Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/711372
www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • August 15, 2016 • 3 HOTNEWS CONTINUED FROM COVER 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in Ball- rooms A and B. Vendors will speak about their newest prod- ucts, latest trends and in-depth sales strategies. On Sunday, Aug. 28, the expo floor is open from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Product give- aways will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the entrance to the expo floor. Tens of thousands of dol- lars worth of product provided by the exhibitors will be given away to dealers. BRP, LOCAL DEALER SUPPORT CANADIAN COMMUNITY BRP, in solidarity with its Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, dealer Raven Motorsports, provided a $20,000 donation to the Wood Buffalo Community Food Bank that is struggling to answer the demand as families and individuals return to their devastated communities. BRP's donation supplements Raven's own contribution of $10,000. A forest fire in early May destroyed approximately 2,400 buildings and forced the evacu- ation of more than 80,000 resi- dents. The Wood Buffalo Food Bank provides programs to ensure food security for all citi- zens. With residents returning to Fort McMurray since early June — some to homes that have been completely destroyed — the organization has seen a fivefold increase in demand. "We have been in regular contact with our local dealer, and we understand that the cry- ing need is in re-entry efforts," said Bernard Guy, BRP's vice- president and regional general manager, North America. "BRP is committed to supporting its local communities. Our thoughts are with the first responders, volunteers, business and community leaders and all residents as they rebuild their communities." "This event has not only impacted the local population; it has brought significant change to Alberta," said Richard Balan, president, RTA (Raven Truck Accessories) Holdings. "We are very proud of how our orga- nization, vendors and partners have pulled together with the entire province to assist with the rebuilding and to help those in need." "Our commitment to Fort McMurray and our desire to contribute helps our family continue to deal with this chal- lenging experience, as we work to re-open our business," said A total of more than 93,000 page views were registered on Power- sportsBusiness.com during the month of June, a record not only for that month, but for any month. That's a marked increase com- pared to the 63,000 page views that were recorded in June 2015. "Combine a mobile-friendly website with an editorial com- mitment to content that our industry simply expects from us, and you get 32 percent year-over-year growth," Powersports Business editor in chief Dave McMahon said. "We understand that our audience of industry members engage with us on a variety of plat- forms. The print edition of the magazine continues to thrive, and with 93,000 website page views during one month, we're doing everything we can to cater to our industry readers." RECORD PAGE VIEWS FOR INDUSTRY WEBSITE IN JULY INSIDE H a r l e y - D a v i d s o n , I n c . ( N Y S E : H O G ) announced the election of Maryrose Sylvester and Brian Niccol to the company's board of directors, effective today. Sylvester is president and CEO of Current, powered by GE, and Nic- col is CEO of Taco Bell Corp. "We are pleased to have such highly expe- rienced leaders join our board," said Michael Cave, non-executive chairman for Harley- Davidson, Inc. "Maryrose and Brian each lead innovative companies with strong brand rec- ognition in a very dynamic marketplace. We believe they will bring great insight and energy to Harley-Davidson." Sylvester has held a variety of assignments during her 28 years with GE, including presi- dent of the former GE Quartz and GE Lighting Systems, resident and CEO of GE Intelligent Platforms and most recently, president and CEO of GE Lighting. Niccol joined Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Brands, in 2011 and previously served as presi- dent and chief marketing and innovation officer. Prior to his positions at Taco Bell, Niccol served as vice president of strategy and chief marketing officer for Pizza Hut, another division of Yum! Brands. Previously, he held several brand man- agement positions at Procter & Gamble. The election of Sylvester and Niccol's terms will expire at the company's 2017 annual meet- ing of shareholders. PSB Cycles 128 staffer wins Helmet House award Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based Helmet House, Inc., one of the larg- est powersports distributors in the U.S. and manufacturers and SHOEI Safety Helmet, Inc. announced that John Baker, a parts associate at Cycles 128 in Beverly, Mass., is the latest winner of his choice of new SHOEI helmet after completing the powers- ports industry's leading online product training course, SHOEI University Online. Baker picked a SHOEI VFX-W off-road as the latest Helmet House prize winner. Helmet House account representative Mark Przechocki and Cycle 128 parts manager Myooran Nakeswaran joined Baker at the presentation event. By successfully completing SHOEI University Online, Baker not only obtained valuable SHOEI product, selling skill and cus- tomer handling knowledge, he was also automatically entered into a drawing to win a free SHOEI helmet of his choice, through successfully completing the online coursework. Baker was also awarded a completion certificate suitable for framing, as well as a SHOEI sponsored rider FlexFit hat. SHOEI University Online offers qualifying dealer parts person- nel video-driven courses covering both SHOEI research and devel- opment and manufacturing processes, as well as overviews of each SHOEI helmet model. A second course covers helmet selling skills and customer handling techniques that are based on best practices culled from the top-selling SHOEI dealers around the U.S. SHOEI University Online is hosted by five-time AMA 250cc road racing champion Rich Oliver via interactive video presentations on each topic the courses cover. A third mini-course covers the all-new SHOEI X-Fourteen, SHOEI's state of the art road racing full-face helmet launched earlier in 2016. "SHOEI University is a very valuable training tool for SHOEI dealers. It has consistently proven to increase SHOEI sales for stocking dealers. We congratulate John and Cycles 128 and hope he enjoys his new SHOEI VFX-W," said Moichi Tsuzuki, presi- dent of SHOEI Safety Helmet, Inc. "As an online learning tool, SHOEI dealers can learn at their own pace and during convenient times in their schedule. It has been a proven business-building tool for thousands of stocking SHOEI dealers and is another great example of SHOEI's leadership in the motorcycle helmet market." Harley-Davidson adds CEOs to board Sandy and Jason Glasbergen, local owner operators, Raven Motorsports. Raven Motorsports is a silver- certified dealer in BRP's Can- Am off-road vehicles, Ski-Doo snowmobiles and their respective parts, accessories and riding gear, as well as providing service. Raven Motorsports has proudly been part of the Fort McMurray market since 2003. NEW GM AT CALIFORNIA DEALERSHIP North County House of Motor- cycles in Vista, Calif., announced that Minnesota native Brett Dickinson has been named the dealership's general manager. Origi- nally from Minnesota, Dickinson began riding at age 9 and has been a motorcycle fanatic ever since. He See Hot News, Page 4 PowersportsBusiness.com had a record 93,000 page views during July. John Baker picked a SHOEI VFX-W Grant 2 off-road helmet, as the latest Hel- met House prize winner. Cycle 128's parts manager Myooran Nakeswaran (left) and Helmet House account representative Mark Przechocki (right) joined him at the presentation. BRETT DICKINSON The Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties NVP Product Expo in Madison, Wis., begins Saturday, Aug. 27, with the show floor open from noon to 5:30 p.m., con- tinuing Sunday, Aug. 28. NEWS 4 ... Husqvarna partners with Jeff Emig FINANCIAL NEWS 10 ... Yamaha Canada launches financing 11 ... CDF, Hisun partner OPINION 13 ... From the Editor 13 ... Online at PowersportsBusiness.com PSB: FOCUS Adventure Bikes 14 ... Honda unleashes the Africa Twin 16 ... CDK study: Adventure segment grows 18 ... KBB: Interest in dual sport down 19 ... Guest Column: Erik Stephens ATV/UTV 22 ... New branding for Bad Boy MOTORCYCLE 32 ... U.S. tech competes in Worlds 33 ... Suzuki sales increase in June PWC 38 ... Kawasaki racer win at LB2CAT SOLUTIONS 40 ... Mark Mooney 41 ... Sam Dantzler SNOWMOBILE 42 ... Yamaha relocates snow HQ 42 ... New marketing director for Curve AFTERMARKET 44 ... Hot Products