Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/485263
12 • April 6, 2015 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com by-sides, motorcycles, boats and ATVs. The original boat show was five days long and placed over a federal holiday for easier atten- dance. For the first run as a motorsports show, Piedalue said the mall started small with hopes to expand later. "It can be a hard time for some of the dealers to staff two loca- tions; I didn't want to tax them too much with too many days away from their primary busi- ness," she added. Southgate plans to make the event at least an annual event, with a commitment to show- casing a variety of local companies. "We had a couple dealers that weren't able to make it," Piedalue said. "Montana Harley-Davidson wasn't able to make it, and I wanted to bring in more of that street-riding element. I want to get a couple more dealers involved as well." Each company paid a one-time fee of $500, similar to a kiosk arrangement. The turnout for the event was almost as varied as the lines offered, from powersports enthusiasts to the interested mall spectators. Based on sales numbers at the mall, which were high, Piedalue said it's safe to say that the event was a success. Lloyd Eckley, owner of Five Valley Honda Yamaha, also enjoyed the experience. "My favorite part was just talking to the people and having interested customers there. It wasn't just your normal mall traffic or mall walkers. We had some powersports enthusiasts, and I talked to numerous people that were at Southgate just for the show." Eckley took 10 units with him to the mall and was able to show them off to an impressive crowd. "I thought the traffic was really good," he added. "We've got a lot of leads, and we've gained a lot of interest." Maverick Motorsports owner Brent Gyuricza was able to show off some of his Tri- umph motorcycles at the event. "It was good exposure. Being a Triumph dealer, there were a lot of people who didn't know they were mak- ing Triumph again, so that was really good for name recognition. We made a lot of contacts and were able to talk to a lot of people," he said. Of the original six powersports dealers, it's clear that at least Five Valley Honda Yamaha and Maverick Motorsports are interested in attending again. Gyuricza took 12 units with him to the show, and if he'll do anything dif- ferently next year, it will be bringing more Triumphs, he reported. The dealership's sales have shown that mak- ing contacts in person is a great way to rev up sales, especially during the cold winter months. "Sometimes folks don't make it into a deal- ership," said Gyuricza. "It's that opportunity to someone who used to ride and hasn't in a while or maybe someone who wants to have a little more adventure and fun again." "It was great to see all the excitement," said Piedalue, who looks forward to an even bigger show next year. "I think a lot of people unexpectedly happened upon it, and they were excited about having the variety of different exhibits." PSB MALLRATS CONTINUED FROM COVER PG&A store set to open in June on Lazelle Street After years of J&P Cycles holding down fort in Sturgis, S.D., in the weeks before, during and after the yearly Sturgis Rally, a permanent, year- round retail center will open its doors in June. The facility, located at 1650 Lazelle St., will be undergoing a facelift prior to its opening, and while the square footage will not increase, the building will have a fresh look on the out- side as well as inside. The motorcycle aftermar- ket retail giant's new Sturgis retail center will house a wide assortment of motorcycle parts and accessories, including exhausts, seats, windshields and saddlebags, as well as leathers and other apparel items. "J&P Cycles has been part of the Sturgis Rally for over 30 years. With the tourist attrac- tions, traffic and economic development taking place within Sturgis, opening this location year- around is a win-win not only for J&P Cycles, but the City of Sturgis as well," said J&P Cycles vice president/general manager Zach Parham. Sturgis city manager Daniel Ainslie added: "The City of Riders is pleased to welcome J&P Cycles into our community year-round. As the world leader of motorcycle aftermarket parts and accessories, they will provide an exciting and valued service to local and traveling riders, alike. J&P and Sturgis look forward to welcom- ing millions of riders to the beautiful Black Hills throughout this summer and beyond as we pre- pare to celebrate the 75th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally." PSB J&P Cycles opening year-round store in Sturgis In June, J&P Cycles will open a year-round retail store in Sturgis, S.D. J.JUAN SA announced that it has reached an agreement with im-possible communication, a Milan, Italy-based agency specializing in the automotive and motorcycle sector. The agency will develop the international press office activ- ities for J.JUAN corpo- rate, product and racing to support and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Spanish company headquartered in Gavà- Barcelona. J.JUAN's main activity is the design and building of control cables and com- ponents of brake systems for the automotive sector. J.JUAN's focus is as an OEM supplier to motor- cycle, ATV, UTV and mini car companies on the global market. The company currently supplies from its factories in Gavá (Barcelona) and China, from its factory in Jiaxing in the area of Shanghai. J.JUAN also works with technical-commercial assistance offices in Milwaukee and Pune, India. In March, J.JUAN launched a new assembly line of brake systems in its China factory that will allow the company to assemble and verify master cylinders and calipers as well as com- plete systems with ABS. J.JUAN is recognized for its continuous research for custom- ers' satisfaction, adding new solutions, keeping a high quality level of its supplies and expand- ing its products catalog continuously. J.JUAN Group employs more than 400, 20 per- cent of whom work in the Development Department. In 2014, the company's sales volume topped 37 million euros ($39.2 million): 50 percent in the Euro- pean market, 30 percent in the U.S. market and 20 percent in the Asian market. J.JUAN Group has a partnership for brak- ing systems with teams in the 2015 World Superbike Championship (Kawasaki Fac- tory Team) and MotoGP (Avintia Racing Team). PSB J.JUAN brakes adds Milan agency to celebrate 50th Spain's J.JUAN Brakes unveiled its 50th anni- versary logo. New apparel brand launches Indianapolis-based American Metric Motor- cycle Company (AMMC), a metric-focused apparel company, is celebrating the launch of its first collection of T-shirts, beanies, work shirts and hoodies for the metric enthusiast. AMMC offers quality apparel, value and selection to mirror the very reasons metric riders love owning metric bikes, the company reported. The spring collection highlights the firm's signature graphics including the winged wheel, four "General" stars and a Ferrari-red cap. Many pieces are made with comfort fabrics and feature fashion-forward designs. "Our vision at AMMC is to provide inspired designs and quality apparel for all metric motorcycle riders," said partner Cole Keesling. "We started this company because I couldn't find the styling, quality and consistency apparel products, and now we are delivering killer looks on and off the bike. We want metric rid- ers to ride whatever they like and never have to switch gears." Keesling and business partner Jason McCrocklin created the idea of AMMC to address the metric rider while out on a busi- ness lunch. Keesling was complaining about the lack availability of quality merchandise and community, and McCrocklin decided they could fill the gap. PSB American Metric Motorcycle Company launched its debut lineup of apparel. Five Valley Honda Yamaha of Missoula, Mont., set up a shop as part of Southgate Mall's first motorsports event in February.