Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/787665
12 nMarch 2017n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Shadow CINCINNATI, OHIO, JAN. 28–29—In the dead of winter, when many motorcycle dealerships and inde- pendent shops endure sluggish sales and service request slowdowns, the annual V-Twin Expo offers welcome respite. From all over the country, often in the midst of snowstorms, dealers and shop owners come to Cincinnati to see the latest and great- est offerings for the American V-twin aftermarket. This year, though, the weather gods cooperated, gifting us with only a few fl urries that caused only minor fl ight delays at the tail end of the weekend. The V-Twin Expo, now in its 17th year, is the only trade show that caters solely to the American V-twin market, and, as such, is open only to manufac- turers, distributors, dealers, and other motorcycle industry professionals. The Expo has seen the industry through its peak, when in 2007 the show had its biggest year ever, with two fl oors of the Duke Energy Center packed to the gills with exhibitors and attendees. And it has mirrored the economic freefall of the following decade, where the motorcycle industry, which largely comprises discretionary rather than essential products, has taken a harder hit than many other business genres. During those boom years, a num- ber of production custom motorcycle and parts manufacturers sprung up, many of whom exhibited at the Expo to huge numbers of attendees. And many of those attendees may not have been decision makers for their busi- nesses. But extra eyes—and hands— were sorely needed to cover the entire show; there were too many booths for just one person to visit. Since its heyday a decade ago, the industry has pretty much been distilled to its essence—manufacturers and distrib- utors that are in it for the long haul, with the marginal players bailing out once the easy money evaporated. What remains at the show are, for the most part, the industry leaders, the mainstays, those still in it for the long haul. These include, just to name a few, Barnett Tool & Engineering started by Charlie Barnett in 1948 and still family owned and operated; Spectro Oils that's been making auto- motive and motorcycle oils for more than 50 years; and James Gaskets, in its 39th year. And then there are busi- nesses like The Carlson Company, supplying service equipment to the motorcycle industry for 35 years, and Dynojet Research that for 45 years has been manufacturing performance enhancement tools such as their line of dynamometers. Yet it's not only the well-estab- lished companies that set up displays at the Expo. This year, more than 20 new exhibitors showed up, some of whom had participated previously but had not attended for one or more years. There were also a few new companies that wanted to test the waters, to gauge interest from dealers for their new gizmos and widgets. One such company was CenterFlo, a fi rm from Sacramento, California, that showed a prototype of their new Ultimate Induction Throttle Body for 2006–2016 Harley-Davidson Big Twins (cable throttle only) that fea- tures a "segment bored cylinder pair" instead of a throttle blade (i.e., butter- fl y) or shaft to more precisely control and create an unobstructed air fl ow. The valve cylinders rotate from the center of the bore until they are fully fl ush with the interior wall, which V-TWIN EXPO Still wheelin' and dealin' Showing up and supporting the industry See "V-Twin Expo," page 14, column 1 Heartland USA, under new ownership, makes their return to the V-Twin Expo CenterFlo exhibited a prototype of its unique new Ultimate Induction Throttle Body just to gauge dealer interest