorbike in the rain), and is similarly resistant against dust. A self-sealing charging port allows on-bike charging and touch screen compatibility allows in-case operation of the phone including both front and rear cameras which can be used to take pictures through special panels. The case can be combined with Ultimate Addons’ extensive range of brackets, adapters and extensions to allow fitment on almost any motorcycle.

Ultimate Addons; 01854 611172; trade@ultimateaddons.com

Tucano Urbano covers TUCANO URBANO HAS UPDATED ITS RANGE OF SCOOTER AND MOTORCYCLE COVERS. The Covers Pro features a breathable waterproof outer membrane with taped seams. The inner layer is jersey fabric to stop scuffs, with a heat-resistant insert at exhaust height. Elastic seams around the wheels plus adjustable straps under the footrests and exhaust reduce billowing, and there are eyelets positioned to take a security chain if required. Four size options are available to suit different size machines and screen/pannier options. It comes in dark blue with prices ranging from £44.99 to £72.99 depending on configuration.

The Start covers are made from waterproof polyester with inner taped seams. Elastic wheel insets and adjustable straps adjust the fit to reduce billowing, and there are reflective prints to improve visibility. It comes in black in three sizes for SRPs from £31.99 to £39.99.

Tucano Urbano; 07799 626635; info@tucanourbano.com

Contact Alison on 01237 422660 or adsales@dealernews.co.uk 44

MARCH 2021

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Product news

Leatt 4.5 boots 35

Mivv X-M1 exhaust 5 THE X-M1 IS A NEW SPORTS EXHAUST DESIGNED to fill a gap in Mivv’s extensive range. The short, conical end can mirrors those used in MotoGP and Moto2, and is said to produce a more aggressive sound than OE items. It complies with Euro 4 regulations, and will be available in Euro 5 versions for specific models in the future. It is available in satin stainless steel, black stainless steel and titanium finishes to suit a range of naked and sports machinery including BMW S1000R, S1000RR, F900R and F900XR; Yamaha MT-09 and KTM’s Duke up to 790cc versions.

Moto GB Distribution; 01706 212102; leovincegb@gmail.com

CLASSED BY LEATT AS A MID-RANGE BOOT, THE NEW 4.5 Moto is said to provide comfort as well as safety.

It comes in two versions – Enduro or Moto – differentiated by the tread pattern of the natural rubber sole. This is “dual-zone” with hard rubber in the central area for durability and comfort on the pegs and softer rubber at the toe and heel for extra grip.

Inside the boot is a 3D moulded liner made from mesh with anti-slip inserts to reduce heel lift. Fastening is by Leatt’s Slidelock system, which uses a one-way auto-lock paired with polymer composite buckles.

The 4.5 Motos come in five colourways – traditional black or white, along with Bluringe, Rioja and an 80s-inspired black and neon pink – and the Enduro version comes in Graphene. All are SRP £254.99.

Apico Factory Racing; 01282 473 198; sales@apico.co.uk

Duchinni Cobra jacket

KTM rack PYRAMID PLASTICS HAS EXTENDED ITS RANGE OF steel rear seat racks to include the new KTM 1290 Superduke R. Manufactured from powder-coated carbon steel, the rack fits over the pillion seat and allows for use of a top box or other luggage systems. It comes in a choice of orange or matt black finishes for an SRP of £60 including all fittings.

Pyramid Plastics; 01427 677990; sales@pyramid-plastics.co.uk

Gaerne G Dakar boots 3 AN ADVENTURE STYLE BOOT, THE GAERNE G Dakar has a full grain leather upper with a breathable and waterproof Goretex Performance membrane. An ankle pivot system forms a flexible join between the upper boot and lower foot area for added control and support and there are PU reinforced shin plates. The inner calf guard is made of suede for improved grip, while fastening is by an aluminium buckle and Velcro strap. The boots come in black or brown in sizes 40-48 for a retail price of £325.

MRS; 01423 772 885; info@mrsltd.co.uk

DUCHINNI’S NEW COBRA TEXTILE JACKET is AA-rated for protection, with CE-approved shoulder and elbow armour and a pocket for an optional back protector. A breathable, waterproof and windproof layer seals out the rain, while warmth is provided by a removable 120g quilted thermal liner. Venting for hotter days is supplied by zippered vents to the front and rear.

To improve fit and comfort there are twoposition sleeve adjusters, stretch panels at the elbows and a Neoprene-trimmed storm collar.

There are pockets inside and out, a connection zip to attach the jacket to riding trousers and reflective panels to keep the wearer visible in low light.

The Cobra comes in sizes S-5XL at an SRP of £109.99.

The Key Collection; 01179 719200; sales@thekeycollection.co.uk

Beast Anchor TO MATCH UP WITH ITS 12KG BEAST CHAIN AND 3.6KG Beast Lock, Oxford Products has launched a compatible and suitably beefy Beast Anchor. Made of hardened steel, the 4kg twin-wall anchor comes with security fixings and instructions.

Available in black, the Beast Anchor has an SRP of £99.99.

Oxford Products; 01993 862300; info@oxprod.com

Contact Alison on 01237 422660 or adsales@dealernews.co.uk www.britishdealernews.co.uk

MARCH 2021 45

Product news

Malossi dampers 4 MALOSSI’S RS3 REAR DAMPER IS AIMED AS an upgrade for sport and fast road scooters and claims to offer “superb quality, value, and consistency”. Developed using extensive track and road testing, the RS3 has adjustable spring preload to give progressive characteristics and a plethora of tech – 12mm hardened steel rod, sintered bronze piston, Lubrifon PTFE piston guide shoe, Sealthane polyester resin scraper ring and low-viscosity oil – to give low friction and smooth operation.

VE (UK); 01159 462991; sales@ve-uk.com

Mitas Sport Force+ CF Moto 300SR 5 THE MID-MARKET SEGMENT FOR MOTORCYCLES, ESPECIALLY SPORTS MODELS, SEEMED to have died a death during the 2010s but since the introduction of the A2 license there has been something of a resurgence in popularity, helped by the attributes of manageable power and light weight.

New to the fray is the new 300 Sports Racing model from CF Moto. Powered by a quickrevving 292cc DOHC engine with Bosch fuel injection producing 29hp, the 300SR reinforces its sportsbike credentials with low-mounted handlebar and a racy riding position. The ABS brakes are disc front and rear, with suspension consisting of a 37mm upside-down fork with a monoshock at the back, and to bring the whole bike bang up to date there is a full-colour TFT instrument panel, LED lighting and smartphone connectivity. Price is yet to be confirmed, but is said to be “affordable” and “value for money”.

CF Moto; 01507 523900; customerservices@quadzillaquads.com

MITAS HAS UPDATED ITS Sport Force+ tyre with two new compounds – EV for hypersport bikes and RS for trackdays and racers.

The EV version is a road legal tyre said to have improved steering speed and feel, as well as a larger contact area to allow greater lean angles. The new compound also provides more grip when cornering, accelerating and braking. The Sport Force+ EV comes in size 120/70ZR17 for the front and 180/55, 190/50 and 190/55 ZR17 sizes for the rear.

The RS version is a soft racing tyre designed for dry track use, and comes in 110/70ZR17 and 140/70ZR17 sizes only.

Mitas Tyres; 0038 642 066142; sales@mitas-tyres.com

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MARCH 2021

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

KTM Factory Replica STACYC TWO NEW ELECTRIC POWERED BALANCE BIKES FROM KTM ARE aimed at youngsters making their first forays into the exciting world of PTWs. The smaller of the pair is the STACYC 12eDrive. Sized for 3-5 year olds it has an aluminium frame, 12in wheels with pneumatic tyres, a seat height of 33cm and an 8kg overall weight making it manageable to handle.

The power comes from a 20V battery providing up to 60 minutes run time, and speed is controlled through three levels to allow for steady progression as skills improve. The slightly larger 16eDrive model is for kids 4-8 years old and has a more powerful motor driving its 16in wheels. They are available in KTM or Husqvarna Factory replica colours.

KTM; 01327 850350; www.ktm.com

Gaerne Fastback 3 GAERNE’S FASTBACK IS NOW AVAILABLE IN A fluo yellow colour scheme that will stand out a mile on the track. The boot has a sleek look thanks to the “wrap around” ankle pivot system, which provides support and improves fit. New alloy buckles, toe bumpers and burn guards complete the update. SRP is £266.50.

MRS; 01423 772 885; info@mrsltd.co.uk

A NEW WATERPROOF TOURING BOOT HAS BEEN launched by Italian manufacturer Stylmartin. The Navajo is made from full-grain leather with an oiltreated finish and has a non-slip, 100% rubber sole.

Inside there is anti-shock padding and ankle bone protection, while outside is a PU shin guard and gear shift pad. It comes in euro sizes 38-47 in black only for an SRP of €259.

Dot4Distribution; 0203 514 2413; info@dot4distribution.com

Furygan gloves 4 FURYGAN’S NEW HEAT BLIZZARD D30 37.5 gloves have a hidden secret – they can be controlled by a smartphone. The Heat System app can turn the gloves’ heating on or off and control the heat level via Bluetooth. Programmable settings mean the gloves can be pre-heated before the morning commute, or you can be alerted to a dwindling battery. Alternatively, the heat output can be controlled by a single button on the cuff, with a series of lights showing the setting in use.

Beyond the tech, the gloves have a goatskin outer with a waterproof membrane and a thermal lining, plus there is a visor wipe and touchscreen compatible inserts. The battery lasts up to two and a half hours, or the gloves can be connected to the bike’s 12v supply which also unlocks “Superboost” mode – a 20% more powerful heat setting.

Available in black in sizes S-3XL at an SRP of £249.99.

Nevis Marketing; 01425 478936; info@nevis.uk.com

titanium sprocket titanium nuts sprocket nuts made from grade five 6al-4v - 1068 mpa titanium, offering superior strength and weight reduction. made from grade five 6al-4v - 1068 mpa titanium, offering available in titanium or superior black strength and weight reduction. titanium, in 5- or 6-piece kits. available in titanium or black titanium, in 5- or 6-piece kits.

rrp starting at

£27.49 (excl. VAT).

rrp starting at

£27.49 (excl. VAT).

threadlock 10ml medium strength threadlock recommended when fitting sprocket nuts threadlock 10ml www.britishdealernews.co.uk medium strength threadlock recommended when fitting sprocket nuts

£4.16 £4.16www.rg-racing.com (excl. VAT). (excl. VAT).

MARCH 2021 47

Product news

Stylmartin Navajo

Product news

Holy Freedom

Sena Premium speakers 5 GERMAN COMMS SPECIALIST SENA HAS launched upgraded speaker kits for its 10C Evo and 10C Pro systems. The new Premium HD speaker kits are said to offer a significant bass boost and improved clarity for better sounds on the move, and they also have a bevelled taper to reduce contact with the ear for greater comfort. In addition, there is a firmwear upgrade for the two 10C models to ensure they can use the new speakers to full effect. Kits retail for an SRP of €45.95.

Feridax; 01384 413841; info@feridax.com

NEW DESIGNS HAVE been added to Holy Freedom’s range of neck tubes. Designed and manufactured in Italy, the neck tubes are manufactured from a combination of Primaloft, polar fleece, recycled Repreve and Dry Keeper fabrics, and are made without seams that might chafe or irritate.

Various designs are available, some with lightweight fleece lining, with SRPs ranging from £22.50 to £25.50.

Dot4Distribution 0203 514 2413 info@dot4distribution.com

Mirror caps PUIG HAS COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF HAVING unsightly holes in the fairing on track bikes that have had their mirrors removed. Claimed to not affect the aerodynamics, the black-anodised aluminium caps come in a range of fittings to suit most popular Japanese sports bikes, with more fitments to follow. SRP is €30.60 + VAT. Puig; 0034 938 49 06 33; info@puig.tv

48

MARCH 2021

RST heated gloves 5 PART OF RST’S PRO SERIES, THE Paragon heated glove has returned for 2021 with a number of updates and improvements based on feedback from customers. The heating element now extends the full length of the fingers and across the back of the hand for better heat distribution, while the control button is recessed to make it easier to switch between the three heat levels. Impact protection is provided by a MaxTex outer with memory foam padding and an integrated TPU panel across the knuckle.

Smart touch finger tips and a visor wiper on each forefinger add extra functionality. They are available in black for an SRP of £189.99.

MotoDirect; 01773 864420; sales@moto-direct.com

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

Product news

Thor racewear 56 THOR HAS LAUNCHED SOME NEW COLOURS AND DESIGNS FOR ITS SPRING COLLECTION. The Pulse racewear range still uses set-in style sleeves and stretch panels for the jersey and precurved knees, ratchet closure and stretch side panels for the pants, but now has two new designs – HZRD in acid green or vibrant red, and the retro style Core LE. The top-of-the-range Prime Pro jersey and pants feature plenty of laser-cut ventilation and are made from moisture wicking, ultra lightweight material.

The pants have leather knee panels and Aramid fibre reduce knee-brace wear. The new design is called Cast and it comes in Midnight blue/black/white or Military green/grey/ yellow colourways.

Last but not least is the Reflex Cast helmet, which now comes in a white/light grey camouflage design to complement the Prime Pro outfit detailed above.

More details can be found in the new Thor online catalogue on the partseurope.eu website.

Parts Europe; 0049 6501 9695 1035; sales@partseurope.eu

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

Zero clothing ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE BRAND ZERO HAS teamed up with motorcycle clothing brand Pando Moto to make a limited edition range of casual clobber aimed at the urban biker. The collection includes T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies, all in black with a logo on the front and a print on the rear. Prices are yet to be revealed.

Zero Motorcycles; 01670 786078; dale.robinson@zeromotorcycles.com

MARCH 2021 49

GET YOUR

Product news

NEW PRODUCTS SEEN IN

2021

Nomad Evo Long

Product news

on 01237 422660

ews.co.uk or adsales@dealern

10TEN ElectricBIKE BRAND

Product news

PIT MOTOCROSS AND its first all10TEN has launched 10TENMX-E. It electric model – the and novice riders, is aimed at junior settings to restrict so has two power is capable speed until the rider full max of the enough to unleash to power the 1000W. This is enough of 45km/h.

MX-E up to a maximum battery can The removable lithium for a fullybe rapidly swapped ent, and can charged replacem 5 in four to six nose ph recharged be Trium then including SPECIALIST PYRAMID UK BODYWORK hours. SRP is £999 new its and labour Plastics has just launched a six-month parts nose fairing with Triumph Speed Twin warranty.

The nose 708607; specialist colour match.

Dualways; 01623 with a cockpit screen s.com fairings come fitted drew.m@dualway the Speed Twin

by Puig, and fit onto ion to the bike. The without modificat and are UK the in fairings are painted MX1 Roost Guard6 k Triumph’s paintwor SMART Kit Bike designed to match Rapid r5 look! Available in body SMART seRAPID BIKEarmou Daine NEW perfectly for an OEM ’S MX1 SRPs start THE DAINESE Silver, ARE Ice ly designed 2021 and FOR NEW both Korosi Red s fuelling kit is specificalbody protector performance of Euro MX2 Roost the Guard and at £155. to improve fuel/ enduro.

01427 677990; s and les by enrichening the motocros for 5 motorcyc Pyramid Plastics; 4 and a The compact-sized features range.

Guard rev lastics.co.uk Roost the ut MX1 ramid-p The sales@py air ratio througho lambda by controlling the this(certified r back protector Pro-Armo SMART module does from the operation 1) made to modify Level in order EN1621-2 tosensor signal andon the for comfort effect rubber module’s nitrile The ECU. expanded of the stock (Level increased or reduced , plus a chest be protector flexibility lambda signal can s (Level 1),Bluetooth and , shoulder app connected via 2), a freeprotector using defence delivery, an all-round power s forsmoother protector hip promises it and nts of up to 20% and entsadjustme impact. Velcro against torque improvem ventilated 5hp. fit, and the ately a tailored allow boosts of approxim cool in , power riders plug and play operation toakeep helps simple n is structure Installatio in R1250GS, R1250GS ion. Available BMW’s of competit models it fits are the current andthick the only, R1250RT. in blackand .com R1250RS or L-XXL) sizes, XXS-M rformanceparts-ltd Adventure, R1250R, of £219.99.

01327 706139; colin@pe SRP Parts; has an nce MX1 Performa a similar The MX2 model has the Pro-Armor with but , structure out for a more back protector swapped

ByCity RoadsterDESIGNS OF 1970’S

TO THE HARKING BACK face Roadster is a full racing lids, the ByCity F1 based on the JPS helmet with graphics shell era. The carbon fibre livery of the same comfortable fit, and is ovalised for a more sity impact absorbing multi-den a is th undernea a wide aperture opening inner shell. There’s a visor which gives for the thermoformed e and inside is a removabl vision, of field better D Closure is by double and washable interior. for an comes in size XS-XL buckle. The Roadster SRP of £229.95. ; 020 3514 2413; Dot4Distribution ution.com info@dot4distrib

r Terra Force rubbe MITAS IS

5 HJC RPHA 90SHELMET FROM HJC IS SAID TO

THE NEW FLIP FRONT the brand’s RPHA , taking cues from be “race inspired” comes in n means the the 90S 11. The track inspiratio and lightweight keep it as compact three shell sizes to to aid has a wide visor opening as possible, and it spired features include touring-in More vision. peripheral in the open or (so it can be ridden dual homologation locking visor, centre Pinlock-equipped closed positions), buckle fastener quick-release micro visor, sun n drop-dow Bluetooth accept HJC’s SMART for and it is ready to It comes in solid colours communication system. carbon for £479.99 for £449.99, plain graphics £399.99, for £499.99 SRP. or carbon with graphics s; 01993 862300; Oxford Product info@oxprod.com

Leovince

Contact Alison

room

cts for your show

The latest produ

BRAND SLOVENIAN TYRE to its extreme adding junior sizes Designed for enduro tyre range.

50 to 85cc, the motorcycles from new rubber company claims the and filters high levels of grip OF Malossiensures EXTENDED ITS RANGE excellent MALOSSI HAS stability, along with scooters. suitable for nce air filters forthem high performa handling, making the OE filterriders. range replacescompetitive The standard both novices andflat sponge in either 70/100-19 and comes element and The fronts come in filtersMX MH panel Force or as dedicated sizes in Terra Both configuration90/90-14 of maxi scooter.

Super compounds for certain models Super and C-21which can remove and a fine sponge ely. Rears are 90/100-16 styles utilise respectiv whilst filterMX MH than the OEForce smaller dirt particle 90/100-12 in Terra flow rate of air. Soft. higher Soft and C-20 Super maintaining aSuper te filters incorpora 066142; Red sponge The DoubleMitas Tyres; 0038 642 remove to layer finer, sponge itas-tyres.com a second, evensales@m an extra particles to provide dust pic microsco n. level of engine protectio 2991; VE (UK); 0115 946 m sales@ve-trade.co

Flare

THE START OF 2021 HAS SEEN SEVERAL NEW ADDITIONS TO RICHA’S TOURING BOOT range. The CE-approved Nomad Evo boots feature a Hipora waterproof and breathable membrane inside a matt finished leather shell, with added textile flex area for comfort. A pair of zips – one inner and RETAIL DEALERone outer – help to make getting the boots on and off easier, and an adjustable Velcro and leather overlay on the OFFER calf area provides a secure fit. There’s reflective material strategically placed at the heel area, a TPU overlay for gear changing and an oil and petrol resistant rubber sole. Available in euro sizes 36-48, the long boots have an SRP of £99.99 and the shorter version is £89.99.

The Flare is another CE-approved boot featuring a Hipora waterproof and breathable membrane, this time made with a mixed leather and textile construction with reflective material in a dot matrix pattern for low light and nighttime visibility. Fastening is by zip with a Velcro overlay for adjustment. There’s a TPU reinforced overlay for the gear change and ankle area and an oil and petrol resistant rubber sole.

Available in euro sizes 36-48, the Flare boots have an RRP of £129.99.

Nevis Marketing; 01425 478936; info@nevis.uk.com

FROM ONLY

Products

Nomad Evo Short

Richa boots 5

iral 5 Muc-Off Anti-vSHOT

ONE THIS ANTI-VIRAL canister of Grenade is a single-use It can be used compressed sanitiser. the inside in vehicles (to sanitise or indoors of a van, for example) rooms, staff in rooms (changing showroom). main a even or rooms can filled with It’s a compact 150ml m compounds quaternary ammoniu is said to kill and alcohol which as well as 99.99% of bacteria gs OF THE To use, simply Adjustable footpe MODIFICATION enveloped viruses.

RS WHICH ALLOW are the can A NEW SET OF ADAPTO in a matter of minutes trigger and leave footpegs r the press passenge and few minutes to do position of both rider in the room for a es manufacturer Puig. with a available from accessori adaptor together its thing. model-specific footpeg has an can be used for The system uses a the 20mm shifter A twin pack of canisters 40mm displacer – only. choice of 20mm or shifter is for pillion SRP of £14.99. r while the 40mm multiple allowing ts 307799; both driver and passenge 01202 incremen 15o Muc Off; be rotated 360o in om The displacer can sales@muc-off.c perfect fit . positions to get the ig.tv 49 06 33; info@pu Puig; 0034 938 MX2 Roost Guard

everyday item. or copper It comes in black same sizes as the colourway, in the SRP of £179.99.

MX1 version, for an Bike It; 02380 658700; .co.uk tradesales@bikeit

on 01237 Contact Alison

.co.uk es@dealernews 422660 or adsal

ws.co.uk

www.britishdealerne

36 FEBRUARY 2021

for Africa Twin

EXHAUST ED A NEW LINE OF LEOVINCE HAS DEVELOP which comes in CRF1100L Africa Twin systems for the Honda and Titanium.

Steel, Black Edition three finishes – Stainless ed AISI 304 is made of TIG-weld The stainless exhaust has been treated the black edition stainless steel, while ceramic-based black tant heat-resis to several coats of sleeve and version has an outer paint. The titanium All models TIG-welded titanium. bracket made from carbon , and feature a dual-flow . are ECE approved for UV resistance a matt clear coating fibre end-cap with models are €589 are €559, black stainless Stainless models €699. is and the titanium tion; 01706 212102; Moto GB Distribu il.com leovincegb@gma

Razor shocks

Tank film 5

ED A NEW RANGE R&G HAS LAUNCH film to prevent of tank protection k damage. scratches and paintwor non-yellowing Made from a tough the kits suit a wide polyurethene film, £19.99. machines. SRP is range of popular R&G; 01420 89007; racing.com alan.garrett@rg-

on 01237 Contact Alison

.co.uk es@dealernews 422660 or adsal

37 FEBRUARY 2021

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Tucano HiFive jacket 5 Send us the information we need, and we’ll put them in the mag and online. Remember, dealers need to be informed before consumers.

We need trade relevant information about the item, retail pricing and up to date contact details. Plus good quality imagery.

Send your information and images to: products@dealernews.co.uk or British Dealer News, 10 Daddon Court, Clovelly Road Ind Est, Bideford EX39 3FH

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MARCH 2021

TUCANO URBANO’S NEW HIFIVE IS AN ECO-QUILTED PUFFER JACKET with CE-certified AA classification. The urban style jacket is waterproof thanks to a outer laminated membrane, and it also has a five-layer construction to reinforce the insulation chambers. The first layer – made of a high-strength external Taslan polyamide fabric with a waterproof finish – is coupled with a second layer of waterproof and breathable membrane.

Beneath this are the third and fourth layers of interwoven mesh, creating the chambers for the padding. Last but not least, the fifth and final layer is another waterproof, breathable membrane. This allows for the stitching holding together the various panels of the jacket to be heat-sealed together to ensure it remains waterproof. The HiFive is available in black, in sizes S-3XL at an RRP of £199.99.

Tucano Urbano; 07799 626635; info@tucanourbano.com

K-TECH SUSPENSION HAS NEW shocks to improve the looks and handling of the Can-Am Ryker 900 Rally threewheeler. The nitrogen-filled Piggyback Razor shocks feature compression and rebound damping, spring preload and length adjustment to allow users to tune their ride to their requirements. They are available in a black anodised finish with a choice of spring rates for an SRP of £954.

K-Tech Suspension; 01283 559000; enquiries@ktechsuspension.com

RST Axiom airbag THE AXIOM HAS BEEN DESIGNED IN conjunction with airbag specialists In&Motion with the aim of producing an affordable airbagequipped jacket for everyday use. Made with a heavy-duty MaxTex outer, the Axiom features a breathable SinAqua waterproof lining and a fixed mesh lining, along with CE level 1 armour at the elbows and shoulders, plus of course the In&Motion airbag back protector. Available in all-black or black/grey/ fluo Yellow, the Axiom has an SRP of £279.99.

MotoDirect; 01773 864420; sales@moto-direct.com

Bar risers 5 PUIG’S BILLET ALLOY BAR RISERS come in 20 or 30mm heights and fit bars 22, 29 or 32mm in diameter They can be anodised black or silver, with prices from €24.50 SRP. Puig; 0034 938 49 06 33; info@puig.tv

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

D I R ECTO RY Our Classified Directory is packed full of the best suppliers in the industry. A one-stop reference point, helping you find the products and services you require – quickly! Our guide is now online too, at www.britishdealernews.co.uk, call 01237 422660 to get listed.

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MARCH 2021 51

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MARCH 2021 53

On the Money

On the Money Market analysis with financial editor Roger Willis

A

pproximately four and a half years after the UK’s referendum on EU membership, the full force of Brexit came into effect an hour before midnight on 31 December 2020. Since then, all sorts of unpleasant associated chickens have been coming home to roost, quite a lot impacting directly or indirectly on the motorcycle business.

The latest of these made me hark back to the early months of 2016, as the Vote Leave campaign was getting into full swing. I was commissioned by Motor Cycle News to write an industry viewpoint on the likely deleterious consequences of departure. But once my copy was duly submitted, an MCN staffer pulled a stunt.

When this piece was eventually published, it was accompanied by the ranting of some instantly forgettable backbench Tory MP, a devotee of the parliamentary motorcycling group and ardent Brexiteer. He had been invited to pour scorn on every aspect of what I’d written.

One of my suggestions, that he rubbished comprehensively, concerned the prospect of customs carnets being reintroduced for unregistered motorcycles transported to other European countries for sporting events. I had simply pointed

out the costs and bureaucracy burden this might entail. It was, he opined, unmitigated bollocks that would never happen.

On 10 February this year, the Auto-Cycle Union released a statement confirming my fears. Acting on advice, Britain’s

used to be, before creation of the EU single market abolished them.

In the early 1980s, I recall French customs agents at Boulogne pompously rummaging through the back of our truck, matching paperwork to VIN plates, during a foray to the Le Touquet beach

Their pursuit of absolute sovereignty above all else has dropped the British business community into a rampant costs-generating minefield of absurdities bikesport governing body says ATA Carnet international customs documentation is now obligatory in such circumstances.

In support of its licencecarrying members, the ACU has cut a special deal with an ATA Carnet issuer, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, for a fixed-price processing and arrangement fee of £240 plus VAT (reduced from the £330 plus VAT non-members of the Chamber would have to cough up).

In addition, a refundable deposit of 40% of the bike’s value, or a non-refundable insurance premium to cover that proportion, is necessary.

Being long in the tooth, I know what a pain in the arse carnets

race. Yet another Brexit joy that has returned to haunt us.

There are plenty of other examples, as it becomes increasingly explicit that the supposed tariff-free trade agreement negotiated on our behalf by Boris Johnson and his wacky chums isn’t fit for purpose.

Their pursuit of absolute sovereignty above all else has dropped the British business community into a rampant costs-generating minefield of absurdities.

The complex nature of modern manufacturing, where value is added to goods that repeatedly cross borders through global component-sourcing or in the form of sub-assemblies, flies in the face of EU “rules of origin”,

as British exporters into Europe are now discovering. Many are being forced to pay unanticipated tariffs through non-compliance, because their wares contain a surfeit of non-domestic widgets.

And many are on the receiving end of farcical propositions from their own wretched government, to off-shore main distribution centres (and the jobs that go with them) into the EU single market zone, so they can supply individual EU countries via a common regulatory and costs environment – the very same EU red tape we’ve just blithely abandoned. Perhaps the most depressing angle is some are giving up, surrendering whatever European sales they have left to foreign competition.

British importers, effectively including major motorcycle brands and their retail network presences in the UK, are hurting too. The parts and in some cases bike supply chains to dealers of all four Japanese players, and obviously indigenous European makers, all originate from warehousing in mainland Europe. Post-Brexit, supplies are “exported” to their operations in Britain’s shabby independence.

Since the beginning of January they’ve been handling a mountain of unfamiliar documents, declarations and duties, delaying deliveries and ramping up costs. Logistics

International Share Prices USA – FRESH FEAR FACTOR

EUROPE – MANUFACTURING RECOVERY

JAPAN – INSCRUTABLE MOOD?

American stocks struggled for traction all week as worries about the risk of Biden’s vast economic stimulus package stoking inflation grew. The consensus of Wall Street indices showed negativity. The S&P 500 and MidCap 400 posted respective losses of 0.7% and 0.4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was marginally 0.1% up. Powersports shares were all on the back foot to fairly minor degrees.

Kicking off on Tuesday, after the NYSE remained shut on Monday to mark George Washington’s birthday, Harley-Davidson fell by 1%, and then copped a firmer 2.8% retreat on Wednesday, down to a low of $34.99. On Thursday, investor nerves steadied and the share price added 0.3%. It then rallied 2.5% on Friday but still finished, 10.4% below Harley’s value pre-results on 2 February.

Following a rocky start to the week, an IHS Markit PMI survey of German manufacturers revealed that factory output had surged to a three-year high, backed by other data from eurozone countries indicating similar rates of industrial recovery.

Frankfurt’s Xetra Dax index bounced back to finish on a 0.4% gain.

Both Teutonic automotive giants with biker sidelines rode ahead of that, as did KTM parent Pierer.

Southern European sentiment wasn’t so strong, as Italy’s new prime minister Mario Draghi fought to impose discipline on his national unity coalition.

The Borsa Italiana MIB index in Milan fell by 1.2%, flipping from a fortnight of advances. Piaggio shares flatlined and Energica sank.

Although the Japanese are now broadly optimistic about economic recovery, a winning streak in Tokyo petered out as the weekend approached. However, the Nikkei 225 index still managed to hang onto a 1.7% rise at close of play. Japan’s four motorcycle manufacturers weren’t among whatever hot stocks were still attracting investors, and only Suzuki claimed a slight gain.

54

MARCH 2021

INDIA – CASHING IN THEIR CHIPS Given the Indian governments increasingly challenged economic management credibility, analysts from the Dalal Street financial district in Mumbai began to express opinions that equity valuations were “stretched”. That view promptly unleashed a

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disruption, usually stemming from tardy HM Customs clearance of mixed lorry or container loads on British soil, is another factor.

Complaints are mounting from dealers, on the sharp end from disgruntled customers. “We can’t guarantee parts and stock arriving with us from Europe like we used to,” said a typical dealer’s P&A manager. Others moan about price rises of up to 10%, because manufacturers have to cover import duty. Some are apparently subsidising all or part of the duty but will eventually have to pass it on to their dealers and the public in turn. Customers’ bikes are languishing in dealer workshops awaiting parts, for days running into weeks on occasion.

There is also a scarcity of new-season motorcycle stock landing on British shores. Dealer bulletins are full of distanced forward orders and stretched

ago, the City of London was still pretty much unchallenged financial capital of Europe and by far the biggest single source of taxation revenue for the UK Exchequer. Britain had a plumptious £18bn trade surplus in financial services with the

availability, and warnings about price increases. Suspicions that Britain’s “third country” status has put it last on the list for inventory shipments, behind more easily manageable EU destinations, are unavoidable.

Apart from our increasingly

Will the last Canary Wharf or Citybased investment banker getting ready to step aboard a Eurostar please turn out the lights? uncomfortable niche, the bigger Brexit picture isn’t looking so bright either. Johnson’s spitthin deal gesturally covered only goods, not services, and crucially not the financial services in which I have specialised for decades.

Little more than 12 months

A snapshot of share performance across key manufacturers and markets bout of profit-taking from investors trying to stay ahead of the game. In consequence, the Bombay Stock Exchange BSE Sensex 30 index retreated by 1.3% and every major indigenous motorcycle manufacturer suffered weekly losses.

CHINA – HOLIDAY HANGOVER Brokers in Shanghai and Shenzhen returned to work for just two sessions on Thursday and Friday, upon conclusion of the main Lunar New Year holiday celebrations. Trading activity was muted, with expectations of a domestic interest-rate hike putting pressure on equities demand and, potentially, consumer credit.

Shanghai’s SSE Composite index still rose by 1.1% and six of the ten listed Chinese bike manufacturers stayed shiny side up.

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

EU. But that position is fading rapidly.

Within barely a month of finally quitting the EU’s embrace, Amsterdam has usurped London as Europe’s top share trading hub. In January, equity volumes on Euronext Amsterdam and Dutch outposts of the Cboe Europe and Turquoise exchanges

Price

Week Month

35.97 121.86 50.81

-1.1% -0.3% -0.2%

-13.0% +2.6% +2.2%

Europe (euro) BMW 71.58 Volkswagen 189.10 Pierer Mobility 69.00 Piaggio Group 3.12 Energica Motor 1.78

+1.9% +4.5% +1.5% N./A -3.3%

+0.5% +5.4% +3.8% +4.0% +3.5%

Japan (yen) Honda Yamaha Suzuki Kawasaki

-1.3% +4.5% -2.7% +9.9% +0.9% -2.9% -0.9% -4.6%

USA (dollar) Harley-Davidson Polaris Industries Textron

2981.00 2393.00 4951.00 2294.00

Share performance as of 19 February 2021

climbed four-fold to a daily average of €9.2bn. London’s daily slice of the action sank to the equivalent of €8.6bn.

When this revelation flashed into media headlines, ITV News pundit Robert Peston pithily remarked: “The idea that Amsterdam would eclipse London never felt remotely plausible, until we left the EU.” In the interest-rate swaps market, virtually owned by City brokers until all this fertiliser hit the fan, their penetration has slumped from about 70% in the middle of last year to just 20% now. Brokerages are reportedly scuttling out of London’s hallowed Square Mile at an exponential rate towards Amsterdam and other European financial hubs such as Frankfurt and La Défense in Paris.

Will the last Canary Wharf or City-based investment banker getting ready to step aboard a Eurostar please turn out the lights? 

India (rupee) Hero MotoCorp Bajaj Auto TVS Motor Eicher Motors Mahindra

Price

Week Month

3388.40 4000.90 606.30 2585.85 876.45

-3.6% +0.3% -3.3% -2.3% -4.7% +16.1% -7.0% -13.1% -3.6% +9.8%

China (yuan) Qianjiang 23.88 Zongshen 6.97 Sundiro 2.25 CETC Energy 13.30 Lifan 5.39 Loncin 3.19 Linhai 5.93 Guangzhou Auto 11.22 CFMoto 156.59

-1.1% +4.5% +0.4% -2.6% -0.4% +6.0% +3.7% +2.2% -6.8%

-13.6% -2.8% -10.4% +3.7% +0.2% -0.9% +3.1% -6.8% -17.1%

China (HK dollar) Jianshe 4.18

+2.2%

-11.8%

MARCH 2021 55

On the Money

Helping Motorcycle Dealers

New registrations

Registration data New motorcycle and scooter registrations for January 2021 2021 / 2020 Registrations by Style MOPEDS

Jan 2021

Year to Date Jan 2020

Change

Jan 2021

Jan 2020

Highest Registering Model by Style

% Change

Jan 2021 Registrations

Moped Scooters

239

301

-20.6%

239

301

-20.6%

Yadea C-Like YD 1200

20

Moped Others

112

97

15.5%

112

97

15.5%

Leeway ZNAG 50

42

TOTAL MOPEDS

351

398

-11.8%

351

398

-11.8%

Adventure Sport

553

1004

-44.9%

553

1004

-44.9%

BMW R1250 GS Adventure

62

Custom

187

358

-47.8%

187

358

-47.8%

Keeway Superlight

41

MOTORCYCLES

Naked

891

1799

-50.5%

891

1799

-50.5%

Honda CBF125M

58

Scooter

1012

1326

-23.5%

1015

1326

-23.5%

Honda SH125

159

Sport/Tour

49

88

-44.3%

49

88

-44.3%

Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX

17

Supersport

173

454

-61.9%

173

454

-61.9%

Lexmoto LXR125

37

35

102

-65.7%

35

102

-65.7%

BMW R 1250 RT

15

522

576

-9.4%

522

576

-9.4%

KTM 300 EXC TPI

43

Touring Trail/Enduro Unspecified

13

2

550.0%

13

2

550.0%

3438

5709

-39.8%

3438

5709

-39.8%

Scooter

25

30

-16.7%

25

30

-16.7%

Piaggio MP3 300 Sport

10

Other

20

9

122.2%

20

9

122.2%

Multiple Items

5

TOTAL TRICYCLES

45

39

15.4%

45

39

15.4%

3834

6146

-37.6%

3834

6146

-37.6%

TOTAL MOTORCYCLES TRICYCLES

TOTAL REGISTRATIONS

2021 / 2020 Registrations by Capacity ENGINE BAND 0 - 50cc

Jan 2021

Year to Date

Jan 2020

% Change

Jan 2021

Jan 2020

Highest Registering Model by Style

% Change

Jan 2021 Registrations

520

434

19.8%

520

434

19.8%

Vmoto Super Soco CPX

64

51 - 125cc

1481

2055

-27.9%

1481

2055

-27.9%

Honda SH125

159

126 - 650cc

859

1391

-38.2%

859

1391

-38.2%

KTM 300 EXC TPI

43

651 - 1000cc

468

1192

-60.7%

468

1192

-60.7%

Yamaha Tenere 700

31

over 1000cc

506

1074

-52.9%

506

1074

-52.9%

BMW R1250 GS Adventure

62

TOTAL REGISTRATIONS

288

108

166.7%

3834

6146

-37.6%

BRANDS CHART Top Ten Manufacturers January 2021

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Honda ..........................................549 Lexmoto .......................................310 KTM .............................................288 Yamaha .........................................271 BMW ............................................253 Triumph ........................................190 Kawasaki.......................................143 Piaggio..........................................117 SYM ...............................................94 Keeway ...........................................89

Alternative power registrations January 2021 Alternative power registrations data is also included in the overall market data shown in the tables above

2021 / 2020 Registrations by Capacity POWER BAND 1-4kW 4-11kW

Jan 2020

% Change

179

74

141.9%

179

74

141.9%

5

1

400.0%

5

1

400.0% 100.0%

2

1

100.0%

2

1

2

-50.0%

1

2

-50.0%

Unknown

101

30

236.7%

101

30

236.7%

TOTAL REGISTRATIONS

288

108

166.7%

288

108

166.7%

2021 / 2020 Registrations by Style

Naked Supersport

MARCH 2021

Jan 2021

1

Scooter

56

% Change

15-35kW

Adventure Sport

tel 02476 408000; www.mcia.co.uk

Year to Date

Jan 2020

over 35kW

MOTORCYCLES

Registration statistics supplied by the MCIA;

Jan 2021

Jan 2021

Jan 2020 2

MOPEDS 1

Moped Scooters

7

10

Moped Others

125

16

TOTAL MOPEDS

1

0

Jan 2021

Jan 2021

77

53

42

19

119

72

TRICYCLES

Trail/Enduro

22

5

Commercial Tricycle

0

0

Unspecified

2

2

Tricycle

11

2

159

34

TOTAL TRICYCLES

11

2

289

108

TOTAL MOTORCYCLES

TOTAL ALTERNATIVE POWER REGISTRATIONS

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

DOOMSTERS AND GLOOMSTERS SHOULDN’T jump to the wrong conclusions about January’s MCIA new registrations data. There were a lot of factors in play. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.

Overall numbers were 37.6% down to 3834.

Motorcycles fell by 44.7% to 2423. Scooters sank by a more reasonable 23.5% to 1015. Mopeds were 11.8% lower at 351. But the 0-50cc power band in which they reside, including equivalent e-bikes, increased by 19.8% to 520. Trikes added 15.4% to 45.

So what are the ameliorating influences? After December’s underogated Euro 4 preregistrations party, there was always going to be a hangover.

The sell-through of already-plated machines would inevitably cause a downwards distortion.

In addition, many brands are desperately short of inventory, due to freshly-imposed importation bureaucracy and logistics hurdles post-Brexit.

Supply chains will settle down. But it’ll take some time to overcome delays.

And then particularly horrible winter weather throughout much of the UK has coincided with this latest ongoing Covid lockdown. The vast majority of dealerships remained open behind locked showroom doors, selling remotely and completing deals via either click-and-collect round the back at their workshop entrances or with home deliveries. But persistent rain, snow, frost, ice and gale-force winds hardly enhanced motorcycling USPs. However, demand for self-isolating mobility solutions as a much safer alternative to public mass transport clearly didn’t go away. That aforementioned 0-50cc band bucked January’s

Rolling Year Comparison

shrinkage trend altogether. And it’s interesting to note that 64 samples of Vmoto’s 4kW Super Soco CPx electric scooter achieved highest-registered status in the band.

Total scooters including moped versions were just 22.8% down to 1279. In a broadly similar vein, 51-125cc machines declined by 27.9% to

Many brands are desperately short of inventory, due to freshly-imposed importation bureaucracy and logistics hurdles post-Brexit 1481. Honda’s SH125 claimed both scooter and eighth-litre leadership accolades. These figures stand in stark contrast to the entire 126cc-plus market, which halved – plummeting by 49.9% to 1833 machines.

Major brand rankings were fairly opaque.

Honda held its usual hegemony but plunged by 57.1%. Lexmoto was a surprising runnerup, given the large number of bikes it was obliged to preregister in December, 37% in arrears. The Chinese brand’s LXR125SY was also highest-registered (and presumably derogated) supersport product. KTM in third podium position was 35.4% down, and had enough

The percentage of the overall market made up of scooters

2019/20 2020/21

www.britishdealernews.co.uk

The Ténéré 700 belied Yamaha’s stock shortages to top the 651-1000cc sector

NMDA COMMENT

F

Scooter Market Performance

leftover 300EXC TPI enduro ironmongery with appropriate status to dominate the relevant style category.

Yamaha fell to fourth place with a 61.6% loss.

Anecdotally, we understand it is particularly challenged by supply-chain problems from Europe. But there was still sufficient made-inFrance Ténéré 700 stock around to top the 6511000cc chart. Whether BMW Motorrad, 41.9% lower in fifth, has sourcing issues is unknown.

However, its R1250GS Adventure hung onto supremacy in the eponymous style sector.

Sixth-ranked Triumph sank by 60.8% and Kawasaki was the final comparable brand on a 33.2% reduction in seventh. A mere 17 samples of the Ninja 1000SX earned sport/tour stardom.

Below them, completing the ten-strong grid, were respectively Piaggio, SYM and Keeway. They replaced Suzuki, Harley-Davidson and Royal Enfield appearances in the January 2020 rankings – all of whom must therefore have registered fewer than 89 machines each in the first month of this year.

ollowing a particularly strong year that demonstrated the ability of businesses to adapt and embrace click and collect, January’s decline indicates a degree of weariness in the marketplace, but dealers remain positive about 2021”, said Paddy O’Connell, head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) commenting on the latest MCIA registration figures.

“The MCIA’s latest statistics show the overall PTW market was down 37.6% in January, a total of 2312 fewer units sold compared to the same period last year. With much of the UK plunged into further Covid-related restrictions throughout January, the weariness of the marketplace may have contributed to the drop in motorcycle and scooter sales, respectively down -43.1% and -22.8%.

“Honda remains the major brand seller, followed by Lexmoto and KTM. The BMW R1250 GS Adventure retains the mantle of best-selling motorcycle, showing that riders may continue to consider their leisure use and longer journeys this year, with a number of travel restrictions to remain in place. On a positive note, the sale of electric PTWs increased by 166.7%, as more products

become available.

“There is no doubt that the cessation of CBT has negatively impacted the sales of the smaller capacity PTWs, but despite that, the highest registering scooter, the Honda SH 125, managed sales of 159 units. The NMDA has repeatedly highlighted the issue to the government and indicated that there is a large proportion of riders who need to renew their training in order to keep in gainful employment, plus many last-mile delivery services require new staff to cope with enhanced demand resulting from the latest lockdown.”

O’Connell, added: “Overall, NMDA members have expressed a positive outlook for 2021, with many budgeting for a strong year of sales as riders, both new and old alike, are expected to turn to PTWs for leisure travel and escapism.

“These ‘new’ riders will be critical to success in 2021. Attracting different age demographics to our products has long been a concern and we need to, as an industry, work further together to highlight all the benefits of PTWs”.

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE DEALERS ASSOCIATION

MARCH 2021 57

New registrations

A COMPLEX REGISTRATIONS PICTURE

Used bike data

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Top thirty fastest selling bikes Average days advertised before sale

1. Honda CRF250L _____________ 8 2. KTM EXC __________________ 9 3. Honda Vision ______________ 13 4. Honda PCX125 ____________14.5 5. Yamaha YS125 _____________ 16 6. Piaggio MP3 _______________ 17 7. BMW R1250GS ____________ 19 8. Yamaha NMAX ____________19.5 9. Honda SH300 _____________20.5 10. Yamaha MT-125 ____________ 21

11. Honda SH125 _____________23.5 12. Honda CBR650R ____________ 24 13. Honda MSX _______________ 26 14. Ducati 899 Panigale _________ 26 15. KTM 390 Duke _____________ 26 16. Ducati Monster 1200 ________ 27 17. Honda CBF125 _____________ 27 18. KTM 125 Duke ____________27.5 19. Kawasaki Versys 1000 ________ 28 20. Suzuki GSR750 _____________ 28

n this issue we look at the fastest selling bikes for the period starting 1 December through to 11 February, where strong demand has been shown, with email, chat and text leads growing by 47% compared with the same period 12 months ago.

The price of the average bike listed on Auto Trader is up 6% year-on-year. It’s no surprise to see that the overall speed of sale of bikes in December was eight days faster than the previous year and the equivalent figure for January was seven days faster.

The list is headed up by two enduro models, both of which sell, on average, in fewer than ten days, followed by four scooters. There’s some good representation from 1000cc+ adventure bikes in the top 30 too, with BMW’s R1250GS heading up that

trio with an average of 19 days to sell.

Yamaha and Honda models are proving very fast sellers, with the two Japanese brands accounting for half of the models in the top thirty.

I

21. Yamaha YZF-R125___________ 28 22. Yamaha XJR1300 ___________ 28 23. Honda Monkey ____________28.5 24. KTM 1290 Super Adventure ___ 29 25. Suzuki RV125 VanVan ________ 30 26. Kawasaki ER-6N ___________30.5 27. Triumph Sprint ST 1050 ______ 31 28. Yamaha MT-07 _____________ 31 29. Honda CB125R _____________ 32 30. Yamaha MT-09 ____________32.5 Honda CRF250L

PAUL EDMONDSON Product lead, Auto Trader Bikes

BMW R1250GS

AWAITING POST-LOCKDOWN MARKETS WITH OPTIMISM Recent feedback suggests that retail activity in January was challenging for most dealers, largely a result of lockdown-3. However, some dealers believed trade was no worse than normal, with January typically quiet anyway.

Although most dealers are now offering online sales platforms including click-and-collect, the fact that consumers are unable to view machines in showrooms is discouraging their commitment to purchase. However, the majority of dealers are optimistic that the market will bounce back once lockdown-3 ends. It remains unclear when the lockdown will end, although it is looking likely it will be mid-way through March at the earliest, which ordinarily is when market activity accelerates, so it could be a late start to the season.

It is worrying that new mutations of Covid-19 continue to be identified, however, the vaccine program carries on rolling out at pace across the country, giving hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Motorcycle Auctions 58 MARCH 2021

TOP SELLING MODELS As with recent months, demand remains strong across all sectors, although scooters and commuter machines continue to lead the way.

The Suzuki V-Strom 650 is fairly buoyant with Triumph Tigers in strong demand too, which

Stock availability remains a challenge for many dealers which is potentially further hindering sales

holding firm. There seems to be less trade-totrade activity currently, as dealers hold on to what stock they have rather than trading it out into the market. An increase in private sales is also likely to be compounding the issue.

SALES ACTIVITY

STOCK

Following a cold January, with snow and ice for some, February started in a similar vein with poor riding conditions. However, considering that used stock availability is still difficult, and dealers will want healthy levels when lockdown-3 ends, values have been held across the board in Glass’s March edition, except where trade feedback or evidence from the market indicated models required specific adjustments.

Stock availability remains a challenge for many dealers which is potentially further hindering sales.

Auction activity is fairly strong with residual values

Paul McDonald Leisure vehicle editor, Glass’s

have also been a popular choice for commuting purposes recently.

To enter a bike or open a buying account please call 01530 833535 Every 3rd Thursday of every month @ 11.00am www.britishdealernews.co.uk fleetauctiongroup.com

2021

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