Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/288267
FOCUS PSB FOCUS PSB V-twin www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • April 8, 2014 • 19 18 • April 8, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com dealerships for their gear. Gustafson said the Icon 1000 product won't be attractive to every dealership's customers, but it has done well at Harley-Davidson and Triumph stores and those dealerships that present themselves more as boutiques. "It's not a question of if it's going to sell, but how much, and are you going to put it on the floor," Gustafson said. He added, "I would say for dealers the big thing is who you want to bring to the store, if it's the customer that's heavily interested in the motorcycle industry and it just isn't a fad, it's a lifestyle, you need to have Icon 1000 on the floor." The Icon 1000 product is produced in lim- ited quantities, and some pieces sell quickly. Whenever the Elsinore Boot, for example, is available, dealers jump at the opportunity to order it because it has been so popular. That's one of the key indicators to Icon that the 1000 line has hit its mark. That success has not only been positive for Icon 1000 but for Icon Motosports' sport bike gear line as well. Having two separate brands allows both to flourish and lets Icon Motosports refine its technical sports bike gear, while Icon 1000 focuses on the V-twin and custom market. For example, Icon 1000 recently released a Vigilante jacket that Gus- tafson said would have competed with Icon's Sanctuary jacket if the two brands weren't independent. Instead, both are available in their respective markets. "Both of those jackets would have had to compete for space with the Icon line, and one of them would've lost," he said. "Now there are no losers, and they've only helped each other grow." PSB ICON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 Custom bike builds, like the Iron Lung, based off a 1991 Harley-Davidson Sportster, help Icon 1000 market to young, aggressive V-twin riders. Leale knew from the outset that the mar- ketplace for 32-inch fronts isn't overwhelming, which is exactly how he prefers his markets. "It plays into our goal of capturing niche markets. We're never going to sell thousands and thousands of them, although the 26 is selling pretty well," Leale said. "The concept is we have a niche tire in dirt bike or ATV, and now they see Vee Rubber because of this crazy tire and it gives us brand name recognition. Sales have grown every year, so apparently it's working." The launch provided Leale with all the feedback he needed about produc- ing the world's largest front tire for motorcycles. "Everyone here has been going crazy about it," he said. "It's been a swarm of people. You can walk by sometimes and see 15-20 people around the bike. It's unique and crazy." Leale was plenty ready to partner with Hotch and Metalsport once again, just as they had done with Vee Rubber's 30-inch front previously. "We wanted to pick a bike builder who is well known, which lends itself to giving more clout and legitimacy," Leale said. "And 'The 32' is all that needs to be said and it'll just be tires and oil. Our first year, we were like 'Yeah, bring whatever you want,' and we got jammed up. We couldn't take care of the basic stuff." The three, aided by an office manager, were familiar enough with the local customer land- scape to know that they had chosen an ideal location for the store. "We're about an hour away from the closest Harley dealer. There had been a Harley dealer in this area until about three years ago, so we went there specifically because of the hole in the market. There's a Honda dealer about 10 minutes away that sells a lot of off-road." The shop also an extremely popular pickup and delivery service ("people really dig it," Saminto says). And Year 1 finished with the store's inaugural "Christmas for Every Child" event that raised more than $1,000 for a local charity. It's hard to imagine what 2014 might bring to the new entrepreneurs. PSB Metalsport is the premier wheel builder in the U.S. Absolute quality. They wanted to be radical and came to us with the 26, the 30 and now the 32." What's next? "The joke when we launched the 30 was 'When are you coming out with a 32?'" Leale laughed. Last year at the Laughlin River Run, how- ever, Leale estimates he spotted multiple hun- dreds of 30-inch fronts. "The 30s are almost not even unique any- more. The 26 has become like a standard. If you have any chopper custom, you have a 26 on it," he said. "You have to be able to handle the bike and ride it, and all the bikes here, you can ride them." The lucky new owner of the Hotch custom bike on which the 32 was displayed in Cincin- nati will be able to give a full report on the 32 later this summer. Last year, he rode from Cali- fornia to Sturgis on a 30. "The sky's the limit now that we have the tooling," Leale cautioned. PSB VEE RUBBER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Industry types crowded the Matt Hotch custom bike throughout V-Twin Expo to get a closer look at Vee Rubber's 32-inch front. JOHN LEALE See Vee Rubber, Page 19 P12x19-PSB5-Focus.indd 19 3/27/14 11:10 AM