Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/719034
www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • September 6, 2016 • 3 HOTNEWS CONTINUED FROM COVER committed to passing that pas- sion along to others from coast to coast. The newest addition of Palm Beach Harley-Davidson will be no exception," said com- pany owner Michael Veracka. "Harley riders are one big family that love to get together, ride together and to give back to the community together. The new Palm Beach Harley will become the epicenter of that community for South Florida. Look for more bike nights, more group rides, open house parties and charity events. We will have hundreds of new and used Harleys on-site, along with an expanded selec- tion of parts, accessories and MotorClothes. In fact, we have already started shipping truck- loads of bikes from our stores across the country to immedi- ately have a larger selection for our customers when we open the doors on Day 1." Along with the massive inventory expansion, the new owners are currently hiring, with plans to double the staff. The addition to the staff is nec- essary to achieve their goal: "To fulfill dreams by delivering a premium customer experience, creating customers for life." The Veracka family's group of Harley-Davidson stores, known as The Motorcycle Company, consists of High Octane Harley-Davidson, North Billerica, Mass.; Raw- hide Harley-Davidson, Olathe, Kan.; Avalanche Harley- Davidson, Denver; Riverside Harley-Davidson, Riverside, Calif.; Huntington Beach Har- ley-Davidson, Westminster, Calif.; and now Palm Beach Harley-Davidson. HARLEY-DAVIDSON, EPA REACH SETTLEMENT Harley-Davidson, Inc. has reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA) regarding the sale of one aftermarket tun- ing product used to calibrate McKinney, Texas-based Hisun Motors Corp. USA announced the appointment of Larry Vandiver as national sales manager. Vandiver brings more than 30 years of experience in sales manage- ment from Suzuki Motor of America, American Suzuki Motor Corp, and US Suzuki Motor Corp. Vandiver held positions with Suzuki as vice president Motor- cycle/ATV and Marine Sales Division head, director of sales and marketing Marine, national promotions and retail finance manager, assistant national sales manager and Western Regional sales manager. "We are very pleased to have Larry as a part of our team," said Ryan Daugherty, Hisun Motors Corp USA vice president of Sales & Marketing. "Larry's vast experience and knowledge has made a positive difference within our sales force in a very short amount of time." "I'm looking forward to using my many years of experience in the powersports industry to help Hisun reach dealers with its vast line of quality UTVs and ATVs," Vandiver said. "Most dealers don't know the Hisun story and the excellent products assembled here in McKinney, Texas, and I'm excited about the opportunity to expand Hisun's dealer network." Hisun Motors Corp. USA's McKinney, Texas, facility houses final assembly of all products, nationwide parts distribution, sales, and expert customer service. Hisun Motors Corp. USA is the wholly owned subsidiary of Hisun Motors Corp., which manufactures all Hisun products in a state-of-the-art, 7.1-million- square-foot facility. Established in 1988, Chongqing Huansong Industrial (Group) Co. Ltd. distributes UTVs, ATVs, golf carts and motor- cycles worldwide through subsidiaries and distributors. HISUN USA HIRES VANDIVER AS NATIONAL SALES MANAGER NEWS 4 ... Inside the Lost Highway Festival FINANCIAL NEWS 8 ... Dealer Financial Snapshot 9 ... Aegis introduces fall promotion OPINION 10 ... From the Editor 10 ... Online at PowersportsBusiness.com PWC 15 ... Info-Link: Strong PWC sales in July 15 ... Farthing raises money for kids PSB: FOCUS SNOW 18 ... Hibbert walks for wishes 20 ... Michigan tops snow sales 27 ... Snow Product Showcase ATV/UTV 30 ... YANMAR, Yamaha partnership 31 ... UTV World Championship returns 33 ... Rocky Top, TN, allows street ATV use MOTORCYCLE 34 ... TCX Boots expands U.S. presence 38 ... Adly RT50: Scooter or motorcycle? SOLUTIONS 40 ... Paula Crosbie 41 ... Steve Jones AFTERMARKET 42 ... Comet thriving with CPC 44 ... Hot Products INSIDE Polaris names first VP of global safety and quality Joel Houlton, senior engineering director, has been named vice president of Global Safety and Quality for Polaris. Houlton will dual-report to Scott W. Wine, CEO and chairman, and Ken Pucel, executive vice president — Operations, Engineering and Lean. Houlton will lead a newly formed orga- nization focused on the safety and quality in Polaris' design, supplier development, manufacturing and post-sales surveillance processes. "The safety and quality of our products must be our number one priority as a com- pany," said Wine. "Joel and his team will have one simple mandate: Do whatever it takes to make Polaris the leader we should be, and that our customers and dealers expect us to be, with respect to safety and quality." Houlton joined the company in 2011, and most recently has been leading Central Engineering Operations and Defense Engi- neering, while serving as the interim leader of the Defense business. Prior to joining Polaris, Houlton gained significant leader- ship, engineering and quality experience in the aerospace industry, in roles at Honeywell and ATK. PSB Can-Am renews NASCAR team sponsorship BRP's Can-Am brand will be present on the NASCAR circuit for the next two years through its collaboration with the GoFAS No.32 NASCAR Sprint Cup series racing team, in association with the Kappa and Cyclops Gear brands. The agreement provides BRP's Can-Am brand with the opportu- nity to sponsor 36 races, 13 as primary sponsor. "BRP's successful experience to date on the NASCAR circuit in 2016 has been an important asset in our North American growth plan for the Can-Am brand," said Anne Bélec, SVP Global Brand, Communications and PAC at BRP. "It has helped the brand gain greater visibility through NASCAR's millions of North American spectators annually and get closer to our consumers and their rid- ing communities." The sponsorship includes four title races — the Can-Am Duel at Daytona and the Can-Am 500 in Phoenix for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in the U.S., and the Can-Am 200 in Toronto and Les 50 tours Can-Am in Trois-Rivières on the NASCAR Pinty's circuit in Canada. motorcycles intended for off-road and closed-course competition. As part of the settlement agree- ment, the company will no longer sell its competition-only tuner in the U.S. The company will con- tinue to sell a performance tuner designed to ensure Harley-David- son motorcycles retain 50-state and EPA on-road emissions compliance. The settlement has no impact on the company's other performance product offerings. The EPA alleged that by sell- ing its Pro Super Tuner through its U.S. dealer network, Harley- Davidson enabled dealers and customers to tamper with motor- cycles used on public roads. Harley-Davidson disagrees with the EPA's position, noting that the tuner was designed and sold as an aftermarket, competition-only product used to adapt engine parameters for use with Harley- Davidson aftermarket equipment. "This settlement is not an admission of liability but instead represents a good faith com- promise with the EPA on areas of law we interpret differently, particularly EPA's assertion that it is illegal for anyone to modify a certified vehicle even if it will be used solely for off-road/closed- course competition," said Ed Moreland, Harley-Davidson's Government Affairs director. "For more than two decades, we have sold this product under an accepted regulatory approach that permitted the sale of compe- tition-only parts. In our view, it is and was legal to use in race condi- tions in the U.S." Harley-Davidson, one of many suppliers in the aftermarket performance parts industry, has safeguards in place to educate dealers and customers on the implications of installing Harley- Davidson performance prod- ucts on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles. This includes clear product labeling of competition- only products and detail on what performance enhancements are considered street legal and for competition-use only, the legal consequences of tampering with emission controls and compo- nents, and what enhancements would void the vehicle warranty. "Concern for our U.S. cus- tomers and dealers weighed heavily in reaching this compro- mise with the EPA," said More- land. "By settling this matter, we can focus our future attention and resources on product inno- vation rather than a prolonged legal battle with the EPA." PARTS UNLIMITED NAMES REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Parts Unlim- ited has promoted Rob Oliva to regional sales man- ager for the North Region. Oliva has been a Parts Unlimited road rep for three years and a motorcycle shop owner for 10 years. PSB Larry Vandiver brings more than 30 years of industry experience to his new role as national sales manager at Hisun USA. A two-year partnership with the GoFAS No.32 NASCAR Sprint Cup series racing team will offer exposure to the Can-Am brand of vehicles, such as the Spyder. ROB OLIVA