Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/561797
www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • September 17, 2015 • 3 HOTNEWS CONTINUED FROM COVER ment. For example, Kawasaki's agreement with Capital One was recently renewed and does not expire in the near term, therefore, there will be no inter- ruption in normal business. The Capital One termination with Yamaha will not occur prior to February 2016. Capital One is one of the top five credit card issuers in the U.S. and is backed by the coun- try's sixth-largest bank. In 2012, Capital One acquired HSBC's partnership card business. RIVER ROAD NAMES KELLY BRAND MANAGER After a career path change, V-twin industry veteran How- ard Kelly is back in the saddle again. The former Hot Rod Bikes feature editor and Hot Bike editor is now the brand manager for River Road, the hardcore riding gear line for bik- ers that is part of the Tucker Rocky/ Biker's Choice portfolio. "How- ard knows the V-twin market, the products and the people," said Phil Davy, senior director apparel brands, Tucker Rocky/ Biker's Choice. "His experience as a magazine editor and later as a marketing and business devel- opment manager for S&S give him a well-rounded perspective of what is required to take River Road to the next level." In his new role, Kelly will be in charge of charting a new course for River Road, accord- ing to Davy. "He will be handling media and advertising, re-establishing the brand's identity, overseeing new product development and handling event activation for River Road," Davy said. "In a nutshell, everything!" "I have organized and facilitated product launches in the past, including the 50th Anniversary Celebration for S&S Cycle, where I created the marketing message, handled all the advertising materials and negotiated contracts with more than 25 magazines, TV stations and radio networks around the globe," Kelly said. During his tenure at S&S he also developed strategic rela- tionships for cross-promotional merchandising and even more relevant to River Road, launched new apparel lines. Kelly is now operating from the AMP Factory offices in Southern California (AMP factory is the new name for the performance apparel division of Tucker Rocky/Biker's Choice). NAPLES H-D NAMES NEW MARKETING MANAGER Scott Fischer Enterprises (SFE) announced that Taylor Loethen is the new marketing manager for Naples Harley- Davidson. Loethen began her new role in early July and will be responsible for the store's business development and marketing initiatives. Born and raised in Gainesville, Ga., Loethen worked as an account manager at Mans- field Oil Company for four years before relocating to Florida. In April 2014, Loethen moved to Cape Coral, where she has held leadership roles for several charity events. She David Voll, the founding advertising sales manager of Powers- ports Business during its January 1998 launch, has rejoined the industry's leading B2B publication as Group Publisher. Voll, who maintains his role as Group Publisher of EPG Media & Specialty Information's Motor- cycle Consumer and Green Trade brands, now is responsible for Powersports Busi- ness in addition to Rider Magazine, Thun- der Press, Outdoor Power Equipment, Sports Turf Management and Landscape and Irrigation. "I'm very excited to be back with PSB," Voll said. "It's been awesome to see where Powersports Business started, and where it stands in our industry today. I look for- ward to reconnecting with clients and vendors as we continue to develop products that connect and inform our B2B audience." Voll takes over for Amy Collins, who continues in her role as VP/Beverage & Trade with EPG Media & Specialty Information. Collins oversees Beverage Dynamics, StateWays, Cheers and Boating Industry. VOLL NAMED GROUP PUBLISHER OF POWERSPORTS BUSINESS NEWS 4 ... Royal Enfield relaunch in the U.S. 4 ... Kawasaki hires Michael Jacobs 10 ... House of Harley-Davidson sold FINANCIAL NEWS 14 ... Steve Dodds 15 ... F&I trainer head of service contracts OPINION 16 ... From the Editor 16 ... Online at PowersportsBusiness.com PSB: FOCUS SNOW 20 ... High-end sleds dominate market 22 ... Snow Goer survey shows rider trends 27 ... ISMA reports positive sales growth ATV/UTV 30 ... Honda adds staff to U.S. plant 31 ... Carlisle releases new ORV tire SOLUTIONS 28 ... Steve Jones 29 ... Paula Crosbie MOTORCYCLE 35 ... Gas Gas under liquidation 37 ... Black Widow H-D gets new owner PWC 40 ... Pro Watercross World Championship 42 ... P1 Aqua X wraps up 3rd season AFTERMARKET 43 ... Hot Products 45 ... Leatt names top reps INSIDE NADAguides.com releases Q2 report NADAguides.com, the largest publisher of the most market-reflective vehicle pricing and information available for automotive, classic cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs and manu- factured homes, has released its April-June quarterly Market Insights reports for the RV, powersports and marine Industries. Key industry highlights for Q2 2015 are as follows: RV: Traffic on NADAguides.com shows consumer interest in Heartland RVs growing by 31 percent year-to-date. Powersports: Polaris has dominated the most researched side-by-side and all-terrain vehicle lists for the first two quarters in 2015. Marine: Consumer research in the pow- erboat segment is mostly concentrated in the South at 44 percent in 2015, an increase of 3 percent from 2014. Each NADAguides Market Insights report provides an overview of changes in average retail price by product category, year-over-year brand research trends, consumer research traf- fic on NADAguides.com by geographic region, and the economic impact on each industry by factors such as fuel prices and unemployment. The current 2015 Q2 NADAguides Market Insights reports are available for download free of charge at www.nadaguides.com/Market- Reports. PSB Record number of OEM exhibitors at AIMExpo The list of OEM exhibitors that will be showcasing new products at the American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo) Oct. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando has expanded to the largest number yet. Industry-leading manufacturers representing a wide variety of brands from the dirt, street and marine segments of the powers- ports marketplace will welcome attendees both inside the OCCC and at AIMExpo Outdoors! The AIMExpo platform offers OEMs the highly effective and unique opportunity to engage with media, dealers and consumers in one place, at one time throughout the four-day event. Exhibiting manufacturers will utilize the AIMExpo platform to unveil products, showcase new models and accessories and invite attendees to join them inside interactive displays on the show floor. Moreover, AIMExpo Outdoors!, the highly successful experiential component of the event, provides the opportunity for eager attendees to test ride the latest street and off-road OEM models, with many of the machines making their demo debuts. Collectively, OEMs estimated that more than 6,000 test rides were conducted last year, and they are gearing up to substantially increase the number this year. "AIMExpo is about all things powersports, and it starts with the OEMs. We're genuinely excited to welcome more vehicle manu- facturers than ever before to Orlando in October, and a look at the floorplan clearly shows the strong foundation they provide for the AIMExpo platform," said Larry Little, VP and GM of AIMExpo. "Our OE partners offer the ultimate complement to the hundreds of exhibiting aftermarket brands and further solidify AIMExpo's position as the most comprehensive gathering of the powersports industry and market in North America." Select manufacturers will be hosting special events for both their national dealer networks and international distribution part- ners. A number will unveil new models to the press and dealers, engage in annual business meetings with dealer principals, hold in-depth product walk-arounds and generally interact with their dealer associates, who are also able to conduct significant after- market business while at AIMExpo. "Dealers are the backbone of the powersports marketplace and for those who are franchised to sell new OEM brands, AIM- Expo allows them to effectively and efficiently visit with their OEMs in one extremely convenient location in Orlando," Little continued. "Just as importantly, for those dealers not currently selling new machines, a number of OEMs are actively looking to add retail partners, so what better place for a dealer to investigate new opportunity!" The current OEM lineup, including anticipated activities at AIMExpo Outdoors! where applicable: Arctic Cat – off-road demos; Benelli; BMW; Can-Am/BRP – street and off-road demos; CFMOTO Powersports – Off-Road Demos; Gibbs Sports Amphibians – water exhibitions (spectator only); Honda – street and off-road demos; Kawasaki – street demos; KYMCO – street and off-road demos; Massimo Motors – off-road demos; Orlando Harley-Davidson – street demos; Suzuki – street and off-road demos; Yamaha/Star Motorcycles – street and off-road demos; Yamaha WaterCraft; and Zero Motorcycles – street demos. DAVID VOLL AIMExpo Outdoors! allows dealers and consumers to test ride the latest street and off-road models. most recently worked as the com- munity director for the March of Dimes, where she also took on the role of director for "Bikers for Babies," the second largest char- ity motorcycle ride for the March of Dimes in the United States. HOWARD KELLY TAYLOR LOETHEN See Hot News, Page 4