[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he old adage of win on Sunday and sell on Monday is not just lip service in the motorcycle industry, it’s practically built into our DNA. From the manufacturers all the way down to your retail operation, the image of motorsports success brings in customers looking for the same thing they see on the race track.
April not only kicks off the racing season in most of the country, but it also kicks off the start of another riding season. Hopefully you’ve finished spring cleaning and by the time you read this the season has already begun picking up. Riders have been dreaming of what to do to their machines all winter long and now is the time to capitalize on those dreams.
For your diehard customers with racing aspirations, Margie Siegal shows us the many ways dealers and some track-focused businesses are turning speed into profit. Margie gives tips on how drive track day customers to your shop.
With the introduction of some great new race-bred sportbikes such as the Kawasaki H2 (pictured above), Yamaha R1M and Ducati 1299 Panigale S (see our OEM Update on Ducati), what else are these customers looking for?
For one thing, these riders need gear, and not just any gear (See Apparel Pro on page 40). While not everyone will take their bike out on the track, many of them want to be just as geared up as if they were, so it needs to be made to the same standards.
Speaking of standards, Robin Hartfiel takes a look at how helmets are made in this issue on page 32, so when you’re talking to your track day customers you can be armed with the facts and break down the layers of construction when trying to upsell a premium lid. How much is your head worth? A $10 helmet is for a $10 dollar head and so forth, but what is it that a premium level helmet has that the others don’t? Turns out that building helmets is a very “hands on” process, and the testing and certification for premium race/street helmets make the differences night and day.
I would also like to quickly mention a couple of our new columnists in this issue. MIJ’s Alex Baylon with his “Personnel Files” (page 16) will focus on various employment issues. “Eye on Orlando” (page 46) will highlight the latest happenings of the AIMExpo, the all important October industry show.
