The powersports newswire has been very active as of late — news that Big Dog Motorcycles was foreclosed upon was quickly followed by the news that S&S Cycle would continue to honor engine warranties for the brand. "I’m certainly sad to see a good customer like BDM close their doors, but I feel that we need to shoulder the responsibility and make sure the end customer gets a square deal,” said S&S President George Smith Jr. “After all, these are S&S engines. We built them, and we’re going to stand behind them!"
In another major shift, the iconic Indian brand has once again found a new home, this time under the Polaris umbrella of brands.
In the V-Twin segment, Harley-Davidson posted positive Q1 results as the Motor Company generated increased earnings and worldwide dealer new motorcycle sales grew for the first quarter of 2011.
The results of the 2011 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index were also just released. Polaris’ Victory Motorcycle brand maintained its top ranking; Harley-Davidson finished second, while Ducati and Triumph tied for third, followed by BMW and Yamaha — all of which scored above the industry average.
2011 marked the fifth year for the independent Pied Piper PSI benchmarking study, which sent 1,967 hired anonymous “mystery shoppers” into motorcycle dealerships nationwide. The study measured how effectively each brand’s dealerships helped motorcycle shoppers become motorcycle buyers.
Overall motorcycle industry performance declined across a majority of the sales process activities tracked by the study, which led to lower PSI scores for thirteen of the fourteen major motorcycle brands.
“The days of ‘order-taking’ are over, and a helpful and effective salesperson can make the difference by turning a shopper into a buyer.”
Want to get the full scoop on these stories and keep up with all of today’s breaking powersports news headlines? Visit www.motorcycleproductnews.com for a live daily news feed and to sign up for our weekly eNews, which delivers top stories straight to your inbox.
In addition to these top stories, MPN is also proud to report that we’ve signed on as the official host publisher of the Powersports and Utility Vehicle Section of the SEMA Show Daily for the second year running.
We are thrilled to partner with SEMA to help promote the Powersports and Utility Vehicle section at the show to be held Nov. 1-4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Register for the show at www. SEMAshow.com and stay tuned to MPN for more SEMA Show news in the months to come.
Colleen Brousil is the editor of Motorcycle Product News. Her monthly column, “The Road Ahead” explores issues facing dealers across the country.
