Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/648549
PSB FOCUS 12 • March 14, 2016 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com This issue: Utility UTV Next issue: V-twin Motorcycle DEFENDER ENTER THE Read more on page 18. Can-Am's utility UTV debut: 'Tough, capable and clever' 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: TR president steps down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 3 FINANCE: FreedomRoad Financial adds partner . . . . . PAGE 8 FOCUS: Moose Utility unveils new products . . . . . PAGE 22 AFTERMARKET: AirHawk selects marketing agency . . . . . . PAGE 44 Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) has announced that Yoshitaka "Yoshi" Tamura will succeed Masa- fumi "Masa" Nakagawa as president of the company, effective April 1 Nak- agawa has been with KMC's parent company for 39 years and will retire after recently reaching the company's retirement age. Tamura returns to KMC after serving in many roles for Kawasaki, including as director of Kawasaki Motors Europe and most recently as associate officer, KD Office in the Marketing and Sales division of Kawa- saki's Motorcycle and Engine Com- pany, where he worked with Kawasaki subsidiaries around the globe. Tamura will lead KMC in celebrat- ing the company's 50th anniversary in INSPIRING SUCCESS THROUGH MARKET INTELLIGENCE In it to Twin it Liz Keener shares her experience at the 2016 V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati. SEE PAGE 32 HOTNEWS Parts for sale AP Venture distributes for discontinued brand. SEE PAGE 22 H-D boot camp Harley-Davidson dealer hosts beginner's boot camp at local hotel. SEE PAGE 32 Neal Awards honor top B2B brands Powersports Business has been named a finalist in the 62nd Annual Jesse H. Neal Awards com- petition for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence). Winners will be revealed at the Neal Awards ceremony on April 1 at Pier 60 in New York City. Powersports Business entered in the "Brand revenue of less than $3 million annually" cat- egory. The Neal Awards are the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized jour- nalism and are presented by Connectiv, The Business Information Association. The finalists are as follows: Brand revenue of less than $3 million — BLR Media, Business and Legal Resources; Chief Investment Officer, Asset International; Power- sports Business, EPG Media & Specialty Infor- mation; Scholastic Teacher Resources, Scholastic. Brand revenue of $3-$7 million — AdEx- changer, AdExchanger; Heavy Duty Trucking, Bobit Business Media; Tech and Learning, NewBay Media; Supermarket News, Penton. B r a n d r e v - e n u e o f m o r e than $7 million — A u t o m o t i v e N e w s , C r a i n Communications; Aviation Week, Penton; Architect Maga- z i n e , H a n l e y W o o d ; I E E E S p e c t r u m , IEEE Spectrum. Named after Jesse H. Neal, the first man- aging director of ABM (now Connectiv), the Neal Awards were established in 1955 to PSB: FOCUS Utility UTV SEE PAGE 12 See Hot News, Page 3 March 14, 2016 • Volume 19, Number 4 • $3.99 PSB up for national award See Award, Page 5 New model releases see increased foot traffic BY KATE SWANSON ASSISTANT EDITOR In its eighth stop on the tour, the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows saw record traffic at the Minneapolis Convention Center in February. Despite the show having taken place on Super Bowl weekend, attendance was strong with the total reaching 40,102 people at the three-day show. Tracy Harris, senior vice president of Progres- sive International Motorcycle Shows – UBM Americas, told Powersports Business that the Minneapolis stop was well received. The IMS added Portland and Sacramento stops to the tour this year, in place of Seattle and San Mateo, Calif. The new locations also proved successful. "We saw a higher percentage of younger people at the Portland show than we have historically seen in Seattle," Harris said. "For the most part, the shows are trending on par with prior years. "The biggest thing we're seeing this year is that we are trending younger; we are seeing more women, and we are seeing more diversity," Har- ris said. "We're really excited about that because that's the number one thing that the community has been asking for — more new riders and more diversity in the riding population." In 2015, Progressive IMS began using the hashtag #RidersUnite, which Harris explained is a mantra that reinforced the support for more diversity and new riders in attendance at the IMS tour stops: "#RidersUnite began with our 2015 tour, and it's really an all-inclusive phrase to IMS brings hopeful outlook on 2016 See IMS, Page 6 PHOTO BY BETH DOLGNER, COURTESY OF THE PROGRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOWS See our Power 50 dealer feature on page 46 www.powersportsbusiness.com/Power-50 The International Motorcycle Show Minneapolis stop saw more than 40,000 people in attendance, despite taking place on Super Bowl weekend. 2016 Powersports Business Power 50 dealer application is now available at: Kawasaki USA president Nakagawa retiring