Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/679587
4 • May 23, 2016 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com www.powersportsbusiness.com Editorial and Sales: 763.383.4400 Subscriber Service: 847.763.9565 EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dave McMahon 763/383-4411 (dmcmahon@powersportsbusiness.com) MANAGING EDITOR: Liz Keener 763/383-4413 (lkeener@powersportsbusiness.com) ASSISTANT EDITOR: Kate Swanson 763/383-4412 (kswanson@powersportsbusiness.com) DIGITAL MARKETING COORDINATOR: Shauna Spencer MANAGING ART DIRECTOR: Dodi Vessels ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Nicole Siewert PRODUCTION ARTIST: Kelsey Houle PRODUCTION MANAGER: Angela Schmieg PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Cherri Perschmann NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Allison Gruhn 763/383-4467 (agruhn@powersportsbusiness.com) NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Mark Rosacker 763/383-4433 (mrosacker@powersportsbusiness.com) NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Michael Kula 763/383-4440 (mkula@powersportsbusiness.com) CEO: Marion Minor SR. VICE PRESIDENT/FINANCE & OPERATIONS: Gerald Winkel SR. VICE PRESIDENT/MARKET DEVELOPMENT: Joanne Juda-Prainito GROUP PUBLISHER/MOTORCYCLE, POWERSPORTS: David J. Voll SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER: Bernadette Wohlman CONTRIBUTORS: COLUMNISTS: Tommy Ady, Steve Jones, Paula Crosbie DEALER ADVISORY BOARD: Hooksett Kawasaki-Polaris, Jim Whalley; Hacker's Yamaha & Honda, Rick Hacker; Honda/Polaris of Lubbock, Morris Baker; All Action Water Sports, Ray Leps POWERSPORTS BUSINESS (ISSN #1522-7944) is published 15 times per year – monthly except twice in May and December, the Market Data Book in September – by EPG Media/Specialty Information Media, 10405 6th Avenue North, Suite 210 Minneapolis, MN 55441. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Free to qualified members of the motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile and personal watercraft industries. Annual subscription rate is $56 per year for U.S residents, $76 for Canadian residents and $96 for residents in other countries. All paid subscriptions must be paid in advance and in U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Powersports Business, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Visit www.PowersportsBusiness.com, email customerservice@epgmediallc.com, call (845) 856-2229, fax (845) 856-5822 or write to Powersports Business, PO Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. CANADIAN RETURN ADDRESS: EPG Media & Specialty Information, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J3. Publication Sales Agreement #40012332. EDITORIAL: All manuscripts, materials, photographs and artwork submitted are at mailer's risk and must include self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage for return. Send editorial materials to EPG Media/Specialty Information Media, 10405 6th Avenue North, Suite 210 Minneapolis, MN 55441, 763/383-4400. No responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited materials. Powersports Business is a registered trademark of EPG Media & Specialty Information. Copyright 2016 by EPG Media & Specialty Information. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited unless expressly authorized by publisher. REPRINTS: For more information on e-prints or reprints from Powersports Business, contact Robin Cooper, 763/383-4400 ext. 4491. Printed in U.S.A. for the Augusta, Georgia-based brand. Johnson revealed that a four-door Stampede 900 XTR will be unveiled in the fall. STAMPEDE UNVEILED Upon initial visual inspection, the first two unique features on the Stampede that stick out are the standard full-size doors and the extra- cab storage unit that sits between the cab and the bed. The Stampede is the only side-by-side in the industry that offers full-size doors as standard. The full-coverage, impact- and corrosion-resis- tant doors offer 10 square feet of opening when accessing the cab. "That's something that enables us to give that consumer a better entrance and exit experi- ence — it gives you a better feeling when you're in the seat itself, too," Johnson explained. The extended cab is also an industry first, allowing riders to keep items like backpacks, coolers, guns and tools within arm's reach. "We like to say, 'If it doesn't fit, you prob- ably don't need it,'" Johnson said. "We're the only brand right now that has an exclusive extra-cab unit with fully functional, single side doors on each. What I like to say is you put all your 'stuff' in your extra cab, and you put your 'junk' in the bed. So the stuff that's really impor- tant to you, whatever that may be, it fits in that extra cab unit, and everything else you're working on, all that junk, goes back there in the bed. There's 24 cubic feet of total storage; that's industry-leading by far, pretty significant." Though those creature comforts are impor- tant and will differentiate the Stampede on a showroom floor, Bad Boy is also proud of the work that went into its engine. The 846cc power plant is not the largest engine in its class, but its 80 horsepower is the most reportedly produced in the 900 model segment. "We didn't build an engine that had the greatest numer of [cubic centimeters] because that's not what the customers were asking for. The customers were asking for the right power and the right power character, so we've got the vehicle with the most horsepower by far," Johnson said. Bad Boy parent Textron, Inc., acquired Weber Motor in 2014, and the Stampede's engine is purpose-built at the former Weber facility (now Textron Motors) in Germany. "It's got a very linear power band. With 59 foot-pounds of torque, it's got a lot of oomph behind it," Johnson said. "You'll be cruising along, 20, 30 miles per hour, and you need to get on the gas, you're not going to have any throttle lag. You're going to have that good feel, that good throttle character," he added. Other features Bad Boy boasts are the Stampede's forged crankshaft and connecting rods, dry sump oil system, CVT transmission and a selectable locking rear differential on EPS and EPS+ models. The side-by-side has 11.25 inches of ground clearance and front and rear sway bars. High-quality springs, performance shocks and four-wheel double A-arm suspension offer 9.5 inches of travel in the front and 10.5 inches in the rear. "You want to punish the terrain, not yourself, so we've developed four-wheel indepen- dent A-arm suspension. You've got on-demand four wheel drive, so you can select it when you need it, and the power goes right to the wheels," John- son reported. The Stampede can tow up to 2,000 pounds, and it comes with a 2-inch receiver hitch. The bed has a 600-pound capacity. Consumers might also be drawn to the industry-leading 5.25-by-3.25-inch LCD display that allows riders to see their fuel level, engine temperature, RPM, gear position and diagnos- tic codes in any light. The cab includes a 12-volt outlet as well. Three models are available: the base non-EPS model in Forest Green and Inferno Red with an MSRP of $13,799; the EPS model, which adds the selectable locking rear differential, hi/lo headlights and comes in Black, Inferno Red, Forest Green and Realtree Xtra for $14,799; and the EPS+, which adds Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires, alloy wheels, a pre- mium seat and comes in Platinum, Inferno Red and Black for $15,599. AMERICAN MADE The Stampede 900 4x4 is being built at an all-new manufacturing facility at Bad Boy's Augusta headquarters. The new line includes state-of-the-art processes and equipment, rigor- ous end-of-line testing, laser wheel alignment and automated systems for consistency. "It's a side-by-side we stand behind, so it's backed by the company that we are, which is Textron," Johnson said. "We've got a standard two-year warranty. What does that mean? We've done a lot of R&D work to this vehicle. We've put thousands of miles on these things, non-stop hours, beat the snot out of them, con- ditions from zero to 120 degrees." Bad Boy engineers tested the Stampede over 800 hours and more than 6,000 miles of non- stop use. They put the unit head to head against every other competitive unit on the market, Johnson added. DEALER OPPORTUNITY Bad Boy executives thought about the dealer while building the Stampede. The extra-cab and full-size doors differentiate the unit on the showroom floor, and the power produced by the engine will also draw buyers. The $13,799 starting MSRP is in the "sweet spot" for 900 models, Johnson said, and the price provides room for dealers to make an attractive margin. "That's one thing we were very conscien- tious of. We set this price with the right margin for the dealers for sure," he explained. The Stampede is also coming to market with more than 70 accessories and a specially designed Fast-N-Latch System to securely haul those accessories. A hard top, hood rack, light bar, soft storage bags, WARN winch, CV guards and rearview mirror are among those that will be offered from the onset. "This is huge from a personalization aspect for a consumer, but also for our dealers; it's a great profit opportunity for dealers with acces- sories," Johnson said. Two special accessory packages — the Hunter's Package and the Workman's Package — will also be offered. Included in the Hunter's Package are a hard top roof, split windshield, plate brush guard, plate rear bumper, L-track seat back with gun mount and bow mount, WARN ProVantage 4500 winch with wire rope, hood rack, light bar mount, 42-inch LED curved light bar and two 6-inch flush-mounted LED light bars. The Workman's Package comes with a hard top roof, full windshield, tubular brush guard, tubular rear bumper, Fast-N- Latch toolbox, bolt-in front receiver, WARN ProVantage 4500 winch with synthetic rope, light bar mount and 42-inch curved light bar. At a late April meeting of current and pro- spective dealers, the Stampede was well received. "The Stampede was a hit. The dealers loved the styling, the uniqueness of the extended cab, the incredible power character of the 80 hp EFI engine and the fact that we delivered a unique vehicle to the existing utility space," Johnson reported. Bad Boy had already begun growing its dealer network over the past year, and those efforts will continue in 2016. "That is priority one for us — build a portfolio of product and build a very strong, very robust dealer network," said John Col- lins, vice president — Consumer, at Textron Specialized Vehicles. Bad Boy currently has about 300 dealers, including Bass Pro Shops locations, but it's looking to add even more powersports dealer- ships to its network this year. The Stampede, along with earlier released models, is expected to help attract dealers to the brand. "We know customers, no matter how you use these vehicles — if it's for hunting, if it's for BAD BOY CONTINUED FROM THE COVER See Bad Boy, Page 5 Bad Boy's Stampede has 11.25 inches of ground clearance. The Stampede is coming to market with more than 70 accessories and a unique Fast-N-Latch System. Special Workman's and Hunter's acces- sory packages are available.