Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/316641
www.PowersportsBusiness.com MOTORCYCLE Powersports Business • May 26, 2014 • 27 MOTORCYCLE huge improvement," he said. "If I boiled it all down to a headline, I would tell you that the typical motorcycle salesperson is much more professional today. They know how to sell; they're much more likely to know how to sell — the very basics." Though Ducati led the asking for contact information category, the industry's dealer body as a whole also improved in that category, asking for contact details 52 percent of the time, compared to 47 percent last year and 38 percent in 2007. Along with Ducati, Harley-Davidson (67 percent of the time), Can-Am, Victory and Triumph also scored well with that question. As for suggesting writing up a deal, the industry's score improved from 30 percent three years ago to 39 percent in 2014, with Can-Am, Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, Ducati and Triumph leading the charge. In the "attempted to forward the sale," cat - egory, which includes any action that moves the customer from talking about the product to talking about the sale, such as suggesting writing up a transaction or sitting down at a desk or asking a customer to buy today, deal- ers have seen marked improvement. When the PSI motorcycle study started in 2007, only 45 26 • May 26, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com See Pied Piper, Page 28 Mystery shopper title goes to Ducati dealers 43% 47% 52% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 2012 2013 2014 Percentage of Dealers Who Asked for Contact Information 18% 19% 23% 17% 15% 16% 19% 23% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Percentage of Dealers Who Offered Immediate Test Rides PERCENTAGE OF DEALERS WHO ASKED FOR CONTACT INFORMATION PERCENTAGE OF DEALERS WHO OFFERED IMMEDIATE TEST RIDES Source: 2014 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index Source: 2014 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index Bankrupt Vectrix to have assets auctioned The bankruptcy trustee for electric motor- cycle maker Vectrix, LLC announced that the company's assets will be auctioned off on June 18. Paul E. Saperstein & Co. will conduct the auction at the company's former headquarters in New Bedford, Mass. Introduced in 2006, the Vectrix was the first commercially available high perfor- mance electric scooter. Following financial problems, the Gold Peak battery group purchased the company in 2009. Under new control, Vectrix expanded its product lines, launching the VX-2 and the three wheeled VX-3. However, sales failed to generate suf- ficient revenue and Vectrix LLC stopped operations in January 2014. On March 31, Vectrix, LLC filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts, and Warren E. Agin was appointed as its bankruptcy trustee to liquidate the company's assets. On April 25, Agin announced in court pleadings that he was hiring Paul E. Saper- stein & Co. to auction the company assets on June 18 at Vectrix's former headquarters at 55 Samuel Barnet Blvd. in New Bedford. According to the auctioneer, the assets being sold will include 75 complete Vectrix all electric VX1, VX2 and VX3 motorcycles and scooters, about 100 new lithium ion batteries suitable for use in Vectrix cycles and more than $1.6 million worth of replacement parts. In addition, the auction will include electron- ics, office equipment, assembly plant machin- ery and an extensive selection of machine shop and manufacturing equipment. Online bidding will be provided through BidSpotter. CFMOTO NAMES TOP 5 U.S. DEALERS CFMOTO recognized its top five U.S. dealers for their 2013 sales performance last month at the OEM's Pioneer Club Dealer Conference at its headquarters in Hangzhou, China. Alaska Power Sports in Anchorage claimed top honors, unseating 2012 top-performer Leo's South of Lakeville, Minn. Dave Auringer, vice president of sales and marketing for CFMOTO-U.S., honored the group. Here's a look at the top five CFMOTO dealerships and their principals in the U.S.: 1. Tracey Harmon, Alaska Power Sports, Anchorage, Alaska (also sells Polaris) 2. Wayne and Randy Bedeaux, Leo's South, Lakeville, Minn. (also sells BMW, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Can-Am, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa, Piaggio and Ural) 3. Steve Buttorff, Buttorff Sales & Service, Hartleton, Pa. (also sells Yamaha and Kawasaki) 4. Kendell Kroeker, Casper Mountain Powersports in Casper, Wyo. (also sells Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, KTM and Genuine Scooter) 5. Steve Ertle, Tejas Motorsports, High- lands, Texas (also sells Yamaha, KTM, Star Motorcycles, Suzuki and KYMCO) HARLEY-DAVIDSON HIRES EX-GENERAL MOTORS EXEC Harley-Davidson has hired former General Motors engineer Jim Federico, who oversaw GM's internal investigation into defective ignition switches. Federico, 56, retired from GM earlier this month and begins his post as vice president of engineering at Harley on June 2, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Harley-Davidson spokeswoman Maripat Blankenheim told the newspaper that Harley had been talk- ing to Federico "for some time" before the announcement was made. GM had reported that Federico made his own decision to retire from the automaker. Federico was named the "champion" of GM's airbag failure probe, which led to engineers finding defective igni- tion switches in about 2.6 million vehicles. AMA CALLS FOR OVERHAUL OF FAILED RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD The federal government's Renewable Fuel Standard is a failed strategy that must be completely reconsidered and restructured, Wayne Allard, vice president of govern- ment relations for the American Motorcy- clist Association, said. Allard's remarks came during the National Renewable Fuel Standard "Day of Action," organized to urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to maintain its proposed 2014 renewable volume obligation and for Congress to take up legislative reform that would permanently address the problems inherent in the current RFS. "The RFS is not working for Americans who breathe air, eat food, ride motorcycles, drive cars or mow their lawns. And, the action you'll see around the U.S. today is emblematic of the wide-reaching support that exists for RFS reform. It's time to readdress this flawed policy," said Allard, a former U.S. senator from Colorado. PSB DIGEST Tracey Harmon from Alaska Power Sports accepts his No. 1 dealer trophy from Mr. Lai, president and chair- man of CFMOTO. P26x29-PSB7-Cycle.indd 27 5/14/14 2:17 PM