Powersports East: Nathan and team show you how it's done

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE a business becomes such a familiar presence in a customer’s life that the store and all of its employees start to feel like family.

Bona fide riders at San Diego's North County

ONE GOOD MEASURE of a dealership is to survey exactly how many of its employees actually get out and ride. There will always be at least a handful; but a majority who regularly rip on track, trail and road? That’s a really good sign.

Adamec Harley-Davidson: Leaning into the Curve

MARK ADAMEC is a straight-shooter and a straight-talker, but he doesn’t like straight lines in his buildings or in his designs.  In fact, he thinks straight lines, at least on ground level, interrupt personal communications. Curves, he says, facilitate communication.

Why Seltzer Powersports moved to multiline

ONE DAY IN 2004, Steve Seltzer and a buddy were drinking beer and talking, as guys do, about their futures, and where they were headed. Seltzer was a little bit free with some extra cash following the sale of his family’s successful telecommunications business in Pennsylvania. 

Rec-Tech rules Canada's open range

THERE ARE A COUPLE of general rules for working or living in a space that’s the size of a metaphorical shoebox. The first is minimalism. Pare down your belongings. Keep it simple. Keep it essential. Clutter kills.

Competition Accessories is in megastore mode

YOU CANNOT DO A MEGASTORE HALFWAY. Nope, if you’re going jump into it, you’ve got to go the distance. Competition Accessories in Springfield, Ohio, houses seven OEM franchises (Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, KYMCO, Polaris and Suzuki) and three brands of trailers (Kendon, Shoreland’r and Pace), and carries parts, gear and accessories from a multitude of distributors.

Building Your Business

Planning

ST. CHARLES, Ill. – Cities are anxious to bring in sales tax generators, and that worked to the advantage of Windy City Triumph this week when the City of S
BENICIA, Calif. – PG&A retailer Cycle Gear announced that it has opened a second store in the state of Virginia, this time in Springfield. The new site
BIDWELL, Ohio – After 26 years in business, Baxter’s Harley-Davidson is celebrating a move to a new site that will give the business more room for eve
LAWTON, Okla. – Big changes are afoot at Wind River Harley-Davidson, under new ownership and a new local attitude.

 "The name and the attitude are
LINCOLN, Neb. – Things are a little unusual at Indian Motorcyle Lincoln. General Manager Justin Vandevort’s office is in the drive-through cubicle of
AUSTIN, Texas – Unlimited Power Sports has added a U-Haul franchise to the auto, boat, RV and ATV storage sales and services it offers. The store offers U-H

Vehicles

BOULDER, Colo. – Sales of e-motorcycles and e-scooters in North America will grow from a little more than 4,000 in 2012 to more than 36,000 in 2018, a nearl
HONG KONG - Zero Motorcycles has signed its first eastern Asia distributor, Yuen Ho Trading Co. (YHT) based in Hong Kong, and secured its largest fleet sale to da
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. - The 139 BMW motorcycle dealers in the U.S. sold 4,535 motorcycles year to date through April, an increase of 12.8 percent compared with the
CHENNAI, India - Royal Enfield this week started commercial production at a second factory that will reportedly help the manufacturer produce 175,000 motorcycles
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Zero Motorcycles has moved its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility to a 47,000 sq. ft. location in Scotts Valley, Calif. The ne
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Riders and residents are invited to join Northern Colorado Euro Motorcycles for a grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May

Aftermarket

BOISE, Idaho - Western Power Sports (WPS) is mailing to dealers its new 2013 HardDrive Parts catalog. The 668-page catalog marks the official debut of the distrib
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Vertically Driven Products has developed a nifty Barrel Bag Organizer that is designed for motorcyclists but which can fit just about any veh
From lighting to seating to clothing — and everything in-between — aftermarket manufacturers are paying close attention to the booming Adv-Rider crowd
MORGAN HILL, Calif. - The new U.S. distributor of Austrian-made Racer gloves is looking to increase the company’s North American presence with a revamped we
CHICAGO - For your scooter riding customers, Scooterworks’ has a duo of Prima branded products designed to protect a rider from the elements, from top to bo
MORENO VALLEY, Calif. -  Pac Blue Concepts is seeking dealer applications for its Rescue Pegs off-road passenger footpegs. Up until now, the product has only

Top 100

OZARK, Mo. – For most people the word expansion means physical growth, but the folks at Cruisin’ 66 are finding out that less can be more. They now ha
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With the state celebrating May as Motorcycle Awareness Month, A.D. Farrow Harley-Davidson is getting in on the action. Members of ABATE of
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE a business becomes such a familiar presence in a customer’s life that the store and all of its employees start to feel like family.
ONE GOOD MEASURE of a dealership is to survey exactly how many of its employees actually get out and ride. There will always be at least a handful; but a majority
DEALER EXPO, Indianapolis, Ind. - Harley-Davidson Motor Co. won the Vehicle Brand of the Year award during the Top 100 Dealer gala Feb. 15 in Indianapolis.
Congratulations to the 2013 Top 100 Dealer of the Year, the Top 10 Dealers, and the Special Merit Award winners.

Customers

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame is opening its doors to the local community as well as motorcyclists this Saturday, May 11, with half-price
SPRINGFIELD, Va. – Market data company Relevate says it has created a new database to meet the needs of marketers who would like to reach motorcycle owners.
MONTEREY, Calif. - Among motorcycle retailers, Harley-Davidson dealers treat shoppers the best — although Suzuki dealers excel when it comes to following up
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Harley-Davidson is celebrating its fifth annual Women Riders Month by asking fans around the world to tell stories of modern day independent wom
ATLANTA, Ga. - Dealer service provider Powersports Marketing has launched its Voice of Customer Excellence Award program to recognize dealers that have received t
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Aprilia dealerships across the country are now offering test rides on the new 2013 Tuono V4 APRC and RSV4 R APRC ABS. In addition, the 2013 April

Market Forecasts

Motorcycle, ATV retail sales down 13 percent in Q1, MIC says

IRVINE, Calif. - The Motorcycle Industry Council announced that retail sales of new motorcycles and ATVs in the first quarter of 2013 declined 14.7 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively, when compared to the first quarter of 2012. These sales figures represent sales made by manufacturers that report numbers, which account for more than three-quarters of total U.S. sales, the council claims. Overall,...

Running Your Business

Administration

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - With its 20th anniversary around the corner, Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Harley-Davidson is planning some changes to its stores throughout
OZARK, Mo. – For most people the word expansion means physical growth, but the folks at Cruisin’ 66 are finding out that less can be more. They now ha
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Sparta Commercial Services Inc. is offering a new merchant payment services program the company says can give its business customers lower rates
PUEBLO, Colo. –  Employees of Outpost Harley-Davidson are cleaning up after a storm that blasted through the west April 9 ripped the front off the seco
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA has contracted with cloud software and infrastructure provider Virtustream to deploy Virtustream’s x
IRVINE, Calif. - After announcing on Feb. 12 that it was creating a new class of non-voting membership for dealers, the Motorcycle Industry Council released an FA

Financials

THE STRONG 2013 performance of Destination Powersports in Punta Gorda, Fla., continued through its second month with a February earnings performance double that o
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - K&K Insurance Group has expanded its powersports program to include franchised Segway dealerships. "Package and excess lines of covera
Legislation extends certain benefits for businesses through Dec. 31.
DEALER EXPO, Indianapolis, Ind. --  Key financial numbers, the “end results,” are what dealers should focus on before worrying about best practic
MANY POWERSPORTS RETAILERS face increased pressure to collect sales taxes by revenue-strapped state and local taxing authorities, all-the-while battling competiti
THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO-DOZEN dealer management, sales, marketing and service seminars planned by Dealership University for the 2013 Dealer Expo, Feb. 15-17 in In

Inventory

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - ARI Network Services and ADP Lightspeed have signed a multiyear reseller agreement. under which ADP will integrate ARI's AccessorySmart with
ADA, Minn. - Ride-Tek is an all-new snowmobile clothing lineup providing classic styling and reasonable pricing.
VERONA, Wis. – Dealers looking for a way to bulk up on pre-owned vehicles have a new option.
DEALER EXPO, Indianapolis, Ind. – Dealers will have to adapt to a rapidly changing business environment that’s largely influenced by the rapid rise of
THE WATCHWORD in the Business Services Marketplace is value.
Dealernews Sourcebook 2013 > Product Listings > Business/Retail Products > DMS/Computers/Software    This directory of powersports and allied

Legal/HR

NORTON SHORES, Mich. - Everybody is in favor of motorcycle safety, right? But promoting it is pitting a dealer against a city ordinance prohibiting off-site adver
SANTA ANA, Calif. – Seven former Suzuki dealers who protested their terminations in U.S. Bankruptcy Court have reached a settlement with the trust that mana
In an editorial partnership with powersports recruiting firm Lonski and Associates, Dealernews presents the Job of the Week for May 6-10, 2013. INDIALANTIC, Fla.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Yamaha plans to appeal a $3.3 million jury award in a product liability case alleging the design of the 2007 Rhino 660 Special Edition is
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Seven former Suzuki powersports franchisees are asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to void their terminations as Suzuki dealers, contending they
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – A $125,000 federal fine teaches an important lesson for any dealer: pay close attention to your internal processes and documentati

Training

MANY dealership managers are familiar with customer relationship management, but too many focus on just customer management without much thought for the relations
COURTING CUSTOMERS is almost like courting a mate. I claim they’re identical, except the attraction to the opposite sex and procreation is even stronger tha
DEALER EXPO, Indianapolis, Ind. – Building a, effective team of employees is an ongoing struggle for many dealers.
DO YOU CONSIDER the recession over? During the last four years, our industry downsized from approximately 7,500 franchised dealers to just over 4,000. That’
WE ARE SPOILED. We won’t pay for what we already know. We won’t go two minutes out of our way to come see you. We’ve become a razor-edged crew o
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - As the industry prepares for the big Dealer Expo in February, show management has announced that the 2014 show will move to a new timeframe.