Issue #6 June 2023

WORLD’S LUCKIEST MAN

Bob Althoff Counting On Just A Dealer

EDITOR’S NOTE

Robin Hartfiel On True Confessions

LETTERS+ The Industry On Dealernews

NEWS+

Yamaha Leaves Snow Biz

SHIFTING GEARS+

Personnel Postings

DEALER PROFILE:

Pete’s Cycle Co.

22 25 24 27 32 34

JOHN LEACH ON WHY JOIN NPDA?

Martland’s Oldest Dealership Becomes Newest NPDA Advocate

RUMBLINGS FROM RUMBLEON CONTINUED Chesrown Out, Tkach Takes Over

RUMBLEON SHIFTING GEARS

Personnel Update Of The Key Players

RUMBLEON’S ORIGINAL VISION

Video Outlining Omnichannel Plans

INDUSTRY RESEARCH+

Lenny Sims On The EV Conundrum

INDUSTRY RESEARCH+

Jim Woodruff On NPA April AWP In Review

OUR TEAM

EDITORIAL

eDEALERNEWS

Energica On A Charge!

Robin Hartfiel Editor/Publisher

36 50

CURRENTS+

Ducati Rocks eMTB World, Shifting Gears At LiveWire

38

40 42 47 48 52 54 60 62 64

35 68 66 77

72 78

OEM UPDATE

Stag Breaks Cover!

OEM UPDATE

Stag In The Army Now WHAT THEY SAID

Industry Reacts To Stag Shocker

NPDA DEALER NEWS

Veteran Dealer Maurice Slaughter Celebrates Multiple Milestones

NPDA MEETING MINUTES

Some Things To Think About Your Association

WHY JOIN NPDA?

Maurice Slaughter Says Stand By Me

NPDA PARTNER PROFILE

LABnation Looking Out For Dealers

ADVOCACY MSF CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

Robert Gladden Walks Us Through The Motorcycle Safety Foundation

MIC RIDE REPORT

What Does MIC Do For Dealers?

PERSONNEL FILES+

Alex Baylon On Field Of Dreams

ADVOCACY+

Don Amador On A Deep Bench

CONFESSIONS OF A CUSTOMER

Eric Anderson On The Ruckus Of Retail

GEAR+

Andreani Addresses American Dealers

PRESS PASS+ Bagger Racing League Blows Up!

Bob Althoff World’s Luckiest Man

Gus Stewart Creative Director

Brenda Stiehl Production Manager

CONTRIBUTORS

Don Musick Genesys Technology Solutions

Dr. Paul Leinberger Denny+Leinberger Strategy

Eric Anderson Vroom Network

Jim Woodruff National Powersport Auctions

Mark Rodgers Performance Consulting

Lenny Sims NADA Appraisal Guides

Scot Harden AMA Hall Of Fame/Harden Offroad

Hector Cademartori Illustrations

William Douglas Little Unique Powersports

Charlie Williams Off Road Editor

Marq Smith Holeshot Motorsports, Canada

Alisa Clickenger Women’s Motorcycle Tours

Don Amador Quiet Warrior Racing

Joe Bonnello Joe B Photography

Uncle Paul Wunsch Love Cycles

VALE+

Ave Atque Vale Paul Schlegel

AD INDEX

This issue Brought To You By…

BACKFIRE

The Anonymous Dealer

ADVERTISING

Robin Hartfiel Publisher (949) 489-4306 robinhartfiel@gmail.com

Blake Foulds Account Executive (760) 715-3045 blakefoulds@dealernews.com

Brenda Stiehl Production Manager brendastiehl@dealernews.com

John Murphy Publishing Consultant johnmurphydn@gmail.com

Dealernews Magazine 3250 Knoll Dr. Columbus, OH 43230 www.dealernews.com

© Copyright 2023 76 72

76 5 June 2023

World’s Luckiest Man

By Bob Althoff

JUST A DEALER?

Dealernews has been many things to many people since 1965! Robin and the guys called it the “Bad Idea Club” — I disagreed five years ago, and I disagree even more now. I’ll tell you why it is a great idea…

I was just a Dealer.

I loved what I did, and just wanted to do it better. I valued my time with fellow Dealers I admired in my Twenty Group. I learned from them (and maybe I had a nugget to share with them from time to time as well). We laughed, we bitched, we learned. We also became friends and confidants. Nobody knows what it is like to be just a Dealer until they have ridden some miles in this particular saddle.

Dealernews  was another super important thing to me. I could see that there were Dealers, large and small, doing great things in their communities. I learned from them and was inspired by their work… chronicled every month in the magazine. And then once a year, I would gather my team, and we would try to recap our successes and recreate our work from the previous year and fashion it into an entry for the Dealernews Top 100 competition.

That process also served to tee-up our work for the year ahead because we knew there would be another year of Top 100 competition to come. This self-imposed audit and ever increasing competition to make “the list” made us a better dealership! Even beyond sharing numbers with the 20 Club confidants, we were benchmarking best practices with the best Dealers in the world. Every year from 1998-2015 A.D. Farrow Co. Harley-Davidson and A.D. Farrow Co. HarleyDavidson at Northstar earned a spot in the coveted Top 100 with one notable exception.

Suddenly our cadence stopped dead in its tracks.

Soon after Advanstar (which owned Dealernews) sold, the new owners (a British company called UBM) decided to close shop, scratch the Dealer Expo and shut  Dealernews down after 50 years. December 2015 was the last hurrah.

It felt like a kick in the stomach. “How was our industry going to even be an industry if we lost its connective tissue like Dealernews,” I thought!  After a few days, I had the temerity to call their investment bankers in New York. “Did they realize what they had just done,” I asked. “Yes,” they said, “but UBM was going a different direction.”  Did they realize that Dealers like me needed  Dealernews to learn from, to be inspired by and to compete for honors on the only level playing field in the industry?  “Yes.”

Finally, I said (perhaps more out of exasperation than any sort of common sense): “Would UBM sell me  Dealernews?” You all know the adage of being careful what you ask for!  “We’ll ask the guys in Great Britain,” they replied. And in a few days, they called me and said, “The guys in Great Britain think you would be a great owner of Dealernews.”

There was only one problem. I was just a Dealer!

I knew nothing about publishing… I still don’t. However I do know how important  Dealernews is, was and will continue to be.

Editorial Director Mary Slepicka, my partners and I got to work on rebuilding our database of what were then over 10,000 Dealers around the country (still the best database of its kind in existence). We struggled, but were determined to succeed.  Dealernews was just too important and too interconnected to go away.

Then one day John Murphy called me out of the blue. “Would I fly out to SoCal to meet with him and Robin Hartfiel and Eric Anderson?”

I rented a conference room at an LAX hotel, and we huddled up for a day and a half. We pledged our belief in what  Dealernews needed to be. It needed to be many things to many masters, chiefly just Dealers like me!

However it was never “A Bad Idea.”

Here we are five years later, still trying to be that crucial “connective tissue” to an industry we all owe so much to. I am immensely proud of our team, deeply appreciative of our Advertisers and profoundly grateful to the Dealers we serve for continuing the ride. You may be “just a Dealer” to the outside world, but you mean everything to us!

Without  Dealernews, I doubt there would be a National Powersports Dealers Association (NPDA).

Without Dealernews, where would we learn? Where would we compete?

Right here! Dealers will continue to be informed, inspired and sometimes infuriated in these pages and issues in the years and decades ahead… Which in my view as just a Dealer is a brilliant idea!

Editor’s Note

By Robin Hartfiel

TRUE CONFESSIONS... AND OTHER LIES

June marks a pivotal anniversary for the Bad Idea Club that became Dealernews 2.0… but this tall tale actually started in 1965 when Bill Bagnall and Larry Hester teamed up to create “William Lawrence Publishing” and launch a trade-only publication they called Motorcycle Dealer News. MDN quickly spawned a show group that was the progenitor for both the Dealernews International Dealer Expo and the International Motorcycle Shows consumer tour. All was right with the powersports world through 2015 when the plug was pulled on Dealer Expo and the magazine.... Okay that is a little bit of a lie, but it does sum up the first 50 years of the magazine. What does that have to do with June, though?

Back in the spring of 2018, former publisher John Murphy called me out of the blue wanting to know what had happened to Dealernews. I let him know that a former Top 100 dealer had purchased the rights and Intellectual Property (basically two sets of binders containing the back issues) from the giant corporation. Dealernews 2.0 had been trying to make a go of it as a website, but honestly I had no idea what the plan was and hadn’t even seen many updates (plus I was working for another trade magazine, the MAG brands and trying to run my own agency... but those are tales for another time.. and a lot of beer). Like a bulldog, Murph latched onto the idea of bringing back Dealernews and tracked down Bob Althoff to get the scoop on what was going on… and what it would take to bring it back to prominence?

Bad Idea!

Before we met with Mr. Althoff, I asked my dealer friends, former columnists and industry experts like Dr. Paul Leinberger about the feasibility of bringing back the old gray mare. Illustrator Hector Cademartori coined the phrase “Bad Idea” and after painting a dismal picture of just how dumb the concept was, he immediately volunteered his services as a charter member of the Bad Idea Club, complete with illustrations for our department heads and the cover of what became our second issue… but first we had to sell the concept to a man I knew of, but had never actually met in person, who also happened to be the dealer principal of the world’s oldest Harley-Davidson dealership.

Bob and two partners had invested a sizable amount of money into the IP and spent even more time and effort meeting with everyone from the AMA to the OEMs. Seems like there were always more bills and

less traction… to the point where even the eternal optimist and selfproclaimed “World’s Luckiest Man” luck appeared to have run out and he was tired of beating a dead horse… However, facts and insurmountable odds never seemed to stop John. He talked Bob into meeting with him, Eric Anderson, Alan Landry and me on June 5th, 2018. As we loaded up John’s wheelchair and drove up to a hotel meeting room adjacent to LAX on the eve of D-Day it dawned on me this was a bad idea… and there was apparently no way of stopping it!

After a full day strategizing, prognosticating and frankly, begging, cajoling and wheedling, Bob finally agreed to fund one more issue of Dealernews. To be delivered in print, by AIMExpo. Our version of D-Day was actually October 10, 2018 commencing with the delivery of a printed issue of Dealernews 2.0 to the show floor in Las Vegas (remember, the show was held in the fall then). Be careful what you ask for, because you might just get it. Both Eric and I had to give notice to another magazine and couldn’t even begin to talk about the return of Dealernews until after the July 4th break. That basically left us a 60 day window to get materials to a printer in time to get the issues trucked into Vegas the first week of October (as they wanted 30 days lead time to slot us in on the printing presses).

Unlike the old days when John and I had a giant media company that owned its own printing presses, we had to go back to basics, find an art director willing to work for peanuts on an unproven product (thanks Ross Berlanga for volunteering Gus!), source a printer and then the real work, at least for me, come up with compelling content to plug into that first issue. In the first 30 days I went to Canada to tour BRP (coincidentally Can-Am is celebrating its 50 Anniversary this month, see the news), get the scoop on Benelli/SSR from Mel Harris, roust the Unknown Dealer from retirement, round up the dream team of Don Musick, Lenny Sims and Alex Baylon, bring advocates Alisa Clickenger, Don Amador and Scot Harden into the mix, cover NVP, pre-run AIMExpo and a couple other little events like EICMA...

We did have a head start by penciling in Eric’s long running Confessions Of A Customer column as the anchor piece… Time for true confessions: Eric’s “Confessions Of A Customer” column has actually run longer than our erstwhile editor’s own page. In fact, only the late, great Don Brown has more columns in more issues over the years than Eric!

We also had to find a way to sell ads into a magazine that had last appeared in late 2015… and explain we were going to focus on a monthly digital edition, supported by several weekly e-blasts, daily website updates and a full slate of social media platforms. John Murphy and I hit the road to pass the hat with some old supporters for the first time since our last road trip in 2000 when John stepped down as publisher because of his battle with MS. Talk about cold calling!

Pretty sure this was what Larry Hester and Bill Bagnall had to do back in the day, but it really seemed like a bad idea when we first set out. However the response was overwhelmingly positive and our old friends like Bill Berroth stepped up without even asking how much (okay, that is a lie, he asked how much... and then doubled it). Our next call was to NPA and the same thing happened... we should have bought lottery tickets! My sincere thanks to all the companies from AIMExpo, DX1, MIJ, Motonation, MotoZ Tires, NPA, Tucker and WPS who made that first issue possible and to all the supporters who continue to make it possible for issues to keep coming out 5 years later.

Speaking of improbable scenarios, we spilled the beans in Las Vegas that Dealernews Top 100 was coming back, with a targeted D-Day of AIMExpo 2024. Who comes up with these bad ideas and why doesn’t somebody stop us from tilting at windmills? Dealers, let me be the first to welcome you to the Bad Idea Club!

Former Editor-in-Chief and publisher of Dealernews circa 1990-2003, 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.

D I a g n o s t i c s DIagnostics

BRINGING POWER BACK TO B R I N G I N G P O W E R B A C K T O

p o w e r s p o r t s powersports

ADVANCED VEHICLE COVERAGE WITH AN OE LEVEL PROVIDER

TEXA IDC5 powersports software guides repair technicians through all the diagnostic phases. Motorcycles, Dirtbikes, e-Bikes, Snow Mobiles, Side-by-side/ATV, Personal Watercrafts (PWCs)

- Fast Multi-System Status Scan With DTC Reports

- Data Graph Live Parameters, Maintenance Resets

- Component Activations, Bi-Directional Controls

- Interactive Wiring Diagrams / Component Locations

REMEMBER THE TOP 100?

Hello Bob,

My name is Vicky Kunkel and my independent shop, Cycle Shack, won the Top 100 award for Best Independent Shop in 2001! We are still in business... going strong... 50 years next March! The business is now run by our son, Slade and his wife Laura, but my husband Bob and I are still in the background. It’s been a great and interesting run and I just thought you would be interested in knowing that a little old country shop that started on $2,500 years ago is still here and doing well.  Wishing you much success with Dealernews.

Sincerely,

Vicky

Cycle

Kunkel

Shack

10124 Liberty Rd.  Randallstown, MD

prior to the show so that we can create a banner recognizing our Lightspeed dealers that are included. Is this something that you would be able to share with us?  Best Regards,

Robert Grant, Director, OEM Solutions Lightspeed

215 Admiral Byrd Rd. #150  Salt Lake City, UT 84116 lightspeeddms.com

The Top 25 Grand Prize winners of all time were recognized at AIMExpo 2023. The list can be found here:  https://www.dealernews.com/ Dealernews-Top-100/Top-100-Hall-ofFame-Dealers

P.S. Stay tuned for more news about the 2024 Top 100 Dealers!

Kevin R Dunn,

General Manager

Capital Powersports

10920 Star Rd.

Wake Forest, NC 27587

www.capitalpowersports.com

Thanks for the kind words regarding the Top 100 when Bob decided to save Dealernews from the ash heap of history, I had two dreams for the magazine: bring back the Top 100 and return to print. We are halfway there. — RH

TOP 100 LIST

I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday. I understand that your team recognized the Top 100 dealers during AIMExpo. In conjunction with those awards, we were wondering if it might be possible to get a list of the dealers

SPEAKING OF TOP 100

As an ex GSM of Ray Price HarleyDavidson Triumph in Raleigh (20092016) before coming here, I remember reading about the A.D. Farrow HD dealership and was very impressed. Nice to see someone who has been involved in the industry like me for a very long time take over  Dealernews. I entered the Powersports Industry in 1985 and have never looked back and still love it as much as when I got in. I plan on entering our store in your prestigious Dealer Top 100 contest for 2023. I feel good now that we are ready for that challenge. I helped get Ray Price HD Triumph recognized in your magazine back when, so I know there are a lot of great dealers out there to make it a nice challenge.

HAVE ANOTHER HELPING OF HUMBLE PIE

Really liked your “humble pie” editorial in the May issue Robin. Reminded me of my late father-in-law who I’m sure watched On Any Sunday more times than he had birthdays (he was 80 when he passed earlier this year).

I appreciate you and the work you do my friend,

Scott Schloegel, Senior Vice President

Government Relations

Motorcycle Industry Council

www.mic.org

Thank you Scott…coming from the hardest working guy in Washington, this means a lot!

Join

Tune

NO BUSINESS LIKE SNOW BUSINESS?

Yamaha To Exit Sled Space

On June 28, Yamaha Motor Co., the parent company of Yamaha Motor USA and Yamaha Motor Canada LTD., announced they were leaving snow business entirely in 2025. “The 2024 model year will be the final for available product in the European Market, while North America’s final production will be the 2025 model year,” according to the official statement from Yamaha

Motor Co. Ltd. ”Yamaha distributors will be working closely with dealers to minimize impact and best position their business over the next 12-36 months.”

Closer to home, Yamaha snowmobiles shares, “Since our announcement on Wednesday, the outpouring of support and positivity has been overwhelming. We love reading and seeing the memories Yamaha has made on your winters with Family and Friends!”

Bottom Line? “We’re here for another 2 riding seasons in North America, and the 2024s are already in production. We will support you with parts, warranty and service for years after should you decide to buy a Yamaha snowmobile for the 2024 and 2025 model years. We would like to thank our loyal customers for their passion towards snowmobile over the years and will celebrate the storied history of Yamaha snowmobiles together!”

If you have further questions about this announcement, a list of FAQs can be found here:

American Customers: www.yamahamotorsports.com/news/snowmobile-faq

Canadian Customers: www.yamaha-motor.ca/en/snowmobile-faq

THE NUMBERS ARE IN

The Motorcycle Industry Council announces the Q1 numbers are in. Most market segments are off the Q1 2022 pandemic bubble record highs, but still trending well ahead of the 2020 mark. Total On-Highway motorcycle sales in Q1 were 64,940 units, down -7.4%. Scooter sales took the biggest hit down nearly 43%. However there were a couple bright spots.

The newly reported Dual Sport/ADV segment was up +7.9% (18,703 units). Traditional Off-Highway motorcycle sales were also up +6.5% (38,561 units). This is certainly good news to John Hinz, CEO of KTM North America, Inc., and newly elected MIC vice chair. He believes knowledge is power and there is real value in data.

“I think that’s one of the most important value propositions of the MIC,” he says. “The OEMs come together on a regular basis to supply retail data to the MIC. The MIC collects all that information and puts it back out into the market in a way that businesses, dealerships and the aftermarket industry can use to make better business decisions.”

Learn more of the MIC’s value proposition here: mic.org/#/why-join

DEALER NEWS: CYCLE SPRINGS POWERSPORTS UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Noting the dealership was in its backyard, Dimmit Automotive Group has acquired Cycle Springs Powersports in Clearwater, Florida. Once billed as “the world’s largest Yamaha dealership,” Cycle Springs has been serving the Tampa Bay area for the past 30 years. Owners Noel Hughes and Marty Skapik started off in the industry doing business out of a

garage off the Dunedin Causeway in 1989, and eventually purchased Cycle Springs Powersports in 2001.

“Dimmitt Automotive Group was presented with an opportunity to acquire Cycle Springs Powersports, which is located in our backyard in Clearwater,” said Scott Larguier, CEO of Dimmit Automotive Group. “I knew George Chaconas of Performance Brokerage Services. was the guy to hire as our consultant to help us navigate unknown waters with our first powersports dealership acquisition.” Dimmit Automotive Group currently operates 13 dealerships across the Florida Gulf Coast. The acquisition of Cycle Springs Powersports marks the family’s first venture into the powersports market, and the group looks forward to continued growth.

“I am so happy to have helped Dimmit Automotive Group acquire Cycle Springs, their first multi-line powersports dealership,” commented Chaconas upon closing the sale. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to guide them through evaluation, the intricacies of structuring the deal, understanding how to value a very large parts inventory and working with the OEMs to help facilitate this transaction.”

The dealership will remain at its current location at 29703 US Highway 19 North in Clearwater, Florida and will be renamed Cycle Springs Powersports, Part of the Dimmit Automotive Group.

Continued on page 14

TRIUMPH IS GROWING

RICKY CARMICHAEL

HARD TO SAY, BUT EASY TO SELL

Noting that the new “made in Spain” flag and decal on the headlight mask and side panels will end any doubts where these bikes are from… no matter how you pronounce it,” says importer Mark Berg. “After a solid year on the race track and on the sales floor in 2023, RIEJU USA is bringing back the Ranger, Racing and Pro platforms, with some significant USAspecific changes.”

Sometimes less is more as the maligned multifunction clusterfuc… switch housing is gone and the thermostat that caused heated tempers with customers is out for the full range. “The large multifunction cluster switch on the left side of the handlebar is a thing of the past,” confirms Berg. A simple competition-oriented wiring harness has been installed. “There is no more horn, odometer or extra wiring; only a start button, kill switch and headlight on/switch come standard.”

The inline thermostat in the cooling system has also been removed. The thermostat (which was subject to sticking) and the housing (which could melt under extreme conditions) have been completely replaced with a straight section of radiator hose for simplicity and reliability.

But the big question remains how do you say “Rieju” correctly? Simple, say it just like it is spelled as David Martinez from the factory articulates: youtube.com/shorts/BpvlnyKvwGU?feature=share

SNEAK PEEK!

This just in from former Dealernews publisher Don Emde: Whew! Happy to report that after 15 months of research and writing, followed by 5+1/2 months of production with our art director Morgan Williams, the Fred Fox biography is at the printer right on time to the day. The hardbound 11x11 plus an embossed dust jacket, 324 pages, 100,000 words and 700+ photos with captions. It has been a huge project, but Fred’s amazing career and life story will be told. And it’s quite a story.

Fred Fox, who passed away on February 5, 2023, started his Parts Unlimited distributing business by himself at his house in 1967 and today with 5 warehouses in the U.S., 2 in Canada, 1 in Germany and 1,000+ employees worldwide, LeMans Corporation continues as the world’s largest privately-owned Powersports distributing company.

It was printed in the United States and available for orders online at www.EmdeBooks.com. Price: $75.00 plus sales tax where applicable. Additional shipping costs (per book): United States $10.00, Canada $50.00 and International $75.00.

MICKEY MOUSE VESPA

This is no ordinary collab for another mickey mouse scooter… This is the Disney Mickey Mouse Edition by Vespa! These two timeless icons came together to create a special project for Disney100, with Vespa paying homage to this landmark with a Disney Mickey Mouse Edition Primavera paint scheme. For this collaboration, the Vespa Primavera 50cc, 125cc and 150cc are colored black, red, white and yellow, the same hues that have characterized Walt Disney’s most famous mouse. According to Vespa stylists, the yellow wheels are reminiscent of Mickey Mouse’s shoes, while the black mirrors recall his unmistakable round ears. A graphic pattern outlining the character’s silhouette decorates both sides of the scooter as well as the front. Finally, Mickey Mouse’s signature could not be missed. It is embossed on the seat and the front shell. There are also comic strip cameos of the Mouse that were integrated into the mix. Video:

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

“After nearly a decade of publishing inspiring stories and short films, it’s time to turn the spotlight onto our fans and followers to showcase their creative talents,” said Andrew Campo, CoFounder & Publisher, VAHNA. “We are excited to announce the first annual VAHNA Motorcycle Film Festival in partnership with

Triumph Motorcycles, 805 Beer, REV’IT!, Danner, Bell, Rider Justice, Revzilla and MotoTV. We truly appreciate the support of our incredible partners that have helped us bring this vision to life. We also want to thank our readers for allowing us to grow over the past decade and the opportunity to expand upon our storytelling platform.”

VAHNA Magazine and Journal (formerly META Magazine) has launched the inaugural VAHNA Motorcycle Film Festival. This annual film competition celebrates the art of motorcycle cinematography and offers aspiring filmmakers a platform to showcase their unique storytelling abilities and creative vision to the world. Entries are open to any amateur filmmakers who are passionate about motorcycles and have a talent for capturing the essence of riding on film. Entries can be submitted now until September 30th. After the submission deadline, VAHNA will select 9 submissions as official 2023 Motorcycle Film Festival nominees.

“It’s really exciting to see a platform like this come together for the motorcycle industry,” added Triumph Marketing Director Adam Vanderveen. “There are so many passionate riders who are also incredibly talented cinematographers and storytellers, and they deserve a place like this to showcase their work. We’re proud to be a part of this new festival from year one. We look forward to seeing all of the incredible films that will be submitted and can’t wait for the top entries to be shown in theaters across the country.”

Full festival information is available online at: www.vahna.com/filmfestival

“Effective marketing work is done through many channels — digital, print, direct mail and in the real world of events — all with an eye on both big data and individual member feedback,” notes AMA Chief Operating Officer James Holter. “Previously, these responsibilities were consolidated in the Membership Marketing & Services Department. That was the right structure at the time, but opportunity calls for a new approach that better leverages AMA resources and gives our directors more support to grow the AMA with expanded outreach, broader engagement and improved member service.” To that end, Joy Burgess, previously Deputy Director of Communications and Managing Editor, will be responsible for creative marketing efforts, public relations, corporate communications, volunteer outreach and recreational riding activity. She will continue to contribute to AMA editorial channels, including American Motorcyclist magazine, as needed. “Our job will be simple: to tell more motorcyclists about the AMA and to tell more non-riders about motorcycling,” says Burgess. “We will deliver that message in many ways, across a variety of media. I’m looking forward to expanding my team with the right people to help get that job done.” Burgess is currently searching for a Corporate Communications Specialist, Event Manager and Associate Sales Representative to expand AMA capabilities in those areas.

In a related move Amanda Donchess, who served as Director of Membership Marketing & Services, takes on the role of Director of Membership. She will now focus on member retention, support, fulfillment, quality control and data analytics. “Retaining a member begins the day that member joins the association,” Donchess explains. “First and foremost, we must deliver on our brand promise, exceeding member expectations for service and fulfillment. I’m excited to grow our capacity in these areas with better market research, data analysis and simply listening in new and better ways on how we can excel.”

just a continued dedication to worldclass print moto-journalism, but a new AmericanMotorcyclist.com that will bring the same engaging and quality content to an audience of AMA members and future members.”

Mitch Boehm continues to direct the editorial content of the AMA, including American Motorcyclist magazine and AmericanMotorcyclist.com. Meanwhile, Keaton Maisano has been promoted to Managing Editor to replace Burgess and reports directly to Boehm. “One of the most effective ways to engage members — and generate new ones — is with compelling storytelling, and that’s what we do in American Motorcyclist magazine,” Boehm said. “Our editorial has become some of the best in motorcycling over the past two years, and we’re just getting started. The future will see not

The American Motorcyclist Association was founded on three key pillars: Rights, Riding and Racing. With that mantra in mind AMA has parted ways with Michael Sayre and appointed Nick Haris as Government Relations Director, while also restructuring and evolving its Government Relations Department to better serve members and support its mission: to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. “The AMA Government Relations Department stands on the front lines in the defense of motorcyclists’ rights, and we are committed to continuing our investment in a team that ensures the effectiveness of these efforts,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “Nick has a long record of success working in our Government Relations Department and will bring skilled leadership to his new role as the Government Relations Director.” Previously the Western States Representative in the Government Relations Department, Haris has held an advocacy role with the AMA since 2001. He also serves on the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Commission for Mobility, is a member of the California Motorcycle Safety Program advisory committee, and sits on the California Outdoor Recreation Foundation board of directors. As Haris steps into his new role as Director, the Government Relations Department will also have a new structure that refocuses the team’s efforts to better represent motorcyclists at all levels of government: federal, regional, state and local. “I’m encouraged that we are adjusting

Brought To You By MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com

Continued from page 16

the way we do government relations,” Haris said. “Structuring it to better meet the needs of our members and engage with elected officials. Regionalization of the department allows our team to better establish and cultivate relationships with legislators and State Motorcyclist Rights Organizations. This restructure allows our team to be more responsive and agile when it comes to taking action on behalf of our members in a timely manner.”

advocacy because he’s a life-long rider and advocate. He has the skills and knowledge to move NOHVCC forward in achieving its mission.” Hildesheim joined NOHVCC’s staff in 2015 first serving as a Project Manager and then as the Program Director; a role he served in until 2023. Marc currently resides in Post Falls, Idaho, with his wife, three kids, and two Australian Shepherds where he rides dirtbikes whenever life will let him.

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council Board of Directors has named long-time Project Manager/ Program Director Marc Hildesheim as the next Executive Director of the organization. “I’m very excited to lead NOHVCC on the next leg of its journey and can’t wait to see what NOHVCC staff, the Board of Directors and our partners can achieve,” claims Hildesheim. He certainly has history in OHV recreation starting with the Brush Bunch Motorcycle Club which Hildesheim’s grandfather was a founding member in 1970. Professionally, Hildesheim began working on trails as a seasonal Trail Ranger for the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation He later moved to New Mexico to work for the State OHV Program Manager “The NOHVCC Board of Directors are elated that Marc Hildesheim has accepted the NOHVCC Executive Director position,” says Dan Kleen, President of the Board of Directors. “Marc has been a champion with his great work in the OHV community for over 20 years.” Former Executive Director, Russ Ehnes adds, “I’m really happy to see Marc in the Executive Director’s position at NOHVCC. He has a fantastic understanding of OHV recreation and

Meanwhile former NOHVCC exec Duane Taylor is returning to the Motorcycle Industry Council to serve the membership as director of safe and responsible use programs. He previously served as director of federal affairs at the MIC Government Relations Office just outside Washington, D.C. “We’re excited to have Duane back on our team,” states MIC president and CEO Erik Pritchard. “He learned a lot at NOHVCC and we will leverage his and our expertise to serve the OHV community at a time when there is a tremendous opportunity to grow and improve access for OHV recreation. Duane will work ably with land managers, clubs and industry to support responsible recreation on public lands.” Taylor’s duties will include engaging OHV enthusiasts, land managers, legislators, federal and state agencies, industry professionals, and others to amplify the powersports industry’s efforts to maintain, expand, and protect off-highway trail networks –and to oppose on-road use of ATVs and ROVs. He will continue supporting ongoing efforts to obtain federal and state funding for off-highway vehicle recreation. “I am thrilled to return to the Motorcycle Industry Council,” Taylor said. “Particularly as I will have the opportunity to focus on issues about which I am most passionate – safe and responsible use of OHVs.”

The Motorcycle and Moped Industry Council (MMIC), Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council (COHV) and Power Sport Services (PSS) boards of directors confirmed the appointment of Landon French as President & CEO, effective immediately. French had been interim CEO as of December of 2022. “Our time with Landon over the past few months has been very positive,” says MMIC Chair Norm Sukkau. “All three boards have benefitted from his leadership and creativity in his short time with us and we are very pleased to confirm his position as our President & CEO for the future. Landon’s track-record of success, in both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors, as well as his experience in marketing, government and the powersports industry has been a great benefit to our companies and he is the leader we need moving forward.” Formerly director of operations for two Ontario premiers, French has held senior executive roles at TELUS and Canadian Tire, and he was CEO of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs. “I’ve had a very warm welcome from the industry and firmly believe there is a bright future for MMIC, COHV and PSS in Canada,” claims French. “There are some challenges and opportunities ahead and I look forward to working with staff, members and stakeholders to build a new plan and prepare our industry for the future.”

Landon holds an MBA (Public Relations) from Royal Roads University, and an MA in Canadian Studies from Carleton University. He received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for his leadership of Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee Royal Visit to Canada in 2002. An avid powersports rider, he lives with his family in Muskoka.

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PETE’S CYCLE CO. Family Owned And Operated Since 1938

Family owned and operated Pete’s Cycle Co. in Baltimore, Maryland, just celebrated its landmark 60-year anniversary as a Honda dealer. However that is no reason to get off the gas. Dealer principal and second owner John Leach still feels the need for speed and continues to chase retail excellence as one of America’s oldest dealerships is the newest supporter of the National Powersports Dealer Association.

Here is a little secret on Pete’s Cycle, one of the oldest dealerships in America: There is no “Pete” — never was in 85 years of operation! Pete’s Cycle Company was actually founded by Walter C. Leach Sr. in 1938. He started out repairing bicycles and building flower boxes out of his parent’s basement on Harford Road in Baltimore, Maryland, during The Great Depression. The wheeling and dealing Walter was given the nickname ‘Pete’ hence the name of Pete’s Cycle!

From the original Indians through the Golden Age of English motorcycles to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, Pete’s Cycle has ridden it out. Even when Walter (aka Pete) left to serve his Country in World War II, his father carried on the business for him while he was away. Sometime later, when Pete returned and WWII had ended, “Pete” expanded the business as he became a Schwinn Bicycle dealer. He then also started selling & repairing all motorized vehicles, starting with the Whizzer.

In short order he acquired Indian Motocycles (the original spelling), AJS, BSA and Matchless franchises. This all took place at the original store that was located on Harford Road. Business boomed in the post war era and Pete eventually opened a second store in Towson, Maryland in the 1950’s which also sold Evinrude outboard engines and included a hobby shop!  By the late 1950’s, the motorcycle roster grew to include American Eagle, Bultaco, Cushman, Gilera, Lambretta, Laverda, Maruchan and Vespa. Then on July 9, 1963, Pete’s Cycle became a Honda dealer!

Pete opened the Bel Air location in 1967 and then the Severna Park Location in 1970. At one point in time, Pete’s Cycle Company had 7 stores offering either bicycles or motorcycles. Through the 1970s and the 1980s, he added Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha to the mix. Also in this rapidly accelerating timeline, a young John Leach joins the family business in 1972 sweeping floors and working weekends. By 1976 he is a fulltime employee driving the shop truck chasing parts. There is no truth to the rumor that Pete’s delivery vehicles were the fast trucks in Baltimore… however they may gotten a better jump off the line, given John’s penchant for drag racing (see sidebar).

In the mid-1980s, Pete went into semi-retirement, and full-time retirement in 1991. His children started running the business on a full time basis. In April of 2000, Pete’s Cycle moved out of its original location of 62 years, and into a much larger store located on Belair Road in Baltimore. Today, Pete’s Cycle Company has two locations, plus a warehouse/PDI center with a full-time crew of its own.

All three facilities are still owned and operated “since 1938” by Pete’s children. “We are very proud to be celebrating over 85 years in the industry,” says current dealer principal John Leach.

The original store. This picture was in 1950 compared to the Baltimore.

“My parents meeting Mr. Honda in Japan in 1965,” says John Leach. “This year we celebrate 60-years as a Honda dealer!”

WHAT DRIVES JOHN LEACH?

John Leach is driven by competition… on the track and in the dealership he is always on the gas, literally as well as figuratively. “My first motorcycle was a 1968 Honda Z50 and from there I rode and raced many Honda and Yamaha street and dirtbikes through the years.” But what really gets John going is NHRA drag racing! Bitten by the bug at 14, he is still tripping the lights to this day!

“My biggest passion is drag racing,” he admits. “I rebuilt my first auto engine — a Chevy 250 Cubic Inch six cylinder — at the age of 14. The owner of the parts store where I bought my parts was racing a B Dragster at that time and was going to the 1976 Summer Nationals in Englishtown, New Jersey. He asked if I wanted to go and of course said yes!”

By the age of 16 John was totally hooked on NHRA drag racing. “In 1979 I built my first race car for NHRA Stock Eliminator class. It was a 1970 Dodge Challenger equipped with a 440 Six Pack engine. I have been racing in Stock Eliminator for 44 years chasing the NHRA National and Divisional events. My current ride is a 19691/2 Plymouth Road Runner equipped with a 440 six pack engine.”

When he wasn’t chasing fractions of a second on the drag strip he was driving the shop truck and working in the dealership to support his passion. “This is our 85th year in business and I have been here 52 of those years. I started when I was 12 years old working in the parts department on weekends and in the summertime. At age 17 I became a full time employee and started working in every position within the business — from truck driver to building bikes and motorcycles to service manager to sales manager. In 1982 I became the store manager and am now the owner.”

Between the bicycle business and a burgeoning motorcycle market Pete’s Cycle expanded to 8 locations at the height of the market. However, Leach believes local dealerships can deliver better customer service and has scaled back the number of locations and eliminated the stand-alone bicycle shops. That doesn’t mean less lines, just fewer roof tops.

“We now have two locations, plus a warehouse with a full crew there to build and ship our product,” explains Leach. “We have 9 franchises including Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Polaris, Can-Am, Triumph, Kayo, Sea-Doo and Slingshot.”

“Heres another neat story: the first BSA on the left was originally bought at Pete’s — it still has our old decal on the bike. My friend at Baxter cycle in Iowa had a customer sell it to them and they immediately called me and of course I bought it.”

After 52 years of it, he is still on the gas, putting in 50+ hour work weeks, racing his Road Runner and now joining the NPDA (see sidebar). “I guess you could say my whole life has always been about being in competition. Whether it’s in the powersports business or on the track, I am always trying to do the best I can do and learn something new everyday.”

Walter Leach a.k.a. “Pete” on an AJS in the mid 1950s.

WHY JOIN NPDA?

Once a racer always a racer! John Leach has been driven by a need for speed… and retail excellence his entire professional life. And considering he was born into the business and has spent the past 52 years in the store and on the track, that is saying something. “I am always trying to do the best I can do and learn something new everyday.” As a drag racer, searching for a fraction of more traction, cutting the light 1/100th of a second better, coaxing another 10 horsepower out of his Plymouth Road Runner… Leach sees there is always room for improvement.  As his career approaches the checkered flag, he also feels obligated to share his wealth of knowledge.

As part of the vetting process, the National Powersports Dealer Association asks Leach why he wanted to get involved? Always a straight-shooter, he fired back:

“I would like to be on the NPDA Board to be involved in helping other dealers become more profitable, as well as to preserve the dealership ownerships to try to be Family or locally run. I know that large conglomerates are trying to buy out dealers, but there is a real need for the local businesses to be locally owned and customer care done by local ownership!”

His qualifications to be on the NPDA Board span 52 years of working in, and ultimately running, his family dealerships. Very few dealer principals have the chops of a guy like John Leach! How long have you been doing this?

“Pete’s Cycle was established in 1938 by my father. I have been working here since 1972. At that time, at the age of 12, I began my employment by assisting customers in the Parts Department. Following that, in 1976 I went on to become our full-time truck driver. From there, I became a service writer, then the Manager of the service department, and onto the Manager of the Parts Department. In 1981 I became the Store Manager of the Baltimore location. At that time, we had eight locations serving both motorcycle and bicycle enthusiasts.”

Working in the business is not the same thing as working on your business. How would you describe your management style?

When my father went into semi-retirement in 1991, I took over running the business. We now have two locations, which is very manageable, however I still work 50+ hours a week. We have nine franchises in one location, and six in the other. I am also a member of the Spader Group. As a matter of fact, I am in the same group as NPDA Board member Mark Sheffield. My leadership style is very hands on. I let my managers do their jobs, but I am always there when needed. I honestly have never been a member of a Board; however, I do work very well with people.

What does NPDA mean to you… and what should it mean to fellow dealers?

I believe that NPDA exists to help the dealers bond together in unity and to stand up for what is right for us as the dealer, not the government or manufacturer. However NPDA can also be the mechanism to strike some sort of compromise when conflict arises in a disagreement. I believed that when I became a member last year and believe that now as a Board member.

What are your qualifications to be on the Board?

I have more than 50 Years of experience in the motorcycle business — that is all I have ever done! I am very understanding, honest, and upfront. Since joining the Spader Group, it has helped me tremendously in the management of the dealership in a positive way. I would encourage all my fellow dealers to join a similar 20 Group!  Between 20 Clubs and NPDA, I want to see our powersports business thrive!

What do you perceive the role of the Board to be?

I believe the NPDA Board of Directors is there to help weigh out policies from the Manufacturers as well as the government to help steer the dealers and the industry in the correct direction. Also, to help fellow dealers out with working on their business, not in their business.

CHESROWN OUT, TKACH IN AS INTERIM CEO AT RUMBLEON

RumbleOn & Coulter-Tkach Group Reach Resolution To End Proxy Contest

The rumblings from “omnichannel” powersports platform came to a head in Texas, culminating with former company head execs Peter Levy and Marshall Chesrown both exiting the operation and RideNow co-founders William Coulter and Mark Tkach back in the saddle even before the ink was dry on the RumbleOn timeline in the last issue: issuu.com/dealernews/docs/issue_5_may_f52c785c4e987b/28

Precipitated by RumbleOn’s release of its first quarter 2023 operational and financial results, on May 10 it was posted that COO & President Peter Levy was out (see sidebar), and the Board had made ”significant corporate governance enhancements” including bringing Becca Polak on board as well as removing Levy. On June 15, RumbleOn Chief Executive Officer Marshall Chesrown tendered his resignation. On June 16 the company officially issued the following announcement:

Today RumbleOn announced that the Board of Directors (“the Board”) has appointed Mark Tkach, the Co-Founder of the RideNow powersports group, acquired by RumbleOn in August of 2021, and a major shareholder, to serve as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company, following the resignation of Marshall Chesrown from that role on June 15, 2023. During Mr. Tkach’s interim service, the Board’s Executive Transition Committee will continue its efforts to identify a permanent CEO.

“We thank Mr. Tkach for his willingness to assist during this time of transition and are confident that his deep knowledge and experience in the powersports industry will provide enhanced opportunities for operational excellence as the Company works to identify a permanent successor,” said Steve Pully, Chairman of the RumbleOn Board of Directors. In addition, the Company announced that it has reached an agreement in principle that will be memorialized in a definitive agreement with the CoulterTkach Group to resolve all outstanding proxy matters currently subject to contest at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, scheduled for July 14, 2023. The Company and Messrs. Coulter and Tkach have agreed to end the proxy contest on the following terms:

- The Board will expand temporarily from seven to nine members to allow Melvin Flanigan and Mark Tkach to immediately join the Board. (See RumbleOn Shifting Gears)

- Steve Pully is named Chairman of the Board.

- William Coulter named as a “Board Observer” until his election at the 2023 Annual Meeting, with access to all Board activities and access to books and records.

- Reorganization of Board Committees, including:

Nominating and Corporate Governance: Shin Lee (Chair), Becca Polak Melvin Flanigan

Audit: Melvin Flanigan (Chair), Steve Pully, Kevin Westfall

Compensation: Becca Polak (Chair), Melvin Flanigan, Steve Pully

CEO Transition: Mark Tkach (Chair), Shin Lee, Becca Polak, Steve Pully, Kevin Westfall, William Coulter (non-voting until such time he is appointed/elected to Board)

- The Coulter-Tkach Group and all of the participants in their proxy statement will withdraw all existing nominations and proposals in connection with the 2023 Annual Meeting.

- For a period of 90 days from the date of the agreement in principle, the Stockholders agree to vote as recommended by the Board at any annual or special meeting of the Company’s stockholders, and to refrain from calling any special meetings of the

Company’s stockholders, granting or soliciting proxies (other than to named proxies included in the Company’s proxy card for any stockholder meeting), or making any nominations or proposals at any annual or special meetings of stockholders.

Important Information

RumbleOn has filed a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”). Any definitive proxy statement and a proxy card will be mailed to RumbleOn’s shareholders. RUMBLEON SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ ANY PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. These and other SEC filings made by RumbleOn may be obtained (when available) without charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and at the investor relations section of RumbleOn’s website at www.rumbleon.com. In addition, investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of these documents from RumbleOn by directing a request to Investor Relations, RumbleOn, Inc., 901 W. Walnut Hill Lane, Irving, Texas 75038.

Certain Information Concerning Participants

RumbleOn and certain of its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies under the rules of the SEC. RumbleOn’s stockholders may obtain information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of RumbleOn’s directors and executive officers in RumbleOn’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on March 16, 2023 (as amended by Form 10-K/A, which was filed with the SEC on April 28, 2023). These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the interests of these participants in any proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will also be included in the definitive proxy statement to be filed by RumbleOn with the SEC in connection with the Annual Meeting when it becomes available.

Beyond the official corporate announcement Dealernews told of Tkach and Coulter originally stepping down and Peter Levy and Marshall Chesrown stepping in after RideNow was sold to RumbleOn back in February 2022: www.dealernews.com/Home/post/tkach-and-coulter-rumble-on/2022-02-16

SHIFTING GEARS RumbleOn Reorganization

The musical chairs caused by Peter Levy being released from his employment position as President, COO and Director resulted in director Kevin Westfall being named to serve as Chair and to separate the role of CEO from the Board of Directors, positions which hadbeen held by Marshall Chesrown. The music started on May 10 and ended (?) June 15 with Chesrown stepping down. In the space of a month Steven J. Pully was brought onboard with the Board and subsequently replaced Westfall as chair. Mark Tkach assumed the interim CEO position and several other moving pieces were set, including:

• The Board has approved an amendment to its bylaws to immediately separate the roles of Board Chair and CEO. As a result, the Board elected Independent Director, Kevin Westfall, to serve as Chair of the Board, effective immediately on May 10th. (Only to be replaced Pully as soon as he was appointed to the Board).

• RumbleOn President, Chief Operating Officer and Director, Peter Levy, was released from his employment position with the Company without cause and resigned from the Board, effective May 10th.

• RumbleOn Independent Directors Adam Alexander and Mike Marchlik informed the Board that they would not seek reelection at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

• Becca Polak was appointed to the Board as a new independent director to fill one vacant Class I directorship. Ms. Polak was one of several highly qualified and independent candidates identified by an independent search firm hired by the Company’s Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and was selected based on her extensive and highly relevant experience, as detailed on the next page.

Continued on page 26

THE PLAYERS:

Mark Tkach currently serves as a consultant for Coulter Management Group, LLP, a business that manages auto dealerships and investments in real estate. Mr. Tkach previously served as a Director and as an executive officer of the Company from August 2021 until February 2022. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Tkach served as a co-founder of RideNow and oversaw its strategic growth from 1989 until it was acquired by the Company in August of 2021. Mr. Tkach has more than 40 years of experience in all aspects of powersports operations.

Shortly after being appointed to the RumbleOn Board on May 11 to replace Peter Levy, Steven J. Pully was named Chair. Mr. Pully is an experienced board member, investment banker, restructuring professional and corporate executive. He has served on over 35 boards over the course of his career across a wide range of industries, including retail, entertainment, manufacturing, technology, energy and power. Mr. Pully’s appointment follows a number of corporate governance enhancements recently implemented by the RumbleOn Board to bolster its diversity and expertise. Mr. Pully was proposed as a nominee by shareholders and former Board members, Bill Coulter and Mark Tkach, and he replaces Peter Levy, who recently resigned from the Board. With the addition of Mr. Pully, all seats on the Company’s Board are again filled. Mr. Pully will serve on the Audit Committee of the Board.

“We are pleased that Steve promptly accepted our invitation to meet with the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and has accepted our invitation to join the Board during this important chapter for RumbleOn, as we continue to execute on our growth strategy and grow our market share,” said Shin Lee, Chair of the Company’s Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. “As a seasoned corporate governance and business leader, he brings relevant expertise and highly valuable skillset to our Board, in addition to a fresh perspective. I’m confident that Steve’s addition will strengthen our leadership at RumbleOn and even better position us for success.”

Mr. Pully is a Founding Partner of Speyside Partners, a Dallas-based investment banking and restructuring advisory firm, the part-time CEO and Chairman of Harvest Oil & Gas, and Chairman of EverView. Previously, he was a partner and the General Counsel of Carlson Capital, L.P., a multi-strategy hedge fund. Mr. Pully is also a licensed attorney and Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas and is a CFA Charterholder. Additionally, he holds various FINRA licenses.

“I’m excited to join such a fast-growing and innovative company and to help RumbleOn expand its business and unlock even greater value through the successful execution of its strategy,” said Mr. Pully. “The Company is in an exciting phase of growth and I’m looking forward to bringing my perspective and experience to the Board of Directors.” Pully will serve as a Class I Director, with his term expiring at the 2025 Annual Meeting.

Melvin Flanigan most recently served as an advisor for Camping World Holdings, Inc., a leading retailer of RVs and outdoor products from July 2020, until his retirement in December 2020. He previously served as CFO and Corporate Secretary of Camping World from January 2019 to June 2020, during which time he oversaw a significant turn-around in corporate and functional communication, structure, and performance. Prior to joining Camping World, Mr. Flanigan served briefly as CFO of I am Plus LLC, Executive Vice President, Finance and CFO of DTS Inc. (a company specializing in wireless audio) where he helped transform a small startup company into an industry leader that was ultimately acquired for nearly $1 billion.

About Becca Polak — “We look forward to welcoming Ms. Polak to our Board and believe she will make immediate and substantive contributions as an experienced, independent director,” said Shin Lee, Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee in May. “She has an impressive track record in the automotive industry, and RumbleOn will benefit from her experience in driving organic growth and supporting digital transformation, in addition to her legal and compliance background and e-commerce, retail, and consumer finance expertise.”

Ms. Polak is a seasoned executive and board advisor who brings a demonstrable record of driving business strategy and execution and technology transformation, with expertise across areas including M&A and IPOs, compliance and regulation, cybersecurity and privacy and P&L enhancement for both established companies and those in the startup space. Most recently, Ms. Polak served as Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel of CarLotz, a consignment-to-retail used car marketplace. Prior to that, she spent fourteen years on both the business and legal sides of the automotive industry at KAR Global, a global digital platform offering end-to-end solutions for the automotive wholesale industry. She served as President of TradeRev, a dealer-to-dealer online auto auction division of KAR Global based in Toronto, Ontario from 2017 - 2019, while concurrently maintaining the title and full responsibilities as the Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of the parent company. Ms. Polak has experience across consumer finance, floor-planning, e-commerce, retail, online auction/marketplace, digital technology and legal counsel.

On May 10, RumbleOn President, Chief Operating Officer and Director Peter Levy was released from his employment position with the Company without cause and subsequently resigned from the Board of Directors, effective immediately. The Company had already begun a comprehensive process to identify a successor for the COO role. Levy, who had been RumbleOn’s President, was actually appointed to succeed Mr. Tkach as RumbleOn’s Chief Operating Officer back in February of 2022. Levy had been a member of RumbleOn’s senior management team since August of 2017 and was appointed to its Board of Directors in June of 2021.

THE ORIGINAL VISION VIDEO

Despite the roiling turmoil RumbleOn remains committed to pursuing its growth strategy to unlock value and deliver on its goals, according to the reconstituted Board. “The Company’s five-pillar strategy, which involves self-funding, restructuring, and reducing debt, investing in technology, improving customer experience, and pursuing accretive M&A opportunities, has enabled the Company to continue to gain market share while expanding the business overall.”

This original vision was presented by Mark Tkach, Bill Coulter, Peter Levy and Marshall Chesrown in March of 2021. The team at the time attempted to articulate the goal and the omnichannel concept of RideNow merging with RumbeOn. As our resident motorcycle futurist Dr. Paul Leinberger has been saying, “omnichannel” is the future of the powersports industry, like it or not. “You have heard me call it “omnichannel marketing” (Omnichannel: The Key To Your Future, July 2019 and the previous page). Your retail experience must be customer-centered – focused on what the customer wants and delivered in whatever way the customer wants it – online, in-store, or at the curb…”

The original goal was to deliver the customer what they want, when they want, by whatever means necessary. “We are creating the only omnichannel solution in the powersports industry — offering an unparalleled customer experience for outdoor enthusiasts across the country,” claimed Chesrown, RumbleOn’s Chief Executive Officer at that time. “RideNow’s significant physical retail platform provides the missing piece of a ‘bricks and clicks’ strategy for RumbleOn, enabling us to reach consumers wherever they want to shop, whether online, offline, or both.”

“We are thrilled to be joining Marshall and the rest of the RumbleOn team as we gear up to enable more consumers to shop with us through the first omnichannel customer experience,” added RideNow’s co-principal owner and cofounder, Mark Tkach. “We are excited to begin leveraging both companies’ capabilities to expand our combined offering. From adding financing options with RumbleOn Finance to exploring the opportunity to open pre-owned retail stores, RumbleOn’s technology and e-commerce presence will provide us access to a nationwide audience and high demand pre-owned inventory.”

See it here in their own words: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubLWhXL_4qI

Dealernews Research

By Lenny Sims

IN ANTICIPATION OF THE EV POWER SURGE

Perceptions of EVs are changing as the OEMs pour billions of dollars into their electrification strategies… or are they? New-vehicle buyer consideration is increasing, albeit slowly, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration (EVC) Study. This year’s study reveals that 26% of shoppers say they are “very likely” to consider purchasing an EV, up from 24% a year ago, while the percentage of shoppers who say they are “overall likely” to purchase an EV increases to 61% from 59% in 2022.

“With all of these influences shaping today’s EV market, the biggest friction point for consideration is the availability of public chargers,” said Stewart Stropp, executive director of EV intelligence at J.D. Power. “The growth in public charging isn’t keeping pace with the rising number of EVs on the road… A resounding effort to build out and improve the public charging infrastructure will emphatically increase EV purchase consideration.” At least on the automotive side. LiveWire’s short circuit and Zero not expanding much in the near term seem to indicate even more EV reluctance than their car customer counterparts.

Stropp does note there are a combination of positive and negative market factors: lower gas prices, inflation, rising interest rates, greater model availability and charging

availability. Charging availability is growing more slowly year over year (13% vs. 33% in 2022. In fact, nearly half (49%) of shoppers rejecting the idea of buying an EV say their primary reason is a lack of charging station availability. Other key findings of the 2023 study:

Longer commutes: As in prior-year studies, daily commuters faced with higher fuel expenses are exploring options to their gas-powered vehicles. Among those who commute more than 45 minutes each way, 35% say they are “very likely” to consider an EV, which is 14 percentage points higher than among those with a commute of 15 minutes or less (21%).

EV experience helps with purchase consideration: Getting consumers to experience an EV plays an important role in purchase consideration. Just 12% of consumers who have no personal experience with an EV say they’re “very likely” to consider one, while that percentage more than doubles to 25% among those who have simply ridden in an EV as a passenger. The ratios continue to climb in proportion to shoppers’ experience with EVs, with a response of “overall likely” reaching 80% among those who have owned or leased an EV in the past.

Gen Z1 fastest-growing segment for EV consideration: As more affordable EV models come to market, consideration among Gen Z consumers shows a higher year-over-year increase (6 percentage points) than among other age groups. Gen Y consumers have the highest level of consideration (72%) and the highest percentage of those who say they are “very likely” to consider an EV (37%).

The U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration (EVC) Study is an industry benchmark focusing on gauging fully electric or battery electric vehicle shopper consideration, simply referred to as EVs in the study. Study content includes overall EV consideration by geography; demographics; vehicle experience and use; lifestyle; and psychographics. It also includes model-level consideration details such as “why buy” findings and analysis of reasons for EV rejection. This year’s study measures responses from 8,136 consumers and was fielded from February through May 2023.

For more information about the U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration (EVC) Study, visit: www.jdpower.com/business/ automotive/electric-vehicle-consideration-study

J.D. Power Specialty Valuation Services (formerly NADAguides) is a leading provider of specialty vehicle valuation products and services to businesses. The team collects and analyzes tens of thousands of wholesale and retail transactions per month, and delivers a range of guidebooks, web service data, analysis and digital data solutions. J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

MAY AWP IN REVIEW

Spring Turns To Summer

As spring transitions to summer, Average Wholesale Price (AWP) typically weakens in May and June. Despite this year’s muted spring bump, the headwinds of softening retail demand and heavy dealer inventories continue pushing prices downward. AWP trends across the product spectrum continued to fall, with nearly every category seeing price drops versus the prior 90 days. Most on-road segments saw mild dips ranging between 2-5%. Moreover, yearover-year (YoY) trends continue to highlight COVID’s impact on used vehicle pricing, with most categories seeing double-digit price drops versus last year. Domestic Cruisers and Side-bySide’s experienced the largest drops, with AWPs tumbling ~20% from 2022.

Steady Product Mix

Regarding product mix, Domestic Cruiser volumes continued to climb, cresting 50% of total auction volume for the first time since 2021. Other segments, like Sport Bikes and Metric Cruisers, continue to trail historical volume metrics, despite slight upticks over the last few months. Average Model Age, at 8.3 years, and Average Condition Score, at 76, both trended in positive directions, shifting slightly towards cleaner, newer products versus prior months. With no significant change in the source of auction inventory, we expect volumes and mix to remain relatively stable over the next three months.

Buyers’ Market Returns

As we enter the summer and fall market, dealers need to be aware of seasonal trends. Looking back at historical trends from 2015 to 2019, AWPs typically fall in the summer months by 3-5%, month-over-month until bottoming out in September. This year we expect the seasonal slide to be more severe, sliding 5-8% monthto-month. The next 3-4 months should provide dealers with the best opportunity to “buy right,” maximize margins, and cost average stale inventory. For the first time in over 24 months, the auction is shifting to a buyers’ market. Now it’s more important than ever to manage your inventory turn times.

Introducing RFID Physical Inventory

By placing RFID tags/labels on inventory and assets, dealers can cycle counts or conduct physical inventory with one or two employees anytime. RFID reader terminals do not require line of sight, so counters don’t need to bend down under partitions, climb shelves, or position each item to be visually seen to be counted. RFID physical inventory provides accurate, up-to-date data leading to better analytics, improved asset utilization, and reduced lost sales.

Charging Into 2023

CURRENTS+

YAMAHA CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF “ASSISTING” EBIKE MARKET

“Yamaha has been a pioneer in e-bikes for more than three decades, and this is an exciting time to be pushing the industry forward in the U.S.,” notes National Sales & Marketing Manager at Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles, Drew Engelmann. “In 2023, we affirm our dedication to continue further advancing our technologies and offerings to bring riders in the U.S. e-bikes that make every day more fun and fulfilling.”

In celebration of launching the world’s first power assist electric bicycle in 1993, rolled out the 30th Anniversary Special Edition YDX-MORO 07 intended specifically for the next generation of e-MTB riders. This limited production model for the U.S. market only will be available in dealers on June 1, 2023, with an MSRP of $6,499.

Powered by the PW-X3, Yamaha’s smallest, lightest and most powerful drive unit to date, higher performance is combined with instant power delivery to elevate the feeling of ridermachine unity for a “Pure Ride” experience. The PW-X3 boasts a max torque of 85Nm, while maintaining 250W nominal assist, 500W maximum assist, and power assist up to 20 mph. Assist levels include ECO, Standard, High, MTB, Extra-Power, Automatic-Mode and Walk Assist.

“Yamaha’s passion for performance is driven by our racing heritage, and the YDX-MORO 07 Special Edition is a true thoroughbred for the next generation of e-MTB riders,” adds Rob Trester, Manager of Yamaha’s Smart Power Vehicle Division and the Yamaha Power Assist Bicycle group in the U.S. “Since the 1993 launch of our first electrically power assisted bicycle 30 years ago, which was hailed as a first of its kind, Yamaha has been a world leading innovator in e-bike technology with millions of riders globally.”

To learn more about Yamaha’s history producing the Power Assist System over 30 years, click here: www.yamahabicycles.com/the-yamaha-evolution

DUCATI ROCKS eMTB WORLD Develops First Carbon-Framed Bike

Ducati has developed its first full carbon eMTB and rocked the off-road world with the June 15 announcement. The Powerstage RR Limited Edition is said to be Ducati’s most exclusive e-enduro model. Even the “Powerstage” name is tied to a special stage recently introduced in the e-enduro circuits which consists in tackling, in addition to the classic downhill stages, a technical uphill route, testing both the skills of athletes competing in the races and the performance level of the vehicle.

“Ducati’s pedal assisted bicycle project took shape with the launch of the MIG-RR, the first e-mtb produced in collaboration with Thok E-Bikes. In 2022 the range of E-Bikes has been made even more complete and performing,” noted Giorgio Favaretto, Head of e-Bicycle Business. With the new Powerstage RR, Ducati strengthens its presence in the premium-range e-mountain bike segment, aimed at even more demanding bikers.”

The “full carbon” frame has undergone lengthy testing on the toughest routes with a single goal: to guarantee maximum performance in the enduro field. The choices on the arrangement of the carbon layers and on the types of fiber intertwining are the result of FEA (Finite Element Analysis) which allows identifying the points subject to greater stress, which therefore requires greater strength. More attention to stiffness has been given to the steering area, the rear chain stay and the engine area reinforced by two ribs (T-Ribs).

Coupled to the carbon frame is the new Shimano EP801 drive unit developing 250 Watts of nominal power and 85 Nm of torque. The new system features two preconfigured assistance profiles: “long ride” and “fast ride” for maximum performance on short courses. The removable 630Wh Shimano battery is positioned inside the “verticalized” downtube in order to lower the centre of gravity, improving the balance of the bike.

The new Powerstage RR Limited Edition can be ordered from the Ducati dealer network at $11,990 MSRP!

SLICK STUFF! PETRONAS STEPS UP RACE SUPPORT

In the ultimate display of diversifying its portfolio, petroleum producer PETRONAS is now supporting Energica Motor Company to go racing. PETRONAS Lubricants International is Energica’s Industrial Partner and Energica’s Racing America main sponsor for the 2023 season. The PETRONAS livery on the Tytlers Cycle Racing eBike in the Roland Sand Design’s Super Hooligan National Championship as part of the MotoAmerica series.

“We’re making history once again,” says Giampiero Testoni, CTO of Energica Motor Company. “Racing has always been in

our DNA from the very beginning, and after making history in MotoE for four years, we accepted a new challenge alongside Tytlers Cycle Racing. What makes this even more incredible is to have a powerhouse like PETRONAS Lubricants International alongside us to lay a new milestone in motorsport history.”

Actually the move to expand into EV makes sense since PETRONAS Lubricants has launched a full line of next generation fluids specifically tailored for electric vehicles. PETRONAS Iona, which includes e-Transmission fluids, e-Cooling fluids and e-Greases is perfect for Energica to test under racing conditions. “PETRONAS Lubricants International is constantly exploring ways to support the rapidly developing EV industry, including the motorsport scene,” claims Hezlinn Idris, Managing Director and Group CEO of PETRONAS Lubricants International.

Believing racing improves the breed, Idris adds, “This partnership opens opportunities for us in the development of EV fluids that cover all types of electric vehicles including trucks, light commercial vehicles, passenger cars and motorbikes. It is a testament to our ability of customizing bespoke solutions for the full range of fluid applications in electrified powertrains.”

Immediately following the PETRONAS announcement, Tytlers Cycle Racing took to the track to go head-to-head with the ICE Hooligans!

Discover the Energica difference at: www.energicamotor.com/en

eSHIFTING GEARS+

Following some shockingly low Q4 results recently posted by its  LiveWire  division (www. dealernews.com/Home/post/ short-circuit/2023-04-28), Harley has announced the appointment of  Karim Donnez  as CEO, effective June 12, 2023. Donnez, who jumped ship from  BRP Marine, succeeds  Jochen Zeitz  who, having served as CEO for an agreed period, will remain as Chairman of LiveWire Group, Inc. “Having successfully stood-up LiveWire as a brand and listed the Company on the  NYSE, I’m excited to pass the baton to Karim and to welcome him as LiveWire’s new CEO, following an extensive global search process,” claimed Zeitz who is still Chairman, President, and CEO of  Harley-Davidson. “Karim is an entrepreneurial business leader with a demonstrable track record of driving transformational growth through both strategy development and implementation. The Board and I look forward to Karim realizing the potential of LiveWire, as we continue on the Company’s journey to lead the electrification of the sport.” Donnez joins LiveWire from  Bombardier Recreational Products Inc.  where he was most recently President of BRP’s Marine Group, having held various roles since joining the company in 2015, including SVP, Strategy, Business Development and Transformation.

LiveWire  also bolstered its board of directors, appointing former  United Nations Special Envoy  on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments. Hiromichi (Hiro) Mizuno to the Board effective June 12, 2023. “Hiro is a global thought leader in sustainable investments and brings both extensive international financial experience and  EV sector expertise  that will be greatly beneficial as we expand into new markets and enter our next phase of growth to lead the electrification of the sport,” said  Jochen Zeitz , Chairman, President and CEO, HarleyDavidson and Chairman at LiveWire. “We are excited to welcome Hiro to the Board of Directors and look forward to the valuable insights he will bring to continue advancing LiveWire’s mission to be the ultimate electric motorcycle brand in the world. ” Mizuno is a Japanese financial executive and has played significant roles in the field of sustainable investments. He previously served as Executive Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of  Government Pension Investment Fund of Japan  (GPIF), the largest pension fund in the world. Additionally, Mizuno has served as a non-Executive board member of  Tesla, Inc.  Mizuno holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

In a related move,  Paul Krause, Chief Legal Officer at  Harley-Davidson, was also appointed to the  LiveWire Group, Inc. Board of Directors effective June 12, 2023.

From  All Kids Bike  to the  Yamaha pedal-assist products,  SPEC PR says they SPECialize in telling stories about outdoor recreation.  Ryan Spinks, the latest addition to the team, was born and raised in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, which has presented many opportunities to work with the top brands in the hospitality and outdoor industries. As a professional ski athlete, Spinks spent from 1998-2008 traveling the world, competing in elite level events such as X Games, Gravity Games and the  US Freeskiing Open; which led to a career in product development, marketing and branding. Since retiring from competition, Spinks has worked with many brands in the outdoor industry including Liberty Skis,  Oakley, Purl Wax, and  QuietKat to bring products to market, produce influencer and ambassador strategies, and organize media events. A passion for storytelling and creating stunning visual content, Spinks is rarely seen without a camera when out exploring the mountains in his 4Runner, on his mountain bike, dirt bike, or climbing up mountains to ski down. See more of the story here: www.specpr.com

Northwest Steve Christian schristian@volcon.com

Northeast Frank Renick frank.renick@volcon.com

Midwest, Southwest Dave Auringer dauringer@volcon.com

South Johnny Hayes jhayes@volcon.com

Southeast Ken Cook kcook@volcon.com

Eastern Canada Robert Berube robert.berube@volcon.com

Western Canada Gerry Picard gerry.picard@volcon.com

VOLCON STAG BREAKS COVER!

We know that it’s unprecedented to allow such an inside look into non-production vehicles, a risk most companies would not dream of taking,” said Volcon CEO Jordan Davis as the 100% electric company hosted dealers, international distributors and select media to test drive prototypes during a VIP Demo Day event held before Memorial Day Weekend. “We have been testing, developing and refining the Stag for months, and we are confident in its ability to change the UTV landscape. It was time to show others what we have been seeing internally for months.”

“The Stag has undergone tremendous development and the power is unmatched,” added Co-Founder and CTO, Christian Okonsky. “We have tested, broken, fixed, broken again and redeveloped many of the Stag’s components throughout this entire process, leading to us upgrading many of the key suspension and drivetrain components to an automotive grade level. Traditional off-road components simply cannot handle the torque that the Stag has,” explained Okonsky in a Q&A session detailing how the Volcon has been able to move through the development process at an unprecedented pace through strategic collaborations with General Motors, BF Goodrich, Elka Suspension and Hayes Performance Systems.

The following day, guests had the opportunity to test drive a prototype of the Stag at Rally Ready, a premier driving school and off-road track in Bastrop, Texas. “The Stag had me grinning from ear to ear just thinking about running through the woods in the White Mountains, stalking elk,” exclaimed Bill Nash, owner of Nash Powersports, after his opportunity for a test drive. “It was a blast ripping around the rally cross track we got to test it on– smooth acceleration and it turns where you pointed it.” (See “What They Said” sidebar).

When it came time to bench race after having the opportunity to pilot the two proof of concepts machines is when things started getting good! Despite everyone, including himself, claiming that “Christian Okonsky was a tech guy, not a motorhead,” he has seen his elegant engineering solutions subverted to more power! He also drives an eWrangler and cuts some fast laps on the track in the pursuit of technological advancement… Co-founder Adrian James, head of Sprout Equity Ventures, on the other hand is a go-fast guy through and through.

Having the opportunity to talk about racing The Mint 400 with Matt Martelli quickly resulted in cell phone coverage of Adrian’s Zero1 rental racer on its lid in the middle of the Nevada desert the last time he raced. From this year’s demo vehicle parading down the Las Vegas strip to a full Blown Volcon race team at the 2024 Mint 400? Not that much of a stretch of the imagination as the conversation became more animated…

However, back to the business at hand. Pending some final specs for the front differentials (which had been removed from our test mule). Production is set to begin, with deliveries to the dealers in the U.S. and Canada (see sidebar), Latin America (who’s distributors certainly seemed to enjoy their time in the saddle!) and the military — all ready to ramp up before the next Mint 400 gets the green flag.

Former PSB editor turned Volcon exec Dave McMahon, former MPN editor turned PSB editor Brendan Baker and 2X Dealernews/2X MPN editor Robin Hartfiel.

OH CANADA

Looking to engage dealers in Canada, industry veteran Gerry Picard has been named Volcon’s first officer… um, Canadian National Sales Manager. “We are excited to announce our expansion into Canada,” said Melissa Coffey, Vice President of Global Revenue and Business Development at Volcon. “It’s an important market for our growing line of 2-wheel and 4-wheel products and a natural extension of our efforts in the U.S. Gerry brings decades of experience in helping dealership owners grow their business and we’re glad to have him represent our brand in Canada.”

Picard brings a strong knowledge of Canadian powersports dealership operations, having most recently served as Canadian Director of Sales for Mahindra Vehicle Sales & Service for its ROXOR brand from 2018-2022. Picard also spent a combined 30 years with BRP and Yamaha in a variety of positions, including dealer development, product development and territory management. He has also worked in various consulting roles. Volcon is on track to establish 30 to 40 dealers in 2023 and 50 to 60 2024.

“The powersports industry is on a fast track of change moving to electric mobility, with Volcon on the leading edge of this change,” Picard said. “I invite all Canadian dealers to reach out and look at how Volcon can dramatically increase their bottom line with an excellent lineup of both 2-wheel and 4-wheel electric vehicles.” Timing coincides with the Canadian government’s recent climate change regulations including a federal carbon tax and an EV mandate that will require all new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in Canada after 2035 be electric zero-emission vehicles.

“These regulations show that Canada is thinking about EV seriously and we’re making a sound choice to work with our neighbors up north,” Coffey concludes. “We’re confident it will be a robust market for expansion, especially as the need for other zero-emission vehicles plays a role in furthering Canada’s efforts to fight climate change.” Based in Alberta, Picard graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business/Commerce from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Picard welcomes interested Canadian dealers to reach out to him at: gerry.picard@volcon.com

YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW Volcon Engineers A Deal With USACE

Awarded through the Department of Logistics (DLA) Tailored Logistic Program (TLSP), the Army Corps of Engineers is set to take delivery of a slightly modified version of the Stag that dealers and select media saw deep in the heart of Texas a couple days ago. The Mil-Spec Stag will include an enhanced 54kWh electric powertrain and be utilized to support the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) disaster and emergency response missions.

“What we are witnessing in federal and state procurement is beyond a movement to simply comply with administrative requirements for fleet electrification,” explains Volcon VP of Global Defense & Government Programs, Richard Tannery. “These mandates provide good introductions to government decision makers regarding the technology, and many are realizing that EV performance speaks for itself. The conversation is shifting to one of tactical advantage, over sustainability.”

As Volcon continues to enter new sales channels, its ability to rapidly prototype and leverage strategic and innovative collaborations has been met with increased interest by various government entities, Tannery adds. “Especially as they will need to meet the aggressive timelines for fleet electrification as set by the US Army’s 2022 Climate Strategy, and the Biden administration’s 2021 Federal

Sustainability Plan. He does concede there is hesitance in early adoption of electrified fleets, however.

“Until decision makers are aware that we can export power for tactical surveillance and communications systems, provide silent overwatch for forward reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, traverse all-terrain conditions with a reduced thermal and noise signature, reduce maintenance requirements, and begin to assess how to more efficiently manage the logistical requirements of petroleum-based fuels in contested environments. The technology needs to be chosen for the correct mission set. That is the real conversation. We can’t force technology into the battlefield to the disadvantage of the warfighter just because it feels good. Instead, we have to apply the technology to the correct tactical application. That’s how you deploy new technology, today.”

Missions include emergency power support, emergency infrastructure assessments, debris removal and urban search & rescue, which require rapidly deployable and energy efficient systems to successfully initiate and conduct emergency response, disaster, and contingency operations. Volcon is set to deliver a total of five Stag UTV vehicles to the U.S. Army under the management of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). The Stag is expected to be delivered to multiple U.S. Army locations in late 2023.

CHARGE IT!

VOLCON Announces Electrifying $9 Million Offering

Literally while select dealers and distributors were meeting with the brass and engineering team deep in the heart of Texas, Volcon Inc. (NASDAQ: VLCN) announced pricing of an underwritten public offering. According to Aegis Capital Group who is underwriting the offering, 6,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $0.75 per share will be made available. Volcon has also granted Aegis a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 900,000 shares of common stock and/or prefunded warrants at the Offering price.

Gross proceeds of the Offering will be approximately $4.5 million, assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option. Volcon says it intends to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including working capital, operating expenses and capital expenditures. The offering is expected to close on today, subject to customary conditions.

This is not the first IPO rodeo for Volcon co-founders Chrstian Okonsky and Adrian James, head of Sprout Equity Ventures (Sprout is an Austin-based global investment firm). Volcon CTO Okonsky founded AYRO, Inc. in May 2016, and served as its chairman of the board from inception through listing on NASDAQ in May 2020.

The Offering:

Aegis Capital Corp. is acting as the sole book-running manager for the Offering. As previously announced, the Company signed a securities purchase and exchange agreement (the “Agreement”) on May 19, 2023 to (1) issue an investor approximately $4.9 million original principal amount of nine (9) month convertible senior notes (the “New Notes”) and accompanying warrants (the “New Warrants”) to purchase approximately 5.5 million shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.09 per share expiring August 2027 (such transaction, the “Placement”); (2) exchange senior convertible notes in principal amount of $27.2 million due February 24, 2024 for two senior convertible notes due February 24, 2024 with initial conversion prices of $1.09 and $0.75 (the “Exchange Notes”); and (3) exchange common stock purchase warrants to purchase 9,057,971 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.85 per share for warrants to purchase 17,057,971 shares of common stock with an initial exercise price of $1.09 per share (the “Exchange Warrants”). The conversion price of the New Notes and Exchange Notes and exercise price of the New Warrants and Exchange Warrants will be adjusted to $0.75 subject to shareholder approval. Aegis Capital Corp. is acting as the exclusive placement agent for the Placement.

WHAT THEY SAID

The Stag had me grinning from ear to ear just thinking about running through the woods in the White Mountains, stalking elk. It was a blast ripping around the rally cross track we got to test it on– smooth acceleration and it turns where you pointed it.

~ Bill Nash, Dealer Principal, Nash Powersports

It’s quick. On more than one occasion, our driver’s head was pinned back to the seat when the Stag found traction.The thrill and power of driving an electric vehicle is something everyone wants to experience whether they will buy one or not. You will be the talk of the town, riding park or race track at least until a few more guys purchase them or other top manufacturers come out with one. For now, the Volcon Stag is it. ~

Cain Smead, Editorial Director UTV Action

Volcon showed our small group of journalists that they set out to build a gnarly, offroad vehicle above all else; which just happens to be fully-electric. Even though the Volcon Stag is undoubtedly an effort to bring powersports into the age of EVs, the Stag doesn’t seem to be shoehorning electric vehicles into a space they don’t belong,” said . “In fact, the Stag is concerned with being an incredibly fun and capable UTV first, and an EV second. The team at Volcon did what they set out to do. ~

José Rodriguez, Writer Jalopnik

The only bummer about the test ride is we didn’t get more time in the Stag! The acceleration off the line was nothing short of remarkable! The Stag is a rocketship! I was also impressed with the overall balance and set up of the vehicle. It straddles the line between utility and performance leaning more toward performance. ~

Matt Martelli CEO/Creative Director Mad Media/UTV Underground

INDUSTRYLEADERS|THEMOSTENGAGED DEALERSANDPROGRESSIVEBRANDS

NEWPRODUCTS|EDUCATIONANDNETWORKING NEEDEDTOGROWYOURBUSINESS

DEDICATEDPOWERSPORTSTRADEONLY EVENTALIGNEDWITHTHEBUYINGSEASON

CELEBRATING AIMEXPO

FEATURED TRANSACTIONS

Transactions were exclusively facilitated by our Harley-Davidson & Powersports Division.

DOWN HOME HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Burlington, North Carolina

Acquired by Phil Mitchell & Dan Roland from Fred Bosshardt

BONEYARD HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Winterville, North Carolina

Acquired by Steven Towers & Bobbie Krull from Marc Ingwersen & Jerry Carrillo

LOS ANGELES

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Los Angeles, California

Acquired by Andrew Westbrook from Rodin Younessi

BUD’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Evansville, Indiana

Acquired by Evan Schipper from the Morand Family

BARNEY’S MOTORCYCLE & MARINE

3 Locations, Florida

Acquired by Dave Veracka from KC Wood & Todd Hempstead

CYCLE SPRINGS POWERSPORTS

Clearwater, Florida

Acquired by Dimmitt Automotive Group from Marty Skapik and Noel Hughes

For a confidential consultation and complimentary estimate of value on your business, please contact us:

Harley-Davidson & Powersports Division

George C. Chaconas, Senior Partner, CBI/M&AMI

Office: 813. 569. 6250 | Cell: 813. 245. 2535

Email: george@performancebrokerageservices.com

Address: 2102 West Cleveland Street, Tampa, Florida 33606

BRAD E. GEORGE

JUAN C. PARDO

COURTNEY A. BERNHARD

GEORGE C. CHACONAS

DEALER NEWS

Founding Board Member Celebrates 25th Anniversary

NPDA PARTNER PROFILE: LABNation Specializing In Dealers

MAURICE SLAUGHTER

News from YOUR National Powersports Dealer Association

Welcome to the June 2023 newsletter from the NPDA! WE APPRECIATE the 350 Dealers who have joined us in our Mission: “To advance our industry by elevating Dealers to be well prepared, sustainably profitable and exceed the expectations of a growing Powersports customer base.”

WANTED: Dealers to Join the NPDA Board

With the addition of John Leach (see item below), the NPDA Board of Directors is zeroing in on the ambitious goal for itself at the beginning of 2023 to grow the Board from 10 to 15!

So far in 2023, three new members have been added, which leaves two spots to fill. And since members may cycle out due to life changes, Board elections, etc., we need to keep the list of available candidates topped off!

All Dealers care about their businesses, but are you a Dealer who also cares about the Powersports industry? The NPDA is all about growing this industry, and is embarking on great initiatives to do so, while providing Dealers with insight and information to run their businesses better and more profitably.

Please reach out to NPDA Organizational Director Darris Blackford at info@npda.org with your interest, and we’ll send you an application. Thanks for your consideration!

Just Something To Think About ...

Some athlete friends were discussing competitions they are entered in later in the year, and they mentioned they are in the “pre-training” mode.

Pre-training? What the heck is that? Apparently they want to be in shape prior to actually doing the harder work required to perform well in their events.

For those of us in Powersports, this thinking can apply directly to the “pre-training” period of the past three months, and the new phase we’ve just entered: Spring is over, and Summer, which started this week, is Game Time!

Given recent economic challenges, even those of you who had good weather and high interest from customers might not have done as well this past Spring as you wanted, while others took a real beating.

But with the economy leveling out some, plus the warmer, seasonal weather rolling in and people spending more time outside, you can use the Summer to get back your swagger and, of course, your profits.

You know what to do to drive business into your Dealerships, how to land the sales, offer the best service and so on. Now it’s time to use your “spring training” and get back in the Game!!

FREE Membership From Tucker Powersports

Dealers are also benefitting from our Partner Tucker Powersports in the form of a generous offer – Dealers doing a certain amount of business with the Company get FREE membership in the NPDA!

Are you a Tucker customer? How much business are you doing with them? Contact your Tucker rep and see if your Dealership qualifies for a free or reduced fee NPDA membership! Existing NPDA members can use this perk to renew membership when their current term expires!

Need to do more business with Tucker to qualify? Please consider doing so – the Company is taking a big chance on the NPDA and deserves support!

Same goes if you already qualify - consider doing more business with Tucker - this leap of faith by Tucker will help us grow the NPDA into a greater force in the Powersports industry.

Dealers, click HERE ffor more information!

Follow Us On Facebook!

Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter! We send out this newsletter monthly but also please follow us on Facebook for updates on industry news, events, and more as we work to group this channel of communication for our organization!

Click here and give us a like: www.facebook.com/npdaorg

The NPDA Board

NPDA: STAND WITH US!

Maurice Slaughter Celebrates 25 Years With Flagship Dealership

NPDA founding board member Maurice Slaughter is celebrating the Silver 25th Anniversary of Bayside Harley-Davidson. There will be celebrations the entire month of July, highlighting Maurice and his wife Cynthia’s continued success. Their flagship dealership, Bayside Harley-Davidson, will feature live music for anyone to enjoy every Saturday

Their flagship dealership, Bayside Harley-Davidson, has been recognized by bothHarley-Davidson and Dealernews numerous times in the past. But the crew is not resting on their laurels… in fact Harley-Davidson has ranked Bayside in the top 25 dealerships in the nation the past three years. The dealership is #20 out of the 552 Harley-Davidson Dealerships presently operating in the United States, and rated #1 in the region. But Bayside’s success is only part of the story.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MS Family Enterprises Inc., Maurice and Cynthia opened Bayside Harley-Davidson, in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1998. Prior to owning a Harley franchise, Maurice was recruited by presidential candidate Herman Cain to become a Burger King Franchisee, before taking on a Dealer Development role with Toyota Distributors which led to being a partner in Pensacola Toyota. Today the Slaughters own and operate Harley-Davidson franchises in Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland, as well as BMW and Ducati dealerships in Virginia and Maryland.

“Maurice Month” will commemorate Bayside Harley-Davidson’s Silver Anniversary throughout July. Beyond the live music every weekend, there is a full slate scheduled for the store:

July 1 the Harley-Davidson Demo Truck will be on site for test rides

July 8 the Harley Owner Group (HOG) Chapter Challenge, will bring in members from anywhere and everywhere

July 15 is the big day with 2 events, in the daytime we are having a “Fire Truck Pull” and later that evening a full fireworks display

July 22 is Badge, Shield, Land and Sea Day, highlighting Peace Officers and Military members for their service

July 29 there is an all-brand motorcycle show.

All events will be held at Bayside Harley-Davidson, 2211 Frederick Blvd., Portsmouth VA 23704

The Back Story

Maurice Slaughter had a great excuse for missing NPDA’s first Board meeting… Cynthia surprised him with a trip to the Bahamas. However, that didn’t stop him from tracking down a sat-phone and sessioning in on the inaugural meeting in Texas. He pointed out the importance of education and noted that it should be a pillar of NPDA to better serve member dealers.

As the first African American owner of a Harley-Davidson dealership in The Motor Company’s history and growing up on the historically black campus of Southern University in Louisiana, where his parents graduated and worked, education was the foundation of all his goals. His father served as the head of the university’s continuing education department and ran a real estate company.

Slaughter recalled when his mother, an elementary school teacher who helped write math books, forbade him to work while he was still a student. As motivation, she clipped articles of success stories and potential opportunities for him. “She didn’t want me to have any type of confusion or diversions from what I was trying to accomplish,” Slaughter said.

After he earned his degree from Southern and a master’s of business administration from Atlanta University, he set out on his own path in life – franchise ownership. Slaughter owned and operated franchises where he flipped burgers for Burger King and peddled Toyota’s before pursuing his passion as a motorcycle dealer.

Bottom Line: Slaughter says it’s important to be passionate if you want to run your own business. “That’s the biggest part – because you really have to believe in it because there are a lot of hours you put in a business,” he said. “It has to be a passion, and it has to be a joy.” Joining NPDA will help keep the passion and joy in this business.

NPDA PARTNER PROFILE

LABNation Dealership Brokerage

It is no secret that most marriages between buyers and sellers of dealerships are made by lawyers and accountants. Up until now, however, a dealership lawyer or accountant would simply refer a potential sale to a third-party broker, usually a complete stranger to the dealer and the dealer’s business. As such, the most intimate aspect of a dealer’s business cycle was being outsourced to an unknown entity.

That ends with LABNation. Now a dealer can keep his or her most trusted advisors in the buy-sell process. Unlike other brokers, LABNation team members have built their reputations with dealers over many years helping clients successfully manage their business.

As an added bonus, dealers will pay a lower commission with LABNation. “We only ask for commission on a dealership’s assets and do not charge commission for the sale of any real-estate tied to the dealership,” notes founder Leonard Bellavia. “Our commissions are also tiered based upon the size of the transaction.” After honing their craft in the automotive world, LABNation is pushing into powersports and has become a Strategic Partner for NPDA as part of that process.

“No one knows dealership buy-sell transactions better than our network of lawyers and accountants,” Bellabia adds. “Each of our team members have extensive experience keeping deals alive, working with OEMs to get deals approved, and keeping dealership owners, general managers and staff focused on moving a deal forward. Additionally, these lawyers and accountants are experienced in working on these deals in strict confidence as part of their professional obligations. As a result, our team members are well-prepared to handle any buy-sell transactions they broker with complete discretion.”

Business Summary: Dealership Brokerage consisting of industry attorneys and CPAs. The industry’s only MLS-like brokerage model with a dramatically reduced commission structure for NPDA members. LABNation is the largest dealership brokerage in the US. While most dealership brokers have less than 10 agents, the LABNation team surpasses 50 licensed professionals. The dealership buy-sell world has never had a brokerage that resembles a Multiple Listing Service… until now.

Most important, every team member in LABNation is a trusted and experienced dealership lawyer or accountant. This translates into a much more profound reach in terms of identifying listings and procuring qualified buyers.

Even more, “confidentiality” is the mainstay of the life work of these lawyers and accountants. This is vitally important to sellers. Accordingly, confidentiality is the core value of our lawyer-accountant brokerage network.

Why Does LABNation Partner with the NPDA? Full disclosure: LABNation founder and CEO is Leonard Bellavia, Senior Partner of Bellavia Blatt, which serves as the law firm for the NPDA. His personal commitment to small business extends back 35 years. Bellavia Blatt has been recognized as one of the foremost law firms in the nation for advocating the legal rights of business owners.

“We have developed a team of lawyers and support staff dedicated entirely to client satisfaction and have earned the distinction of being one of the preeminent business rights law firms in the country,” he explains. “Our legal practice has been devoted to providing entrepreneurs, franchisors and business owners with the legal guidance and expertise they need to grow a successful commercial enterprise.

“Our practice areas provide a robust platform of legal support to businesses… LABNation is a focused extension of our core expertise to assist dealers specifically with mergers and acquisitions.”

How Can NPDA Members Best Benefit from Our Partnership with LABNation? Members can either hire a broker with no legal and accounting M & A expertise or retain LABNation and have a longstanding familiar and trusted team, which is professionally obligated to keep your proposed sale confidential, and is offering NPDA members a substantially discounted commission structure.

Contact: LBellavia@labnationdealerships.com

LABNation Dealership Brokerage

Headquarters: Mineola, NY

Year Founded: 2019

Number of Employees: 12 www.labnationdealerships.com

50 years OF RIDING

Motorcycle Safety Foundation is celebrating 50 years of rider education and training

By Robert Gladden

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation is celebrating 50 years of rider education and training, which really means celebrating 50 years of RiderCoaches, DirtBike School Coaches, site administrators, program managers — everyone in our training community — who have helped millions of people realize their dreams of two- and three-wheeling.

MSF was established in 1973 with BSA, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha as founding members. It was a time when sales were booming and dealerships were seeing many first-time riders, but there wasn’t much out there for would-be riders as far as resources, training, and education.

MSF introduced the Beginner Rider Course in 1974 and by the end of that year, 15,629 students had the class. By 1983, the number of riders enrolled topped 300,000. Today, more than 10 million have enrolled in an MSF RiderCourse since its inception.

Through those 50 years, we have seen changes in motorcycling trends and technology, ups and downs of the economy, and most recently, a pandemic that brought on new challenges. Through it all, our training community remained patient, flexible, creative, supportive, and dedicated to helping others learn to ride the right way.

Changing with the times

While you have adjusted to the changing times and needs of motorcyclists, so has MSF. In 2000, as trail riding grew in popularity, MSF launched its DirtBike School, a one-day course for anyone aged 6 years and up. It didn’t matter if you had no motorcycling experience or if you were a seasoned rider, DirtBike School had — and still has — something for everyone.

In 2008, the U.S. Navy requested military-specific rider training, so MSF developed the Military SportBike RiderCourse. The mental strategies and range exercises proved so beneficial to current riders that it was adapted for the public as the Advanced RiderCourse. A couple years later, in 2010, MSF introduced the 3-Wheel Basic

RiderCourse as demand for trikes and three-wheeler training grew. The eCourse made its debut in 2014. And just last year, MSF launched the AdventureBike RiderCourse as trends pointed to more riders wanting to combine their on- and off-road adventures. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, sales of dual-purpose motorcycles and ADVs have increased every year since 2016.

‘We walk the walk’

I’ve been extremely impressed with the commitment our training community has shown in continuing education so that we can become better coaches. We enjoyed years of gathering in-person for the International Rider Education Training Systems workshops, or IRETS, to learn and connect with fellow coaches. When the pandemic hit, we shifted our gatherings online for Dr. Ray Ochs’s vRETS series. The number of you signing up for the virtual workshops has been astounding. In fact, we had to upgrade our webinar package to accommodate all the participants. This just shows that not only does the MSF community talk the talk, we walk the walk: We’re lifelong learners, lifelong riders.

For years, you have taught on baking-hot ranges, through rain and sometimes snow, frigid temperatures, and other less-than-ideal conditions. You’ve spent countless hours pushing bikes, kicking cones, and making sure students are properly geared, well hydrated, and safe.

You tell me that among the greatest rewards of coaching is seeing the smiles on students’ faces and the excitement in their eyes when they realize that they are actually doing it — they are riding a motorcycle!

There is no other organization that I can think of where so many people from such varied backgrounds and from so many different places come together to share a common goal: helping others ride their best.

Thank you for helping the Motorcycle Safety Foundation achieve 50 years of success as we look forward to the next generations of coaches and riders.

MSF RIDE Day Events

RIDE Days include a MOTO Intro to give non-riders their first taste of riding, and SKILLS Check, which allows current riders an opportunity to try a more advanced MSF drill to see if their skills are where they should be.

We’ve been helping ranges host their own RIDE Days, which include a MOTO Intro to give non-riders their first taste of riding, and SKILLS Check, which allows current riders an opportunity to try a more advanced MSF drill to see if their skills are where they should be. These events help introduce people to training so they can see how much they can benefit from additional education and just how much fun it can be.

Motorcycle Safety Foundation VP Training Operations

Robert Gladden has more than 30 years motorcycle industry experience. He got his start in the motorcycle industry in 1990 as co-manager of a retail store. He spent time at Answer Products before moving to a management position with Acerbis USA. He joined MSF in 2001 to take the helm of the MSF DirtBike School. Gladden was a member of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrative Standards Technical Working Group and is a member of the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan Challenge Area 12: Motorcycle Safety group and the Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program Advisory Council. A life-long motorcyclist with over 45 years in the saddle, he has competed in motocross, enduro, hare and hound, grand prix, hare scrambles and long-distance events. Robert is an Iron Butt Association member and a charter-life member of the American Motorcyclist Association.

RIDE Days include a MOTO Intro to give non-riders their first taste of riding, and SKILLS Check, which allows current riders an opportunity to try a more advanced MSF drill to see if their skills are where they should be.

RIDE WITH US

The 2023 Moto Intro Season Launches at Overland Expo in Arizona

The 2023 Ride With Us Moto Intros began in Flagstaff, Arizona, this month at Overland Expo West – and saw more than 100 participants enjoy 30-minute entry-level off-road experiences, on a special riding range with guidance by Motorcycle Safety Foundation certified coaches.

The event kicked off the third summer of Moto Intro experiences that have introduced thousands of potential new riders across America to the world of motorcycling. Read More

COMMUNICATIONS

More National and Local TV Coverage

The MIC and MSF Communications teams helped place important messages on motorcycling fun and safety on live television during May’s Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The TV placements included four live segments and a taped segment on Fox Weather, which aired on their national program and also on local Fox affiliate stations. Staff members also secured a live segment on “Good Morning Arizona,” airing on both KTVK and KPHO in Phoenix.

New York City

“We are very appreciative of our MSF and MIC members who provided motorcycles, three-wheelers, helmets, and safety gear for the Fox Weather segments,” said Andria Yu, director of media relations at the MIC and MSF. “The producers and reporters had a lot of fun with the bikes and the gear, and not only do our member products get out in front of millions of watchers, we were also able to establish and solidify our relationships with the TV journalists.” Read More

Fox’s Adam Klotz and Amy Freeze, with the MIC’s Andria Yu in the middle, live from Sixth Avenue in New York City.

Personnel Files

By Alex Baylon

FIELD OF DREAMS

Reflecting On 20 Years Of MIJ

Ageism is a bad thing in the hiring world, but it is a reality. Folks getting hired right out of high school or college and putting in their entire career at one job, collecting a gold watch and a pension package doesn’t seem to be the modern employment trajectory! That means someone who has spent 20 or more years at the same gig is an anachronism. It also means MIJ is more necessary now than two decades ago when it was launched.

As Motorcycle Industry Jobs.com (MIJ) approaches its 20year birthday it’s making me reflect on what has transpired over that time frame. The industry has transformed in the years since MIJ’s infancy to where we are now, so let’s reset the way-back dial. What happened to me has already happened or will happen to just about all of us at some point in our career — losing our job. Sometimes it’s unexpected, and sometimes it’s from our doing. I’m not talking about leaving a job to go to another one. I’m talking about leaving your job without having anything else lined up… suddenly you find yourself scrambling to find your next opportunity. That’s exactly what happened to me.

At that time (ugh, I’m feeling old) there were only two choices: you would either see an opportunity buried in the back of  CycleNews or you knew someone that worked in the industry and their company was hiring. Word of mouth through your network is how you knew about the opportunity. This option still exists and will probably never change. So when I found myself out of a job I decided to email everyone I knew that I was looking for my next opportunity.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I had about 18 different replies with different positions and companies in the industry. Jobs like National Sales Manager for THOR, opportunities at Fox Racing, Honda, Kawasaki… and many more. However, the majority of the replies I received were not even posted on  CycleNews. I remember this part like it was yesterday! I said to myself “if I didn’t know all these people, I would have never known about all these job openings.”

This got my brain spinning… which led to the formation of MIJ. I knew our industry’s system of finding jobs was broken. Without a job — or even pursuing another opportunity at the time — I hired a friend to create a lowbudget simple HTML website to get it started. I remember it was black & white themed and followed a newspaper style layout. I researched for some names and settled with “Motorcycle Industry Jobs” as it told you exactly what it was. I wasn’t a big fan of the long URL, but that was secondary. The website was finished about a month later and bolstered by the job opportunities that were emailed to me had allowed me to post some of them on the website, and so it began and MIJ was born.

Going with the  Field Of Dreams movie quote “If you build it they will come” belief wasn’t as simple as I thought. I needed money for marketing. I also needed sales in the form of job postings to create some income but needed applicants to apply to those job postings to keep customers happy. This was a huge dilemma — still is to this day in a different form. You need jobs to attract job seekers to the website and you need job seekers to apply for those jobs. It really is the chicken or the egg dilemma rather than a field of dreams. You can’t have one without the other.

The other struggle is finding the right candidate combining the necessary skills with matching City and State — it is like real estate: location, location, location — unless the potential employer was lucky enough to find an applicant willing to relocate. Then you had the infamous mechanic positions (yes that was a struggle 20 years ago, too). I have written many articles about the struggles and ideas to finding and keeping techs. I would finally convince a dealer to place an ad, but when they had no luck finding an A-level mechanic with all their own tools, and latest OEM certifications willing to start for minimum wage yesterday in the first 15 minutes of posting the position, it left a bad taste in the customer’s mouth.

So much for unicorn hunting!

Knowing what I know now, it might have been easier to create  MotorcycleIndustryRomance.com and be a match maker in the industry rather than trying to find mechanics. Even in this male-dominated industry, I think the odds are better of finding your soul mate than a wrench willing to relocate!

As MIJ grew, it created avenues for head hunters to come in as it spawned businesses being more hands-on and actually recruiting candidates for companies, instead

of relying on the candidates to come to them. However this level of recruiting comes at a premium cost for the employers. I always believed that MIJ was and still is a cost-effective option.

Over the past 20 years a number of competitors have come in and attempted to challenge MIJ, but none of them ever lasted. It’s definitely not the “field of dreams” fairy tale story the other guys thought it would be.

In reality, this industry hasn’t changed much in 20 years… except for the fact that we are older and perhaps just a little more corporate/professional than we used to be. Dealership groups are now a much bigger thing than they used to be. Many of the successful family owned operations have either partially or fully sold to private equity or public companies. Yet I can still walk into a motorcycle shop in 2023 that doesn’t use a computer and the guys behind the counter race locally for the love of the industry. These diehard industry folks aren’t going away just yet.

The other aspect that hasn’t changed in 20 years is our close-knit networking. Just like those old school motorcycle shops finding a job opportunity through word of mouth. I still know plenty of friends and industry people that got their latest employment via their networks… However I also know that MIJ has helped thousands of people land their current jobs. MIJ has helped companies like Alpinestars, Dunlop, FMF, Honda, Kawasaki, Parts, Tucker, WPS and Yamaha, to name a few, land employees that they found on MIJ. Also MIJ has helped hundreds of dealerships across the country find employees including those hard-to-find A level master techs… it just takes patience, timing, and a little luck.

I’ve been very fortunate to have met and worked with so many amazing people in this industry for the past 32 years. It’s fulfilling to get thank you letters from job seekers telling me about their dream job they landed because of MIJ. It’s nice to see that MIJ and I have played a small part in connecting people and helping keep this industry we all love going.

Cheers to another 20 years!

MIJ Industry #PROfiles

Dealernews is honored to work with Motorcycle Industry Jobs to recognize the people who make up this great industry. “When you start reading the Industry #PROfles, you will notice that 80-90% of them get their start at a motorcycle dealership,” says MIJ founder Alex Baylon. “The dealers are on the front lines and have always been the heart and soul of the industry. Without motorcycle dealerships, most of us wouldn’t be where we are today, so part of our message is always going to be ‘support your local motorcycle shop.’”

In addition to recognizing industry pros, Dealernews is also working with MIJ to create a job ticker tape of the latest positions opening in the industry at the Dealernews.com site. Check it out at: www.dealernews.com/Industry-Jobs

“Tell us your story,” adds Baylon. “We would love to feature you! Click here to fill out the questionnaire: www.motorcycleindustryjobs.com/industry-profiles/

MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com founder Alex Baylon has been hiring and firing people in the powersports industry for 25 years.

Currently with a major distributor, he has also been with Dragon Alliance, Ceet Racing, MX GP Services in Europe, Acerbis USA, Motonation/Sidi Boots and Scott USA. He started MIJ as he saw a need in the industry for people who are passionate about the motorcycle industry to have an employment outlet. The motorcycle industry like many others has always recycled employees from one company to another and it has always been done by word of mouth. MIJ allows companies in the industry to post their openings and give others in and out of the industry a chance to apply and insert new blood and fresh ideas in the many opportunities in the motorcycle industry.

THE BOYS OF SUMMER

Deep Bench Of Real Role Players!

By Donald Amador

The powersports industry has long understood the important role that advocacy has in helping promote and protect responsible use of our products on public highways, roads, trails and OHV areas. Developing a cadre of effective leaders that could represent us before government officials, regulators and land agencies would be key to its future. Fortunately we have access to major league talent!

Recently, three colleagues of mine were called from that deep advocacy bench to fill leadership positions at the American Motorcyclist Association, the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council and the Motorcycle Industry Council. All three organizations now have real all-stars on their starting rosters.

AMA made the first call to Nick Haris to become their new Government Relations Director after they parted ways with Michael Sayre. Previously Haris had been serving as their Western States Representative since joining the AMA team in 2001. Haris is known for his commitment to represent riders in a highly effective manner before local, state and federal decisionmakers, legislators and agency staff. He has and continues to serve on many boards and commissions including the California Outdoor Recreation Foundation, the California Motorcycle Safety Program advisory committee and the  Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Commission for Mobility.

I have appreciated Nick’s commitment to motorcycling and OHV recreation and his dedication to the riders which he has demonstrated by speaking/testifying at many commission and legislative hearings.  Also, I have spent a lot of time with him on the trail or otherwise in the field reviewing key OHV access issues on state and federal lands. I look forward to taking the field with Nick and his team on future endeavors.

I was also glad to see Marc Hildesheim get the nod from the NOHVCC Board as their new Executive Director. I have worked with Marc over the past 20 years as he served as the organization’s Project Manager and Program Director positions. He comes from a storied family that has a long history of OHV-related activities, including starting a local motorcycle club. He also worked as a seasonal Trail Ranger for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.

Marc’s rich background in trail management, conservation and advocacy for our sport will certainly help NOHVCC continue its mission to champion environmentally sound OHV recreation for current and future generations.

The other good news is seeing the MIC summon Duane Taylor back to serve as their membership as director of safe and responsible use programs. I first met Duane in the 1990s when I was back in Washington D.C meeting with congressional leaders and agency staff on OHV policy issues.

As director of federal affairs at the MIC Government Relations Office at that time, Duane was an important friend and guide that helped facilitate those meetings and made sure I did not get lost. I also appreciate Duane’s most recent role as NOHVCC’s executive director. His work with land managers, trail professionals, offroad clubs and policy makers will be put to good use in his new role at the MIC where he will promote the safe and responsible use of OHVs with those very same partners.

My own land-use career started by searching for off-road “advocacy” champions that I could learn from. Being able to partner with the real pros on strategies to avert what seemed to be certain doom for the powersports industry… we were definitely in the bottom of the 9th with two outs back then. The current crop of all-stars will definitely continue our Industry’s rally.

While they may be playing new positions, all three of these leaders will knock it out of the park!

Be assured Nick Haris, Marc Hildesheim and Duane Taylor will continue to work hard in their new roles to create a legacy of continued access to public lands. Current and future generations of off-road enthusiasts and the dealers who sell OHVs and aftermarket supplies are going to be the real winners in this game.

Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for almost 29 years. Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018. Don served on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don currently serves as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California. He may be reached via email at: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

Trail Builder, Dick Duford, talking about work enhancing existing OHV area at NOHVCC Conference near Carson City, Nevada.

WHEN TRAILS CLOSE

WE ALL LOSE

Do Your Part / Don't Lose Trails

Do Your Part Don't Lose Trails

Keeping trails open is everyone's responsibility. By working together as one motorized community, we can keep our trails open, healthy and beautiful for generations to come. Do your part by riding responsibly, keeping trails clean and trash-free, and volunteering with organizations that are working to keep access open for everyone.

Do your part, support Tread Lightly! and it's mission by becoming a member at treadlightly.org.

I RIDE, I DRIVE, I OFF-ROAD, I TREAD LIGHTLY!

Confessions Of A Customer®

By Eric Anderson

THE RUCKUS OF RETAILING

Golfsmith, the world’s largest golf retailer, went bust citing competition from discounters like Walmart and Amazon. Sports Authority, which operated 463 stores and Sport Chalet declared bankruptcy… and that was just the beginning of the retail ruckus in America. More than 2,100 retail stores have closed so far in 2023. Even the “too big to fail” Big Box retailers like Bed, Bath & Beyond are shutting down stores or cutting back staff at record rates. It isn’t just the sporting goods guys: Macy’s, J.C. Penny, Sears, K-Mart, Foot Locker, Walmart, Bath & Body Works, The Limited, American Apparel, CVS and Victoria’s Secret are all pulling back their brick & mortar footprints and expenditures to focus more on e-commerce. Why? Or perhaps more importantly, what does this paradigm shift mean to motorcycle dealers?

The American consumer is now more time-constrained (or lazy) than ever, and we have just experienced 24-months of Pandemic-enforced behavior modification. Meanwhile technology has enabled us to “hunt and gather” from our couch, from work or Starbucks. Internet-enabled smart phones have radically decreased the customer’s physical shopping radius... but you already knew that! Time to get your act in gear, or go the way of the Big Box bad guys.

As a powersports industry sales trainer for nearly 30 years, I always asked the same question of manufacturers and dealers: “Do you want to be in the “behavioral modification business” or the “sales business?” The former simply means you need to change the way a customer “thinks” before you can sell him your product. The trouble with the Internet and e-commerce is the customer cannot use his tactile sense— only his visual and auditory senses. Taste and smell round

out the 5 human senses, but these 2 are irrelevant unless the smell of new tires in the morning turns you on like it does me.

Can your retail experience re-introduce the importance of TOUCH? The new term “Experiential Retail” does just that. People are more likely to buy when more of the 5 human senses become involved in the sales process. This notion even dates to the most powerful word in retail being “HERE!” because it places the product into the customers hands or under his butt by making it safe to engage. “Ohhhh that’s nice… or weighty…or durable… or well made,” becomes the customer’s response.

The very next step is ownership. What is it your customers can DO in your store besides just BUY? Can they be encouraged to push buttons, play a game, sit on motorcycles, or feel the fine Corinthian leather? A savvy retailer now involves customers interactively instead of simply “parking and praying” or “hanging and hoping” the products on display.

This high-brow behavioral modification methodology always takes much longer and costs more than the second option — simply selling the customer something he already wants or needs. Recall that many high-tech start-up businesses fail because they don’t read the (low-tech) market… and don’t have the time or money to “change, create or train customers” to buy their highly-advanced product. Similarly, your dealership doesn’t have the time or money to behaviorally modify the customer back to his old-fashioned shopping habits inside your brick & mortar store. Ain’t gonna happen!

So, what should your strategy be where the big guys fail? Remember while shopping on an electronic device there is NOT a salesperson present, so there is no possibility to “change” the way a customer currently thinks. Ignorance is bliss, right? Consumers now see, hear and buy more of what they “think” they (and their social media peers) want or need because foreign input is algorithmically censored from their “favorites feeds.” Closed loop! They don’t know what they don’t know, therefore they don’t ask the right questions of themselves. Your store isn’t likely in their social circles to enlighten them… yet. Mr. Google, social media and the Internet cannot give customers the answers to the questions they don’t know to ask.

But that’s about to change, too. “The future of mobile is video… and the future of video is mobile,” this was an October 2016 quote from Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, during his $80 billion acquisition of the entertainment conglomerate Time Warner. Let this revolutionary statement sink in!!

Mr. Stephenson knows what he is doing when he predicts future technologies synergizing to take over the world of communication, entertainment, news, and commerce.

When you think of “video” in Stephenson’s quote, do NOT just think of a “talking head” on YouTube or a featureladen walkaround of a used unit for your next CycleTrader ad. Instead think of live, 2-way, interactive video on smart phones like we use text and “webchat” functions now. The social media services — Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, etc. — are streaming live video. Soon we will no longer even have to type, just talk to our video-phones: “Siri, Google motorcycle dealership near me!” Envision Zoom or Facetimelike selling transactions mixed with text/chat functions… on everything from new units to apparel, parts and accessories. Your “showrooms” and “closing rooms” won’t have to be “rooms” anymore at all.

“Technology is the number one fundamental driver to our culture,” says Dealernews columnist and Fortune 500 trend forecaster Dr. Paul Leinberger. His insightful observations were made directly to the motorcycle industry at an MIC Communications Symposium several years ago. Dr. Leinberger objectively delivers messages about how the rest of America is trending. Each year he speaks, he breaks up our micro-view of this recreationally-driven industry and places us on a level playing field with macro-trends and megaindustries. Here are three of Paul’s quotes, statements and thoughts that have jolted my thinking over the years:

• “The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.”— William Gibson, 1993. Look outside your local box to see what successful dealers are doing elsewhere.

• “The future of content will be raw and unfiltered.” Everyone can publish their own words and videos without the media’s help (EX: Trump tweets and Truth Social posts). Fewer customers trust the slick, polished advertising and messaging from corporate America anymore. It’s perceived as “Fake News!”

• Invite input and feedback from customers. Even OEMs are doing it. The “BMW’s Moving Tomorrow” pitch is an on-line public process for innovative new ideas rather than secret internal ones of the past. The side benefit is customers more fully engage and experience specific design and development challenges while the manufacturer LISTENS. There are more “light bulb” moments when you set up a Customer Advisory Board for your store!

eyes and leverage your strengths like never before while making it all more relevant to techno-carrying, social mediaaddicted customers. They have already changed their habits. Now it’s time to change your outdated retail recipes… and lead us into the next powersports ruckus of retailing.

Be Strong! Be Focused! Be Different!

Unlike the recent example of Big Box sporting goods failures, brick and mortar retail is not going away in the motorcycle market any time soon, so play to your strengths. For the powersports retailer, these strengths include:

-The Law: State law requires a motor vehicle to be sold through a state licensed dealer.

-The Experiential: Customers continue to strive for unique retail experiences more than ever. Deliver them… uniquely remembering that “touch” is something the Internet or a cell phone cannot deliver!

-The Specialized: If it’s so “niche” that Amazon won’t carry it, it’s going to require a human-to-human interaction inside your store, on the phone or on video chat. Play to your specialty and if you don’t have one, make one up! Motorcycle tire specialist. Suspension specialist. ADV Accessory specialist. You get the idea.

-The Service: Your customers can’t UPS a motorcycle to a service center or change their oil via an Ethernet cable. Make it fun, but also make it convenient and fast by appointment when possible!

The Law is a constant, but the other three are variables where you can do a terrific — or lousy — job moving forward. What’s it going to be? Stay the same while awaiting an agonizing death as Sports Authority suffered or start building an entirely new level of customer experience, specialization and service? Change or die… your choice!

Behaviorally Modifying…

YOURSELF!

1. Build your store’s social relevance and importance— physically at the store and in cyberspace. Do you need your own app? Does frequent (social) interaction by customers earn them extra added values, coupons or points toward future experiences, track days or purchases?

2. Create an advisory board of customers to help guide you to the next level. They will feel special and spread the word to their peers while also opening your eyes to what they really want or need. Being openly transparent and asking for fresh ideas from your “board” will be a win-win.

Fear not what technology can do to you but embrace what technology can do for you. Stop following the racer in front of you — take some new lines on the retail track. Open your

3. Produce and post/publish/push out more “key-worded and tagged” videos about anything new happening at your store. Keep them “raw.” Keep them frequent.

company a huge boost in visibility and required the Andreani team to travel to regional and international racing to support riders in a wide range of racing disciplines, including World Superbike. Another business milestone happened in 2005, when Öhlins appointed Andreani the sole importer and distributor of their worldrenowned products in Italy. The opportunity launched the company into years of growth. It also allowed Andreani to grow from five to 15 employees and prompted a move to a new location.

ANDREANI ADDS AMERICA

Back in March, Andreani USA opened the doors of their U.S. operation. We sat down via Zoom on the eve of the grand opening to get the background on the company from founder former MXGP racer Giuseppe Andreani and Luciano Ubaldini, President, Andreani USA. The connection may have been a bit fuzzy, but Andreani’s passion and commitment comes through perfectly clear! We discussed what passion means in this profession and what motivated Guiseppe and Luciano to enter the U.S. suspension market.

The Back Story

Motocross champion Giuseppe Andreani dreamed of having a business in his favorite sport and supporting riders that share his passion for performance. He started the business in 1987 in his garage in Pesaro, Italy. Giuseppe was singularly focused on motorcycles, primarily on increasing performance through great suspension products that were perfectly tuned for the bike and rider. Giuseppe’s talent, and customer demand, led him to create his first classroom, where he, and some local experts, started making a name for themselves in education, at the Andreani Suspension Workshop.

A decade later, the company’s first big partnership saw Andreani designated as the sole distributor of WP Suspension products throughout Italy. It gave the

The following year, Andreani began marketing its own line of suspension products around the world. The initial products were piston kits to improve front fork performance. That line grew to be today’s MISANO EVO cartridge, one of the most successful lines of products in the motorcycle industry. Through it all, Giuseppe’s passion for perfection drove him to develop innovative new tools, not available elsewhere, to allow technicians to tune motorcycle suspensions to an ideal match for rider and bike

each segment. This business model now includes a full operation in the heart of NASCAR country: Henderson, North Carolina.

“It’s been our dream to bring our company to the U.S. market,” says Giuseppe. “It’s a difficult task, but it’s in our DNA to take on these challenges.” He toasted the 100+ dealers, media and suspension specialists with Prosecco (the traditional drink from the Pesaro region of Italy), then led the group through the10,000-square-foot facility.

The tour of Andreani’s new facility was highlighted by the training center where Andreani experts demonstrated how they dial-in specific suspension set-ups to maximize their comfort and control. Andreani USA will begin offering this type of training in the United States later this year and will encourage technicians from their customers’ dealerships to attend, along with tuners from some of the top road racing and motocross teams in the industry. The company will also offer training for mountain bike racing teams and technicians.

“The Andreani Group is thrilled to open our operations in the United States. The US market is a tremendous opportunity for our company,” added Luciano who is in charge of day-to-day operations in the new U.S. operation. “We believe that our approach to high performance twowheelers, which is to provide great products and help technicians by offering comprehensive training, will have a significant impact on bicycle and motorcycle riders in the USA.”

Andreani Group’s success in selling suspension components and tools fueled growth in expanded product lines and staff. With product offerings for motorcycles, mountain bikes and automobiles, the company now has 45 employees and training facilities to support

ANDREANI ADDRESSES AFTERMARKET

Andreani USA, the recently opened subsidiary of Italy’s Andreani Group, has added two notable European brands to their product offering for US motorcycle dealers and consumers. Italy’s MIVV exhaust systems offer high performance, matched with Italian style and an expansive product line. England’s Nitron Racing Systems shocks and suspension products carry a racing pedigree and applications for all types of motorcycles. Both MIVV and Nitron’s motorcycle products have not been readily available in the United States prior to Andreani USA’s launch.

“Entering into an important market like the US required that we select a highly professional distributor, and we have a long history working with Andreani Group,” stated MIVV’s Business Unit Manager Danilo DeBerardinis. “Our current production touches every segment of the motorcycle world, from naked to superbikes, from enduros to adventure bikes, and we’ve had requests to create products for models of every brand, especially Harley-Davidson motorcycles.”

MIVV is well known throughout Europe as a brand that delivers increased performance, refined sound and Italian-style to motorcycles of all types. Andreani USA is MIVV’s first US-based distributor and will make MIVV exhaust products readily available for American powersports dealers.

Nitron Racing Systems suspension products are typically used in high performance vehicles in the automotive and motorcycle markets. Based in Britain’s Motorsports

Valley, the home of F1 racing, Nitron’s shocks and forks are known for innovation, quality and attention to detail. Nitron makes shocks for all types of motorcycles, from motocross to ADV to cruisers and touring bikes.

“We strive to bring the best products to our network of dealers in the United States,” said Andreani USA President Luciano Ubaldini. “As the exclusive distributor of MIVV exhausts and Official Service Center for Nitron suspension products, we can ensure that our dealers are delivering great products and technical support to American motorcycle riders.”

DOING IT IN THE DIRT

As this issue was being finalized, Andreani announced the launch of its newest offering for off-road riders, a range of motorcycle springs that allow for the perfect match of the rider and the type of riding they do. “A small person riding motocross wants a different setup than a bigger person riding an enduro,” explains Luciano Ubaldini. “We can offer the perfect match of rear springs and fork springs for each of those riders. And our springs are a perfect match for the OE spring fitment, with no adapter rings and better materials.”

The new springs are a direct replacement for Showa, Kayaba, Sachs, WP and several other brands. The “plug and play” capability, superior materials and broad range of fitment makes them an easy choice for an upgrade to a bike’s suspension system.

“Our founder is a motocross champion, and our design team in Italy has worked hard to create a product that meets the needs of all types of off-road motorcycle riders,” added Ubaldini. “Since every rider is different, we have a wide range of rates and measures, ensuring that each rider gets the perfect fit for their riding style.”

Andreani offers their dealers guidance on how to fit front and rear springs to a specific rider, primarily based on rider weight and type of riding. Andreani springs work in conjunction with the existing hydraulic shocks to ensure the perfect setup of rebound and damping.

Andreani’s network of dealers will offer the springs at a special introductory price of $99 for the front or the rear, making them even more attractive to thousands of riders who want a more comfortable, more confident ride. Andreani’s new distribution center in Hendersonville NC has all of the popular spring rates and lengths in stock, ready for summer riding.

ABOUT ANDREANI GROUP

Andreani Group International is a privately held company focused on providing top quality suspension components to bicycle and motorcycle riders around the world. The company distributes top name brands, as well as their own lines of products including the innovative Misano EVO cartridge, one of the most successful products in the suspension category. Andreani Group International has distribution centers in its hometown of Pesaro Italy and Barcelona Spain, and recently opened Andreani USA in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Since its beginning in 1987, the company has been focused on products, training and support for technicians and tuners to help riders get the most from their bikes. Call Andreani USA: 828-435-0125 or click here: andreaniusa.com/workshop

BAGGER RACING LEAGUE RETURNS…

Crazier Than Ever!

Bagger Racing League - North America’s premier race series for custom and performance Harley’s and Indian’s — announced that its 2023 season-opener in May was “Drag Specialties Battle of the Baggers Pittsburgh was the largest attended race in BRL’s history,” noted the series new biz development director Lon Nordbye. “Mr. Buydos knocked it out of the park in Pittsburgh this past weekend,” exclaimed the V-Twin industry veteran. But we had no doubts the baggers would blow up racing (see sidebar).

The race, held at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex, featured the best built Bagger race bikes in the world piloted by competitors from Australia, Canada and across the United States. “We’re excited to see the culture, competition and community of the Bagger Racing League growing at such a rapid rate,” said “Rocket” Rob Buydos — creator of Bagger racing and president of the BRL “Heading into our third season, Bagger racing isn’t so much of a novelty sport anymore.”

Shedding light on his vision, Buydos explained: “Our goal is to always improve the scale and quality of our race events and provide everyone with an unforgettable experience.” Mission accomplished. “Judging by the line of vehicles and motorcycles waiting to get into this weekend’s race, we appear to be on the right track.”

The two-day motorcycle race/festival featured exciting fan experiences, both on and off the track. In addition to the non-stop racing action, Drag Specialties Battle of the Baggers Pittsburgh featured a successful kick-off party hosted at presenting sponsor’s dealership: New Castle Harley-Davidson. There was also “Boonie” minibike races hosted by ICON Motorsports and a double-feature bike show presented by Pittsburgh natives  Cycle Source Magazine and Hardcore Cycles. The event amazed the audience by showcasing the area’s best-customized motorcycles.

But the on-track antics were what the crowd came for… and the race weekend did not disappoint. Pittsburgh provided equal doses of drama and excitement as the nation’s top Bagger teams including Trask Performance, Alloy Art, Feuling Parts, Suburban Harley-Davidson and Lloydz Performance battled it out at one of the nation’s most challenging road courses.

The next stop on Bagger Racing League’s 2023 schedule is Drag Specialties Battle of the Baggers Blackhawk, taking place July 15-16 at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, IL. For more information, log onto BRL’s new website: www.baggerracingleague.com

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

Not since Mickey Thompson sketched out the concept for Supercross on a cocktail napkin has the racing world received such a shot in the arm… and at a time when a COVID sickened industry needed it the most, impresario Rob Buydos launched the Bagger Racing League. When  Dealernews “covered” it in the November 2020 issue, we noted it was a good thing and quoted the Nielsen numbers: “Proof of concept came when the oneoff “demonstration” at Laguna Seca broke the Internet! According to MotoAmerica data, the King Of The Baggers was their best attended event of the season, even if it was virtually rather than in person:

More than 225,000 linear TV viewers (Nielsen P2+) a 1.4x increase over round 9 in 2019.

More than 1.3M digital views thus far a 6x increase over round 9 in 2019.

More than 133M Facebook impressions and over 83M Instagram impressions Y-T-D.

At the time, he hinted more was to come, but cautioned that it would require a creative approach to transforming a one-off demonstration into a full race series… Apparently MotoAmerica didn’t agree and announced a five-round series held in conjunction with the 2021 MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Series. Talk about a backhanded compliment!

Still following his measured growth plan, Buydos was forced to watch his baby blow up. But with support from Drag Specialties and a wide array of leading aftermarket companies, Buydos eventually rolled out the Bagger Racing League at Chuckwalla the following season and shared some of the things he believes are necessary to make this more than just a sideshow to MotoAmerica. Classes for Super Hooligans and Stunters and even an official artist in residence are just a few of the differentiators.

“Half the people I talked to said that it was insane, the other half said it was crazy,” quips Buydos. “Seriously even after we gained traction and saw this thing was going to happen, there were plenty of purists in the paddock hoping the Harleys would oil down the track and blow up in clouds of fiberglass saddlebags!” Again, with friends like these, who needs enemies?

“Running Baggers at Laguna Seca? Yeah, that is really brilliant,” he says deprecatingly. “Almost as smart as going to my friends in the middle of a pandemic and asking them to pony up $100,000 to build a bike that was going to be raced in front of zero spectators! How smart is that?”

Think of Pittsburgh as “proof of concept.”

Dealernews bagged an exclusive interview with Buydos back when the event blew up! If you missed the “coverage” on the cover of November 2020’s issue, click here for the scoop that was three years in the making: issuu.com/dealernews/docs/isuue__11_november/80

VALE PAUL SCHLEGEL — 1938-2023

Prolific Promoter & Co-Founder Of Loretta Lynn’s Passes Courtesy MX Sports

American motocross has lost one of its most influential figures with the passing of iconic promoter Paul Schlegel. The Ohio native was a pioneer in bringing prominence and prestige to the sport during its infancy in the United States, where his innovative and creative ideas helped give rise to competitions like the Pro Motocross Championship and the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, which now set the global standard for competitive motocross. Additionally, Schlegel’s ingenuity and passion led to the creation of the sport’s single largest event, the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s.

Schlegel’s affinity for two wheels saw him become an AMA member in 1954 at just 16 years old. A mere two years later he hosted his first event, laying the foundation for his legendary tenure as a promoter. Over the course of his storied career Schlegel hosted more than 100 AMA National Championship events, such as Trans-AMA and Inter-Am motocross races, Pro Motocross and Supercross races, AMA Grand National Championship flat track races, AMA National Enduro and AMA Hare Scramble races, and the original AMA National Arenacross Series. Schlegel’s diversity of events had no bounds and even included poker runs and ice racing, which further cemented his status as one of motorcycling’s most prolific promoters.

His decades of showcasing competitive off-road racing in its highest form were integral to bringing his most unique vision to

life alongside one Dave Coombs Sr. at the rural ranch of one of country music’s biggest stars, Loretta Lynn. The co-founders of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship forever changed the trajectory of the sport in America by leveraging their charisma and business savvy to convince the Coal Miner’s Daughter to turn her property into a motocross summer camp each summer. In leveling the competitive balance for amateur racers across the country, Schlegel and Coombs facilitated the ascension of the United States as a motocross powerhouse and fostered generations of motocross superstars.

With an AMA membership of more than a half century, Schlegel served as an AMA Congressman for 50 years and was a member of the AMA Board of Trustees for 15 years. His lifelong passion for motorcycling and his unwavering commitment to elevating the off-road discipline has made him an obvious nominee for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

“Paul was one of the unsung heroes of the entire motorcycling industry,” commented Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing. “He was innovative, creative, and driven to get as many people out riding motorcycles as he possibly could, no matter the discipline. He was also a prolific rider himself, totaling over one million miles on road bikes. He also spent considerable time on various AMA districts, clubs, and boards, working to expand and protect the rights of motorcyclists, both on- and off-road.

“The AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s, which he co-founded, is only part of his legacy. Paul Schlegel deserves to be in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame for that accomplishment alone, and I hope one day that

his lifetime’s work on behalf of motorcycling will be recognized with the long overdue honor of his induction.”

Paul Schlegel was 84 years old.

Godspeed, Paul.

Backfire

By John Murphy

HELP!

When I was younger, so much younger than today, I never needed anybody’s help in any way. But now these days are gone and I’m not so self assured, Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors…”

Those are the opening lines to the old BEATLES song, “Help”, but they could just as easily been the chronicle of my life. I was 43, the publisher of Dealernews from 1990-2000, a husband, a father of two young children and basically, kicking-ass.

Then the changes came. I was destined to fall off my ride at full speed. In 1999 I was diagnosed with progressive MS after many signals that I ignored became too obvious to hide or dismiss as age related. My physician, Dr. Stanley van den Noort, world famous MS researcher at University of California, Irvine, once told me “John, you have a tremendous capacity for denial.”

He highly recommended, or perhaps best described as, “twisted both my arms” into an early retirement because my symptoms were progressing very rapidly, and there was concern for my immediate, as well as long-term, prognosis.

I followed his orders, but was still in a state of denial about my need for assistance in my life. I was going to take this on by myself. I already felt I’d let down my family and my colleagues in the Powersports Industry by getting the disease and making the decision to retire. So, dammit, I’m not going to burden anyone with my crap.

It took years of contemplation for me to finally get it! I needed HELP, and I needed it now. I reached out to some of my old Powersport Industry buddies and reestablished our friendships and kinship, and guess what?

They didn’t give a crap if I was in a wheelchair or tap dancing on tables… they accepted me for who and what I am now… “Ironsides” was born out of the realization that I needed help.

By denying the “helper” the opportunity to help me, I am denying that person the opportunity to obtain the “Grace from God” they would receive by helping me. By denying Help, I am denying the “Great Spirit”, the opportunity to share Grace with two sentient beings here on Earth.

Don’t be afraid to ask for HELP in your personal and business lives! Take it from a guy who’s tried it both ways: Solo Voyage vs Riding with your buddies or the HELPER that’s come into your lives?

Man, there’s no way to make it solo!

Dealernews magazine is here to HELP in your business lives. That’s what we do. Use us; talk to us; give us feedback on the ways that we can better your business and personal lives.

I guarantee that we will listen!

Sincerely,

John “Ironsides” Murphy

John Murphy started his Powersports career selling booth space for the original Dealernews Dealer Expo back in 1983. He then went on to become Publisher of the magazine from 1990 to 2000 before retiring from Dealernews 18 years ago when he was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis. He retired and raised his two children with wife, Patti (former production manager for Dealernews back in the day). But John has beaten the odds. The doctors were correct when they said he would never ride again, and that he would be in a wheelchair, but it ends right there. “Ironsides” Murphy is back in the saddle again and ready for the challenge of ushering Dealernews into the next 50 years.