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
Motorcycle Helmet Market in the U.S.
Looking for some easy money? With a little product knowledge and some basic sales techniques, you can transform an underperforming section of your dealership into the leading profit center that it should be! The margin is better, the floorspace requirements are minimal compared to unit sales and the buy in is a lot less… so
Motorcycle: No Spark at Plugs, Part 1
Investigating wiring problems [dropcap]A[/dropcap]t Cyclepedia.com we provide technical support to our members using our online manuals to service and repair vehicles. On a regular basis we get a service ticket from a member saying, “I’ve replaced my ignition coil, ECM and/or some other expensive part and I still don’t have spark. What should I do?”
Projectitis
Out with the old dreams, in with the new [dropcap]I[/dropcap]’ve owned a certain project bike for 10 years and it never moved under its own power. To say it had ‘no spark’ was an understatement (see this month’s Tech Tip about No Spark issues), but it was a project bike that kept the dream alive.
I’d Rather Eat A June Bug Sandwich
The best thing about being in the motorcycle industry, at least for me, is absolutely my love and passion for motorcycles, and being able to make a living doing something I love. Ever since I was an ugly kid, I was nuts about motorcycles.
