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2016 CVO Pro Street Breakout

So far, 2016 seems to be the year of the musclebike with the XDiavel and Octane getting much of the attention. However, Harley does not intend to let the competition have their way with the market even if the proverbial gauntlet has been thrown by some tough new guys on the block. These are the

Custom Bike Shows are Alive and Well

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] just got back from Daytona and decided to write this month’s column on a topic near and dear to me – custom bike shows. If you think about it, custom bike shows are a pretty good reflection of the state of our industry. It’s not just the number of shows, but the diversity, the

What Would You Have Done?

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ey ya’ll, after owning my own shop for 20 years I thought I had solved almost every problem there is to solve… Well, I was wrong. Every Saturday and Sunday we get around 1,000 bikes that pass through our doors. They come hang out at my 2.5-acre compound and they drink a little beer, eat

Malcolm Smith: Motorcycle Dealer Turned Superstar

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ans of the seminal motorcycle movie On Any Sunday know what the legendary Malcolm Smith is up to on any Sunday, but what about the rest of the week? The iconic motorcycle dealer-turned superstar still puts the hours in at his dealership, still heads up the El Oasis orphanage in Mexico via the Malcolm Smith

Yamaha WaterCraft Group Receive Major Boating Industry Awards

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]eg lamps notwithstanding, Yamaha WaterCraft Group, a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., has received a couple of major boating industry awards for its WaveRunner product line recognizing excellence in design. In January, the Yamaha FX SVHO WaveRunner was named the 2015 Watercraft of the Year. The annual award is presented by Watercraft Journal magazine,

Employee Turnover

Death & Taxes Are Not The Only Certainties In The Motorcycle Industry! They say death and taxes are the only certainties, but “they” never worked in the motorcycle industry! The biggest certainty in our industry is employee turnover. You may know how many employees you lose each year, but do you know what it really costs

Apparel Pro: Helmets

Last fall a motorcycle friend of mine came to visit in SoCal. He’s a friend, a traveler and to the best of my knowledge, he doesn’t own a car. I suppose most folks would call him a “hard core” motorcyclist. Somewhere in the conversation he mentioned the age of his helmet, which bordered on being

March Wholesale Pricing In Review

If the spring season so far is any indication, then 2016 is going to be a good year for powersports. The wholesale market in March was dominated by two clear trends: 1. Stronger wholesale pricing over the prior three months, and 2. Softer wholesale pricing compared to March the prior year, which is due to

Choppers Inc. Billy Lane

This isn’t the typical retail shop visit. But then, Billy Lane’s workshop is neither typical nor a retail shop. For all of its compact simplicity, it is instead much more akin to an alchemist’s laboratory, a sculptor’s studio or a madman’s proving ground; it might even be all of those. The fact is, since putting

Shifting Gears: Following the Movers and Shakers in the Powersports Industry

Cat is out of the bag! Erik Nelson was promoted to VP and general manager of Arctic Cat’s snowmobile division and international sales, effective immediately. Patricia Jones also joins the company as chief human resources officer. Nelson succeeds Brad Darling and Jones succeeds William Nee, both of whom are pursuing other opportunities. “We are pleased

Create A Community Environment In Your Shop

[dropcap]R[/dropcap]ecently we talked about being part of the motorcycle community. This month I would like to look at whether your shop is a community. When you founded or purchased the shop which you now own, what were the circumstances? More than likely, you were an enthusiastic rider who loved being around motorcycles. As the shop

In the Palm of Your Hand

How DMS Solutions Make Dealership Operation Easier and More Mobile-Friendly Many of you got into the powersports industry because you are an enthusiast who loves the sport and you wanted to try and make money doing what you love. However, you may have found that running a dealership in this industry can be quite challenging