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NEWS
BRIEFS
In a late addition to the 2024 schedule , MotoAmerica ' s Mission King Of The Baggers Championship has been added as a support race to the third round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin , Texas , April 12-13 .
The final motorcycle tire was produced at Avon ' s historic Melksham , UK facility in December - after 112 years of tire production on the site . Avon was acquired by the American Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in 1997 and was itself subsequently bought out by Goodyear in 2023 . In 2002 , Cooper had announced that it would close the Melksham facility , leaving the remaining 350 employees facing redundancy . In December 2023 the final tire finished , at a facility that had once employed thousands in its ' heyday ', was for a 1950s vintage motorcycle .
A rescue attempt to save the Swedish electric two-wheel motorcycle business CAKE has failed . Widely regarded as one of the better of the recent crop of electric PTW start-ups , and headed up by noted industrial designer Stefan Ytterborn , CAKE had struggled to attract new capital in advance of a larger rights issue later this year . Swedish news outlet ZAG Daily quoted Ytterborn as saying that " it is not one but several circumstances that make us end up in this situation . Climate issues are no longer in focus ; we are in a recession . It ' s about us , but it ' s also about the risk capital ecosystem . At the moment , it ' s completely dead , there are no takers in the later phase that CAKE is in ." Founded in 2016 , the company had secured a global presence with stores in Los Angeles , New York , Paris , Seoul , Tokyo and Stockholm , but officially filed for bankruptcy in February . Ytterborn also acknowledged that " the company would not be cashflow positive until it saw an annual figure of 7,500-10,000 sales . It has so far sold approximately 6,000 , releasing five adult models and one child ' s bicycle so far ." Some 140 employees at CAKE are affected . CAKE had raised $ 74.4m in funding in the past , but had been unable to secure the further $ 7.6m it needed in order to fund ongoing operations .
SEMA says automotive parts and accessory sales are expected to stabilize at a 1 % growth rate in 2024 before making a full growth return of 3-4 % in 2025 . Sales were projected to be + 1 % in 2023 . With the economy showing signs of strength and improvement towards the year ' s end , SEMA anticipated a similar stable growth trend heading into 2024 , with a full return to normal annual sales growth of 3-4 % projected for 2025 .
HardDrive 2024
The new 2024 HardDrive catalog is now live , with the print edition delivery to its domestic U . S . started shipping to dealers late February . New products from exclusive brands like Hofmann Designs include its new Signature Series billet air cleaner kit - specifically designed for the new 2023 CVO range - and its full custom line of USA made carbon fiber for the Softail ST models . Santoro Fabworx has hit the market strong with the expansion of its range of engine guards for Softail and Dyna models and its Chacho engine bolt kits in Hot Purple or ST Bronze , now with black stainless steel bolts . The ‘ Just the Tip ’ adjustable brake arm with matching ‘ Once Bitten Twice Tight ’ shifter is joined in its range by a complete line with bagger fitment in the full range of custom colors . Bang ' on-point ' for 2024 , FLO Motorsports is offering a new ST Bronze colorway in its top selling products like V5 floorboards , brake tips , footpegs and Mini-Moto boards . " We here at HardDrive strive to bring our dealer network top quality service
Boise , Idaho based Western Power Sports ( WPS ) has made sales management additions , hiring Jamie Nutzman and Troy Ozias . Jamie Nutzman knows the V-twin market , having been Vice President of Sales at Kuryakyn and Mustang Motorcycle Products before Somerset , Wisconsin based Kuryakyn was absorbed into Tucker Powersports and MAG parent Monomoy Capital Partners sold Mustang Seats to its present owners . While at Kuryakyn , Jamie orchestrated global growth in B2B and B2C channels and oversaw a $ 50m sales portfolio . He then became the Director of International Ecommerce and Strategic Accounts at Tucker Powersports , where he managed domestic and international sales teams that delivered growth on over a $ 165m book of business and expanded Tucker ’ s direct-toconsumer ( D2C ) Amazon business . In this new role as Director of International Sales for WPS , Jamie will be leveraging his international experience with responsibility for all international relations and distributor sales performance for FLY products . " While liaising closely with our internal sales , apparel , procurement and logistics teams ,
items while holding a competitive market value ," says V-twin and Street Segment Director Krys Brown . " This year our service product portfolio expanded to a full line of performance brake pads manufactured by an industry leader - available in organic , semi-sintered and full sintered - along with performance high flow fully serviceable air filters and OE replacement performance coils . " This year we ’ ve made a few improvements to our pages , like the new accessory section where hot brands like SP Connect can educate you on its innovative phone mount systems , along with creating enhanced educational facts and features on technical items to better arm and educate dealers and customers as the market continues to evolve . " The growth of HardDrive year over
year is a direct result of the ongoing support and dedication shown by our dealers , sales force and vendors , and we never forget the passion our dealers have for the V-twin sector . www . hdtwin . com
WPS Adds to Sales Management
Troy Ozias
Jamie Nutzman
shipping vendors and other stakeholders invested in FLY , the international team of Courtney Schroeder , James Clough , Manuel Rodriguez and Taylor Mowry will report to him . In addition , Jamie will be responsible for management of WPS ’ s strategic marketplace positioning with Kendra Keene ." Troy Ozias joins WPS as Senior Director of Field Sales , most recently having worked at The Parts House based in Jacksonville , FL , as Regional VP . Prior to that , he led the sales team as Regional Sales Director at WURTH USA , responsible for 20 districts and over 250 sales reps . Troy will be responsible for the strategic day-today operations of the entire WPS national sales operation , leading the Regional Sales Managers , and working alongside department managers to drive overall sales business and growth . www . wps-inc . com
18 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - APRIL 2024 www . AMDmag . com