On the weekend of Aug. 20-21, the motorcycle and powersports industry descended on Madison, Wisconsin, at the Monona Terrace for the North American NVP Product Expo held by LeMans Corp., the parent company of Parts Unlimited, Parts Canada and Drag Specialties.
For two days, dealers in the LeMans distribution network attended seminars on how to sell products, walked a show floor of participating brands and socialized while admiring shows of custom bikes and wild stunts.
Given that the 2022 Louisville, Kentucky iteration of the show was canceled this past January due to the COVID-19 Omicron outbreak, it’s been over two years since LeMans hosted one of its shows, and both exhibitors and dealers alike were itching to come back. In terms of space, the show was the largest it’s ever been this year, expanding to over 53,000 square feet of exhibit space holding more than 280 exhibitors. Hundreds of attendees crowded the halls over the course of both days.
On the night of Saturday, Aug. 20, visitors enjoyed a Meet & Greet/Bike Show after the trade show floor closed. Although the gathering had to be moved inside due to weather, visitors were still able to enjoy refreshments, view several customized bikes on display and vote for their favorites in two categories: V-twin and metric.
After the Meet & Greet/Bike Show, the crowds left Monona Terrance for the streets of downtown Madison, where ICON put on a Harley vs. sport bike stunt show. Riders stunned the crowd with insane wheelies, smoky burnouts and donuts, and ways of riding that are far from street legal – such as backwards, on the handlebars or even doing headstands. In between stunt acts, riders raced SUPER73 electric bicycles in a chaotic course involving cones and Nerf guns.
With such a huge turnout, it was obvious that suppliers and dealers were ready to finally meet face-to-face once again and catch up on the last two years of madness. If you weren’t able to attend this show, then be sure to mark your calendars for the next NVP Product Expo, scheduled for Jan. 21-22, 2023, where LeMans Corp. will attempt a redo in Louisville.
