Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/575161
PSB FOCUS This issue: Metric bikes Next issue: Helmet & Apparel www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • October 5, 2015 • 19 Trending upward METRIC SPORT BIKES: SALES GROWTH FROM Q2 2011 TO Q2 2015 GROWS BY 8 PERCENT [ [ u 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 FINANCE: Jury returns Sea-Doo verdict. . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 16 NEWS: Power 50 dealers honored at AIMExpo . . . . PAGE 3 FOCUS: Exclusive metric motorcycle study . . . . . . PAGE 20 POWER 50: Adam Smith buys two more stores . . . . . . PAGE 61 After last year's inaugural Powers- ports Business Institute @ AIMExpo Kickoff Networking Reception was met with great attendance and positive feedback, PSB is bringing the event back for 2015. Join PSB and host Manheim Spe- cialty Auctions from 5-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14 on the pool bal- cony overlooking the pool at the Rosen Centre Hotel adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center. The Kickoff Reception will include beer, wine and appetizers, thanks to Manheim Specialty Auctions. Bring your AIMExpo badge to the door, and you'll be able to join dealers, PSBI@ AIMExpo speakers, exhibitors and others from the industry during this INSPIRING SUCCESS THROUGH MARKET INTELLIGENCE Light it up Brite-Lites shows off its new products at Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties NVP. SEE PAGE 57 HOTNEWS Work and play Yamaha develops 2016 models: The Grizzly for play and the Kodiak for work. SEE PAGE 34 Go off-road After its Polaris acquistion, Hammerhead Off-Road sees 20 percent growth in 2015. SEE PAGE 42 NVP in Madison might have been the best one yet BY KATE SWANSON ASSISTANT EDITOR Another month, another industry first. In August, I had the opportunity to cross another "must" off my list, the Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties National Vendor Presentation. With the same nerves as a new student on the second day of school, I made my way to the Monona Terrace Event Center in Madison, Wis., anticipating my first interviews at the show and preparing for the rumored massive turnout of dealers. What I found was a venue brimming with powersports enthusiasm and an educational experience for all who attended. I arrived in time to join the dealer preview on Saturday, registering on the top floor and taking several escalators down to the exhibition hall, a change new to this year's show. "We had a really good turnout, I think, with more vendors than ever," said Jim Matchette, Drag Specialties' national sales manager. "We expanded the front entryway where you came down the escalators and moved registration upstairs to add extra booths — that was a real success. For us, it couldn't have gone any better." My first booth stop of the day was to see Jay Savignac and his crew at Arctiva, the Parts Unlim- ited snowmobile apparel line. After a photo op of the Arctiva gear, Savignac walked me through some new products, including Z1R Helmets, which complement Arctiva's apparel options. Next I ran into Sukoshi Fahey, senior account manager for Avon Tyres, who has a long history with the NVP and commented on this year's expansion: "This year they've added more vendors, more enthusiasm with the ICON show and display bikes. They're trying to add more value to the dealers coming and keeping that excitement going." It's clear that Parts Unlimited definitely suc- ceeded in drawing more dealers this year. Dealer attendance was up this year over last, and with more than 175 reps and 200-plus vendors, NVP was the perfect recipe for a good time. Walking through the carefully planned aisles, I saw many people catching up like old friends and displaying genuine interest in what each vendor had to offer. "We try to mix up the rows with V-twin and metric products to keep the dealers active and keep the vendors engaged. It really keeps PSB: FOCUS Metric bikes SEE PAGE 19 Unlimited opportunities See NVP, Page 4 See Hot News, Page 3 October 5, 2015 • Volume 18, Number 13 • $3.99 Manheim to sponsor networking event at AIMExpo in Orlando Above: (From left) Steve Weir, Jimmy Rauser, Brandon Mueller and Jay Savignac posed for photo op in new Arctiva gear. Right: ICON had a presence both inside and outside the show, with an indoor display within the expo hall and an ICON Limiter Live show outside. First-of-its-kind 5-speed manual starts at $19,799 BY DAVE MCMAHON EDITOR IN CHIEF Mike Goff, co-owner of Snake River Yamaha, a single-line dealer in Meridian, Idaho, didn't need to think twice when asked when he last antici- pated a product launch with such excitement. "It's the most buzz I've seen in 19 years in the business," Goff said. Goff had not yet witnessed the memorable launch of the all-new sport side-by-side from Yamaha, the YXZ1000R. That would come the following day in Long Beach, Calif. But he had a hunch about what was coming, and he — like all of the other dealers who were invited to the exclusive event (store owners only, thanks) — can't wait to get his first product shipment Yamaha Motors Corp., USA, officials outdid themselves with the global launch production, placing bleachers, a stadium-style video board and a dirt demo track — complete with about 300 feet of whoops that were the talk of the ride — on a swath of an undeveloped pier at the Port of Long Beach. "Transportation" to the event included a double-decker bus or trolley to a marina. Upon boarding a Harbor Breeze Yamaha YXZ1000R: 'Most buzz I've seen in 19 years' See Yamaha, Page 38 The all-new 2016 Yamaha YXZ1000R left dealers smiling at the global launch in Long Beach.