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www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • July 13, 2014 • 3 HOTNEWS CONTINUED FROM COVER PWC SALES CONTINUE UPWARD SWING IN MAY A peek at Info-Link's May bellwether report shows a big upswing in PWC sales, a trend that began in January and has been moving up ever since. May PWC sales for bell- wether states grew nearly 20 percent year-over-year, following a 10 percent increase in April. Keeping up with the PWC market are ski boats and out- board sportfishing boats, as bellwether states saw about a 20 percent increase in ski boat sales in May, and sportfish- ing boat sales growth was just under 20 percent. HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF SACRAMENTO EMPLOYEE DIES IN CRASH Monty Heath, an employee at Harley-Davidson of Sac- ramento in California, died Friday, June 20, as the result of a motorcycle crash. Heath, 56, was killed when his 2004 Harley-Davidson FXSTDI was hit by a Dodge Ram pickup truck that was traveling the wrong direction on Highway 160 in the Sacramento area, according to a report from The Sacramento Bee. The dealership sent this mes- sage, along with a photo of Heath, in its June 24 e-newsletter: "It is with our deepest sadness that we announce to our friends and family of our tragic loss Fri- day, June 20th. Monty Heath was a part of our Sacramento Harley- Davidson family for greater than 30 years. It is hard to imagine a day at the dealership without our beloved Monty. "The Heath family will be having a closed service for immediate family members only. In the future, we will be working with the family to have an event in remembrance at the dealership. We will keep you all informed. "Thank you for all of your sup- port and understanding. Monty will be forever in our hearts." SCHUBERTH NAMES NEW CEO, CFO After financial investor Perusa took over as principal share- holder in September 2013, the reorganization of the German helmet manufacturer Schuberth is taking shape as Jan-Christian Becker has been officially con- firmed in his position as CEO of the Magdeburg company. He had been managing the Schuberth Group since September, initially as part of the management team and subsequently, from January 2014, as Interim CEO. He will be supported by André-Alexander Steffen, who will be responsible for back office activities and purchasing in his capacity of CFO. In col- laboration with the shareholder Perusa, Schuberth is now set- ting out on a course for global expansion. In the current fiscal year 2014 alone, investment funds of three million euros ($4.08 million) have been made available. The intention is to broaden the product portfolio and introduce modern and innovative development pro- cesses and manufacturing tech- niques to equip the Magdeburg headquarters for international competition, the company said. "At Schuberth, I have found a highly motivated team, with whom I collaborate in a very goal-oriented manner and, above all, in a congenial spirit," Becker said. "All sections of the company possess outstanding expertise in the helmet market. Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., is donating $15,000 to two of the company's charitable organization partners: Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) and Feed the Children (FTC). Yamaha recently gathered select motorsports dealers for an incentive and appreciation event near Austin, Texas, where the company unveiled the all-new 2015 Viking VI EPS six-person side-by-side. The launch event-turned-celebration of Yamaha's side-by-side line expansion included a number of activities that ultimately allowed Yamaha corporate staff and dealers to help raise awareness and money for HAVA and FTC. As a result of the event, Yamaha committed to donating $15,000 to be split evenly between the two organizations. "Yamaha is a longtime supporter of both HAVA and FTC, and is excited to be able to increase our financial contributions to each of these great organizations this year through the Viking VI launch event," said Steve Nessl, Yamaha's ATV/SxS group marketing manager. "As a founding sponsor of HAVA and official partner with FTC for nearly 20 years, Yamaha is extremely proud to sup- port these organizations and the work they do for veterans and families in need." YAMAHA RAISES $15,000 FOR CHARITIES AT DEALER EVENT NEWS 6 ... Southern Thunder H-D re-opens FINANCIAL NEWS 14 ... Brian Gallmeier column 16 ... BRP reports quarterly results 18 ... Insurance agency a success OPINION 20 ... From the Editor 20 ... Online at PowersportsBusiness.com PSB: FOCUS UTV-Sport 23 ... Performance shop targets RZR 24 ... Getting muddy at Mud Nationals 27 ... Sport UTV sales by region 32 ... Pre-owned Sport UTV market 33 ... Ranger XP 900 gets power boost 34 ... A riding writer bids farewell 35 ... Martinez named new SVIA chair MOTORCYCLE 36 ... Sabertooth's new trike 37 ... Harley launches LiveWire 40 ... Impressive pre-owned sales SOLUTIONS 43 ... Hal Ethington 44 ... Mark Mooney 45 ... Steve Jones PWC 48 ... BlackTip Jetsports has new seats 50 ... Demo tour attracts dealers AFTERMARKET 52 ... Partzilla on growth surge INSIDE Segway partners with Visionary Segway Inc. announced that Visionary Motor- sports Ltd., Canada's largest independent dis- tributor of powersports product lines, will join Segway's worldwide distribution network. Visionary currently represents several well-established powersports brands through a nationwide network of dealers. Visionary will represent Segway as Segway Canada and will carry Segway PTs, for consumers and businesses, which will complement its power- sports product lines. "We feel strongly that an iconic global brand like Segway, known for innovation and quality, will complement our product mix and appeal to our sales channel," said Neil Vanderkooi, president, Visionary. "We have ambitious plans to grow, and we're confident that carrying Segway's popular line of personal transportation products will have a consider- able impact on our business." "Visionary has an impressive track record of success. I'm pleased to welcome them to our family of international distributors. Positive regulatory changes in the provinces of Alberta, Nova Scotia and Ontario are in process and will undoubtedly pave the way for Segway PTs to be more widely adopted in Canada," said Rod Keller, president, Segway. "I look forward to Visionary growing the dealer channel and meeting customer demand." PSB Power 50 dealer adds electric motorcycle to lineup Brammo, Inc., announced that Brammo Newport Beach is the newest member of its dealer network. The Costa Mesa, Calif., deal- ership also carries Ducati and Triumph, and was a PSB Power 50 dealer in 2013. "I believe that electric motorcycles are becoming an impor- tant segment in our industry," Mike Guerin, president and owner of Brammo Newport Beach, said. "The technology is improving and changing daily. I believe it's time to take electric motorcycles seriously and, looking at all the contenders, I believe Brammo is heading in the right direction. I have been carefully watch- ing Brammo for a couple of years, and it's clear that Brammo is building motorcycles that meet the exacting criteria which riders demand, and Brammo motorcycles just happen to be electric powered. Brammo Newport Beach is Brammo's newest dealer, and we welcome this premier electric motorcycle brand to our Ducati and Triumph lineup." "Brammo's share of the U.S. market is growing, and we have no doubt that Southern California appreciates the benefits of Brammo electric motorcycles," said Craig Bramscher, founder and CEO of Brammo. "Brammo Newport Beach is becoming a Brammo dealer at a very exciting time, and we both look forward to providing Orange County riders with world-class products and service." Brammo Newport Beach was scheduled to open June 28. With investments in new prod- ucts and modern machines, we are now paving the way for devel- oping Schuberth worldwide into the strong brand that it has been in Germany for decades." In the initial 24 to 36-month expansion phase, there are plans for a model upgrade of the exist- ing product portfolio, particularly for motorcycle helmets, while entering new motorcycle seg- ments with totally new products at the same time. In addition, the range of colors and graphics is to be broadened in line with varied customer demands in the differ- ent international marketplaces. Investments in innovative devel- opment processes and modern manufacturing techniques are intended to further optimize the premium quality as well as the overall volume of Schuberth products. Initially, the focus will be on developing the markets in Europe and in North America. New distribution channels are also being established in Asia. K&N FILTERS PARTNERS WITH AMA ENDUROCROSS K&N Performance Filters has partnered with AMA Geico Motorcycle EnduroCross fueled by Monster Energy as the official Air Filter and Oil Filter for the 2014 season. "K&N has a great legacy in all forms of motorsports, so we are extremely proud to have them join the EnduroCross family for 2014" said Lance Bryson, direc- tor of marketing and sales for EnduroCross. JAN-CHRISTIAN BECKER ANDRÉ- ALEXANDER STEFFEN KTM EXPANSION KTM officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for its new logistics center in Munderfing, Austria. See Hot News, Page 10 Brammo Newport Beach joins Ducati and Triumph as brands sold by dealership owner Mike Guerin.