LETTERS

Editor’s Note

By Robin Hartfiel

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

There is a message on the walls of Honda’s factories and its Heritage Hall from founder Soichiro Honda saying “Go To The Spot.” Our industry is currently at that proverbial “spot” or inflection point as Dr. Paul Leinberger points out. Are we headed into a sustained industry rally similar to the Roaring 20s or the 1990s when the motorcycle industry went on a 13 consecutive year run of double-digit growth… or are we setting ourselves up for a decade of disappointment as some financial pundits are predicting?

As the late great prognosticator Don Brown always told me, be cautiously optimistic, but have a plan for the worst case scenario! My current state of cautious optimism was echoed by this issue’s cover girl Tigra Tsujikawa as texted from her cell phone while she was scouting the Suffragists pending Centennial ride and reading the Mary McGee Revival issue at an auto parts store in Idaho Falls:

“Reading your column in Dealernews and then Dr. Leinberger’s article on the inflection point makes me hopeful. I think motorcyclists will travel on motorcycles more and it’s great for services like rental outfits, tour operators and big moto rallies and events. I hope someday a Dealer Association can link dealerships and service across the country for travelers — after all, people like to have a friend wherever they go and having an “authorized dealer” or something where you get special treatment is key... imagine traveling with a list of trusted dealers where you could change tires, oil or even bikes on a cross-country trip!

“As I rode on my Z1000 on my way to Sturgis, I was thinking about how nice it would have been to have help with my battery change at a motorcycle dealership instead of an auto parts store at 9pm at night in Idaho Falls. Another great issue (I’m just 1/3 of the way through, hard to read my phone on the road)!”

The last time I had a chance to catch up with Tigra in person, we were at a secluded spot (at least I thought it was secluded) to shoot the Royal Enfield Meteor for our cover. However, a never-ending stream of dog walkers, Orange County House Wives and Amazon Prime delivery vehicles soon had me second-guessing the spot.

Then some guy on a bicycle came riding up and engaged Tigra in a quick game of 20 questions about the Meteor. Turns out it was Don Brown’s son Scott. I have not seen Scott since Don’s memorial service, but it turns out he lives on the other side of the arroyo from me. What are the odds of that happening? Only in the special time-space continuum that Dealernews exists in!

Sessioning in with Scott quickly reminded me that we are in the best spot in the universe. The work done by all the great dealers and industry leaders leading up to this current inflection point has our industry well positioned for what the Roaring 20s may bring. In fact, Scott says he still talks to his dad in his helmet every time he rides and I still have my first instinct to call Don Brown when the MIC releases quarterly sales reports or news like Harley’s LiveWire being broken out as a stand-alone brand breaks (see page 64).

In the absence of DJB, I had to tell someone about this chance meeting with Scott, so I wrote to Dr. Leinberger. “I love what Tigra had to say – proof that if you think about your customers, you can grow your business,” he answered. “I still miss Don Brown… Someone should write a book about all the extraordinary people who ride and work in this incredible industry.”

We don’t have a book… yet. But Dealernews is in the right spot to chronicle all the great people and monumental events shaping our industry.

What are the odds of the powersports business succeeding as we move past this inflection point? I am cautiously optimistic… just waiting for confirmation from Don Brown’s algorithms!

Former Editor-in-Chief and publisher of Dealernews circa 19902003, Robin returns to the magazine. In addition to having been instrumental in creating the Dealernews Top 100 program (still the industry’s ultimate accolade for a motorcycle dealership), Hartfiel has worked for most of the B2B publications in the Powersports arena. Prior to the trade side, he worked as a beat reporter for a local newspaper and was an editor of publications ranging from All About Beer to VW Trends.