PowerSports Business

May 2, 2016

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w w w . p o w e r s p o r t s b u s i n e s s . c o m NEWS: Another Power 50 sponsor revealed . . . . . . PAGE 4 POWER 50: Maxim Honda Yamaha a retailing gem . . . PAGE 30 SNOW: Arctic Cat meeting draws 450 dealers . . . PAGE 35 AFTERMARKET: PSR reaches Harley-Davidson market . . . . PAGE 38 Motor Trike, Inc. announced the release of its first reverse trike conver- sion kit last month. The Prowler RT, as named by Motor Trike, converts the Honda Gold Wing GL 1800 motor- cycle into a three-wheeled departure from the traditional trike body, touting an entirely new riding experience. The Motor Trike Prowler RT has been designed to deliver the safety, han- dling and enduring performance that GL 1800 riders have desired of Motor Trike's traditional Independent Rear Suspension conversions. As a reverse trike, the Motor Trike R&D team wanted the Prowler RT to unleash the uninhibited side of a touring standard with its premier IFS system, fully mechanical operation and continuous style. The Prowler RT INSPIRING SUCCESS THROUGH MARKET INTELLIGENCE Think snow Dealership events used to draw snowcheck customers to buy. SEE PAGE 34 HOTNEWS Scouting a win Dealers compete head-to-head in Indian's Project Scout buildoff. SEE PAGE 26 Renewed focus Custom Chrome reveals its journey toward homing in on its own brands. SEE PAGE 28 Majority below or on plan, hopeful for 2016 BY KATE SWANSON ASSISTANT EDITOR The Powersports Business/RBC Capital Markets Q1 survey revealed that dealers are experiencing a slow start to 2016 — but improved customer traffic and buying interest are giving those same dealers hope for a successful 2016. Of the 120 dealers surveyed in 48 U.S. states and Canada, 41 percent reported their Q1 per- formance was below plan, while 37 percent were on plan. Only 22 percent of the dealers surveyed were above plan for in Q1. Dealers who participated in the survey were mostly single-store operators (82 percent), with 13 percent owning 2-3 locations. Deal- ers in this survey sell the following brands: Aprilia, Arctic Cat, Argo, Bad Boy, Bennche, Beta, BMW, Brammo, Brutus, California Side- car, Can-Am, CFMOTO, Champion Trikes, Club Car, Cub Cadet, Ducati, EBR, Eton, Gas Gas, Genuine Scooter, Hammerhead, Har- ley-Davidson, Honda, Husaberg, Husqvarna, Hyosung, Indian, Joyner, Kandi, Kawasaki, Kioti, KTM, KYMCO, Landmaster, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Piaggio, Polaris, Royal Enfield, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, Slingshot, Spyder, SSR, Suzuki, SYM, Tomberlin, Triumph, Ural, Vespa, Victory, Yamaha and Zero. Steve St. John, owner of Dreyer South Pow- ersports, a multi-line dealership in Whiteland, Ind., found that weather played a large role in his dealership's success in Q1. "In our area one big reason for our success is that we've had fan- tastic weather. The whole winter and spring has been good to us. We don't sell snowmobiles, so that was great for us." St. John also hired a new sales manager in the fall who has improved the sales department. While mild weather was helpful for some dealers in the country, some states like Washing- ton experienced a wet season. Vicki Gray, owner of South Bound Honda in Lakewood, Wash., said weather dampened sales a bit in Q1. "Weather this year is extremely wet. Last year, when we set our goals, was an exceptional year PSB: FOCUS ATV SEE PAGE 14 Dealers remain optimistic See Q1 Survey, Page 6 See Hot News, Page 3 May 2, 2016 • Volume 19, Number 6 • $3.99 HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR CALENDAR Q1 (JAN.-MARCH) BUSINESS PERFORMANCE RELATIVE TO PLAN? POWERSPORTS BUSINESS/RBC CAPITAL MARKETS Q1 2016 DEALER SURVEY Company releases first reverse trike kit Above plan 22% On plan 37% Below plan 41% Significantly better 3% Somewhat better 34% About the same 26% Somewhat worse 27% Significantly worse 9% Significantly better 5% Somewhat better 38% About the same 24% Somewhat worse 23% Significantly worse 11% HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE CUSTOMER TRAFFIC IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR? HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE CUSTOMER BUYING INTEREST IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR? RATE THE FOLLOWING AS THEY PERTAIN TO Q1 2016 4% 4% 11% 8% 13% 6% 33% 36% 25% 21% 33% 26% 24% 19% 35% 40% 32% 45% 31% 25% 21% 25% 18% 14% 8% 15% 8% 6% 4% 9% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Overall business condition New Unit Sales Used Unit Sales P&A Sales Service Department F&I Weak Somewhat Weak Average Somewhat Strong Very Strong Source: Powersports Business/RBC Capital Market Survey

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