A Look Back At The Year That Was

e have carried out the idea of a “Year In Review” issue every year since 2007. I can w remember writing each article that ushered in the Year In Review issue, and while each of them had their own ups and downs, I can remember last year’s like it was yesterday. We had just come through what we thought then was the worst part of COVID and were sure that we would be back to normal by

Daytona. After thinking that 2020 was one of the hardest years, we had ever faced, the sequel was a real pisser!

Rally attendance was hit or miss.

Everyone was holding back on production costs, so even when the numbers were strong, there seemed to be less happening.

Stores that sell magazines that closed altogether during the first wave of the pandemic were opening slowly, but some of them had decided not to carry some products anymore, magazines being among them. But our readers were there, strong and steady. If you were one of the hundreds of people that included notes in with your subscription giving us a little extra support, please know that you are the reason we forged ahead. The editorial this month goes into that in detail a little more, but suffice it to say it warmed our hearts to realize that this community still lives and dies together. While there were some hard times, plenty of bad times, this was the year we had for 2021, so let’s take a look back before we box this one up and put it in the rearview!

THE INDUSTRY: The industry came into 2021 like a bear, with many

suppliers reporting all-time record sales. After all, everyone was home, had some government money and little else to distract them from time with their motorbikes. I guess it was somewhere around the middle of the year that this would create a vacuum. You see, those parts had to come from somewhere, and all of a sudden, they stopped. Shortly before this, it was a joke that if you had a stack of 2x4 lumber, you could trade it for a Knucklehead, but that quickly became the fact that if you had the most common size tires for a bagger, you could pretty much name your price. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for anyone who survives on dayto-day counter business to stay in the game, and we wish them the best for the year to come. Hopefully, this supply shortage gets figured out, and we can start to get back to some semblance of normalcy. One thing that was a strong blip was the introduction of Bagger racing. Unfortunately, by early this year, they had split into two factions. One was Bagger Racing League, and the other was Road America. This took a little bit of the wind outta the sails of what could have been a lot stronger. V-Twin Visionary announced a new partnership with Harley-Davidson and their intention to do a traveling roadshow for 2022, and by mid ’21, they were already pulling off more activations for the performance V-Twin crowd. Two of the strongest things on the manufacturer’s side were the H-D Pan America and the new Sportster S. It would seem that with a

Article By: Chris Callen Photos By: Cycle Source Staff & Contributors

combination of these two models and the news by late year that Harley was putting some distance between the motor company and the Livewire that they had a new direction and were redirecting for it quickly. On the Indian front, however, things were pretty quiet. I mean, they had the racing, some other PR stuff like the Paul Cox build but by and large, no real big maneuvers from that camp in ’21. As far as racing goes, the AHDRA came back on the scene this year, and it, along with outlaw-type racing events at drag racetracks, found renewed enthusiasm around the country. One such event was pulled off at the Sturgis Dragway by the San Diego Customs guys and was straight-up outlaw drag racing.

One company seemed to be in the right place at the right time with some of the changes that went on this year, and that’s Dennis Kirk. While many were still focused on the national builders with name brand recognition, they have been quietly investing in the culture of the Garage Builder, and you could see that coming into play hardcore as ‘21 progressed. In some ways, it is very refreshing as this is where it all started for so many of us, and for there to be a bridge to the next chapter of it, we believe that the same path may need to be followed.

THE CULTURE: The performance segment as a whole really came into its own in 2021. A phenomenon that started over the past five years as an undercurrent seemed to explode in the past year, so much so that we started a second magazine, under the leadership of Jason Hallman, to cover it all. Once again, young dudes were buying new bikes and tearing them apart to make them better, faster, and in the end, riding the dog shit outta them. Suddenly, there was a new stage set with new names and faces to go along with it. Sure, some of the same companies got in on it, but the energy and enthusiasm were a breath of fresh air.

The chopper thing rolls on, and while still a strong segment, the once new and original events like Born Free and Mama Tried are entering the decade mark and really haven’t changed their format much, so you wonder what’s next. There are many low-key events popping up where cats are doing their own thing in different ways, and if anything can be said about it as a whole, it will be exciting to see where it goes next. One thing is for sure, it’s all in a state of change, and there are no guarantees that what’s hip and chopular today will remain so tomorrow.

While big events like Sturgis are seemingly immune to the disorders of the pandemic, the mid-level, more regional events have been struggling. Partially I believe this to be their homogenized approach to what they offer. They want to hire exactly the same bands, same vendors, same turkey leg guy, and at the end of the day, treat the

customers like ass and still rake in the dough like it’s 2001. Most of them even forget that the “Motorcycle” is the biggest part of the “Bike Week” and are more concentrated on their vendor map or band schedule than bikes shows or rides. Fortunately, that model has seen its day, and you can expect to see small rallies like this that take their hometown name and add “Bike Week” to the end of it go away, and thank God!

OUR LOSSES: Right off, we need to think about the First Lady of Harley-Davidson passing this year; Nancy Davidson. Who could imagine a day where Willie and Nancy were not touring around checking out motorcycles and greeting fans? Her presence will be sorely missed. Another icon was taken from us in the aftermarket in Jim Matchett, long-time head of Drag Specialties, leaving behind a company that already had historic challenges to overcome due to supply issues. Another great figure from the custom industry that passed this year was Don Hotop. Don was a very talented builder, a member of the Hamsters USA®, and a Hall Of Fame Member. We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of these industry greats and to all who lost a loved one through this challenging year.

HOW WE DID: So COVID still has its claws out, but we’re still fighting the effects of it for all we’re worth! In an effort to overcome the changes the newsstand has had on print media, we have moved to doing weekly magazines with our shows. Each week we bring tech, products, bike features, and interviews to our viewers and have found a way to do that without the Distribution Barons getting in the way of their delivery. It’s definitely been more work but very rewarding as well. Additionally, we managed to rework the traditional business model for motorcycle media and launch a brand-new title, Torque Performance. This has been very exciting and has led us to double down with twice the activations, twice the weekly shows, and twice the content.

As for all of you, remember that this is all supposed to be fun. Try not to let another day go by that you don’t fully enjoy your time with family and friends, especially those involved in life with the motorcycle. You only get one pass on this crazy trip, and if you’re reading this magazine, you are already looking to make it a good one. Let’s make sure that we draw a line in the sand for the straights to see that there is no room for discussion when it comes to giving up our way of life. Until next year, go do something with your motorcycle. It’s out in the garage, waiting for the next adventure.