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32 • May 5, 2014 • Powersports Business MOTORCYCLE www.PowersportsBusiness.com Suzuki GW250 has best retail month yet in March Suzuki's all-new, entry-level GW250 was a strong performer in the month of March at the retail level, Powersports Business has learned. "March was our best retail month yet for the new Suzuki GW250," said Rod Lopus- nak, general manager national sales for Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI), "and sales of the Suzuki QuadSport Z90 are strong, as they have been since we introduced this ATV. Motorcycle buyers are also favoring Suzuki Boulevard cruisers, with sales up 10 percent, and the DR-Z400SM. Plus, Suzuki dealers are finding strong interest in Suzuki's category-leading sport bikes such as the GSX-R750 and the Hayabusa. We're confident that all Suzuki sales will pick up as spring weather takes over nationwide." On April 1, SMAI celebrated its one-year anniversary as a company completely focused on the sales and marketing of powersports vehicles and marine engines. "As we move from celebrating our strong 50-year history of selling Suzuki motorcycles in America, our 51st year will strengthen our foothold in the industry as a company devoted to our passionate motorcycles, scooters, ATV and outboard consumers," said Steve Bortol- amedi, communications manager for SMAI. Wholesale demand for Suzuki's line of motorcycles, scooters and ATVs was higher than expected through March this year, executives said, with Suzuki dealers particularly interested in the company's class-leading sport bikes, plus dual sport and adventure motorcycles, Boulevard cruisers and its Burgman scooter line. The all-new 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS and Suzuki Burgman 200 ABS are reach- ing Suzuki dealers now. Suzuki announced that the first 1,000 people to buy a 2014 V-Strom 1000 ABS will receive a collectible limited-edition photo book that chronicles the design and manufacture of the new adventure motorcycle. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRIUMPH EARNS RETAIL HONORS Triumph Motorcycles America Ltd. has named the winners of the 2013 Triumph Dealer of the Year Awards. The award recognizes dealers for their achievements in sales and delivering an exceptional cus- tomer experience. The winners are: No. 1 Retailer, United States: Southern California Triumph, Brea, Calif. No. 1 Retailer, Canada: Blackfoot Moto- sports, Calgary, Alberta No. 1 Single Line Triumph Dealer: Cas- cade Moto Classics, Beaverton, Ore. U.S. regional winners: California Triumph, Mountain View, Calif. Foothills Triumph, Lakewood, Colo. Motoworks Chicago, Chicago, Ill. Ray Price Triumph, Raleigh, N.C. RPM Cycle, Farmers Branch, Texas Triumph Metuchen, Metuchen, N.J. Triumph of Seattle, Lynnwood, Wash. "Triumph's rapid growth and accomplish- ments would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of our dealer network," said Greg Heichelbech, CEO Triumph North America. "We congratulate these 10 dealerships and their teams for set- ting the standard by delivering an extraordi- nary customer experience and achieving sales success in 2013." BMW USA SALES RISE IN MARCH BMW Motorrad USA reported sales of 1,567 motorcycles in March, an increase of 2.8 per- cent from the total of 1,525 motorcycles sold in March 2013. Year-to-date sales are 3,093 motorcycles, compared to 2,964 sold through during the same period last year, a 4.4 per- cent increase. Growth came principally from the R-Series thanks to the introduction of the all-new R nineT and recently launched R 1200 GS Adventure and R 1200 RT with 195, 179 and 165 retail sales respectively. Together with another impressive result from the R 1200 GSW, sales grew by 68 percent with a total of 782 boxer motorcycles delivered compared to 465 in 2013. AMA SUPPORTER TOM PETRI TO RETIRE FROM CONGRESS U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) recently announced that he will not seek reelection. The announcement came during a town meeting at the Neenah, Wis., City Council Chambers. Petri has served in Congress since 1979. The American Motorcyclist Association honored Petri in 2013 as a Supporter of the AMA in the 112th Congress. "Tom Petri has served his constituents and the motorcycling community well dur- ing this many years in Congress and on the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus," said Wayne Allard, AMA's vice president for government relations. "We are sorry to learn he is retiring. But we wish him well in his future endeavors." PSB DIGEST www.PowersportsBusiness.com MOTORCYCLE Powersports Business • May 5, 2014 • 33 The GW250 had its strongest performance at retail yet in March. maintains the No. 3 spot at which it debuted in Q4 2013. Older vehicles are showing a decline in web hits overall, while newer vehicles are showing an increase. Sport bikes averaged 4 percent fewer web hits on KBB.com than in Q1 2013. As usual, most of the bikes on the Top 10 most researched KBB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 P30x36-PSB6-Cycle.indd 32 4/23/14 10:58 AM