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OPINION FROM THE EDITOR 26 • October 3, 2016 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com If the calendar is flipping to October, it must be time to make sure the sunglasses are in place for another trip to Orlando. AIMExpo, as you can read about in our cover story, is making its Orlando swan song this year, with the industry's largest U.S. trade show set to move to Columbus, Ohio, in 2017. We're hoping you make the most of your final journey to Orlando. It's been a strong four years for us each time we go to AIMExpo. Heck, the 84-page edition you are read- ing this very moment is hefty in large part because of AIMExpo. It's the one time of the year when the industry can count on a universal gathering of brands, OEMs, dealers, media, aftermarket compa- nies and service providers. As usual, the PSB staff will be hunkering down in the Powersports DEALER Seminars rooms, facilitating and overseeing the dozens of free seminars that dealers are encouraged to attend on the first two days of AIMExpo. Oh, we'll be on the show floor, too, but look for us more on Saturday and Sunday. For the fourth year in a row, we'll get things started on Thursday, Oct. 13, with the annual Power 50 Awards Dinner. Sponsored this year by CyclePro, Manheim Specialty Auctions, EFG Companies, Syn- chrony Financial and RPMOne, it figures to be the most epic of them all. We'll reveal the Power 50 deal- ers, including a countdown of Nos. 5-4-3-2 before announcing with great fanfare the Power 50 No. 1 dealer. Thanks to the support of the sponsors, this year we'll be able to add some new wrinkles to the invita- tion-only event. Didn't get invited this year? Be on the lookout in January for the 2017 Power 50 dealer appli- cation. We'll look forward to seeing your application next year. Of course, the Powersports DEALER Seminars that we've all been eagerly awaiting will get started on Thursday, Oct. 13, also, continuing on Friday for two full days of free dealer training. There's plenty to like about the lineup, and I've already heard comments from many of you about how much you're looking forward to some of the sessions. Thanks to the support of premier sponsors CDK Global Recreation, National Powersport Auctions and track sponsors Aegis Pow- ersports and Northpoint Commercial Finance, the seminars will allow us to extend our brand in-person. We look forward to getting reacquainted with you, and make sure to stop any of us on the PSB staff if we can assist you in any way. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Speaking of travel, the PSB editorial staff has been doing plenty of that in recent months. Most recently our travels have been to Milwaukee, Dallas, Fort Wayne, Madison, Columbus and finally China. We've run into a host of industry types and deal- ers, always looking to secure stories about brands or concepts that can help you run your dealership bet- ter. Not familiar with all the brands and OEMs out there? We never claimed to know them all either, but every time we get the opportunity to do so, we'll tell you all we can about them. From managing edi- tor Liz Keener visiting with ODES UTV dealers in Dallas to assistant editor Kate Swanson getting the inside scoop on what's brewing at Royal Enfield North America, we have plenty of travel stories in this edition that will provide you with knowledge you likely didn't have previously. SERIOUS FEEDBACK There's no better way to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry than by getting out to trade shows and media rides. And over the past few weeks, I've heard more about Vaughn Penrod's letter to the editor in last month's edition of PSB than I've heard about any other story all year long. Essentially, dealer after dealer, most of whom I consider highly successful, said he nailed their sentiment exactly. "He wrote what we have all been thinking," is how one dealer described his take. MAVERICK X3 OFF TO HOT START Early dealer feedback from the launch of the Can-Am Maverick X3 is "overwhelmingly positive and bet- ter than we expected," according to a research note provided to Powersports Business from BMO Capital Markets analyst Gerrick Johnson. The Maverick X3, the most powerful factory-built side-by-side ever built that features 154 horsepower and up to 24 inches of suspension travel, is set to hit dealerships in September with the base Maverick X3 and X3 X ds. The larger X rs units will be at dealerships in October. "Feedback, thus far, on the Maverick X3 Turbo SxS has been overwhelmingly positive and better than we had expected," Johnson reports. "Our initial chan- nel checks indicate the X3 has been extremely well received by both dealers and consumers, particularly in the western U.S., where riders have access to more open terrain appropriate for this very large machine." Johnson adds that "many dealers we contacted in the southwestern U.S. market claim to be ordering almost twice as many initial 2017 Maverick SxS units this year as they did last year for MY2016." "Almost all western U.S. dealers we contacted have pre-sold units by taking non-refundable consumer deposits. Some larger dealers report receiving over a dozen customer deposits in just one week since the announcement." "As expected, dealers in the eastern half of the con- tinent, with less open space and tighter, forested trails see fewer opportunities to sell the machine. Most of these dealers plan on ordering only a handful of units and generally don't have many deposits or pre-sales." BMO Capital Markets continue to rate BRP stock as "outperform." ANOTHER WHOPPER Speaking of "outperforming," a gigantic tip of the cap goes to my fellow PSB editorial staffers, Liz Keener and Kate Swanson. Travel is a part of this gig, and they stepped up in a big way to make this edition happen, while Power 50 and the seminar duties grabbed much of my time. You know when you put together one of those amazing sales months, and you get to the end of the road and think "Wow! How did we do that?" That's how we feel about the edition of PSB. It's an 84-page whopper, and one that many folks put a lot of time and energy into in order to help you gain edge. BEST OF LUCK Best of luck to Raymond Walters, general sales man- ager for the last 10 years at Got Gear Motorsports in Ridgeland, Mississippi. He announced in the dealer- ship's e-newsletter this week that he's moving on to take a position as DSM for BRP in its PAC division, covering Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Best news is that he's staying in the industry. PSB Dave McMahon is editor in chief of Powersports Business. Contact him at 763/383-4411 or dmcmahon@powersportsbusiness.com. 1. Can-Am Maverick X3 wins Vegas to Reno race 2. Harley-Davidson launches Milwaukee-Eight engine 3. Harley-Davidson to lay off 200 employees 4. Yamaha WaterCraft introduces 2017 WaveRunner lineup 5. Kawasaki returns with 2017 stand up Jet Ski 6. Yamaha announces additional 2017 models, accessories 7. BRP announces management restructure 8. Arctic Cat issues side-by-side recall 9. BMW debuts concept bike at Sturgis 10. Harley-Davidson sues online retailer 11. Polaris announces fix for RZR XP Turbos 12. Report: BRP considers entering two-wheel market 13. Harley-Davidson dealer in Wisconsin closes 14. Honda Pioneer growth brings 250 new jobs, $45 million plant expansion 15. Polaris announces 2017 RZR XP Turbo models The headlines above belong to the most frequently viewed articles from Powersports Business' three-times weekly e-news during the August 22-September 20 period. The number is based on the percentage of e-news viewers who clicked on the article's headline. To subscribe to e-news, go to www.bit.ly/PSBEnewsSignup. WHAT'S THE HOTTEST INDUSTRY TOPIC? Powersports Business blog ONLINE WITH POWERSPORTSBUSINESS.COM Leading industry executives and dealer consultants are among the contributors to PSB's blog. See below for recent blogs. Who has their bags packed for one final trip to Orlando? Visit powersportsbusiness.com/blogs Facebook clears 2,000 likes Powersports Business' Facebook page has offically surpassed 2,000 likes! From travel videos to product reveals, the editorial team has worked to engage our followers and bring you all the information you want the most. News of editor in chief Dave McMahon's travels to Hangzhou, China for CFMOTO has already reached 605 people, and assistant editor Kate Swan- son's inside look at the 2017 AIMExpo location has also gained readership. Look for their follow-up stories within the pages of this issue and future issues! Visit www.facebook.com/PSBMagazine to follow our editorial staff around the world this month, and stay up to date with the latest powers- ports news. JACKSON SMITH Parts and Service Manager, Destination Powersports During the busy day-to-day activities of running a dealership, it is easy to forget that the OEM benefits are avail- able and can be extremely valuable in producing a positive experience for our customers. NAPOLEON TETREAULT Sales Representative, Tucker Rocky Put your customers' needs first, be relevant, be part of the culture and make sure you are having fun. These few things are not an all-encompassing recipe for success, but they will help you be more engaging and be less like a burnout. COLLEEN MALLOY Director of Marketing, ARI Beginning on January 10, 2017, Google will penalize mobile sites with intrusive interstitials. As more and more people use their mobile devices to browse the internet, Google is put- ting more emphasis on the importance of offering a good mobile experience. DAVID KOSHOLLEK President, DAKO Management The number one trait all technicians need to be successful? A great atti- tude! If a tech can't get along, won't be team player and worse, creates an workplace alliance that causes animosity, it's as bad as pouring sugar in the gas tank. If the calendar is flipping to October, it must be time to make sure the sunglasses are in place for another trip to Orlando. AIMExpo, as you can read about in our cover story, is making its Orlando DAVE McMAHON