Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/422004
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. announced that as part of its cor- porate initiative to strengthen its operations, it has entered into an agreement with UPS to handle parts and accessories warehousing and distribution operations. The company's agreement with UPS will provide KMC with industry-lead- ing supply-chain management capabili- ties. Improved technology, automation and inventory efficiencies will result in even greater customer satisfaction and improve overall operating costs. The transition of Kawasaki Parts and Accessories Distribution to UPS Supply Chain Solutions is expected to be com- plete by summer 2015. UPS will operate as a supporting distribution agent and as such, will receive, warehouse, pick, w w w . p o w e r s p o r t s b u s i n e s s . c o m NEWS: Q3 dealer survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 4 FOCUS: DX1 improves with dealer feedback . . . . . PAGE 16 AFTERMARKET: Garmin's powersports products . . . . . . . . . PAGE 34 SNOW: Hibbert preps for snocross. . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 37 INSPIRING SUCCESS THROUGH MARKET INTELLIGENCE Big Bash Go AZ Motorcycles and Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale host Biker Bob's Bash. SEE PAGE 38 HOTNEWS GIE+Expo More UTV manufacturers are participating in the Green Industry & Equipment Expo. SEE PAGE 22 2016 model Suzuki gives dealers a peek at its 2016 GSX-S1000 while also showcasing 2015 bikes. SEE PAGE 24 ARRA, Polaris call for public's help On Oct. 29, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 3-2 to push forward a pro- posed rule for mandatory product standards for recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs), specifically side-by-sides. Now industry orga- nizations and Polaris are asking for help in fighting the rule. According to a National Off-Highway Vehi- cle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) email, "The proposed rule, if ultimately approved, would limit the ability of ROV manufacturers to design vehicles to safely provide the level of per- formance that is expected by OHV enthusiasts. CPSC voted to move forward despite the fact that the proposed rule relies heavily on CPSC assumptions, rather than on scientific conclu- sions drawn from relevant testing or incident data. In addition, CPSC's proposed rule would inappropriately apply standards developed for on-highway vehicles, without ensuring that Product development becomes primary focus under Mohr's leadership BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR There's no doubt that Küryakyn wanted to go big with its Crusher Performance Division launch earlier this year. The Somerset, Wis.-based after- market company teased the launch a couple weeks in advance on social media, and then showed up in Sturgis with a Crusher-branded semi-truck and awning, new Crusher product and a team of Crusher staff. And, in August, the wraps were taken off the product, and rave reviews began pouring in. "People said we were the talk of the town that week," Küryakyn president Holger Mohr told Powersports Business. Crusher is an all-new division of 25-year-old Küryakyn, though many of its products had already been in the Küryakyn portfolio. Crusher is focused solely on performance products, such as exhaust, air cleaners, cams and fuel manage- ment products. QUICK TO MARKET The concept of a performance-only division was PSB: FOCUS E-commerce SEE PAGE 14 Küryakyn launches new division, sets future goals See WPS, Page 7 See Hot News, Page 3 December 1, 2014 • Volume 17, Number 15 • $3.99 Industry fights against CPSC ROV mandates WPS adds Marshall with buy See CPSC, Page 9 Polaris has launched StopTheROVMandate.com, a website dedicated toward educating the public about the CPSC's proposed ROV rule. See Küryakyn, Page 6 There are plenty of new faces and old around Küryakyn's Wisconsin-based headquarters. (From left) Pete Amenda, VP of Product Development; Kevin Miller, director of International Sourcing & Supply Chain; Holger Mohr, president; John Petta, director of Sales; and Undria Davis, Marketing & Communications manager. Kawasaki USA turns to UPS for distribution Shoemaker: A win-win for everyone, including dealers BY DAVE MCMAHON EDITOR IN CHIEF A pair of longtime friends and business associ- ates became dealmakers, and the powersports distributorship has a new look because of it. CEOs Craig Shoemaker of Western Power Sports and Roger Marshall of Marshall Dis- tributing, Inc., have shared meals on other continents, but the relationship between both companies runs much deeper than buying group allegiances. Roger Marshall and Duane Brobeck, Shoe- maker's father-in-law and the founder of WPS, share the same July 13, 1937, birthdate. And they both got their start in the snowmobile parts distribution business within a few years of each other. Duane suffered an untimely death in 1996 at age 59, and Shoemaker, now president and CEO of WPS, admits that Roger then became a mentor of sorts in his career. Now, Marshall, 77, will be watching from a distance after Western Power Sports' November acquisition of Marshall Distributing. Roger Marshall's lone role now will be to collect rent on the Cass City, Mich., facility from WPS. The initial results of the deal saw WPS