Dealernews Issue#10 October 2020

DN 2.0 #10

DEALER PROFILE

Perri’s Powersports, Part II

PRESS PASS

2-Stroke World Championship & Max Matters MX

INDUSTRY RESEARCH BRP Top UTV

IS THE ADV/SCOOTER OUR FUTURE? Combining Two Global Success Stories

CONTENTS 04 WORLD’S LUCKIEST MAN Bob Althoff On Seeing Around Corners

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06 58 08 LETTERS+ 60 10 SHOWTIME+ 63 12 NEWS+ 64 16 SHIFTING GEARS+ 66 20 DEALER PROFILE+ 26 OEM UPDATE: HONDA ADV150 68 30 INDUSTRY RESEARCH+ 70 32 INDUSTRY RESEARCH+ 74 INDUSTRY RESEARCH+ 34 76 PIPER PICKS A PECK OF...

38 PIED 78 eDEALERNEWS 41 79 CURRENTS+ 42 80 ADVOCACY+ 46 EDITORS NOTE

Robin Hartfiel On Dealernews 2.0 Turning 2 The Industry On Dealernews AIMExpo And IMS Updates News Dealers Can Use

Who Is Working Where

Perri’s Powersports Part II An Adventure Scooter?

PERFORMANCE+

Mark Rodgers On Performance Metrics

OFFROAD+

Charlie Williams On Ron LaMastus Memorial

OPINION +

Larry Daniel On Perspective

PERSONNEL FILEs+

Alex Baylon On Not Today COVID!

CONFESSIONS OF A CUSTOMER Eric Anderson On The Mentor Gap

MIC RIDE REPORT

What Does The MIC Do For You?

ADVOCACY+

Don Amador On A Shocking Fight Ahead!

DIVERSITY+

Alisa Clickenger On Adapt, Overcome And Embrace

Dr. Paul Leinberger On ’Tis The Season…

GEAR+

Lenny Sims On NADAGuides Numbers

PRESS PASS+

Don Musick On To Infinity… And Beyond

PRESS PASS+

UTVs Calling The Tunes

PARTING SHOT+

Shocking Developments

AD INDEX

Watts Up?

VALE+

Editor’s Choice Because We Are Good Like That

Wiseco & Fasthouse 2-Stroke Championship Max Matters! Road 2 Recovery & Vintage Iron Vs. Depression

City Of Sturgis Defends Itself This issue Brought To You By… Ave Atque Vale Bruce Flanders

Scot Harden On A View From The Hinterlands

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26 Photo by Jason Gearld

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OUR TEAM Bob Althoff World’s Luckist Man EDITORIAL Robin Hartfiel Editor Gus Stewart Creative Director Brenda Stiehl Production Manager CONTRIBUTORS Don Musick Genesys Technology Solutions Dr. Paul Leinberger Denny+Leinberger Strategy Eric Anderson Vroom Network Lenny Sims NADA Appraisal Guides Scot Harden AMA Hall Of Fame/Harden Offroad Hector Cademartori Illustrations William Douglas Little Unique Powersports Charlie Williams Off Road Editor Marq Smith Holeshot Motorsports, Canada Alisa Clickenger Women’s Motorcycle Tours Don Amador Quiet Warrior Racing Joe Bonnello Joe B Photography Uncle Paul Wunsch Love Cycles The Anonymous Dealer Dealer Advisory Board Bob Althoff Chairman Joey Belmont Big #1 Sports Jim Boltz Lynnwood Cycle Barn/WMDA Jim Foster Killeen Power Sports George Gatto Gatto Harley-Davidson Malcolm Hunter Deeley Harley-Davidson Robert Kay Star City Motorsports Bob Kee Destination Cycle Jerry Lenz Beaverton Motorcycles Kurt Mechling Performance PowerSports Don Owens Dothan Powersports Mark Peterson Southwest Superbikes Sandy Stroope Boat World Honda Polaris

ADVERTISING Robin Hartfiel Publisher (949) 489-4306 robinhartfiel@gmail.com Blake Foulds Account Executive (760) 715-3045 Blakefoulds@dealernews.com John Murphy Publishing Consultant johnmurphydn@gmail.com

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Dealernews Magazine 7754 State Route 36/37e Sunbury, OH 43074 www.dealernews.com © Copyright 2020

OCTOBER 2020

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World’s Luckiest Man

By Bob Althoff

SEEING AROUND CORNERS

B

ack in the day, Jack Welch was running what was, at the time, considered to be one of the world’s great companies. General Electric was the darling of Wall Street; it ran a stable of massive industrial subsidiaries; and was churning out newly minted executives from its renown mid-career Leadership Academy.

You may remember the culture of G.E. was such that 10% of the staff, having been identified as the bottom tier, were simply fired every year. I remember thinking at the time how harsh this seemed. I could understand perhaps culling the herd this way for a few years in a row — four, five, maybe six?

But every single year? This seemed draconian because of its inevitability no matter how well G.E. was doing.

Welch was interviewed once about how they trained and identified their leaders. “I look for people who have the ability to see around corners.”

Hmmmmmm

No one can do such a thing. But leaders who absorb the landscape and anticipate what is next can prepare the contingency plan, rally the troops and win the day.

Leadership has been on my mind recently.

As I write this, we have a pretty momentous presidential election in 9 days. Time to start peering around the corner.

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I will avoid the temptation to tell you how I have voted. But I am aware that this race could go either way. And I have already begun to sort through the potential impacts on our industry should we have a new Democratic resident in the White House. And/or a Democratic Senate. And/or a Democratic majority in the House. Or all of the above.

I was on a Dealer Advisory Council Zoom video conference a couple of days ago with Eric Pritchard, his staff from the Motorcycle Industry Council and a number of prominent dealers from around the country. You will be comforted to know that we resolved to immediately convene as soon as the election results are known. Why? Primarily because there are potential regulatory changes that could threaten our very existence as an industry.

I can remember walking the halls of Congress back in the Obama/Biden days trying to convince Legislators that Elizabeth Warren’s new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was just dead wrong about believing that dealers would hurt consumers by not getting them the best rate possible on their financing of their new powersports unit. If we were not there with multiple indirect lenders competing for the consumer’s business — thereby driving rates LOWER, i.e., making our products as affordable as possible — consumers would be greatly hurt!

We needed to help our customers. And be paid fairly for doing so. To suggest that we would discriminate against our customers was empirically false. To cap dealers’ compensation, or outlaw any compensation for that matter, as the CFPB wanted to do (based on virtually no evidence)… utter madness!

Well, we may be back walking those same halls in Congress because the Wall Street Journal last week said that the CFPB may be doing “an immediate 180 degree turn!”

As a dealer, I know that my support of the MIC, my state motorcycle association and maybe, just maybe, one day soon, an effective National Powersports Dealers Association will all need to be “looking around corners” in order to protect our customers and our dealerships.

Bob

Adventure and Dual Sport motorcycle sales over the first three quarters of 2020 are all things to be grateful for, but what about the future,” questions the AMA and Class of 2020 Trailblazers Hall of Fame. “Is this boom sustainable? Or have we just pulled future sales forward? Are we about to experience a June swoon?

Editor’s Note

By Robin Hartfiel

DEALERNEWS 2.0 TURNS 2

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indsight is 20/20 as they say, but if we knew what 2020 was going to be like back when Bob Althoff, Eric Anderson, John Murphy and I first decided to get the band back together again two years ago, we probably would have had second thoughts! The demise of Motorcycle Consumer News and American Iron Magazine, Bonnier ceasing publication of its entire powersports portfolio and shifting the IP to Octane for a digital-only endeavor — who would have guessed the oldest motorcycle monthly Motorcyclist and the largest circulation motorcycle magazine Cycle World would be out of print when our braintrust met up at LAX in 2018?

Who am I kidding? Decisions related to motorcycles and magazines have rarely been rational! We are passionate about what we do… thinking it through? Eh, not so much… then again even Borat is back — who would have seen that coming? Dealernews 2.0, like many of our dealer friends, exists because we are too stubborn, too stupid and too much into motorcycles to make sound business decisions!

Please take a moment to read what Scot Harden has submitted for this issue (starting on page 46). It is powerful, truthful, passionate and encompasses what the powersports industry is all about. He is optimistic and issues a dire warning all in one... huge wins and major losses. Sure, Scot sees it from the dirt side of things these days, but his unique weltanschauung is a true microcosm of our entire industry.

“Make no mistake; the great news about retail sales of offroad motorcycles and accessories, UTV sales, the growth in

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“The impact of COVID-19 on our sport, businesses, way of life has redefined how we see ourselves as a country and a nation. It has revealed the best of us and the worst of us,” Harden continues. “Our collective reaction to the pandemic has changed our country forever; the final results yet to be tallied.”

Indeed, what happens when it is time to pay the butcher’s bill for all the cuts, postponements and outright cancellations of the powersports media, races and shows? Not to steal Scot’s thunder, suffice to say we all need to look outside our bubble and see what is going on out there. Harden has been juggling Vegas To Reno (the longest off-road race in America) with one of the largest UTV events in the world (the National Desert Cup) with the 36th annual Nevada 200 Trailride, dealing with Federal, County, City, Tribal and global authorities to pull off the impossible during the pandemic.

“What I have experienced over the past couple of months of hosting these events has not only changed my life; it has also given me some clear insight into what is going on at the level of the typical powersports customer, the weekend warrior and race enthusiast. It’s given me the opportunity to engage with tens of thousands of off-road enthusiasts, to hear their stories and to help form impressions about the importance of racing and other group activities in their lives.”

October’s issue marks the second anniversary of Dealernews 2.0 being delivered to the AIMExpo... if we knew then what we know now, the “bad idea” of bringing back a motorcycle trade magazine should have definitely been nipped in the bud! Instead, we are grabbing a fist full of throttle and looking through the COVID curve to see what is coming our way in the next couple of years!

Former Editor-in-Chief and publisher of Dealernews circa 19902003, Robin returns to the magazine. In addition to having been instrumental in creating the Dealernews Top 100 program (still the industry’s ultimate accolade for a motorcycle dealership), Hartfiel has worked for most of the B2B publications in the Powersports arena. Prior to the trade side, he worked as a beat reporter for a local newspaper and was an editor of publications ranging from All About Beer to VW Trends.

SAY IT AIN’T SO, AIMEXPO In a world full of pandemic paranoia, the powersports retailers have outstripped the supply chain of all kinds of product.

In the process they, and their customers have made OEMs a lot of money.

Our retailers have shown the kind of tenacity and guts that we now need the MIC Board (populated by a majority of OEM execs) to step up and declare the AIMExpo open for business as usual.

Zoom meetings work in the corporate world. Sort of…

However, a Zoom-based AIMExpo “virtual-event” cannot duplicate the necessary networking, informational based and interactive event of AIMExpo in person.

Our retailers figured out how to do business adhering to COVID guidelines every day. Their customers dealt with COVID guidelines to buy the products OEs and distributors had to sell — to the tune of a 50% increase in the first half of this crazy year.

Now those same retailers have lots of questions. They need the ideas and interaction to figure out how to hold on to these new and return customers.

Please, MIC, don’t cheat the industry out of this great opportunity. The AIMExpo that is coming may very well be the most relevant one in its history, and we need it now more than ever.

Rick Dorfmeyer, Professional Green Valley, AZ

Power

Sports

Following the Q3 MIC Board of Directors meeting, Cinnamon Kernes, VP of MIC Events, announced AIMExpo 2021 has been postponed. See page 10 for the official statement.

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DEALERNEWS Hi Robin, Congratulations on your second year with DN 2.0! We all think you’re doing a great job with Dealernews.

Eric Lawrence, Principal Automotive Analyst, Specialty Vehicles Black Book

blackbook.com MY NEXT RIDE, RE-RUN Certainly proud to have Dealernews rerun “My Next Ride” in the September issue. This memory comes back so vividly it still takes my breath away. Remember the Alliance, Texas, location for Tucker Rocky? I was crossing the main highway to pull into the parking lot to start my work day. I was listening to Howard Stern on the radio. He said something like “Wait, just in. Unbelievable, two jumbo jets just flew into the Twin Towers, so are you going to believe this one?”

At that point I had the thought of how bad his humor was and this was a vile and ugly joke. Howard needed to be shot for stooping to this for humor. I got out of my Suburban (Texas you know about Chevy Suburbans) and walked into the main entrance of TR. There was a crowd standing in the lobby. I could tell something was up.

Good Miss Cynthia the receptionist had the TV on, but something was very off. I said I could not believe the cheap shot Howard Stern just took… Then I woke up to the fact that most of the crowd was crying. Cynthia could hardly speak. She just hugged me crying and said, “Frank, it is real. It happened.” Then I looked up at the TV and watched it happening seeing the twin towers get hit and then fall.

I never felt a hit like that in my life.

I called all of the employees together and we went outside and formed a big circle.

We all joined hands. I openly prayed with them. I shut the company down and told everyone to go home and pray.

Eyes teared up just telling this all these years later.

That next ride is coming… and it is quite ambitious. The ankle is feeling good and it is strong. I have not put it through a load like this, though. The Surgeon says it is completely healed, but would rather not have me back for any repair work.

In September to commemorate 9/11 and that next ride I wrote about, I’m starting the Ride BDR Middle Atlantic Off Road Ride. One heck of a test for the new ankle. It starts in Tennessee and ends in New York. It is 1,080 miles end-to-end and 90% off road trails. I’m riding it with two other legends, Dr. Bill Deal and Charley Stapleford. They both still hold an “A” Enduro card, as I do too. The kicker is that I’m 71 and I’m the youngster. Bill is 83 and Charlie is 85.

They are still bloody fast.

Our plan is about 200 miles per day.

I did not know anything about Ride BDR before this… Incredible organization.

Check them out: RideBDR.com. They have off road routes all over the country.

They are all GPS — Butler Maps also provide a detailed map with all of the advice, risky spots, hotels, etc.

I’ll keep you posted. Many friends have told me I’m crazy and I need to hang it up. I love it when they talk that way.

Frank Esposito, Motorcycle Industry Precisionist Frank Esposito Consulting Coatesville, PA

SOUND OFF! Dealernews is indeed back. Join in the conversation via e-mail: Editor@dealernews.com Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ dealernews/ Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DealernewsFan/ Follow along on Dealernews.com Tune into the new YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/ channel/UCZE6q4gQ5EIz0nOX4WaXw1w

VALE RALPH HUDSON Thanks so much, Robin. This means a lot… not only to me, but the entire LSR community. It’s wonderful. Thank you.

Jean Turner, Writer/Journalist Murrieta, CA

GODSPEED RALPH, GOD BLESS DEALERNEWS What would it take to get a 2’x3’ blow up of this cover for the shop? Ralph Hudson was a good racing friend and mentor and I’d love to have him encouraging me everyday in the shop. I’m thinking of having it done on metal.

Justin Leineweber Leineweber Enterprises Johnson Valley, CA https://www.leinewebercams.com/

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OPEN LETTER TO INDUSTRY TAKE IT OUTSIDE, KIDS we have always placed an emphasis on evolving ON BEHALF OF AIMEXPO “ tourIMS,shows to better support the community and

F

ollowing the third-quarter meeting of the MIC Board of Directors, AIMExpo issued the following statement from Cinnamon Kernes, vice president and general manager, MIC Events:

“We have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 AIMExpo, the industry’s annual trade show, and while this wasn’t an easy choice it is certainly the right one.

“With local directives limiting gathering size, travel restrictions, and a myriad of other obstacles created by the pandemic, there are too many unknown factors limiting our ability to create a safe environment that will also deliver the experience and ROI our exhibitors and attendees expect. We do not want to deliver a show that doesn’t live up to their high standards.

Also impacting our decision to postpone are the dealers working to rebuild their businesses after suffering devastating damage from fires, hurricanes, and floods that have hit both the East and West Coasts.

“There is tremendous value in face-to-face meetings and in-person events and we believe in their ability to create irreplaceable opportunities to connect with people and businesses to drive commerce. The AIMExpo team will continue to work with key industry partners, including Tucker Powersports, to explore options that deliver relevant and important educational content for dealer attendees in 2021.

“Likewise, the team will be looking for opportunities to connect the powersports brands through quality networking events later this year. We look forward to bringing AIMExpo back in 2022 and will celebrate the industry of powersports and everyone that makes it great.”

Earlier this year AIMExpo and Tucker Powersports announced co-locating shows. Tucker supports the decision to postpone and has made a separate announcement regarding their plans for 2021. In it, Marc McAllister, CEO of Tucker Powersports stated: “While we at Tucker were very excited for the opportunity to be a part of the AIME show this year, the health and safety of our dealers and supplier partners has to be our first priority!

“We want to respect public health restrictions and we don’t want to put anyone at risk. We are now looking forward to reconnecting with the MIC and AIMExpo in 2022.”

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enthusiasts,” says Tracy Harris, SVP of the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows (IMS) in announcing the cancellation of the Long Beach, CA and New York shows for 2020. Instead, she says a re-imagined series of outdoor events will be on tap for 2021.

“Progressive IMS Outdoors will be the greatest evolution in the brand’s 38-year history,” proclaims Harris. “Taking IMS Outdoors not only changes our venues but opens up an array of opportunities for our team to deliver a truly first-of-a-kind experience for the community as the only event in the nation taking the proactive step to actively serve both the new rider and core audience.”

Commencing during the summer of 2021, Progressive IMS Outdoors will stop in a number of cities across the U.S. bringing powersports enthusiasts multiple days of entertainment, learning, and interactive activities. “The dates and venues have to be worked out with our 12 OEM partners and will be announced in December. As Progressive IMS Outdoors is an evolution of IMS’ traditional tour, the shows traditionally held in various cities from November through February will not take place this year.”

The new outdoor format will feature more emphasis on “market adjacent” products from micro-mobility to electric bicycles, overland and RV products, and more, thus welcoming potential and qualified riders into the industry. “Attendees can also expect the remodeled tour to be more interactive than ever with an array of on-road and off-road demo opportunities for all ages and riding abilities, including the continuation of the successful Discover the Ride program,” Harris explains.

Title sponsor Progressive is already onboard with the change to outdoors. “As the #1 motorcycle insurer in the U.S. and IMS title sponsor since 2010, we look forward to working alongside IMS to deliver an innovative, new type of event to the industry,” says Eric Doubler, Recreational Vehicle Business Leader at Progressive. “With this fresh and reimagined approach, IMS Outdoors is an exciting opportunity to transform the tour and grow the powersports community.”

For more information on the shifting show plans, click: www.outdoors.motorcycleshows.com

NPA LAUNCHES LAKELAND

Bikers, Blue Hairs and snowbirds all seem to flock to Florida, but National Powersport Auctions (NPA) is the next big thing to hit the Sunshine State. NPA is slated to open its 10th location in a state-of-the-art 86,000 sq. ft. facility near Lakeland, FL. NPA Lakeland is already open and taking dealer consignments before the inaugural auction on Wednesday November 4, 2020. COVID keeping you close to the roost? No worries, the Lakeland auction will be held live in-person and online via NPA Simulcast.

“This has been on our radar for a long time, so we are extremely excited to be open and operating in Florida,” said CEO Jim Woodruff. “According to MIC data, there are nearly 500 dealers throughout the state and almost 900,000 motorcycles in use, so we knew there was a real need for us to open our 10th location here.”

Area dealers are ready. Positioned conveniently off Interstate 4, the main artery that runs between Tampa and Orlando, NPA Lakeland is easily accessible to dealers all over the region.

“We spent a lot of time trying to find the right location,” explained Jeff Kinney, VP of Operations. “This area is centrally located and will be convenient to get to from anywhere, which helps us better serve our dealers. Plus, it will be able to accommodate more than 800 units per month!”

“The response we’ve received from dealers so far has been overwhelmingly positive,” Woodruff added. “They’re just as enthusiastic as we are to be in the area. This is sure to be the premier destination for powersports dealers in the state to buy and sell their pre-owned inventory throughout NPA’s nationwide network.”

To help celebrate the new location, NPA is offering first-time buyers a $100 buy fee credit at Lakeland’s inaugural event on November 4. Dealers will also be given a special $75 rate for inter-facility transportation from NPA Lakeland to NPA Atlanta.

For sellers, NPA is offering $25 local pick-up for consigning dealers within 50 miles of NPA Lakeland. These promotions apply to 2-wheeled motorcycles and standard ATVs. Dealers can schedule pickup with Regional Sales Manager Chris Ramanauskas at cramanauskas@npauctions.com or 813.486.7262.

Location: NPA Lakeland 1655 S. County Line Road Plant City, FL 33566

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NEW DIGS FOR POWERHOUSE BRANDS

NPA isn’t the only outfit getting new digs. Powerhouse Brands — a.k.a. Performance Machine, Progressive Suspension and Burly Brand — will move its operations from La Palma, California, to a “brand” new facility in Cerritos, California.

The move to the new company headquarters will support a 44% increase in the number of employees and will allow for the addition of a full second shift. The move will begin later this year after the new location is completed by A.R Mays Construction. Powerhouse Brands expects to have the move completed in Q1 2021.

“It’s a short ride from La Palma to Cerritos, but it will have a huge impact on Performance Machine, Progressive Suspension and Burly Brand,” said company CEO and President Chris Lindstrom. “Our new facility presents an opportunity for us to re-engineer our design, manufacturing and distribution processes which will result in improved efficiency and increased production capacity. This will be a big win for our customers in improved delivery time.”

The new facility offers several features that improve design, testing, production, shipping and employee experience.

Benefits are said to include: - Quality Lab size increased by 27% with improved testing capabilities - New research and design labs and an engineering lab that is 20% larger than current facility - Enhanced testing capabilities with In-house wheel testing, brake system testing and In-house suspension testing - In-house polishing department to ensure high quality product finishes - In-house assembly and packaging using the latest technology and automation - Warehouse space increased by 70% to provide better order fill rate - Updated offices to support employee collaboration - Automatic touchless doors in main paths of employee travel

“With demand surging in 2020, we are preparing for continued growth in the custom motorcycle business,” Lindstrom continued. “Dealers are seeing a tremendous increase in the sales of used motorcycles. That is ideal for us as our custom wheels, brake systems, controls, accessories, and suspension products are all great items to purchase, to personalize and enhance a rider’s experience.”

DAINESE GETS THE BOOT

In its ongoing effort to provide protection from head to toe, Dainese Group announces the acquisition of TCX. Combined with the earlier addition of AGV, Dainese’s mission continues!

“Improving safety in dynamic sports has always been the Dainese mission,” said Cristiano Silei, CEO at Dainese Group, “We are committing to ongoing research into innovative systems that protect athletes from head to toe, and are extremely proud of the operation we’ve built.”

Based in Montebelluna, Italy, TCX has deep technical and development expertise and is known for its “Focus On Boots” tagline. Craftsmanship, innovative technology and decades of field research brings a deep understanding of rider needs to the development of footwear,” says Silei. “TCX shares with Dainese the passion for product and adds technical and development skills that are fundamental in motorbike footwear. I welcome the TCX team - we’re extremely excited to be working together.”

With the acquisition of TCX, Dainese Group, with the Dainese and AGV brands, further strengthens the company’s position in the footwear category and expands its head-to-toe range of marketleading protective gear.

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

The extra, extra edition of Motonation’s 2021 catalog is hot off the virtual presses! Sorry, no killing trees or breaking the postman’s back with this blockbuster book. “Earlier in the year with all this COVID stuff going on, we decided to do a digital-only catalog for 2021,” says Motonation’s National Sales Manager Jason Kilroy.

“And if anyone could tell me what is going to happen in the motorcycle industry for 2021, that would be much appreciated!”

While we can’t tell you what will happen in 2021, we can say the 178 cyber pages feature all the latest stuff from Forcefield, Sidi, Motonation Apparel and Trilobite, complete with fitment guides, technical discourses and some cool photography. But where is Tony?

Click here to see it all, except for Tony: https://issuu.com/motonation/docs/2021_motonation_ catalog-hr

WE HAVE A WINNER! Royal Enfield BTR Is Coming Back

After a successful launch of its BTR program for AFT flat track, Royal Enfield is ready to go roadracing! Royal Enfield North America has announced phase two of their BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) program and is currently seeking women motorcyclists to customize, train and roadrace Continental GT 650 motorcycles in 2021.

“Building upon the success of the flat track BTR program, we decided to carry the momentum into the roadracing segment,” explains Breeann Poland, Global Brand Manager - Continental GT platform. “This is a unique opportunity for women interested in road racing and to make a name for themselves on a national level. The participants will have the opportunity to learn from world class racer, Melissa Paris, which is not a chance many people get. The ladies will also be some of the first people to race the Continental GT 650 platform, so the motorcycling world will be watching.”

Speaking of watching, the women will be selected by Royal Enfield for the program via an online video process. Professional racer and BTR flat track participant Melissa Paris has agreed to mentor the women during each phase of the program. She will consult each participant on the development of a Continental GT 650 roadracer, including design and parts selection, offer insight into sponsorship and provide training on and off track for the four participants.

“When I watch the video submissions, I’ll be looking for entries that display the same passion and desire to get into roadracing that I had when I first started out,” says Paris. “This program will be such an amazing opportunity and I’m looking forward to working with these female racers who have always dreamed of lining up on a roadrace grid.”

The participants will be selected by Poland, Paris and racer/ journalist Anne Roberts. Participants will need to display a passion for roadracing and answer a series of questions about their background and motorcycling experience. The selected participants will then have several months and a budget to convert a 2020 Continental GT 650 Twin into racing trim.

The ladies will then race in conjunction with a national event once they’ve completed the build and training aspects of the program.

The entry period for consideration in the BUILD TRAIN RACE program starts today and will run through December 1, 2020.

Women interested in the program must submit a video and respond to a questionnaire at OCTOBER 2020 https://bit.ly/30aSOXT 13

YOSHIMURA & PARTS UNLIMITED PART WAYS

Dear Valued Dealer, We hope you are doing well during these unprecedented times.

This note is to inform you that Parts Unlimited is no longer purchasing Yoshimura products for their inventory. Since 1988 Parts Unlimited has been a key partner for Yoshimura in getting our product into the hands of racers and enthusiasts throughout the USA, and we are very grateful for their efforts over the years. Parts Canada will continue to purchase and distribute Yoshimura products as our exclusive distribution partner in Canada. We want to thank Parts Unlimited for everything over the years. They have been nothing but professional and complementary to the Yoshimura brand.

Tucker Powersports and Western Power Sports continue uninterrupted with Yoshimura business and are actively maintaining data feeds and inventory to support all your distribution needs.

Yoshimura is always here to answer questions, please reach out to us anytime if we can be of service.

Sincerely, Tim Welch- Sales Manager Yoshimura R&D of America 5420 Daniels St. Chino, CA 91710 (909)628-4722 Ext 464 twelch@yoshimura-rd.com www.yoshimura-rd.com

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OH CANADA… LOOPING NORTH OF THE BORDER

IN

DEALERS

In addition to being “rode-tested” by Dealernews’ Confessions Of A Customer columnist Eric Anderson in this issue’s Gear section, adventure-proof packing and gear systems innovator Giant Loop is making its way north of the border in an exclusive distribution deal with Parts Canada.

“Powersport dealers can order Giant Loop products and get next day delivery throughout most of the country from the leading distributor of aftermarket parts, accessories and apparel for the Canadian industry,” says Giant Loop owner Harold Olaf Cecil.

“Giant Loop offers great solutions to the many enthusiasts who need to carry cargo as simple as a laptop for your work commute, to those venturing out on long tours or extreme cross-country adventures,” says James Danyluk, president of Parts Canada. Danyluk adds “Parts Canada is excited to be offering the Giant Loop brand to its dealers and powersports enthusiasts. “We’re happy to be able to provide Giant Loop’s product versatility to our Canadian marketplace.”

For more than a decade, Canada has been one of Giant Loop’s top export markets, and the company has exhibited at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show several times. “We’ve always enjoyed working with enthusiastic riders and dealers in Canada. With Parts Canada, we will finally have a solid distribution solution in place,” explains Cecil.

“As a side note: We love Canada! We have missed seeing our friends and colleagues at shows and events this year, including our annual Giant Loop Ride. We look forward to the border opening up again soon.”

Canadian dealers can contact their Parts Canada rep or reach out to Giant Loop for more details: giantloopmoto.com

ICE, ICE BABY… Cool News

KOST USA, the largest family owned manufacturer, supplier and marketer of antifreeze and functional fluids in the United States has added Engine Ice to its family of brands. “KOST welcomes Bryan Emrich, Scott Lukaitis and David Kimmey to our Engine Ice division,” says Steve Overdeck, President of KOST USA. “We’re all so excited to work with the Engine Ice team!”

The move in-house makes sense since CycleLogic Products, Inc., the original manufacturer of Engine Ice Hi-Performance Coolant, relocated its production facilities from Houston, Texas location to KOST’s facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, back in 2015.

Founded in 1985, KOST is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“We build both our customers and our own brands through high performance products and superior service, primarily in the automotive & heavy duty aftermarket, as well as in the Oil & Gas sector… and now the powersports market.

BUTTS ON SEATS LEADS TO 4X CONVERSION RATE!

“Our goal is to give every rider the opportunity to find the perfect ride,” claims Windy City-Fox Motorsports President Mike Shedivy. Thinking outside the box, Shedivy partnered up with Twisted Road to offer rentals at all 15 of the Windy City-Fox family of dealerships.

It is no secret that butts on seats makes things happen! Since the start of the program back in July, the Windy City-Fox Group has seen 4X the sales conversion rate from their Twisted Road rental customers compared to the sales conversion rate of traditional rental partner customers.

Twisted Road is the leading peer-to-peer motorcycle rental platform, offering riders the largest selection of pre-owned, professionally inspected motorcycles in the country for short term demos and rentals. Twisted Road rentals are offered at all 15 of Windy City-Fox Motorsports’ retail locations and provides access to more than 1,000 pre-owned motorcycles.

“This partnership has been great for bringing new customers into our dealerships and converting those that are already there,” concluded Shedivy. Check out the operation here: https://www.chicagomotorcyclerentals.com/

Brought To You By MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com

A familiar face, but an unfamiliar role.

A fixture in the SX/MX pits for Toyota and RCH Suzuki RCH Racing (Ricky Carmichael and Carey Hart’s AMA Supercross team) and later in Europe with Alpinestars, Gina D’Ambrosio has joined the Triumph team. “I’m very happy to announce that we’ve recently welcomed Gina D’Ambrosio as the PR Manager for Triumph Motorcycles America,” says Adam VanderVeen, Marketing Director for Triumph Motorcycles America. “Through her years of working in the industry, Gina has developed a positive reputation as a consummate professional with a strong work ethic. She’ll bring a critical set of skills, and just as important, a positive attitude and eagerness to grow the brand, making her a welcome addition to Triumph America.” Most recently with META magazine, D’Ambrosio will be relocating from Denver to Atlanta to join the team at Triumph Motorcycles America’s HQ. She has already begun trying out the line-up she’ll represent, starting with a Street Triple RS, to determine which new Triumph will be parked in her garage once she settles in permanently.

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End of an association era: Tom Yager has retired from his role as VP of Standards & Training for the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and Recreational OffHighway Vehicle Association.

Yager’s work with these industry organizations and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation goes back to the early 1980s. Yager helped develop and maintain a nationwide infrastructure for ATV training and other activities to meet member company obligations under a 10-year federal consent decree.

“Tom has been involved in all aspects of skills training, and he has developed countless trainers throughout the world,” said Erik Pritchard, SVIA, ROHVA and MSF president and CEO. “He has been a most incredible resource for staff and our board of directors, providing context for how we got from there to here. Along the way, Tom made us all laugh with his wry observations, and he will be missed but not forgotten.” Yager says, “thank-you to the member companies that allowed me to serve a great industry, the staff at the associations for all the help along the way, and our trainers who have helped create a safe and responsible OHV recreation community.”

With Yager’s retirement, Jun Villegas, training operations manager for the SVIA and ROHVA, will now work on state programs for California and Oregon and the SVIA’s Participating Company Program. Villegas managed the Honda Rider Education Center in Colton, California, for five years and before that he worked at the ASI and ROHVA for 17 years. He’s been an instructor and coach for 22 years.

A variety of career paths has led Montana Martin to her Marketing Assistant role at Western Power Sports. She started in the competitive worlds of cosmetology and bridal sales.

She quickly moved from the sales floor into back office operations, handling marketing, social media, website and digital content creation. In 2018 she became the Creative Director for the bridal business, shaping her decision to focus on marketing as a career path.

The opportunity to work at WPS will give her the hands-on, team focused experience she desires. Outside of work, Montana is crazy about animals, and she still enjoys the creative aspects of fashion.

Also new to the WPS team is Graphic Designer James Campbell. He comes to WPS with almost two decades of creative business experience in a variety of design disciplines, including animation, digital/video/print/web content, packaging design, promotional asset design and apparel design. His expertise with a broad range of design software programs has given him the Continued on page 18

Brought To You By MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com Continued from page 16

opportunity to create cutting edge content for the B2B and B2C clients he has worked with. Campbell has a Graphic Design degree from Boise State University, as well as a BFA in Visual Effects and Animation from the Academy of Art University.

When James is not at work, he enjoys the company of his wife and their three active children, being outdoors enjoying the great Idaho scenery and trying his hand at woodworking.

Good things come in threes as James Reeves has joined the WPS marketing team as videographer.

After completing his tour of duty as a Logistical Supply Staff Sgt. in the U.S. Army, Reeves went on to complete his BFA at the Art Institute of Seattle and added an AA in Motion Graphics and VFX from Seattle Film Institute. His professional career includes well over a decade in the Film and TV industry around the world. Reeves even worked in Boise before as the Creative Director for a local weapons system company and more recently as Director/DP at North by Northwest. James found the love of his life, Rachel, in Boise as well. Bella, their Boxer “fur baby”, is a close second. He discovered his love for motorcycles as the owner of a KTM Duke 390 and a 2007 Harley Nightster.

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Husky happenings! Teri Lynn formerly with Scorpion, Triumph and most recently the MotoSense start-up is back in the saddle with the KTM Group as District Sales Manager | Husqvarna Motorcycles Southeast region. After a trip to HQ in Murrieta, Lynn is back home in Georgia and working with dealers in her territory. Semper Fi, Marine!

Wait, it is Wednesday? Seems like just yesterday we were announcing Jeff Konicke had moved from Spy Optic to the Husqvarna operation (back when they were still owned by BMW Motorrad).

Former Husqvarna West Coast Dealer Relations Representative and onetime Spy guy Jeff Konicke started a new position as Director of Dealer Network Development at KTM Group North America, Inc. some time during the endless COVID era.

While they were at it, KTM also signed Roger DeCoster to a two-

year contract extension to continue as Director of Motorsports in North America. Currently in his 10th year with KTM, “The Man” stays in the saddle through the 2022 race season. The fivetime Motocross World Champion with a record 36 500cc Grand Prix victories followed up his racing career as a builder of dynasties, including leading the first American team to win the Motocross des Nations in 1981. Since then, he has led Team USA to 20 of the 22 wins.

DeCoster joined KTM alongside Ryan Dungey and orchestrated even more championships! “We are thrilled to continue an even stronger partnership with Roger as the backbone of our supercross and motocross division in North America,” says Stefan Pierer, CEO KTM AG. “His ongoing commitment to push our brands to a winning stature is undeniable and we look forward to continuing the growth of U.S. motorsport strategy under Roger’s supervision.”

DeCoster adds, “I’m happy to re-sign for another two years and I’m proud to continue working with a company who is so dedicated to their racing efforts. I’d like to thank Mr. Pierer, Pit Beirer and all the guys who work so hard to allow us to be where we want to be.”

Heads up! Former Scorpion helmets stalwart-turned OEM guy Doug Chapman is now available. “It’s been a great 5 years at Suzuki. I learned, laughed, and grew as a person,” said Chapman after being downsized at the end of September. “These last 6 months have especially been educational as the world has flipped itself on its head. The company is doing what they need for survival. Last week myself and others said goodbye. I can’t thank all the great people I’ve worked with enough and feel so blessed to have gotten this experience. If any industry people or anyone knows of any opportunities, please keep me in mind!”

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PERRI’S POWERSPORTS PART II Revisiting DN 2.0 Dealer Profile #1

By Robin Hartfiel When we relaunched Dealernews 2.0 the magazine had been on hiatus and the last Dealer Expo/Top 100 Reception was more than five years in the rear view.

When the magazine was delivered to the 2018 AIMExpo, we knew we had to have a compelling dealer profile to kick things off… and we wanted a fresh take rather than one of our old guard dealer friends. Fortunately Tony Perri had just taken over an existing dealership blending the best of old and new in Perri’s Powersports.

However plenty has happened in the past two years, not the least of which is the pandemic. While the world may have been upended, Tony and his team have been on the gas… so much for a quiet retirement!

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“

ince the first article, in addition to selling Honda, Arctic Cat, CFMOTO and ROXOR, we have added Beta, Sherco, SSR, Yeti Snowbikes and Argo,” says Marketing Manager Ryan Brant… a new addition to the team himself. “With GasGas moving over to the local KTM dealer, we no longer have GasGas but we were able to pick up the GasGas legacy bikes with Rieju.”

Having 10 OEMs with everything from motorcycles and snowmobiles to ATVs and Side x Sides takes up plenty of space… check out the walk-through video.

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Photos courtesy of Perri’s Powersports

“We’ve grown so much that we are on the search for a new, bigger building or possibly even expanding our current location,” notes Brant. “We hope to have a big enough space where we can upgrade to become a Honda Powerhouse Dealer, we have the numbers in terms of unit sales, but not a big enough location.”

Even without a stand-alone Honda operation, Perri’s is still a powerhouse in terms of its Honda sales. Last year the dealership experienced 187% growth in Honda sales alone! They are currently in a 3-way tie for 4th place (with Karl Malone and Fay Meyers) for most Honda 4-wheeled sales in the region and a solid 6th YTD for overall major units with Honda. “And we are the top non-Powerhouse dealer,” Brant adds. “Everyone ahead of us is a Powerhouse Dealer. Overall we are 36th in the country.”

It isn’t just the Red Riders that Perri’s reaches. They are now the #1 CFMOTO Dealer in Colorado and #2 in their region.

“Tony contributes the massive growth we’ve had by recruiting some of the best in the business,” claims Brant. “Our dealership has a rock-solid reputation of providing excellent service, support, and satisfaction.

We pride ourselves on giving our customers the best service available, the best parts and accessories, and a staff that understands all aspects of our business.

“Our service team is top rated since we work on all models and we have the top mechanics in Grand Junction. We have a lot of customers that buy competing brands but still bring them to us for the service department alone.”

Perri’s parts department is on point as well, constantly adding to the store’s P,G&A. The latest product lines include FXR Gear, Dirtbag Brands and even QuietKat Electric Bikes.

Perri’s fame is spreading far and wide… We heard the dealership announced at the AMA MX finale at Fox Raceway that sponsored race team rider, John Citrola, is Perri’s newest sales team member and qualified for the National SoCal. His race mechanic Dominique Williams just happens to work at the dealership as one of the Service Technicians… sorry, no wrenching on race bikes during business hours!

Seems that we have heard Ryan Brant’s name over the loudspeakers at the track a time or two as well. “I grew up racing Speedway motorcycles in Southern California,” he admits. “My dad, Scott Brant, is a former US National Speedway Champion and my grandfather is Motorsports Hall Of Famer Walker Evans. So as soon as I started here in December of 2019, I felt right at home joining the Perri’s Powersports Family.”

RESET After a successful 25+ year career in the automotive repair industry, Tony Perri retired after a national chain bought the business and both his shops. “But then I decided I was too young to retire,” he said. “I was always a powersports enthusiast, so I went looking for a dealership.” Back in November 2017 Perri purchased All Sports Honda in Grand Junction, Colorado, and changed the name to Perri’s Powersports. Wife Laura joined him as CFO and daughter Alyssa made it a family affair.

When the Honda dealership came up for sale, Perri felt it was a natural fit, having been a lifelong fan of the brand. His first bike, a Honda 50, was given to him by his parents for Christmas. But being a fan is a far cry from being a successful dealer. Fortunately a 25-year career in the collision business prepared Perri for the service side. In-fact, they have implemented a number of proven procedures from the automotive repair field into his service area.

“Tearing down the vehicle completely and trying to find 100% of the damage upfront means we can diagnose and order all the parts needed all at once,” Perri explains.

“This makes for a quicker turnaround time because we are not waiting for this part or that part; everything is there and ready to go in place. That makes for happy customers and happy employees!”

Pro MXer John Citrola and race mechanic Dominique Williams.

OCTOBER 2020

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Continued on page 22

Continued from page 21

Parts Associate Cody Hicks

Marketing Manager Ryan Brant

Tony Perri with regular customer and “Silver Spoons� star Ricky Schroeder

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One of the innovations from the crashed car game Perri put into play was push carts for each of the service bays. When the service department works on a machine, all the parts are in one spot, adding to efficiency. They have also implemented an accountability procedure for every single service order, utilizing a check sheet that sets up a comprehensive paper trail.

Perri’s Powersports sells new, used and consignment machines, and located in hunting and agricultural country, 50% of their business is ATV/UTVs, with snowmobiles, dirtbikes, adventure and street motorcycles making up the rest. “Our service department works on all brands… nothing scares us,” said Perri. In fact, they actively solicit and welcome all brands of outdoor toys in the shop.

Perri’s Powersports is particularly helpful to the numerous adventure riders in and around the area. Their proximity to the Trans-America Trail as well as their location between Denver and Moab means that they often are picking up motorcycles from far afield for repairs or helping ADV riders with shipping and storage.

Despite the pandemic, recent fires and it being an election year, Tony Perri and his team have kept their eye on the prize: happy customers! The phenomenal sales in the past two years since Dealernews first visited the dealership is proof of concept!

Keeping pace with former Dealernews Top 100 winning operations like Fay Meyers is a great benchmark and it seems like they would have been a real competitor in the “Best Use Of Space” category.

555 25 Rd Grand Junction, CO 81505 Phone: 970-243-7730 https://www.perrispowersports.com/

ADV SCOOTER — WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT? But Will It Play In Peoria?

Photos by Jason Gearld

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“

nd now Honda is bringing adventure-bike style and spirit to a new class: Introducing the 2021 Honda ADV150, an adventure-style scooter that’s ready to conquer the asphalt jungle. It starts with a proven liquid-cooled 149cc fourstroke OHC engine and a steel frame…” Adventure Scooter?

Then again, given the crumbling infrastructure of some urban areas, the piggyback Showa shocks and larger diameter 14”/13” rims start to make sense.

Dealernews doesn’t do vehicle testing per se… we leave that to the media experts (see “What They Said” on page 28). That doesn’t mean we are adverse to slinging a leg over and trying to figure out what will work for the dealers. Rather than lap times or dyno runs, we try to figure out what the competitive sales advantages may be and how it fits on the showroom floor.

So while we were stumped by the apparent oxymoron of an “Adventure Scooter,” we are sold on the concept, and definitely buying off on the versatility and convenience!

The concept came from an internal design competition among Honda’s global design offices, including Japan, Europe, Thailand and Indonesia. Ultimately, the Thai X-ADV themed concept won and was put into production. Jason Gearld won the coin toss as who got to ride it first and promptly rode off with it… seriously we unloaded from the truck and he rode over to pick up some inner tubes and MTB tires. That was six weeks ago and some of the rest of the staff is still waiting for our turn. Since he had the most seat time, Jason testing notes follow:

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Here is what I have found from speeding…I mean spending (not a Freudian slip; it actually auto-corrected to “speeding”) a lot of seat time on the ADV150.

When we unloaded the beast, I wasn’t sure how much use it would see in the course of a few weeks. But within five minutes of being home, the center stand went up and I took it across town to grab mountain bike tires purchased from a buddy.

First things first, how fast was it going to go? Was I going to be a moving obstacle for California drivers? I quickly found out that the ADV150 is rather quick. Getting a few miles per hour over 60 was easily done. No tailwind required. Once I got to my friend’s house and exchanged some coin for rubber, I popped the seat and smashed four MTB tires in the compartment below. This little scooter is finding itself awesomely useful and I’ve had it in my possession for less than 20 minutes.

Over the next week, it got wheeled out of the garage from everything from Baskin-Robbins runs to Post Office trips. In between those, it got used for any mundane task possible. Out of mayonnaise for tonight’s burger dinner? Pfft, no problem… Hop on the ADV150 and I’ll be back in five. If that scenario happened and all I had was four wheels to make that trip, we’d probably just settle for another condiment we had in the refrigerator. The park basketball court is not that far away. Walking wouldn’t be the end of the world. But, we have the ADV150. Toss the ball in the compartment and off the kid and I went.

Luckily we live close to town. That helps justify the short trips on two wheels. If it came down to driving or riding, twisting the throttle won 98% of the time. Things that can be annoying behind the wheel of a car become non-issues on the scooter. For instance, when dropping off boxes at the post office it can get a little hectic in the tight parking area. Just last week someone was pulling in as two cars were simultaneously pulling out of their spots. I was kind of caught in the middle. Except I was not caught at all because I slipped through the melee with a quick twist of the wrist. While they are still sorting out parking and haven’t even gotten out of their car yet, I’m rounding the second corner and headed to victory.

I think we got the ADV150 with about 250 miles on it. At the time of typing this, it just cracked 600. While it doesn’t sound like a lot, that is 183,249 adventures and counting. This brings up the gas consumption. I’ve filled it up twice. With California’s higher priced gas, it took $5.36 to top it off. Right now, it still has over 3/4 of a tank. My suggestion to anyone not riding it a lot would be to maybe only put in a half of a tank. No reason in taking a chance on the gas getting old if you aren’t putting in the miles. It takes forever to burn through a tank!

When we finally pried the key fob out of his tightly clenched fist, we were able to corroborate all these statements, and more. We used it for everything including celebrating National Cheeseburger Day by running to In-N-Out for a double-double animal-style to riding it to vote on early access day.

Forget playing in Peoria, the ADV150 works everywhere. If we were to vote with our pocketbooks, the ADV150 would win in a landslide! No other bike in the stable got even close to the seat time the little scooter has racked up the past month. Not even close!

OCTOBER 2020

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Continued from page 27

WHAT THEY SAID RevZilla’s Zack Courts says: “A wide-angle lens and a Spenser Robert will make almost anyone look good. Still, this scoot’s got moxie.” Photo by Spenser Robert.

With the adventure market booming, it makes sense to throw some of that adventure styling onto an accessible worldwide model such as a 150cc scooter. As mature as we’ve shown ourselves to be here at MO, visions of adventurous grandeur played itself out in my head as we wrapped up our day’s ride. What kind of adventure are these things really capable of? Sure, they’re amply equipped for daily use in cities around the world, but if we’re careful, and keep the airtime minimal, how far could we venture? ~ Ryan Adams Motorcycle.com Scooters are user-friendly, capable city commuters and that’s all they can be, right?

Wrong. Ample storage and an automatic transmission are typical scooter features that can attract the everyday urban rider, but what Honda’s new 2021 ADV150 adds to the pot is a bit more versatility for taking on the city streets and a little bit beyond.

Although admittedly the thought of an adventure-styled scooter was a bit perplexing, after riding it through the city and down some dirt roads I can appreciate a practical use for such a machine. It allows for a bit more freedom to run errands and if you see that the shortest path getting to your errands is a dirt road, take it ~ Serena Bleeker Cycle World Try as I might, I simply couldn’t come up for a good reason why the ADV150 should exist, that was until I rode it. It’s a heavy-duty take on the humble Honda scooter, a machine that’s powered people around the world for generations and seemingly never undergone big changes. Scooters, in my book, are the answer to many of our inner-city congestion problems. Europe has been on this train for years, with hordes of scooters taking over the city streets of Paris, Barcelona and Rome. I’m not sure scooter fever will ever catch on here, but the ADV150 would be a good place to start. ~ Rennie Scaysbrook CycleNews It’s pretty easy to look at a machine like this new ADV150 from Honda and wonder, quite simply, why? Who wants a scooter dressed up as a quasi-off-road motorcycle?

On the street, the ADV150 is as close to perfect as a 150-class scooter gets. Hitting a jump on this scooter makes about as much sense as doing it on a BMW GS, and the allure is the same. If you’re going to ride around town, why not have a machine that could hit a jump if it wanted to? I don’t think the ADV150 is going to change the world of two wheels, but I do prefer to see it as the best of both worlds rather than the worst. That’s why I want one. ~ Zack Courts RevZilla Common Tread

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Dealernews Research

By Dr. Paul Leinberger

’TIS THE SEASON… ALREADY? A Holiday Season Unlike Any Other

D

id you buy something during Amazon Prime Days (October 13 and 14, 2020)? Did you buy something from Amazon or any of the other retailers – like Target, Walmart or Best Buy – that were holding big sales of their own to compete with Amazon’s members-only shopping event?

If so, you helped to kick-off the 2020 holiday shopping season.

Christmas in mid-October? Yes. Like everything else we have experienced in this most unconventional and tragic year where one week feels like an entire year, expect both consumers and retailers to behave differently in the run-up to Christmas.

Consumers remain anxious and uncertain and as they think about holiday shopping, they worry about restrictions on how many shoppers can be in a store at one time and worried that online orders may not arrive in time.

So, to relieve some of their anxiety, they intend to shop earlier than ever before. According to Affirm, a market research firm, 70% of Americans plan to start their holiday shopping before the traditional start of the season, Black Friday. Another 47% plan to do ALL of their shopping online and 31% plan to split their holiday shopping between online and in-store. Retailers, in turn, are expected to launch round after round of early sales through Thanksgiving and beyond in order to smooth out store crowds and ecommerce and omnichannel operations.

Why am I bringing this up? Because NOW is the time to start thinking differently about your own store’s holiday plans. It will come as no surprise to you that the pandemic has changed consumer attitudes and behavior. For example, in October 2019, 39% of consumers agreed with the statement: “I am increasingly

30

looking for ways to save money.” Today, the number is 52%. In October 2019, 29% of consumers agreed with the statement: “I am paying more attention to price.” That number rose to 51% today.

In 2019, 25% said they were delaying purchases and today that number is 45%. That is a sea change, a consumer transformation of historic proportions.

The pandemic has changed consumer buying attitudes and behavior and these changes will probably be sustained until the pandemic ends. Today, the shopper walking through your door is looking for ways to save money, shopping around for better deals, waiting for products to go on sale and paying more attention to price. Further, as we discussed last month, they are mindful of their “discretionary” spending and focused on buying essentials.

In the coming holiday season, McKinsey reports that 84 percent plan to maintain or reduce their holiday spending (42% plan to spend about the same as last year and 42% plan to spend less).

This will be a season of practical gifts and gifts that are fun and provide some respite from the agony of 2020. It’s a perfect storm for the powersports industry.

Even better news is that the pessimistic consumer sentiment I reported on last month has been reversed. Consumers go into this shopping season almost as optimistic as they were before the pandemic hit. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment number for September climbed to 80.4 from August’s 74.1. That optimism was mirrored by the Conference Board who reported that its consumer confidence index increased to 101.8, up from 86.3 in August.

“Consumer confidence increased sharply in September after back-to-back monthly declines, but remains below pre-pandemic levels,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “A more favorable view of current business and labor market conditions, coupled with renewed optimism about their short-term outlook, helped spur this month’s rebound in confidence. Consumers also expressed greater optimism about their short-term financial prospects, which may help keep spending from slowing further in the months ahead.”

Compared to last year, consumers are more than three times as likely to trade down to lower cost brands and they can be expected to do more shopping with discount retailers. Further, over 80 percent of Americans have yet to return to their preCOVID-19 habits. This means you will need to do things differently if you want to get them in your store between now and Christmas.

What should you do differently? First, begin the holiday season now. Take a page from Target. “This year, in a holiday season unlike any other, we know it’s more important than ever for our guests to get great deals in a convenient and safe shopping environment,” said Christina Hennington, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Target. “By kicking off our holiday deals earlier than ever, offering Black Friday pricing throughout the full month of November and extending our Price Match Guarantee, we’re letting guests know they don’t need to wait or face the crowds to get the best deals, all with no membership fees required.”

Second, recognize that consumers are more likely to buy from you if they know you are going to keep them safe. So make sure they know the steps you are taking to put their safety first. Third, come up with a plan to offer special deals throughout the months of November and December. And finally, offer Facetime virtual shopping (and its PC equivalent), add click-and-collect (buy online and pick-up in store), and curbside pick-up.

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, powersports sales are up more than 23% this year. Keep the momentum going by jumpstarting the holiday season!

Our new book, Unfiltered Marketing: 5 Rules to Win Back Trust, Credibility, and Customers in a Digitally Distracted World will be in bookstores on November 1, 2020. It is available now for pre-order at Amazon and wherever print and ebooks are sold.

A perennial keynote speaker for the Motorcycle Industry Council's annual Communications Symposium, Dr. Paul Leinberger has become the powersports industry's de facto futurist/strategist. Dr. Leinberger is an expert in market/brand strategy and research with more than two decades of social trend forecasting, market strategy and strategic planning. Prior to joining TTD, he was Senior VP of GfK NOP, where he ran the company’s flagship consumer trend services, Roper Reports, as well as the company’s groundbreaking Global Visual Database. His client list reads like a Who’s Who of corporate America: Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Disney, Nordstrom, Microsoft, Levi Strauss, E.& J. Gallo Winery and Toyota, among many others. Prior to his global responsibilities at GfK NOP, Dr. Leinberger was the Corporate Manager in the Product Planning and Market Strategy department at Nissan North America. Dr. Leinberger holds a Ph.D. in organizational and social psychology and a Masters of Urban Planning (Highest Honors). He lives in Irvine, California, and his work can be seen at www.dennyleinbergerstrategy.com

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Dealernews Research

By Lenny Sims

BY THE BOOK

NADAguides Market Insights Power The Market Values

O

bviously, dealership closures and stay-at-home orders turned business on its head in March and continued to do so throughout the 2nd quarter. As we continue to assess the fallout, we can track how the Powersport industry was doing before and in the early stages of the shutdown. Most segments of the Powersport industry rebounded nicely from the early stages of the nationwide shutdown, with all but sportbikes showing a typical seasonal increase in pricing‌ and according to our friends at MIC, even scooter sales are up 10% over 2019.

All segments of the industry showed a typical decline in the first quarter, with cruisers depreciating more than usual.

Second quarter saw some recovery. In the motorcycle segment, cruisers recovered their steep early spring decline and are now averaging only 1% lower pricing than last year. Sportbikes were not quite as impressive, with no May-June rebound. However, average pricing for this segment is still 1.7% ahead of last year.

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Side-by-Sides looked strong in the May-June period, with the utility segment nicely outperforming May-June 2019 by 2.8% on average, although still slightly behind 2018 levels. The sport segment continues to bring pricing stronger than in the last two years, 4.3% ahead of 2019 and 1.0% ahead of 2018.

Compare and contrast this with Q1 where Side-bySides brought relatively healthy pricing, with the sport segment outperforming the first quarter of 2019 by 2.4% on average. The utility segment started out 2020 behind the same period of 2019, but saw more moderate depreciation to end up similar in the March-April edition of both years.

Since enjoying motorcycles, ATVs and Side-by-Sides is a mostly solo endeavor, our industry remains largely unaffected by the need to social distance. Good to see with a second wave of COVID closures hitting right now.

Pricing in the most recent period suggests buyers are eager to get back on the roads and trails, even in the winter months.

About NADAguides.com NADAguides.com, the largest publisher of the most market-reflective vehicle pricing and information available for new and used cars, classic cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs and manufactured homes, offers in-depth shopping and research tools including a broad range of data, products and service and informational articles as well as tips and advice. NADAguides. com also produces electronic products, mobile applications, raw data, web services, web-syndicated products and print guidebooks. NADAguides.com is operated by National Appraisal Guides, Inc., a division of J.D. Power.

J.D. Power/NADA Guides, Inc. 3200 Park Center Drive, 13th Floor Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (800) 966-6232 Fax (714) 556-8715 www.nadaguides.com/Motorcycles

Dealernews Research

By Don Musick

INIFINITY AND BEYOND

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n last month’s article we put on our code jockey hats and used Google Apps Script to calculate customer to dealer drive times (minutes) as shown below (Fig. 1).

Figure 1 Time to ditch the hat and jump back into Google Sheets! Remember, you can access your “Test Retail” Google Sheet from the “Google Apps” menu (upper right @ www.google.com) then selecting it from either the “Sheets” or “Drive” app.

In order to visualize how the number of customers varies with drive time, we can use the Google Sheets “Chart” function to plot total customer volume by drive time. In the example above the data was sorted by increasing registration date, so first we’ll have to re-sort the data by increasing drive time. Easy peasy… just right-click the Drive Time column heading (“M” in this example) and select “Sort sheet A — Z” from the drop-down menu as shown on the next page (Fig 2).

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Next up is to add another data column to our Google Sheet with the label “Cumulative %”. This column will be used to calculate a running total of customer count as a percentage of the overall count. We’ll use the Google Sheets built-in function “CountA()” to easily accomplish this.

In the first cell of the new column, the following formula is entered: =COUNTA ($M$2:$M2)/403 as shown in the image below (Fig. 3, 403= total customer records in example).

Figure 3

Figure 2

This formula instructs Google Sheets to count the number of customer records in the range from cell $M$2 to cell $Mn (n=2 in this case) then divide the result by the total number of customer records (403). The $ signs in the formula serve as column and row anchors such that the range always starts with cell $M$2 (locks column=M and row=2) and runs through cell $Mn (locks only column=M allowing the row number n to change). Finally, the formula should be copied into the remaining cells by selecting the first cell then dragging the blue selection handle down through last customer record.

In order to express the result as a percentage instead of a fraction, the column must also be formatted correctly. This is easily accomplished by clicking on the column heading to select it and then selecting “Format>Number>Percent” from the Google Sheets menu bar (formatting can be done before or after entering cell formulas). We’ll use the last two columns of our “Test Retail” Google Sheet to generate a profile of cumulative customer volume (as a percentage of total) vs drive time.

TIME WILL TELL For regular Microsoft Excel users, the process of inserting charts into Google Sheets will feel very familiar. The first order of business is to identify the data columns to be used. In our “Test Retail” example that means selecting all of the data entered in the last two columns. This is easily accomplished by drag selecting both column headings followed by the combined keystrokes “ctrl-shift-” as shown in Fig. 4 on the left. This operation selects all of the data in both columns.

Continued on page 36

OCTOBER 2020 Figure 4

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Continued from page 35

To create a chart from the selected data range, you can either select “Insert>Chart” from the Google Sheets menu bar or click on the “Insert Chart” icon on the menu ribbon. In either case, Google Sheets will open a chart of the selected data in a “suggested” presentation format along with the “Chart Editor” panel. From the “Setup” tab in the Chart Editor, make sure that “Line Chart” is selected from the “Chart Type” selector as shown in the graphic below (Fig. 5).

Figure 5 Try as it might, Google Sheets doesn’t always make a pretty chart! Also, since the entire data range is plotted, much of the early drive time detail is obscured. As you can see from Fig. 5, 90% plus of total customers are less than a 2 hr. (120 min) drive from the dealer’s location! Since customers with drive times greater than 120 minutes contribute little to this profile, we can remove these data points from the chart using the “Data Range” selector in the Chart Editor. In this example, our selected data range on the “Test Retail” Google Sheet started with cell M1 (column M, row 1) and ended with cell N404 (column N, row 404). To restrict the data displayed in the chart to drive times less than 120 minutes, you can directly enter a new final row number in the Data Range field (blue box) or click on the Data Range “picker” icon (blue circle) in the Chart Editor for more options.

Needless to say, you need to experiment a bit with the record range in order to optimize the display of data in your chart. “suggested” presentation format along with the “Chart Editor” panel. From the “Setup” tab in the Chart Editor, make sure that “Line Chart” is selected from the “Chart Type” selector as shown in the graphic (Fig. 5).

From his first motorcycles (a Honda S65 and an S90) when he was 16 to 50 years later, Don Musick has never stopped twisting the throttle. Although his accomplishments in the research arena have surpassed his MX career Don has over 25 years experience with major manufacturers in the Powersports and Automotive industries specializing in e-business solutions for retail distribution networks. His solution portfolio includes the development and implementation of manufacturer/dealer extranets, consumer-direct commerce portals, manufacturer/dealer e-channel integrations as well as development of web-based sales force automation tools. For most of his career, Don has been fascinated (his wife would say obsessed) with geographic market analytics, dealer location planning and sales territory optimization.

He founded Genesys Technology Solutions (GenesysTech) http://www.genesystech.com/ to develop new tools and market intelligence products to help manufacturers understand the competitive landscape of their industries, recognize opportunities and grow their businesses. A Spartan to the core, Don earned a B.S. in Physiology and PhD in Biochemistry from Michigan State University. Contact: dmusick@genesystech.com

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BRP/CAN-AM DEALERS RANKED #1 2020 PIED PIPER PSI Study Measured Dealership Treatment Of UTV Shoppers

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nce again Pied Piper has conducted is “Prospect Satisfaction Index” (PSI) study measuring the indealership treatment of UTV shoppers. While it is a wildly different world dealers find themselves in, and demonstrates the impact of COVID–19 on the customer experience, the results were the same as Can-Am Off-Road dealers were the top of the charts for the third time in a row.

This study measured the in-person treatment of UTV shoppers who visited a dealership between April and August this year — after COVID-19 had impacted the sales process,” Pied Piper founder Fran O’Hagan notes. “Last year’s PSI for UTVs study measured how each brand’s dealers treated their customers in 2019, so it’s easy to compare to see that there have been big changes in 2020; for some brands and dealerships… much more so than others!”

In fact only five brands finished above the industry average and even Can-Am dropped 9 points below last year’s index, narrowly edging Honda. “The study measured in-person treatment of Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) shoppers who visited a dealership between April and August 2020, reflecting the impact of COVID-19 on dealership behaviors,” O’Hagan explains. “Rankings by brand were determined by the Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring of dealership behaviors to industry sales success.”

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PSI scores range from 49 to 150, and dealerships that score over 130 sell effectively, also delivering an excellent customer experience. According to O’Hagan, 29% of UTV dealerships in the 2020 study scored above 130, a decline from the 37% figure from the 2019 study. Dealerships that score under 75 miss most opportunities to help their customer buy the right UTV. For comparison sake, 52% of UTV dealerships in the 2020 study scored below 75, an increase from the 42% figure from the 2019 study.

The industry average PSI score declined from 99 in 2019 to 90 in 2020. In 2020 only the Can-Am dealers, with an average score of 101, scored above last year’s industry average score of 99. Comparing dealership behaviors in 2020 to 2019, those behaviors that decreased the most include offering a test drive, giving the customer printed materials, giving compelling reasons to buy from this dealership, mentioning unique vehicle features, and asking the customer for contact information.

In contrast, examples of the few behaviors that increased from 2019 to 2020 include asking whether the customer had visited the dealer website, and specifically asking the customer to buy. Sales behaviors vary considerably from dealership to dealership, and also from brand to brand, including the following examples selected from the 60+ PSI measurements:

Suggest sitting inside. Dealers selling Honda, Can-Am, HiSun, Kawasaki and Polaris were most likely to encourage customers to sit inside the vehicle, on average more than 51% of the time.

Dealers selling Cub Cadet, KYMCO and Bobcat were least likely to encourage customers to sit inside the vehicle, on average less than 30% of the time.

Suggest going through the numbers. Dealers selling KIOTI, Can-Am, Honda, Polaris and John Deere were most likely to suggest going through the numbers or writing up a deal, on average more than 50% of the time. Dealers selling BPS-Tracker and Cub Cadet were least likely to suggest going through the numbers or writing up a deal, on average less than 25% of the time.

Mention financing options. Dealers selling Kawasaki, John Deere, Roxor and Honda were most likely to mention the availability of financing options, on average more than 63% of the time. Dealers selling Kymco, Caterpillar and BPS-Tracker were least likely to mention the availability of financing options, on average less than 35% of the time.

Ask for customer contact information. Dealers selling Caterpillar, Club Car, Yanmar, Yamaha and Polaris were most likely to ask for the customer’s contact information, on average more than 40% of the time. Dealers selling BPS-Tracker, Mahindra tractor dealers and Kymco were least likely to ask for the customer’s contact information, on average less than 28% of the time.

Tried to convince customer to buy a different brand.

Dealers selling John Deere, Caterpillar, BPS-Tracker, Club Car and KIOTI were least likely to suggest a different brand instead, on average less than 5% of the time. In contrast, dealers selling Yamaha, Kymco, Yanmar, Can-Am and Arctic Cat were most likely to suggest a different brand instead, more than 15% of the time on average.

Based on the dealers meeting these criteria, Honda and Polaris were ranked second and third. However, PSI scores for all brands declined from 2019 to 2020, reflecting the industrywide impact of COVID-19 on dealership behaviors. According to O’Hagan’s analysis, brands with the largest declines were Bobcat (-23), Kubota (-17), Yanmar (-14) and the Mahindra Tractor Dealers (-14).

“Dealerships that sell effectively are enjoying record UTV sales in 2020 despite, or possibly because of, COVID-19,” said O’Hagan. Some dealerships have been using COVID-19 as a reason to skip sales steps. To be fair, some sales steps require

HOW CAN YOU USE PSI?

W

hat do customers really experience today when they reach out to your retail location? What happens when they use dealership’s website? How does an incoming phone call get handled? And ultimately what is the customers’ experience like in person?

Pied Piper PSI Shopper Evaluation Report identifies specific behaviors the sales team can change to be more helpful and sell more effectively. How can we measure how effectively a sales team sells, and use the results to drive improvement? PSI mystery shopping is the solution.

PSI mystery shopping shines a light on “what is really happening” which allows retailers to identify sales process areas in need of improvement and increase sales. PSI uses web, phone and inperson mystery shoppers, but only as actors and fact-gatherers, measuring whether specific sales steps happened or did not happen. PSI relies on a foundation of facts which tie specific retail behaviors to sales success.

Brands, manufacturers and national retailer groups contact Pied Piper to order PSI mystery shops for their retail network. For the motor vehicle industry, individual dealerships may also order Pied Piper PSI evaluations directly on this website.

How does an ongoing PSI mystery shop program work? “Every retailer should ‘own’ their own sales process – in writing,” says Pied Piper founder Fran O’Hagan. “Pied Piper has found that sales processes vary by geography: successful sales steps that work on Long Island can be different from those used successfully in Des Moines, or San Diego. Sales processes can also vary by the product sold.”

Therefore, Pied Piper suggests that each retail location should define their own simple sales process in writing: Define 3 to 5 simple, memorable steps the sales team will always follow if a customer is willing to spend time with them. The most successful

additional effort because of COVID-19, such as cleaning off vehicles following a test drive. Customers were offered UTV test drives on average only 22% of the time in 2020, compared to 32% of the time in 2019.

However, other behaviors, such as asking the customer how the vehicle will be used, or providing a vehicle walkaround presentation also declined from 2019 to 2020. “More customers than ever are shopping for UTVs in 2020, and the most successful UTV dealers will be the ones whose sales teams work hard to be helpful to those customers,” concludes O’Hagan.

retailers may sell subtly differently, but they all have something in common: they ensure that their sales team always follows the retailer’s sales process.

Online benchmarking report comparing dealership performance.

The PSI mystery shopper is an “actor” who is a “fact-gatherer,” going through the sales process up until the shopper says, “I’ll think about it,” and leaves without buying. The PSI mystery shopper will note whether specific sales behaviors occurred or did not occur.

Each PSI report includes an overall PSI score, which allows performance comparison to the industry overall as well as to a specific brand. The score answers the question, “How does this retailer’s overall performance compare?” In addition, each PSI report includes an easy to understand “A - B - C - D - F” letter grade for the individual evaluation as well as for the retailer’s average of the past 6 PSI evaluations. Depending upon the type of evaluation – internet, phone or in-person – a number of different measurements are reported.

For PSI Internet Sales, a 7-page report is provided, with approximately 20 yes/no measurements, plus images of the shopper’s initial web-inquiry, as well as the retailer’s emailed responses. Also included are multiple digital diagnostic measurements, such as whether the website and CRM system are functioning correctly, and whether CRM or salesperson email responses are ending-up in the customer’s spam folder.

For PSI Telephone Sales, a 4-page report is provided, with approximately 20 yes/no measurements, and voice recordings are included for locations where legal. For PSI In-Person Sales, a 7-page report is provided, which includes 50+ yes/no measurements of the visit as well as 9 verbatim descriptions.

On-line benchmarking allows the retailer to see how their operation compares - question by question - to the national average for other same-brand retailers, as well as to the overall industry average. On-line reporting also includes an average of the retailer’s last six evaluations to determine the retailer’s “average” sales process. Retailers are then able to measure and track their sales process improvement, rather than just focusing on one-off evaluations of a single salesperson or a single shopper.

If you work for a dealership, click here to go ahead and try Pied Piper PSI mystery shops at your location: https://www.piedpiperpsi.com/enrollment/

OCTOBER 2020

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e

DEUS EX MACHINA X ZERO Woolie’s eMoto Endeavor Page 44

POLARIS PICKS ZERO

rEV’d Up For The Next Decade -

ZIGGY STARDUST

Page 43

Building A Dealer Network Via Roadshows -

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CURRENTS+

ZIGGY STARDUST? Building Their Dealer Network With A ZEROING IN ON 2021 “Despite the challenges of Roadshow Already a leading provider of EV solutions around the globe, Ziggy LSV is looking to build a nationwide sales and service network by going dealer-direct. “We are committed to the growing electric transportation market,” notes GM Mike Hillman. By introducing Low-Speed Vehicles and Smart E-mopeds, Ziggy has entered a U.S. EV market that has grown exponentially in the past two years. “Our new range of LSVs and smart e-scooters will help urban dwellers to effectively navigate shorter city distances and complete tasks more efficiently.”

“So far we have visited and received a tremendous response from dealers and customers in Texas, Colorado, Utah, Oregon & Washington,” added Ziggy CEO Yasir Zoha during the road trip. “We are extremely pleased to see the excitement and reactions from the dealers and customers during the demo.

Dealers are making remarks such as “Ziggy e-moped quality is similar to that of Tesla.” At refueling stops, onlookers are asking us where they can buy this cool product.” Given this positive response the (road) show must go on.

“We decided to continue the roadshow to the rest of the country,” added Zoha. “We are now headed to California followed by Nevada and Arizona. We want to personally meet the dealer management teams as we are looking for long-term committed partners who understand the future of the electric mobility space.”

“Ziggy will be at the forefront of offering cutting-edge, ecofriendly, and affordable transportation solutions,” concludes Hillman. “There has been tremendous interest from dealers of various power sports segments to become part of the Ziggy dealer network.”

If you missed the Ziggy Roadshow, contact Mike Hillman via e-mail: mikeh@ziggywheels.com Call: 833-944-4490 or click here: http://www.ziggywheels.com

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zoGMPR6oTw

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2020, Zero Motorcycles has continued to see impressive growth,” says CEO Sam Paschel.

“The unprecedented interest in the new SR/S has been matched by the building momentum in our enduro and dual sport model sales,” he explains. Accordingly, the 2021 model mix is headlined by the reintroduction of the transformational SR/S, released earlier this year. The SR/S is Zero’s first fullyfaired motorcycle, offering a 13% improvement in highway efficiency and range versus its un-faired sibling, the SR/F.

Zero’s 2021 Street lineup features the FXS, S, SR, SR/F and SR/S. The standard SR/F retails for $19,495, with the premium package capping out at $21,495. Zero’s hotrod SR is capable of up to 223 miles of riding with 116 ft-lbs of torque and will be equipped with a 14.4 kWh power pack. It will be available with a new red and black colorway for $15,495. The base model S, Zero’s original naked bike, is available in updated gray and blue colors for $10,995. The FXS now comes in a new grey/ gold colorway, available with a modular 3.6 kWh power pack for $9,295, or an integrated 7.2 kWh power pack and on-board charger for $11,295.

Zero’s 2021 Dual Sport lineup features the FX, DS, DSR and DSR Black Forest model ($18,995). Available in matte brown and gold, the DSR retails for $15,495. Billed as the perfect entrylevel dual sport electric motorcycle, the DS will be available in all-new matte grey/green colorway, retailing at $10,995. Able to navigate virtually any obstacle for up to 91 miles, the FX is available in a new Black/Green colorway with a modular 3.6 kWh or with an integrated 7.2 kWh power pack and internal charger for $9,295 and $11,295, respectively.

All 2021 Zero electric motorcycles are powered by the cuttingedge Cypher II and Cypher III operating systems. Industryleading engineering and technology combine to create a ride with effortless power, control and connection. Paschel concludes, “In spite of the challenges and closures due to pandemic-related lockdowns and recent wildfires this calendar year, we’ve continued to meet the fast-growing demand for our products and maintain our position as the brand that leads and defines the future of the electric motorcycle category.”

SHOCKING OEM NEWS!

Polaris has signed a 10-year partnership with Zero Motorcycles for electric powertrains and technology. This exclusive partnership in off-road vehicles (ORV) and snowmobiles is a cornerstone component of “rEV’d up” Polaris’ long-term powersports electrification. Through rEV’d up, Polaris aims to offer customers an electric vehicle option within each of its core product segments by 2025, with the first vehicle from the ZeroPolaris partnership debuting by the end of 2021.

“Thanks to advancements in power, pricing and performance over the last several years, and with customer interest surging, now is the right time for Polaris, with Zero Motorcycles as a key strategic partner, to implement our rEV’d up initiative and aggressively accelerate our position in powersports electrification,” said Scott Wine, chairman and CEO of Polaris.

“Zero Motorcycles’ pioneering electrification experience, proven leadership, and electric powertrain technologies are unmatched in the market.

“We believe this transformative partnership will enable us to leapfrog technological hurdles around range and cost while providing a tremendous speed-to-market advantage – an instant offense. Leveraging the strengths of our teams and a shared culture of innovation and passion for this industry, Polaris and Zero will collaborate to shape the future of powersports.”

“All of us at Zero Motorcycles are delighted and honored to be a part of this industry-changing strategic relationship with Polaris as we collaborate and co-develop the technologies and vehicle platforms that will power the future of electrification in powersports,” said Zero Motorcycles CEO Sam Paschel. “This revolutionary partnership is bringing together two incredibly talented teams aimed at dramatically expanding the electric options in powersports. Our EV expertise and millions of miles of real-world, rubber-meets-the-road EV experience, coupled with Polaris’ broad product portfolio, scale, supply chain and market leadership, makes this a game-changer for every powersports enthusiast.”

With Polaris’ scale and broad product lineup, this strategic partnership will be the largest in Zero Motorcycles’ history.

Under this 10-year exclusive agreement, Polaris will develop, manufacture and sell electrified ORVs and snowmobiles using Zero’s powertrain technology, hardware and software. Zero Motorcycles has been designing, manufacturing and advancing electric motorcycles since 2006, and this partnership gives Polaris access to more than 14 years of unmatched experience and intellectual property. Zero Motorcycles is the only motorcycle company to successfully bring an entire electric product line to market and is regarded as the leader in motorcycle EV technologies, subsystems, components, and designs.

CURRENTS+

LIVEWIRE SHORT CIRCUITS? NHTSA Recalls 2020 Harley-Davidson Model

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that certain 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycles are being recalled. An unexpected loss of propulsion without the ability to restart may increase the risk of a crash.

The potential number of units affected is 1,012. The electric vehicle powertrain may unexpectedly shut down and not restart, due to a software issue in the Onboard Charging (OBC) system.

Harley-Davidson will notify owners, and dealers will update the OBC software, free of charge.

ZERO ALSO HIT WITH NHTSA RECALL

In addition to LiveWire’s issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also announced that Zero is subject to a recall of certain 2021 models. According to NHTSA findings, the DC-DC converter can shut off when its power capacity is exceeded, shutting off the ABS, instruments and lights, increasing the risk of a crash.

Zero is recalling certain 2021 SR, S, DSR, DS, FX, and FXS motorcycles. The number of units affected is said to be 64, including 2021 DS, DSR, FX, FXS, S and SR models.

Owners have been notified and dealers will replace the DCDC converter free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 2, 2020.

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EX-DEUS EX MACHINA EXEC TURNS TALENTS TO ZERO In his last project for the lifestyle company, Deus ex Machina’s Venice Beach location co-founder and former US Motorcycle Director, Michael “Woolie” Woolaway created a customized Zero SR/S… ironically followed up by building and racing a bagger for Saddlemen at Laguna Seca! “I wanted to do something kind of old and new, old shapes that I grew up with and new technology, no computer work, just foam, plastic, shaping and measuring tools, transfer tools and kind of the old school way,” Woolie explains.

“When I met the guys out at Pike’s Peak and really got a good look at the bike I thought,’ that bike is the perfect platform to build something with because there’s no gas tank and there’s this trellis frame that’s beautiful… everything else comes off and there’s nothing there.’ The master builder was sent a stock SR/S shortly before the vehicle’s public launch in early 2020.

Blending artisanal craftsmanship with the latest tech, the bike is constructed entirely out of a single mold of carbonfiber composites, Aerospace engineers from Lockheed Martin were enlisted to help finish the monocoque assembly.

Beneath the custom body work lurks a 114 hp electric motor capable of winding out to 124 mph.

“We’re thankful to Deus and to Woolie for choosing to work with us on this custom SR/S,” said Chris Metcalfe, VP of Marketing for Zero Motorcycles. “They are each such iconic and influential forces in the motorcycle industry and they’ve been the perfect partners for this one of a kind build and powerful collaboration.”

For a full interview with Woolie or to learn more about the Zero Motorcycles x Deus ex Machina build, click here: www.zeromotorcycles.com/custom/deus

NEXT GEN NAVARRO UPDATE

Highlighted by their patented Matrix building process Vanderhall Motor Works released its second video for its off-road adventure vehicle, the Navarro. The video begins with a review of the process Vanderhall uses to design and manufacture its model platforms: Venice, Carmel and Edison. The technology is the foundation of Vanderhall’s entry into their upcoming off-road model. Additional clues are revealed with the Navarro being defined as inspired by trophy truck racing, with long-travel suspension and integrated utility, and modular accessory capabilities found in the overland off-road industry.

P9304 Extreme Adventure Luggage Rack

Extreme Adventure Gear for Other Makes/Models Coming in 2021 N5400 Extreme Adventure Quantum® Hardcoated Headlight Guard

P4200 Extreme Adventure Side Guards

P4900 Extreme Adventure Lowering Kit and Kickstand

.com onalcycle www.nati e rt s s h ie ld E x p # T h e W in d

N20063-66 Quantum® Hardcoated ® VStream Windscreens

Vanderhall created a unique, almost jig-less “Matrix” manufacturing process. The simplicity of assembly also enables accelerated prototyping, giving Vanderhall’s product design team the ability to bypass clay and go straight to a bodied proof-of-concept production quality chassis. “We work in the design lab of the future. We’ve replaced clay and scrapers with 3D printers and lasers.

We would rather wrench on reality,” said chief engineer, Chris Johnson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv5VZleYi_c&fe ature=youtu.be

NOTES FROM THE HINTERLANDS What I Did on My Summer Vacation

By Scot Harden, photos by Scot Harden & Harlen Foley

A

s you may, or may not have noticed, my monthly column here in the esteemed pages of Dealernews has been MIA the past couple of issues. That’s okay though as fearless leader Robin Hartfiel gave me a pass to work on other special projects near and dear to my heart. To say the past couple of months have been an interesting period would be an understatement.

In the last 60 days I helped host the largest single-day off-road race in North America, Vegas to Reno, which this year set records for attendance. I also hosted one of the largest UTV races of the year, The National Desert Cup and, most recently, the 36th Annual Motion Pro Nevada 200 Trailride. The Motion Pro Nevada 200 Trailride is an event I co-created with Casey Folks and now co-promote with his son, Daryl Folks. It’s about fun, fellowship, great trails and giving back to the local community of Caliente, NV. It was postponed from its traditional April date to October due to our national shutdown in March.

What I have experienced over the past couple of months of hosting these events has not only changed my life; it has also given me some clear insight into what is going on at the level of the typical powersports customer, the weekend warrior and race enthusiast. It’s given me the opportunity to engage with tens of thousands of offroad enthusiasts, to hear their stories and to help form impressions about the importance of racing and other group activities in their lives. It has all been profoundly moving.

The impact of COVID-19 on our sport, businesses and our very way of life has redefined how we see ourselves as a nation. It has revealed the best of us… and the worst of us.

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Our collective reaction to the pandemic has changed our country forever; the final results will take decades to tally.

This column attempts to share what I’ve witnessed from a racing event management perspective, where I think we currently stand, and some thoughts about where we may be headed.

Make no mistake; the great news about retail sales of offroad motorcycles and accessories, UTV sales, the growth in Adventure and Dual Sport motorcycle sales over the first three quarters of 2020 are all things to be grateful for, but what about the future? Is this boom sustainable? Or have we just pulled future sales forward? Are we about to experience a June swoon? Let’s go back to the beginning.

Back when our nation went into lockdown, our collective shock lasted for about two months. April and May were pretty much write-offs, a case of endless CSI reruns and home lockdown. All group activities canceled, restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theaters — everything normal to our daily lives was suddenly no more. Add racing, motorcycle rallies and any other group gatherings to that list. It wasn’t until early June we could start to see any sort of path back towards the reopening of our economy and our lives, even if only on a limited basis.

Depending on what part of the country you lived in — and the more draconian the mandates and measures implemented by state governments — the money our outlook on normalcy varied. By the time we got to late June, things were looking up with the economy slowly reopening and some racing back on the calendar. I even reported on an event we did in late June, the Silver State 300 and just how successful it was.

But then came the second surge in COVID cases in late July and a retraction to more stringent limits on group gatherings. As we headed into August and with the largest off-road race in North America Vegas to Reno clearly in our sights, we were informed just two weeks prior to the event that the BLM would not issue a permit out of fears of spreading COVID-19. Talk about a gut punch. A shock wave went through the off-road racing industry. The largest field ever, close to 400 teams, were left wondering if the event would become a victim of COVID-19, as were the rural communities along the route who all rely on V2R as their single largest economic stimulus each year.

In fact, an entire industry is counting on this event for sales and revenue. To put V2R into perspective, a recent USA Today poll listed it as the 7th “Most Significant Motorsports Event in North America” — That’s going up against the likes of the Indy 500, Daytona 500, MotoGP, NHRA, Pikes Peak and a host of other major national racing events. Definitely not small potatoes!

What did it take to get the race back on track? What steps were required to convince the State BLM Director to approve the permit? You can start with a full-court press from BITD on the political front. Everyone from Nevada State Governor Sisolak’s office to State Congressmen Amodei, to the mayors of all the local rural communities along the route writing letters and making phone calls.

Sure, this all helped.

But in the end, what it took was a 15-page COVID-19 Mitigation plan that stated we would have every racers temperature tested before the start, that everyone would wear masks throughout the event, and that we would refrain from gathering in large groups. No awards ceremony, no vendor midway and no crowd at the finish line. The BLM would only approve the event if we took severe and drastic action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Fortunately, with just three days to go, they relented and approved the permit!

We fast forward to Oct 9-11 and the 36th Annual Motion Pro Nevada 200 Trailride; an event postponed from April.

By now, we had become experienced professionals at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and implementing policies and practices to stop its spread (and yes this included the wearing of masks). The end result, not one case of additional COVID-19, was reported or attributed to Vegas to Reno, The National Desert Cup, or the Nevada 200 Trailride in the rural counties in which they were held or amongst the participants in the event. Not one!

We found a way through the mess to ensure we could come together and not become epicenters for spread of the disease. And it would appear other racing organizations are having similar success. GNCC, WORCS and other regional programs are all doing quite well. Even largescale events like Sturgis have proven that COVID-19 and mega-rallies can co-exist under the proper circumstances (notwithstanding the highly biased Washington Post report that came out after Sturgis using highly questionable data and forecast models). This demonstrates that powersports enthusiasts will do whatever it takes to keep their sport alive and continue participating in the type of racing and/or group activities they love.

Turnouts across the nation at amateur racing events are more vital than ever, with many breaking records for turnout and participation. It all sounds very promising, and it is except for two things. First, a little thing called the 2020 Presidential Election, and second, COVID-19. Until the current political situation is resolved, there will remain questions on policy and direction regardless of who wins the election. This confusion will carry well into 2021.

Continued on page 48

OCTOBER 2020

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Continued from page 47

If there are any lessons to be learned from 2020, it’s that the racing community and enthusiasts will find ways to satisfy their competitive desires. The winners will be those organizations that are just too stubborn or too stupid to quit. The bigger question is will the recent uptick in offroad motorcycle sales and UTV sales continue or will we see a slowdown?

Against all odds, the industry has proven to be resilient but what will happen when stimulus checks dry up and the economy has to operate on its own equilibrium? Let’s hope the answer is positive. A lot is riding on what will happen over the next few months.

COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere. I suspect we will be dealing with this well into 2021. Already we see the challenges other professional sporting events that rely on spectators are having — pick any professional or stick-and-ball sport. Supercross and Roadracing fall into this category, and it’s clear they are having challenges putting a viable schedule together. Just because the calendar will flip over in a couple of months to 2021 doesn’t mean we won’t be facing the same challenges.

Structurally, I see entire racing series directed towards states where public gatherings are allowed. In other words, don’t look for a Supercross race anytime soon in California. The system that supports these professional racing series will be severely impacted, and so will the economies. Team structures, budgets, travel and race plans all hinge on exposure. Many teams are already feeling the pressure from outside sponsors who refuse to pay because they aren’t getting the exposure they contracted for. Several major sponsors including Geico have already pulled out.

Racing in 2021 will see a lot of restructuring, and in some cases downsizing. We will see many companies re-evaluate their relationship with racing series and racing events.

The bottom line is there will be winners and losers. Those who have proven they can rise to the occasion, continue to host events, satisfy their participants’ expectations and those of their sponsors related to providing real exposure will be just fine. Most important of all, organizers who can prove they can implement effective COVID-19 mitigation plans will succeed. Those that can’t are in for real challenges.

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and 2020 TrailBlazers Hall Of Fame inductee Scot Harden has enjoyed a nearly 40-year career as one of the world’s top off-road racers, compiling a set of records that few can match. From 1971 until his final professional race in 2007 — at the age of 51 — Harden mastered a wide range of off-road disciplines. He has also compiled an impressive executive management resume within the motorcycle industry as a brand builder, race team manager, sales professional and product planner with such companies as Husqvarna, KTM, BMW, Zero Motorcycles and Best In The Desert. He is also owner of Harden Offroad, a business consulting practice, and co-promoter of the Nevada 200Trailride. He was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2008.

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® THE SALE! Mark’s Performance Metrics: Measuring What Really Matters To Your Dealership

By Mark Rodgers

I

nsanity. I don’t know what else to call it.

If a scheduled 9:05 flight closes the main cabin door 15 seconds early, pushes two inches from the jet bridge and then sits immobile for two hours, airlines consider this an on-time departure. Passengers don’t. Adding insult to injury, carriers have the same sort of lunacy for arrivals.

Unfortunately it isn’t just the airlines.

We worked with a call center that rewarded brief call times (they all do, because it’s easy to measure). One superstar improved her scores by literally answering the phone and then hanging up on callers! Good for the measure. Catastrophic for the business. Absurdity.

Madness. (Apparently, I do know what else to call it.)

It’s almost as if gaming the system is part of the human condition (It is.)

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Mark’s Performance Metrics For dealerships to operate at their potential, it’s important to create a performance culture; One focused on creating and nurturing the habits critical for results.

The challenge is that far too many know far too little about measuring what’s important.

Forget the non-impact measures mentioned in the open.

Also, forget measuring nonsense like backend products per deal (nonsensical), profit per deal financed (artificially amplified), or heaven forefend, counter receipts to motorcycle sales (apples to pears)!

Einstein had a great quote, “Not everything that can be counted, counts.” Man, you got that right big Al!

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are measures used to strategically plot a business’s success. Leading indicators (inputs) measure activities like steps completed, marketing list increases, and estimated event participation. Lagging indicators (outputs) measure results like revenue, expenses, and profit. Here we’ll discuss Mark’s Performance Metrics; measures you may not have considered but should. Here’s the first:

Stop Measuring Outbound Calls What?!?! (Insert old-timey record scratch here.) Yes, you heard me. Stop counting outbound sales calls as something meaningful. They aren’t. Currently when your sales manager asks the crew, “Did you make your calls?”

The team replies, “Yes, boss.”

But if you check the CRM record simply shows CCLM (Called Customer. Left Message.). This does NOTHING to move the relationship or your business forward.

Instead track outbound sales team-initiated customer conversations.

Adult relationships are built on ongoing interchanges.

Everyone says this is the relationship business, well here’s an example of how you can put words to action. Don’t count calls, count meaningful customer conversations. More about that in a moment, but first, you must know the ins and outs.

Know The Outs And The Ins I sometimes like to think of dealerships as cell phone towers. Constantly pinging with signals coming in and signals going out. And that’s what you really need to know. How many signals did we send out and what did we receive?

So, how many new business outbound conversations have we initiated? How many calls did we make, how many text messages did we send, how many social media posts did we make, how many emails did we fire off to customers in a day? No, this is not a contradiction to above, this is a different measurement.

Next, you should determine how many inbound inquiries did we receive in a day? How many credit apps, online chats, phone calls, emails, text message inquires, or internet leads did we receive?

Now, before you head explodes trying to think about how to perfectly measure such things, take a breath. Don’t worry about creating the perfect method for measuring your Ins and Outs, just come up with a way. The key is just to be consistent.

I know, it is a head scratcher. But remember this heuristic. If it’s easy to do, the results are hard to take. E.g. It’s easy to measure call times, but resultant customer dissatisfaction produces drama. If it’s hard to do, the results are easy to take. It’s hard to quantify the outs and ins, but the precision with which you can direct marketing efforts, easy to take.

As we noted earlier, Einstein said, “Not everything that can be counted, counts.” And the back half of that quote is: “Not everything that counts, can be counted.” Okay, but we can try. Next is one of my favorites.

Mark’s Customer Record Power Rating (CRPR) Author John Naisbitt famously said way back in 1982 that “High tech, equals high touch.” He couldn’t have been more prescient. Technology enables us to nurture relationships in ways we never could have imagined a decade or so ago.

For us in the motorcycle business, one application is your CRM. It’s crucial to your success, yet it often doesn’t get used to it’s potential.

Enter Mark’s Customer Record Power Rating otherwise known as the CRPR. This powerful metric evaluates your salesperson’s ability to manage customer relationships.

When you look at an individual CRM record, check for these elements, giving one point for each. Here’s what each CRM Record needs to have:

1) Who: are we working with? The customer’s full name and any preferences I.e. nicknames or abbreviations, like Mike vs. Michael needs to be in the record.

2) What: are they interested in? Specifically, what motorcycle.

3) Why: are they interested in this bike?

5) How: might they pay for it? I.e. Where do they work?

Where: else have they looked? Other dealerships?

Motorcycle publications? Knowledgeable brother-in-law?

6) When: are they planning on purchasing? You must know if this decision is imminent or something way down the road.

7) Picture: Literally an image of the customer in or attached to the record. (Here’s that pesky relationship angle again. If we say this is the relationship business, shouldn’t we at least know their name and what they look like?!).

8) Date, time, and next step: (one point for each of these). If you want to transform your sales productivity never leave a prospective customer without a date, time, and a next step.

Managers Take Note!

Never accept, “He went home to think about it.” Do customers need time to mull their decisions? Absolutely.

Do we want to be high pressure? No way. But we don’t want them walking off into the sunset never to be seen again, either!

So, when the customer says, “I’m going to go home and think about it,” your salespeople should respond with something like, “Of course! I’ll call you in a couple of days to see what you’re thinking.”

Next level: “So, I can best prepare for our call, what specifically will you be considering?”

Now you’ll get some clues as to whether its spousal resistance, price sensitivity, or color preference (or any of the myriad decisions to be made.) Then, start to get a sense of time. “Is the morning or afternoon better for you?” Now for example, you’ll know, I’m calling him two days from now, in the afternoon, to check about paint preferences.)

To achieve this objective, managers must teach, coach, and then hold their people accountable for their CRM Record Power Rating.

Continued on page 52

OCTOBER 2020

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Continued from page 51

Rodgers

Performance Consulting

2090 South Cherrywood Court • New Berlin, WI 53151 • 262.754.9637

Mark’s Customer Record Power Rating (CRPR) Scorecard Date: ___________________

Salesperson: ________________________________ Ave Score: _________

When you look at an individual CRM record, check for these elements, giving one point for each. Add up the scores for three customers and calculate the average score. The maximum possible score is 10.0.

Customer Names: Metrics:

Score

1.

Who: are we working with? The customer’s full name and any preferences, e.g. nickname, needs to be in the record.

2.

What: are they interested in? Specifically, what motorcycle?

3.

Why: are they interested in this bike?

4.

How: might they pay for it? i.e. Where do they work?

5.

Where: else have they looked? Other dealerships? Motorcycle publications?

Knowledgeable brother-in-law?

6.

When: are they planning on purchasing? You must know if this decision is imminent or something way down the road.

7.

Picture: Literally an image of the customer in or attached to the record. (We say this is the relationship business. Shouldn’t we at least know their name and what they look like?!).

8.

Date, time, and next step: (one point for each of these). If you want to transform your sales productivity, never leave a prospective customer without a date, time, and a next step.

Score

Score

Customer Scores:

Here’s How To Best Use Mark’s CRPR: Salespeople: Create an index card checklist placed on or near your computer monitor so you can use it as a guide (After a month or so it will be so ingrained, you’ll know it by heart. Trust me when I say to you this is the key to unlocking your true commission potential.).

Sales Managers: Create a salesperson CRPR scorecard or use ours https://files.constantcontact. com/1e5c96d8201/d35eabdf-4366-436a-92e0cbbfb2dc2d27.pdf. Every couple of days, randomly grab your clipboard with this scorecard, grab a salesperson and say, “Who are the last three people you’re working with?”

Jot down the names, have the salesperson pull up the record, and simply score them. Come up with a threeperson average and that is your salesperson’s current CRPR. (What’s good? When you first get started, you’ll be around 3s or 4s. In a few weeks executing as described, you’ll be 9s and 10s).

General Managers: Use the same sort of checklist and sitting with your sales manager, pull up three records at random and repeat the process. That is then your sales manager’s current CRPR. (Their people’s behavior is their performance.)

Dealer Principals: Do the same with your GM. Because well, their people’s performance is their performance.

This idea, executed as described, will transform your business. It’s as simple as that.

Key Points To maximize your potential, you need to make completeness of CRM records a keystone habit. That is one that when you do it consistently its positive effects will cascade over many aspects of dealership success.

Focus on nothing but this for the next couple of weeks and I can guarantee you your business will improve, and your dealerships culture will improve as well.

Cause Not Blame It’s important to seek cause and not blame.

If you go to your entries and they aren’t complete don’t berate the salesperson (I believe in the concept of positive human intent, but that’s for another article). Rather you want to find out why the record wasn’t complete.

Perhaps the person doesn’t have a great way to discover employment, or competitive research, or timing. It’s your role as the manager to provide these skills. (Or come to me and I’ll help you both!)

Don’t leap to the person’s being lazy or uncaring, that in most cases, isn’t the issue (you know what I’ve discovered often is, a lack of computer literacy or even typing skills!).

Your CRM is your best tech tool for salespeople to develop and progress meaningful relationships with their customers. We have it. We pay for it. We complain when people don’t use it. So why aren’t we measuring it?

That’s the whole idea behind Mark’s Metrics. Quit talking about the nonsense measures and start looking at what will really accsellerates your success.

Alright, you’ve just downloaded more data than a Facebook server, so we’ll do more next month.

Now, go sell something.

Be sure to tune into: SALES SUCCESS IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS as sales expert and award-winning Dealernews columnist Mark Rodgers shares how to accsellerate® your sales. Watch Mark explain the guiding principle of how to succeed in the motorcycle business even in these stormy times. (FYI, Mark only counts the content after the whizbang video open in his time limit, so start your stopwatches then!) Mark Rodgers is an awardwinning speaker, best-selling author, and sought-after consultant, who has spent 33 years working in the Harley-Davidson industry. Check out his 60-second sales tips twice a week at Dealernews social media channels or contact him via e-mail: Mark@RodgersPC.com

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Copyright ©2020 by Mark Rodgers. All Rights Reserved.

BECOME A LEXIN DEALER TODAY

RIDE IN PEACE RON LAMASTUS Friends Of Greenwood Cycle Gather

By Charlie Williams

S

tarting an article like this is difficult, a friend passed away, unexpectedly and way too soon.

Ron LaMastus passed away from a heart attack while riding his KTM Adventure bike on the Kentucky Adventure Trail. But that’s the end of the story, kinda.

The story actually started way before me, but I walked up in 1981. A 22 year old version of me had gone to a wedding on a fall Saturday afternoon. I drank a bunch of wedding beer, decided to dump my date and drive over to this Ron LaMastus guy’s shop. I was good and drunk when I got to Greenwood Cycle, yet I still remember telling this 34 year old OLD man I was going to come back, buy one of these KTM bikes and go ride the Six Day!

Ron eventually got me sitting on the couch reading old issues of CycleNews until I fell asleep. After a nap I woke up, bid my goodbyes and headed back to the wedding party and that frisky wedding date I had dumped earlier...

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A couple of months later, I woke up in jail, again. Drinking poorly. Dad picked me up and told me if I wanted to hang out with him I’d have to stop drinking. So I did. My Dad was a star and this apple fell far from that tree. Be like Dad, be with Dad. I stopped drinking at 24 years old. I put down the bottle, stopped going to bars and got behind the bars, made a new set of friends and set a new life goal — ride well.

Eventually, after the lawyers stopped taking my money, I went back to the KTM shop, sober. I wanted a 500cc “man’s bike” but Ronnie was looking after me and sold me on a leftover 250 at a super kind price. A lot of guys would have sold the drunk kid a 500 monster, but Ronnie didn’t.

There is no glory in picking on a drunk kid.

See, by the time I got old enough, Ronnie had ridden the Six Days — five times! Even as a kid I knew I needed a real race shop if I was going to go anywhere on a bike. I needed a mentor and Ron LaMastus got the job.

Besides, I had a lot of crow to eat, so I needed all the help I could get.

Somehow, Ron got to be in charge of holding my bar. By comparing my achievements against his achievements, I could measure myself as a rider. How far could Ron go?

How far could I go? Ron didn’t ask for this position, he just set the bar, me and lots of others tried to reach that bar. As time wore on, Ron would lower that bar for me, and lower it and lower it, until after 15 years of trying, I finally cheated my way into the Six Day. I limped out with a Bronze medal, Ron shook my hand, can I please let go of the guilt I feel for not being good enough, not living up to my own hopes and dreams?

Can you see what a profound, influence Ron had on my growing up? I hope you all have some one you look up to, some one holding your bar.

Lots of Indiana riders rode out of Ronnie’s shop, Tom Buckles is one, he wound up with 3 Six Day medals. Kurt and Aaron Hough would have been influenced by Ron; Gary Hazel, Brian Walker, Kelvin Thomas… all Indiana Six Day riders would have been influenced by Ron LaMastus.

Plus, all the local guys who rode really well because Ron showed them how.

I could go on and list hundreds of trophies and wins and heroic days, but picture this, in 1973 Ronnie rode a Rokon in the Six Day. It had a pull start... A 350cc two stroke you started by pulling a rope with your hand. Oh my God, entering the hardest race in the world on a pull start machine. I go out into the garage and pull start a 20cc weed eater — I wind up seeing stars and gasping for air every time!

Here is another mental snapshot to picture: Ronnie was stationed with the Navy in Southern California in the mid 60s. He had bikes and was at the epicenter of the entire motorcycle world! Can you imagine seeing all of that happening? Seeing it and playing a part in it all… that’s my favorite Ronnie story.

Doug Spence told me that Ronnie had shown up at a race on a Jawa and broke the kick starter off before the race. Ron got the bike running and rode it all day without killing it and won the race, too! Rumor had it Ron could start a bike by putting it in gear, laying it across his thigh, grabbing the back tire and spinning it by hand!

But it’s not all a physical thing, Fred Cameron told me about his 1978 SWM Six Day bike. After the race it was all crated up and being shipped back to Fred in the US. The crate and bike were severely damaged in transit and it was given up for lost. Ronnie was an SWM dealer at the time and after a few weeks, the ruined crate showed up at his shop with no explanation. Ron figured out whose bike it was and called Fred up, sounds easy enough, but in 1978 Fred had to be home to answer the phone. No answering machines, no messages, no texts, no dings, whistles or pings, just “Hello?”

“You probably don’t remember me, but I have something you would like to have,” said Ronnie into the old rotary dial phone. “I have the number plate off your Six Day bike.” Fred was floored, he remembered who Ronnie was from that day on and was proud to tell his story.

Fast forward 40 years and although Ron still had a 300 KTM he rode in the woods, he also had a KTM 950 Adventure bike and had ridden all over the country. Like a thousand trips before, Ronnie and a group of friends were riding the Kentucky Adventure Trail one fateful day.

The KAT is a spectacular GPS route that meanders around the state of Kentucky using the most rustic routes available. Now I wasn’t all that keen on the idea of a road ride, but if Ronnie was drawn to it, maybe it was worth looking at.

My next thought is where do I want to start my KAT? Let’s start where Ronnie stopped. So I was drawn to the location where Ronnie passed away. Ron had heart problems, replacement knee problems, general 71-yearold man problems.

The group was at the south end of the loop and the story goes Ronnie had gotten his bike a little stuck and had to wrestle it out. He got going, caught up with the group, in typical Rocket Ron fashion. At the next intersection, he sat down and passed away of a heart attack.

It’s just a beautiful location, there’s a creek and a bridge and an old wooden church across the way.

If I’m drawn to this location, others will be too, so I asked his wife Cheryl if we could put up a marker for Ron? Her stipulation was that she could be a part of it… From marker to event.

I mentioned creating some sort of marker to my friend Brett Parks, it was funny, he fell into a trance and recited 30 years of Ron LaMastus stories. “I first met Ron at Raceway Park in 1973, he was riding a Rokon...” And the stories rolled on.

Brett would create the work of art seen here. There was little I could do to stop him from making it.

But first! And possibly a first for me, permission! Operating off a GPS waypoint I was able to locate the closest town, Winfield, TN. I contacted the Volunteer Fire Department and they helped me connect with Deacon Willis at the church across the bridge. Deacon Willis directed me to Mr. Smith of the TNKY Land Owners Association and he didn’t see a problem with us placing a marker on his property.

Yay! Now the chances that Mr Smith owns any property near where we dug the hole is slim, but I asked!

Type “Ketchen, Tennessee” in your GPS, that gets you close enough you can sleuth it out.

Continued on page 56

OCTOBER 2020

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Continued from page 55

More than 20 people, including Cheryl, showed up on September 11, 2020. We dug a hole, we hauled water and rocks up from the creek to mix the concrete and built a little pathway. We picked up trash and sat on our tail gates telling stories.

Family and friends, riding buddies, working buddies, neighbors, fans, our group had all the bases covered.

Thank you Brett Parks, thank you to the Midwest Motorcycle Club, thank you to the Muddobbers Motorcycle Club, thank you to Brian Bennet at UnaBiker, Weaver, Wartzog, Buckles and every one who clicked “like” on our Friends of Greenwood Cycle Facebook Page.

Of course you can get on your bike, get on the KAT and visit Ron’s marker. That’s what he would have done. That’s what I’m going to do.

Thank you Ron and Cheryl, you’ve meant so much to so many of us in the racing community and we all lost a great spirit when Ron passed.

Flash back 26 years, September 1994, Day three, second tough 80-mile loop of the day. We rode out of Parc Ferme along a fence for half a mile, at the end we turned left along another fence and there were some spectators on the outside of the turn, Ron and Cheryl were there. Ron waved and Cheryl cheered, “Go Charlie Go!”

Man, that left a mark, I hear it as clear today, “Go Charlie Go!” I’m taking that advice.

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KAT— THE KENTUCKY ADVENTURE TOUR

T

he Kentucky Adventure Tour (KAT) is a free, GPS self-guided tour around southeastern Kentucky and bordering states. You will need basic GPS or a GPS app knowledge to navigate your way. This is a 1000 mile loop (not counting the hard sections) for STREET LEGAL VEHICLES around the hills and mountains of southeastern KY, TN, VA and WV.

It is about 40% rural narrow twisty paved roads with the rest being gravel, dirt roads and trails. It will take 5-6 full summer days of riding to complete the main loop. It will take 6-7 days if you take the hard sections. Some of these areas are very remote so do not go alone! The average distance between gas stops is around 60 miles. Waypoints for gas stations, food and hotels are marked, for the most part.

This loop does go through some active coal mining areas, but the roads are still open to the public. You may run into a situation where the road is shut down due to work or blasting.

There will be a security guard and or signs, the guards are very friendly and more than happy to tell you a way around.

Dual sport bikes are what’s recommended. The main loop can be done on bigger bikes if you’re highly experienced, but keep in mind there are sections with large rocks, logs, mud, creeks and hills so it is highly recommended that you have experience in these conditions and run FULL KNOBBY tires!

For the bike hard sections, it is strongly suggested that you be on a 650 or smaller lightweight dual sport bike with again FULL KNOBBY tires! You want to have lots of experience in true off road riding! Some of these trails are technical single track. Others may have steep hills, big rocks, logs, ruts, creeks, mud, tight switchbacks etc.

You may run into downed trees and creeks that may be too big or deep to cross. Any of these can be bypassed if you just scroll around on your GPS screen. A small saw or machete comes in handy for the small downed trees.

There are two versions of the KAT, one for motorcycles and one for 4x4s. See the files section to download the most current GPX tracks. Be sure you get the appropriate file for the vehicle that you will be using. “KAT” for the bikes and “KAT 4x4” for the trucks Trying to get a truck through motorcycle only sections could cause serious damage to the trail and risk having it closed for good.

PLEASE DO NOT USE TRACKS FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE BESIDES THIS ONE OR THE LINK BELOW AND ALWAYS GET THE LATEST FILE BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR YOUR TRIP AS IT CHANGES OFTEN! KAT webpage: http://annessky.net/kat/

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SPATIAL AWARENESS

A Perspective On Factors That Will Drive Innovation In The Powersports Market

By Larry Daniel

I

n prior articles for Dealernews, I took an opportunity to share some perspectives on how major automotive paradigm changes from a century ago predict the speed of coming transportation changes. I examined how commercial trucking companies are planning today for greater Connectivity, Autonomous vehicles, the Sharing economy and Electric Vehicles (CASE) tomorrow.

As a follow up, this article offers a spatial perspective about patterns in past and current state laws and legislation and how they likely portend how different regions of the country might be affected by speeds of change tomorrow. Our team surveyed an assortment of transportation laws and mapped the distribution and origin of some notable legislation related to motor vehicles.

The patterns are interesting to ponder!

Any easy starting spot for a country-wide view of data that affects patterns of economic activity is a view of US state income.

While an accurate portrait of individuals’ potential net income should also factor in real estate and local tax rates, state income tax levels around the US create real and perceived differences in net earnings and spending opportunities nationwide. Pictured here below is a map indicating the Maximum State Income Rates across the United States, ranging from states like California and New Jersey that can tax over 10% at their highest brackets to several states such as Texas, Washington, Florida and Nevada that have no income tax at all.

In a world of swift moving job opportunities around the country, the income tax map has become more familiar to the labor market and indicative of areas with greater discretionary spending power. Perhaps less intuitive, though, are other variations in state policies that impact innovation and economic dynamics.

FOOTNOTE: 1 State Income Tax rates were referenced from TheBalance.com, March 2020 2 The status of Autonomous Vehicle legislation was found at www.ghsa.org while Tesla incentives are available on Tesla’s website (www.tesla.com)

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Larry Daniel is the Managing Director of Sextant, a Colorado-based firm focused on Development, Operations and Marketing for Dealers and OEMs across the motor vehicle industries.

Feel free to reach Larry at 719-362-0070 or email at ldaniel@sextantusa.com.

Above, green hues indicate where autonomous vehicle law has been authorized or at least partially authorized. The map demonstrates strong patterns for autonomous vehicles to have taken root much more fully across the southern US while the majority of northern states are still studying the issues.

Below, Tesla Purchasing Incentives (which largely follow state tax credits) demonstrate a clear trend for electric vehicle subsidies to have surfaced more fully on the coasts, particularly more Northeast than areas inland.

As one ponders where future change is prone to pop the fastest, we might also examine the state of motor-vehicle related regulations.

For example, the map above demonstrates how various large Western states shied away from imposing bans on vehicular cell phone use at levels similar to other areas of the US.

Without doubt, a fascinating powersports and transportation future lies close ahead. It is interesting to consider how the past will lace into the future. Where and when innovations will next explode are most likely related to the patterns illustrated by the maps of our recent past. In Part II, we will connect the dots with motorcycle helmet law requirements, autonomous vehicles and the estimated rates of adoption for Electric Vehicles (EV) and Autonomous Vehicles (AV).

Personnel Files

By Alex Baylon

NOT TODAY!

COVID-19 And The Motorcycle Industry

C

OVID-19 has wreaked havoc around the world, impacting the health of the public and the economy in ways we have not seen in our lifetimes. As we just passed the 6-month mark since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can see the motorcycle industry has not been immune to the effects of Coronavirus. In fact, the industry is facing many changes within various branches of business, including motorcycle jobs, logistics and parts.

As a sharp sales guy once noted, from chaos comes orders! We are also seeing the industry attempting to staff up after the enforced closures/furloughs/lay-offs.

From repair-only shops to massive multi-line dealerships, the playing field has been leveled as things have undoubtedly shifted to protect both staff and customers.

While many industries are seeing a decrease in business, the motorcycle industry has actually seen a boost in sales resulting in a variety of inventory shortages across the board. Let us take a closer look at how COVID-19 has impacted the industry and motorcycle job market.

Increase In Demand And Inventory Shortages Many businesses and industries are seeing a decrease in sales due to COVID-19 related shutdowns. For example, during the first quarter of 2020, street motorcycle sales fell 10.6%. As a result, many of the manufacturers

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were forced to close production facilities, which in turn meant dealers failing to receive new motorcycle models.

Around May, however, Harley-Davidson reopened, and although they were providing a slimmer selection than years past, they did succeed in getting new product back into the pipeline and onto dealership showroom floors.

To help their franchised dealers, Harley-Davidson offered an array of financial support packages and extended credit due dates for motorcycle inventory. If anything, the slow-down helped “right-size” the market and cleared out a glut of old inventory without having to resort to fire-sale blow-outs of non-currents.

Surprisingly, motorcycle dealers now see a much different business forecast, with an increase in sales continuing long after the first stimulus checks were cashed. In light of this sales increase combined with the COVID closures, many dealers now see the most significant upsurge from online sales. As a result, companies like Ducati and Polaris offer delivery programs to keep business rolling without putting the consumer at risk.

You may be surprised to learn that April 2020 saw higher retail sales than April 2019—likely due to the dangers related to public transportation amid the pandemic. This applies to motorcycles and parts, causing an array of inventory shortages. Another reason for these inventory shortages rests with various shipping restrictions on parts coming from other countries.

Minibikes, Motorcycles & Recreation This pandemic has significantly reduced people’s options for recreation. Bars, concerts, cruises, plane flights, stick & ball sports… you name it, you can’t do it while socially distanced. Enter the original social distancing machine: the motorcycle! Motorcycles were deemed essential early on in the COVID crisis and have driven many motorcycle enthusiasts to seek recreation in the form of fun on two wheels. The Spring/Summer surge in motorcycle sales is primarily due to our need to get out of the house. This caused dirtbike and dual-sport sales to surge, UTV sales never softened and even scooter sales were up. This created a corresponding surge in gear and more importantly repair work to get old bikes back on the road.

Alternative work methods and even complete workplace closures, kids having school at home via virtual learning and elimination of public transit means many people almost never leave their homes… unless they have a motorcycle, that is.

Much like the average American adult and our dogs, children need outside stimulation outside of the home despite the pandemic. With many parks closed, it is not as easy as walking to the local playground. As a result, dirtbikes and minibikes are seeing a surge in sales. Many kiddos are getting started on motorbikes at a young age, filling their quarantined summer with the opportunity to get out and adventure on two wheels, courtesy of STACYC, Strider and a whole host of trick minis.

Motorcycle Industry Jobs While the economy is facing an all-time low, finding a motorcycle industry job during these times is rough as many stores have pared staff to the bare essentials.

The job market as a whole is seeing a slower response time and fewer opportunities, leaving many wondering whether we can afford our bills each month.

The silver lining is that the motorcycle industry still seems to be ramping up, and dealers are tired of burning the candle at both ends by doing everything themselves. However one caveat remains: many highend motorcycle jobs are looking for qualified candidates to help keep the industry running. If you are an A-level tech capable of keeping three lifts going simultaneously, you can write your own ticket anywhere. If you are entry level, the boss simply doesn’t have the time to train you up.

That doesn’t mean the door is closed. As warehouses and dealerships are being restocked, the industry appears to be primed with new job listings for motorcycle parts sales jobs, and motorcycle industry warehouse manager jobs.

And don’t forget the porter position! With home delivery being a thing, the “face” of dealerships has shifted from the receptionist and salespeople to the porter and the webmaster at the dealership level.

As you can see, although the economy has taken a hit amid the pandemic, motorcycle industry jobs are rebounding. With a surge of sales on motorcycles, parts and gear – the industry is thriving while employing modern sales techniques including online sales and thus promoting growth in motorcycle delivery jobs. Skills in emerging areas are actually opening career doors. We strongly recommend taking a look if you are qualified and in need of a motorcycle industry job!

COVID-19 may be a job killer in some industries, but not today in the motorcycle industry!

MIJ Industry #PROfiles

Dealernews is honored to work with Motorcycle Industry Jobs to recognize the people who make up this great industry.

“When you start reading the Industry #PROfles, you will notice that 80-90% of them get their start at a motorcycle dealership,” says MIJ founder Alex Baylon. “The dealers are on the front lines and have always been the heart and soul of the industry. Without motorcycle dealerships, most of us wouldn’t be where we are today, so part of our message is always going to be ‘support your local motorcycle shop.’”

In addition to recognizing industry pros, Dealernews is also working with MIJ to create a job ticker tape of the latest positions opening in the industry at the Dealernews.com site. Check it out at: www.dealernews.com/Industry-Jobs “Tell us your story,” adds Baylon. “We would love to feature you! Click here to fill out the questionnaire: www.motorcycleindustryjobs.com/industry-profiles/

MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com founder Alex Baylon has been hiring and firing people in the powersports industry for 25 years.

Currently with a major distributor, he has also been with Dragon Alliance, Ceet Racing, MX GP Services in Europe, Acerbis USA, Motonation/Sidi Boots and Scott USA. He started MIJ as he saw a need in the industry for people who are passionate about the motorcycle industry to have an employment outlet. The motorcycle industry like many others has always recycled employees from one company to another and it has always been done by word of mouth. MIJ allows companies in the industry to post their openings and give others in and out of the industry a chance to apply and insert new blood and fresh ideas in the many opportunities in the motorcycle industry.

OCTOBER 2020

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Confessions Of A Customer®

By Eric Anderson

THE MENTOR GAP

Big Brothers (And Sisters) Needed For Ridership Movement!

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eneralization: The more skilled a rider you are, the more “moto-snobbery” keeps you from stooping down to help new riders to elevate their game by improving their skills and experience.

Experienced riders and racers by nature don’t have patience for back markers — they want to go longer, faster and harder than newcomers. Seems like those of us spending the most time on two wheels have the least time to spend with those of lesser skills and experience. The downside is that newbies can become frustrated and quit altogether. I call it the “Mentor Gap.”

Other than close family members, we cluster with riders of a similar skill level. Rather than sharing their secrets, riders with greater skills and experience prefer to wheelie off into the sunset. Who wants to show a newer rider how to countersteer, apex properly or pack for an overnight adventure trip?

One of my past “Confessions” columns entitled “It’s Not About Your Damned Motorcycles” created a stir by pointing out that physical “dream machines” are actually secondary to the human experiences they create. It’s truly all about (drum roll) the people, friends, family and the human experience of riding these vehicles…together. You can be a club rider, racer, family rider or Helge Pedersen riding solo around the globe, but it all comes back to people and places in the end — friends you meet and scenes you see at the beginning, along the way or at the end.

automobiles, powersports machines truly transport the human experience into another dimension of existence.

Moving through space and time with such freedom, exposure and exhilaration is enlightening to the self. Our mind is truly transported to another level simultaneous to the physical transport of our body to the ultimate destination. Without beating a metaphoric dead horse, the motorcycle journey itself is the reward — better than the machine under you…or the ultimate destination.

THERE’S THE RUB The problem is, dealers and current riders need to learn to share our transportable discoveries with newcomers beyond the simple selling or acquisition of the machine. MIC statistics reiterate this problem: The average annual mileage ridden for a street motorcycle is under 3,000 miles per year. The touring average is higher and the dual sport average is lower.

There is no need to buy another “dream machine” if the first one is less than one-twentieth worn out and its battery is dead.

Craig’s List and eBay are littered with “dreams gone stale.” On the other hand, I know other newcomers to the industry who already have three different bikes in their first 18 months of riding. What’s the difference in their experience from those who lost their fire?

My “Mentor Gap” theory states there are too few Big Brothers in our industry. Riding is a lifelong progression for those of us already hooked on it. The trouble is, many newcomers don’t stay long because it’s challenging to make the leap from newbie to veteran without some outside help from a friend, riding neighbor or a caring dealer. And the vets are too hung up on (selfishly) riding for themselves.

I am more selfish… and guilty than most — I need to change that and begin giving back. Riding has been an escape for many of us ever since we could twist a throttle so the more we grew up in the school of hard moto-knocks, the less we wanted to share our experience with someone who hadn’t paid their dues. My 30-something kids don’t even ride because I never wanted to worry about them hurting themselves — how’s that for selfish?

Riding is close to addictive behavior, isn’t it — the ultimate in selfishness? It’s difficult to develop the patience to teach and encourage newer or less experienced riders because there is only so much time in the day to roost toward the horizon and get back for work and family. Escape, adrenaline, adventure — I love it all, but it’s not quite as thrilling when dragging along an unprepared or skill-lacking newbie.

This same awkward feeling gets portrayed at the parts counter and on the sales floor in your dealership. “Assumptions” of customer expertise get thrown out into the conversations with new riders who are reluctant to stop the conversation and ask, “What’s a Supermoto?” Big Brother attitude needed here.

Wikipedia’s definition of “vehicle” is a mobile machine that transports passengers or cargo. The key word to me is “transports” not “machine.” Unlike planes, trains and

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Mentor others on how to “jump the gap” toward their own new motorcycling experience

Motorcycle training courses enlighten more than 600,000 new riders a year. But as we all know, that’s just the primer — the classroom and parking lot training isn’t the real world or the real thrill. Track Day schools are terrific too, but there tends to be an “intimidation leap” between street skills and track skills. How does one find his or her way from being a basic training graduate to becoming an accomplished road or dirt rider without some form of real world, intermediate mentorship? Big Brother attitude needed here.

THE SOLUTION? A patient friend? A private coach? Dealer clinics? These are few and far between. We hire SCUBA instructors, music teachers and personal trainers in our society — why not hire a private riding coach to teach us some new higher level riding skills?

I just dropped $300 on a private fly fishing lesson.

Encourage your newer riding customers to take a 1-day Advanced Rider Course on their own motorcycle then coordinate a track day. Make it a social event — not a test of manhood and machismo. Not only will your customers learn some new riding skills, they will also become much more familiar with their new motorcycle’s capabilities and their newly transported self. Big Brother attitude needed here.

Can your dealership staff take a bit more time when handling a newcomer to motorcycling? The “dreamers” are at the fragile stage and thus need to have the inspiration and mentoring to achieve that dream. Don’t just sell them the machine, sell the how-to sizzle too. Twice in the past six months I took the time to mentor some new riders and it was incredibly satisfying.

I not only have the satisfaction of sharing my “knowledge and feelings about riding,” but I’ve gained two new riding friends.

And reciprocally, I am enrolling in a track day to learn a few new tricks myself. Can dealerships do more of the same? Big Brother attitude needed here.

My life isn’t racing as much as it used to — literally. Slowing down a bit and taking some time with my friends… or customers… makes the entire riding experience more fun and longer lasting. Bringing home a new friend has overshadowed bringing home a cheap trophy. So let’s all make it an industry goal to keep those dream machines from going stale in garages across America.

Bump up the national average to 4,000 miles a year while adding some new butts on seats as well. We’ll sell more of everything--bikes, accessories, replacement parts, not to mention enjoying ourselves more. Big Brother attitude is definitely needed here… mentors!

Keep that smile going and going and going...

USMCA… OUR INDUSTRY MENTOR?

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he United States Motorcycle Coaching Association (USMCA) just certified its 200th rider coach in July with the vision of a thriving motorcycle industry, where all stakeholders realize the benefits of a resurgence in participation from new and returning riders. There are three pillars to achieving the goal: 1) Build a nationwide network of coaches. 2) Certify and empower coaches to represent the very best the industry has to offer. 3) Collaborate with key industry partners to accelerate our impact.

There is a structured procedure to certifying the coaches and a code of conduct to ensure that USMCA-certified coaches consistently teach in a safe, efficient and professional manner. Coaches have completed the core content, agreed to uphold the USMCA values and Code of Conduct, passed a national-level background check, completed Abuse Prevention training, become certified in basic AHA or Red Cross First Aid and CPR, and taken a step towards the management of concussions and how to detect signs for heat illness and cardiac arrest.

Industry legends Jon-Erik Burleson, Mark Blackwell and Jeff Emig originally put their heads together to create the program and are now well on their way to achieving their vision. The USMCA aims to lower the barrier of entry into the sport of motorcycling by helping new riders find a Certified Coach and begin their motorcycle journey in a safe manner. Certified coaches can help grow our sport by providing current and returning riders the coaching they need to elevate their experience and expand their skills, whether the rider is a weekend warrior or at the top of the Professional ranks.

The end game is to train 250,00 new and returning riders by 2025. To achieve that, they want 250 coaches certified by the end of Year 3. So far, so good! Learn more about USMCA here: https://usmca.org/about-the-usmca/

OCTOBER 2020

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RESEARCH & STATISTICS A Look Behind the Dirt Bike Sales Spike

MIC members can now access the “Study of Recent Dirt Bike Purchasers: Impact of COVID-19.” More than 1,700 recent buyers of new dirt bikes responded to an MIC survey about their purchasing decisions. Their responses provide a glimpse into customers and why they are buying and riding.

This is a small sampling of purchasers within a snapshot of time. But there is actionable information that the industry can use for discussion and ideation, according to the MIC’s Research & Statistics staff.

MIC members should log in at the association website, visit the Member Reports page, and click on the button for Recent Purchaser Studies.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION NEWS Demand for Rider Training Stays Strong

Through statewide lockdowns and pandemic precautions, and months into the coronavirus crisis, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation is seeing strong demand for rider education across the country.

New York State, which was completely shuttered for nearly three months, saw training volume this July exceed the July total of last year by 2 percent. August volume was up by 23 percent compared to 2019.

In Colorado, 2020 training numbers through September exceeded the same period last year by almost 8 percent, despite shutdowns and reduced student capacity. Read More

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FIGHT AHEAD! Newsom Executive Order

Banning Gas-Powered Vehicles Is Counterproductive

By Donald Amador

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ighting for our rights is nothing new for many of us that work in the field of recreation advocacy and/or resource management.

Over the past 7 months, we have experienced a plethora of executive orders issued by local and state government officials in response to both the COVID and wildfire crisis. Some of these emergency directives have made sense to either streamline the regulatory process to expedite fuel reduction projects, meet critical electrical power demand, or protect public safety.

Then again, some measures don’t make a lick of sense. Unfortunately, it appears that some of these executive order-prohibitions have infringed on our Constitutional rights of freedom of assembly or freedom of speech. They have also created a culture of management by executive orders, often with little or no debate in the public arena.

By now, many of you have expressed legitimate concerns about the recent climate crisis inspired Executive Order (EO) issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom that proposes to ban the sale and use of gasoline-powered OHVs and passenger cars/trucks. The main tenets of that EO are listed here:

1 - It shall be a goal of the State that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks will be zero-emission by 2035. It shall be a further goal of the State that 100 percent of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in the State be zero-emission by 2045 for all operations where feasible and by 2035 for drayage trucks. It shall be further a goal of the State to transition to 100 percent zero-emission off-road vehicles and equipment by 2035 where feasible.

2 - The State Air Resources Board, to the extent consistent with State and federal law, shall develop and propose:

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a) Passenger vehicle and truck regulations requiring increasing volumes of new zero-emission vehicles sold in the State towards the target of 100 percent of in-state sales by 2035.

b) Medium- and heavy-duty vehicle regulations requiring increasing volumes of new zero-emission trucks and buses sold and operated in the State towards the target of 100 percent of the fleet transitioning to zero-emission vehicles by 2045 everywhere feasible and for all drayage trucks to be zero emission by 2035.

c) Strategies, in coordination with other State agencies, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local air districts, to achieve 100 percent zero-emission from off-road vehicles and equipment operations in the State by 2035. In implementing this Paragraph, the State Air Resources Board shall act consistently with technological feasibility and cost-effectiveness.

However well-intentioned this EO may be, I believe it ignores, disrespects and damages the ongoing and robust collaborative process that has been occurring between diverse interest groups from motorized/non-motorized recreation, land agencies, industry, business and other stakeholders to address and solve many of our public land management and resource issues. It smacks of political grandstanding rather than substantive change.

The shift to electric passenger cars and OHVs is already taking place. Many state parks and other land management agencies have added electric vehicles to their fleet in appropriate areas. OHV manufacturers are making electric dirtbikes, mountain bikes, youth OHVs, SxSs and dual-sport motorcycles… and a growing number of customers are buying them.

Forest health collaboratives and their members are working to address fuel loading on our forests and grasslands. Often these projects are funded by the State Climate Change Investment grant program. Good things are already happening without the need for the EO “ban” on internal combustion engine vehicle sales.

Executive Orders have a role to address an immediate and specific emergency when there is not enough time to address said issue through the legislative process. A 15 year timeframe is not appropriate for any executive order.

It’s my concern that a significant number of users and other constituents who vehemently oppose this EO will now be forced to abandon the aforementioned collaborative efforts to band together to fight a plan that is an affront our culture and highly treasured way of life.

LINK TO NEWSOM EO https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/9.23.20EO-N-79-20-text.pdf

LINK TO WHAT CARB CONSIDERS OFF-ROAD VEHICLES https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/offroad.htm

Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for almost 29 years. Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018. Don served on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don currently serves as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California. He may be reached via email at: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

Please tread lightly and travel only on routes and in areas designated open for motor vehicle use.

Remember, Respected Access is Open Access.

THIS PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT IS POWERED BY

By Alisa Clickenger

Last month Polaris launched their Inaugural “Empowersports” Women’s Riding Council with 12 female riders whose faces and voices embody the brand’s initiative for increased representation, inclusion and participation of women in powersports. The new council is part of Polaris’ broader growth initiative to grow their customer base by nearly 50% over the next 10 years. Supporting diverse riders is a solid strategy. In fact, the company is already seeing an influx of new riders in their second quarter, with significant increases from women and families, as well as younger and multicultural customers.

Meanwhile, BRP has been steadily increasing the number of riders through a steady and supremely successful focus on Can-Am women’s ridership. From crafting compelling videos with younger, diverse and female faces, to offering subsidized $99 three-wheel training programs, they’re now a ridership force to be reckoned with. This year Can-Am launched their Women’s Mentorship program, which is truly inspired in my opinion. And while they don’t talk about it too much within the industry, their women’s mentorship Facebook group is nothing short of a brilliant way to support and nurture their female customers – and keep them exclusively in the Can-Am conversation.

ADAPT, OVERCOME & EMBRACE

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he fall colors have all but faded here in North Carolina.

Spring is nothing but a distant memory now, and hopefully so is our original surprise and consternation about the pandemic and the adjustments it meant in our businesses. It’s typically Spring when the industry jumps into action, bracing for the big sales of the season… but that doesn’t have to be the case. We can carry this Spring energy on through the rest of the year, developing new ways to support and nurture our customers.

Several companies within the powersports industry have already sprung into action and developed new programs.

Their energy certainly carries on through this Fall. Our own Motorcycle Industry Council has efficiently replaced their annual Communications Symposium with a series of webinars, demonstrating their fine example of adapting to the new rules of engagement. It’s probably also saved MIC a ton of money. Their switch to an online method of information delivery encourages others in the business to reinvent themselves as well.

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Although Royal Enfield initiated their BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) program before COVID-19 spiced things up, their program highlighting women and motorcycle culture in North America persevered despite the pandemic. The BTR was clearly a unique format bringing together four female riders from four different backgrounds to compete in flat track events in 2020. They are now forging ahead with the second part of the program for 2021. Professional roadracer and current BTR flat track participant Melissa Paris will mentor a new group of women — brilliantly applying for a spot on the team through a series of vides interviews and social media marketing — preparing to race Royal Enfield Continental GT 650s on the track.

Yes, COVID-19 shook up the events side of our industry with IMS and AIMExpo being postponed, yet there are many success stories. IMS has reinvented itself as an outdoor event for 2021. Scot Harden reports Best In The Desert’s Silver State 300 boasted the largest field ever, with close to 400 teams. Over & Out Moto, a New England event for women motorcyclists who ride off-road on dual sports, dirtbikes and enduros had over 100 participants. And I was able to lead a group of 7 women on a cross-country motorcycle ride, including a two-night stop at Sturgis, without a single woman contracting the virus.

All this is to say it is plausible, possible, and probably going to keep the people engaged and coming back for more of what we have to offer in the powersports world.

While none of us welcomed the adjustments we had to make in our businesses, sometimes we really need to shake things up in order to cast off our complacency and tap into our Spring bloom out of cycle. This is the new “normal” – this particular corona virus is not going away, so adaptation is the order of this new day.

I, for one, would like to think this is a good thing. Let’s cast away all the old business models that weren’t working and embrace the new paradigm. There is power in the fresh and new and innovative, and we don’t have to wait for Spring to embrace it.

Alisa is a two-wheeled world traveler, author, tour operator, and event producer. She has been featured in a variety of media outlets as a woman pursuing a life of adventure and helping others to access their inner wisdom and be free to lead lives they are passionate about. Her book Boost Your Confidence Through Motorcycling: A Woman’s Guide to Being Your Best Self On and Off the Bike became an Amazon.com #1 Bestseller. In 2019 Alisa was also named to Dealernews TOP 100 People in Powersports. Her personal mission is to empower women through motorcycling and adventure while being a strong advocate for the powersports industry at large. Alisa’s motorcycle touring company is www.WomensMotorcycleTours.com.

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ADV AWESOMENESS

The ADV market remains a global bright spot in the midst of the pandemic. The Motorcycle Industry Council cites the growing need to get away from it all as one of the drivers of a miniboom. “New dual-purpose motorcycle sales January through June of 2020 rose 20.9% compared to the same period last year,” according to MIC’s Retail Sales Report, which gathers new motorcycle retail sales data from the 14 leading manufacturers and distributors in the U.S., providing a strong indicator of sales trends. Since it is a global market Eric Anderson checked in with Giant Loop’s Harold Olaf Cecil, who just announced Canadian expansion to his flagship dealers in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Americas. We also found out what’s up down under with Rocky Creek Designs and Peter Starr’s new book available via Twisted Throttle.

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Photo courtesy Giant Loop

OCTOBER 2020

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PRONGHORN STRAPS

I actually just scored this hunting season on a Pronghorn antelope, so I was curious to use these new-fangled tie-downs on my last ADV trip. Wow — so much easier and more stable than bungees…and you won’t “hook your eye out” with these either! The rubber composition (durometer) is very heavy and slow to return from their stretched position and no lethal hooks on the end. They are perfect for tying down duffle bags, sleeping bags, tents or gear to your bike. They will also hold on a loose muffler or dangling headlight. I look at them now as reusable GIANT ZIP TIES! The bent metal “pronghorn” buckle tang is super secure and makes sure no off-road bumps will dislodge your vital packages onto the trail. They come in 3 lengths with the longer ones having an even heavier rubber composition. Any extra length can be easily tucked away underneath the tightened portion of the strap to prevent “flappage” in the wind… which drives me nuts. I love any product like this which can make life easier on the trail or the road. They work equally well on street and touring bikes. Keep them on hand for anything including packing out your pronghorn antelope next year. MSRP $17.00-$56.70 To become a Giant Loop dealer, click here: https://www.giantloopmoto.com/ product-category/dealers/

R1R POSSIBLES POUCH

I always carry a first aid kit when I ride, but they always come in a cumbersome tin box or shabby cardboard carton. In one ride the tin box is dented or the cardboard is shredded. Now, this is a good idea since I can strap the kit onto the outside of my other gear making it quick to access… instead of being buried under my long underwear and camping kit. It’s waterproof, dustproof and available in black as well. This idea works in case I get hurt and my buddies see it strapped to the rack on my fallen bike. You can’t miss the bright red cross — it sticks in one’s head as something in case of emergency without announcing to the world you are afraid of falling down on Death Valley’s Lippencott Mine granitestaircase-of-a-road. I suggest you ride with not only the Red Cross version but a regular Possible Pouch for snacks or an innertube. They should last you for a decade or two. Anything is Possible with these pouches! MSRP $45.00 and a donation goes to the Kurt Caselli Foundation if you chose the red cross version. Available from www.GiantLoop.com — Eric Anderson

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NOW THAT’S A KNIFE!

Remember when Paul Hogan showed off his blade in Crocodile Dundee?

Well Rocky Creek’s “MotoPressor” tool is a knife… and more! The MotoPressor Puncture Repair Tool combines the four tools essential for tubeless tyre repair into a single tool. When we last checked in with Rocky Creek’s founders, Greg and Janice, the pugs were with the babysitter and they were on a walkabout in the Australian Outback in their Ural. They are back now and better yet the tire puncture tool is back in stock. See it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUK6jjd9Dvc&feat ure=youtu.be&mc_cid=6b5411e474&mc_eid=b3e57f0ed5

TWISTED THROTTLE GOES ADVENTURING WITH PETER STARR

Twelve countries in six years provide the backdrop for Starr’s motorcycling adventures, which were created as part of his “living a purposeful life” cancer recovery program. A great scenario for a man whose storytelling has been featured in major motorcycle magazines around the world and for whom motorcycling has been an active part of his life for 58 years.

The 10” x 10” Motorcycle Traveler book has 300 pages, more than 500 photographs and even comes with an accompanying DVD. Covering on- and off-road riding, the 12 chapters feature adventures in Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Finland, Isle of Man, Israel, New Zealand, Poland, Quebec, Romania, Scotland, Thailand, Taiwan and Wales. The new book is guaranteed to appeal to many riders of all segments of the sport, particularly those who yearn to discover different countries and cultures from the unique perspective of a motorcycle. See the Twisted Throttle blog for the full interview with Peter Starr here:https://twistedthrottle.com/ peter-starr-the-man-behind-motorcycle-traveler/ —Robin Hartfiel

Photo courtesy Giant Loop

OCTOBER 2020

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WISECO 2-STROKE CHAMPIONSHIP Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em!

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hings were looking pretty bleak for the 2-stroke fans when the World Championship appeared to be another COVID casualty, until the folks from Wiseco worked a miracle and announced the Easter time event was back from the dead! “Dust off your Ratio Rite and grab a couple extra spark plugs for the toolbox, the Wiseco 2-Stroke MX World Championships hosted by Fasthouse have officially been rescheduled for October 3, 2020 after being previously postponed due to COVID-19,” came the August announcement.

Apparently, we were not the only ones longing for a return to normalcy and the sights, smells and sounds that come with an event like this. More than 700 pre-entries flooded in. “Now, it seems as if this year’s 2-Stroke Championships actually benefitted from the extra time,” notes Wiseco Powersports Marketing Manager Kevin Bailey. “The need of riders and fans to go racing escalated over the months of couch riding, and once the date was confirmed, everyone started prepping their premix-burning machines.”

The Wiseco 2-Stroke World Championship was shaping up to be the best thing happening on the SoCal MX scene in 2020! “It became obvious during the Thursday and Friday practice days, that something big was going to happen,” said Glen Helen’s newsletter. “And by race day it dawned on everyone that there were 750 hardcore two-stroke racers jammed into the pits.”

A chance to get off the couch and return to some semblance of normalcy was boosted by some big bucks. Open Pro winner Mike Alessi made $30,000 at the 2020 World TwoStroke Championship, but there was something for just about everyone. Courtesy of Hollywood actor Pasha Afshar (who finished ninth in the Over-50 125 Pro class) there were

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$2000 Pro purses set aside for the 125 Pros, Over-30 125 Pros and Over-50 125 Pros. First place in any of these three age divisions paid $1000 (second got $600 and third $400).

“Other names you might recognize on the insanely stacked Open Pro gate (45 riders) included Josh Grant, Carson Brown, Justin Hoeft, Carlen Gardner, our own Dennis Stapleton, Mike Sleeter, Josh Mosiman, and last year’s Champ, Robbie Wageman,” added Bailey.

Big names were not limited to the track… there were nearly 100 vendors on hand. Host Wiseco had a top-end challenge opened to anyone who remembered how to tear down and re-assemble simple 2-stroke, plus plenty of swag and even a bike. “Our latest project bike was on sneak-peek display at the booth as well, a 2003 KX327 with a powerplant built by Tom Morgan Racing housing Wiseco and ProX Racing Parts engine internals. Keep your eye out for upcoming complete coverage of this machine from Dirt Bike Magazine.”

First-time exhibitors like Charles Lytle from mXrevival made the trek from Idaho to check things out. “This guy is amazing… I just spent 10 minutes watching his YouTube video on how to turn bolts black,” exclaimed Phoenix Handlebars entrepreneur Jason Gearld. Seriously, watching paint dry? “Much more than that… have to see it for yourself!” As we were chatting, some guy in a cowboy hat recognizes the vapor blasted frame on display and starts asking serious questions… seems like master motor builder Terry Varner is a fan of watching paint dry, too? Well Jason, Terry and nearly 140,000 subscribers to Lytle’s YouTube channel can’t all be wrong. Check it out for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCuV2Jkwv0IIwXQUv1h9HTpQ/featured Another newcomer was Brian Aiello, trying to introduce to the Ethos line of goggles and sunglasses to the SoCal crowd. “Remember the feeling isn’t just a tagline for us, it’s what we live by,” he explains. “There is no greater feeling than to be on the other side of where you started and see how far you’ve come. Only you can #RememberThe Feeling of your struggle, pain, accomplishment, pride and joy as you sit atop of your life’s podium.” Press good attitude for a start-up! See what Ethos is all about here: https://ethos-vision.com/

WORLD TWO-STROKE OPEN PRO CLASS RESULTS Mike Alessi (Yam)…2-1 Dare Demartile (Hon)…1-5 Carson Brown (Hus)…5-2 Justin Hoeft (Yam)…4-3 Josh Grant (Hon)…3-4 Robbie Wageman (Suz)…7-6 R.J. Wageman (Suz)…9-7 Carlen Gardner (Bet)…8-11 Josh Mosiman (KTM)…13-8 Bryson Gardner (Bet)…11-10

Alessi also defeated MXGP legend Kurt Nicoll to take the World Two-Stroke Over 30 Pro title.

WORLD TWO-STROKE OVER-30 125 PRO RESULTS Mike Alessi (Yam)…1-1 Kurt Nicoll (KTM)…3-2

h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=tI0bj1wPC7s&feature=emb_logo

OCTOBER 2020

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Photos by Jason Gearld

MAX MATTERS

Road 2 Recovery Teams With Vintage Iron To Fight Depression

By Jason Gearld

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otorcycles have therapeutic powers… it is a scientific fact. The scientists at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior recorded the brain activity, heart rate, and hormone levels of more than 50 experienced motorcyclists before, during, and after riding a motorcycle, driving a car, and resting. The result of this neurobiological study found that riding a motorcycle decreased hormonal biomarkers of stress by an impressive 28%. Riding also increased alertness, similar to the effect of drinking a cup of coffee. So, when Vintage Iron owner Rick Doughty recently lost his son Max to the devastating effects of depression, he turned to motorcycles to ease the pain and help drive awareness.

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He partnered with Road 2 Recovery to create an event designed to generate funds specifically geared for injured riders and racers that may need the resources to deal with the onslaught of depression. They came up with the first Max Matters Motocross, a day of racing, raffles, silent auction and camaraderie. All revenues from the event will go directly to the fine folks at Road to Recovery. Being held on the Sunday following the World 2-Stroke Championship ensured a great turn out. Adding the “Cross Up Classic/ CZ Shootout” to the program ensured some classic Czech machines were on the track.

However as much fun as everyone had, it is important to remember the reason for the races: Max Matters!

Fighting The Dark Depression is so much more than the disappointment of not making the podium or being sidelined with an injury, notes Doughty. “Depression may start harmlessly with disappointment but unchecked it can advance like many other illnesses, to the point that it becomes debilitating or even fatal.”

Depression is not the result of a negative attitude but quite the opposite. The real physical manifestations are many. Distortion of thinking and reason, body and joint pain, appetite loss and worst of all, loss of hope. “People don’t choose to be depressed but they can choose how to combat it. Joining together it is a winnable fight. The life you save may one day be your own or someone you love.”

The Main Event To that end, the First Annual Max Matters Motocross was staged at Glen Helen Raceway. Classes included 85cc and

up (depression knows no age), vintage to modern, young to not so young. The hillside course at the REM track was challenging but deliberately accommodating to all skill levels. American Retrocross served as the host club organizing the event: And then there were the CZs!

When the CZ World Championship was cancelled because of COVID, ARX, CR Racing and Rick Nabers (CZWC) came together to create the Cross Up Classic/CZ Shootout. Not only did Doughty welcome the addition to the Max Matters program, he raced an immaculate Vintage Iron CZ.

Motorcycles may have therapeutic powers, but it is the people on them, clubs like American Retrocross, the donations from the industry leading companies and the organizations like Road 2 Recovery where the real magic happens.

The bottom line: MAX MATTERS!

OCTOBER 2020

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Sturgis SD – 2020 City of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Update:

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he San Diego State University IZA study regarding the COVID-19 cases resulting from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is blatantly faulty. The study concludes that nearly 20% of the COVID-19 cases reported in America from August 2 to September 2 are due to the event. This outrageous conclusion is antithetical to actual cases data as numerous State Officials across the United States have been actively seeking to tie any COID-19 case to the event.

The careless ease with which mainstream media outlets have published a report that multiplies that factual data by 1,000 is shameful. The absolute preposterousness of the conclusion is further demonstrated by the results of the community-wide mass testing which occurred after the event, where there were 26 positives cases out of 650 patients tested.

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The City of Sturgis holds those affected by COVID-19 in our thoughts and prayers as the virus continues to impact our nation and world. We recognize that individuals were exposed to the virus on their trip to, from, or while at the Rally, but the data reported by health officials across the nation show that the impact from the event was a mere fraction of what was projected and anticipated by many of the experts. The continued media focus on infection and the hope of increased transmission rates and death, following this event are reminiscent of the models that told us that locally our hospitals would be overwhelmed, we would have a massive lack of ventilators, and 3-5% of us would not survive. Fortunately, as we have seen, the underlying assumptions of these models were unfounded and categorically inaccurate, just as is the conclusion of this report.

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Shameless Plug – For the most up to date dealer news, check on the news feed at Dealernews.com, be sure to like us on Facebook and click on Dealernews’ monthly digital editions: www.dealernews.com

OCTOBER 2020

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Ave Atque Vale Bruce Flanders 1945-2020

B

ruce Flanders, “The Voice Of Speedway” and part for the Flanders motorcycle family dynasty in Southern California lost his battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on August 15.

A speedway racer and LSR competitor, Flanders found he could make more money announcing races than he could competing.

Then the car guys found out how good he was and he became “The Voice Of The Long Beach Grand Prix” and just about every other track in Southern California.

In addition to entertaining Grand Prix fans for 42 years, Flanders used his deep baritone voice to liven up almost every racing venue in the Southland since he started announcing in 1969. His announcing gigs included Irwindale Speedway, Costa Mesa Speedway, Laguna Seca Raceway, Industry Speedway and Orange County Fairgrounds.

“I’ll always remember that smooth, deep voice getting the fans riled up at Speedway,” says speedway racer turned LSR record holder Rocky Robinson. “He was a big part of the whole experience. There will be some great storytelling at the Pearly Gates when the voice of speedway makes a grand entrance.”

“When Costa Mesa promoter Harry Oxley made the decision to replace entertainer extraordinaire and fixture Larry Huffman with Bruce as the track announcer, I thought he had made a rare bad decision,” says

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Costa Mesa fixture Tom Hamilton. “But in short time, Bruce captured the Fairground audience with his sharp wit, one-liners and keen knowledge of racing. Bruce was more than up to the task and carved his own niche in the racing world.”

“He was as responsible as anyone for the immense popularity of the Grand Prix as he interfaced with virtually everyone who attended the race,” according to Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.

Flanders became one of the most identifiable and enduring fixtures at the Long Beach event after joining the announcing team at the 1978 Formula 1 Grand Prix. “His melodious voice is now stilled, but we will all remember his immense contribution forever,” says Michaelian. “We, along with the entire racing community, will sorely miss him.”

Flanders, who grew up in Pasadena and attended St. Francis High School in La Canada Flintridge, was one of the most familiar voices in the Southern California racing world. When he was a boy growing up in Pasadena, Flanders dreamed of becoming a racer. His father, Earl Flanders, was a world-class motorcyclist who opened a shop in Pasadena where little Bruce helped his dad produce handlebars.

Flanders even made their own speedway bikes for Bruce to race. When he was 28, Bruce also set a record on the Bonneville Salt Flats for the fastest production motorcycle at 141.703 mph.

The record stood for seven years.

When he was first diagnosed with the disease in 2008, he said one doctor told him he had only 18 months to live. With his ever-present sense of humor, Flanders added, “I’ve been trying to make a liar out of him ever since.” He quit smoking, started exercising and, with the help of his portable oxygen generator, he fought back and continued his announcing career.

He believed exposure to Agent Orange when he served in combat during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and welding in his father’s shop didn’t help his lungs. “They call my disease progressive, but that’s just another word for terminal,” he said in an interview before the Grand Prix in 2019. “I know how this will end eventually. I just take deep breaths and keep on going as long as I can.”

He took that last deep breath on August 15, 2020.

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