Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/561797
6 • September 17, 2015 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com this year's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was going to be a special one for Harley-Davidson. In mid- January, the Motor Company announced that it had entered an agreement with the city to be the official motorcycle of the rally for the next 75 years, creating a sponsorship that will extend to the 150th rally. On top of that, the OEM revealed plans to build a permanent plaza, dubbed the Rally Point, on Main Street and the new Harley- Davidson Way (formerly Second Street). "Harley customers and the Motor Company have been really a cornerstone of the rally for decades, and with the 75th rally … we wanted to do something really big and special and also do something that would demonstrate our commitment to the city of Sturgis. That's where the concept of the Harley-Davidson Rally Point came up, which really is kind of a capstone of our activities out here this week," McCann told Powersports Business at the rally. The Rally Point played host to a number of events and activities, including live music acts, product walkarounds, "Ask Me Anything" ses- sions at which H-D employees were quizzed by the crowd, trivia contests for H-D enthusiasts and celebrity appearances. Willie G's annual unique-to-the-Sturgis-Rally gear was also sold at the Rally Point. But the addition of the Rally Point wasn't the only change in Harley-Davidson's approach for 2015. The OEM moved its main display to Fourth Street and Lazelle Street at the site of the Sturgis Community Center. The display included a number of new Harley-Davidson bikes, a Dark Custom setup, the latest parts and accessories and general merchandise, photo opportunities with unique backgrounds, Har- ley-Davidson's partner Weber Grills, a Jump- start Rider Experience with the Livewire and other models, a booth for the Road to Sturgis 75th Passport Tour, a demo area that included more than 100 bikes and more. "This is our first year here at Fourth and Lazelle at the Community Center, and we've got the indoor space, so it's a great way to get out of the heat. And we have a whole Harley Owners Group area where they can sit down and get some popcorn and water and just relax and get out of the sun," McCann reported. Though Powersports Business caught up with McCann only two days into the official rally, he was already noticing how large the crowd was when compared to previous years. "There's something about the 'five' anniver- saries that it seems to be growing and growing, and what we've seen in speaking with custom- ers is … people that maybe don't go every year, they've selected this one and said 'Hey, I've got to get out there for the 75th.' At the same time, we're also seeing riders and customers that are saying, 'This has always been on my bucket list, and this is the year I'm going to go,'" McCann said. "It's clear that this is the biggest one, and there are more people out here than in the past." INDIAN, VICTORY AND SLINGSHOT The 75th rally was also a milestone for Polaris' Indian brand, as Indian has deep roots in the original Black Hills Classic, which was launched in 1938. (If you're doing the math, there are more than 75 years between 1938 and 2015, however the rally missed a couple years during the World War II era.) "What's so cool about this one is this rally in particular was started by Pappy Hoel, who was with the Jackpine Gypsies and an Indian dealer, so it's kind of that whole 75 years of what Indian was way back. And we bring it forward, and you see what Indian is today, and really having those two points in time in the brand connect, it's really important to our Indian brand," Steve Menneto, vice president of Motorcycles at Polaris Industries told Power- sports Business. Though Indian has deep heritage in the Sturgis Rally, Polaris made a big impact this year with its Victory and Slingshot motorcycle brands as well, displaying all three brands in a new space on Lazelle Street that was about twice the size of Polaris' 2014 presence. "What we tried to do is set up what we call America's Block Party, and with Victory and Indian partnering with Jack Daniels and some of the local vendors in town here, we've tried to create a great place for people to just come and mingle, love motorcycles and experience all the three brands together," Menneto explained. The Polaris booth included new models of all three brands on display, a historic exhibit of Indian Motorcycles, a map on which people could sign their names, parts and accessories and apparel for all brands, custom Slingshots, a factory exhibition area, live bands, free Vic- tory Motorcycles parking, the Jack Daniels display, Victory's drag racing motorcycles, the Project 156 Victory that raced at Pikes Peak, the electric Victory that raced at Isle of Man and more. Demos, including that of the new Victory Empulse TT electric motorcycle, were held at another site. Menneto said the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is always a key event on Polaris' annual calendar. "It's a big part of our business, of course, because you have so many of our customers that come all at once, and it's a great way for See Sturgis, Page 8 STURGIS CONTINUED FROM COVER