AMD 252 July 2020 American Motorcycle Dealer 252 July 2020 | Page 64

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NEWS
BRIEFS
H-D has dropped out
of Wall Street's S&P
500 - considered to
be the most
prestigious U.S. stock
listing. The S&P is a composite index
of the best performers, and at under
$4bn Harley's market capitalization
has fallen below the level currently
required to the kind of trigger share
price performance and returns
required to secure a place in the
index. Returning upper quartile S&P
500 share holder value had been a
touchstone of former CEO Matt
Levatich's business plan and a key
pillar of his much vaunted and now
discredited 'More Roads' strategic
plan. Harley will now be listed in the
S&P MidCap 400 class of investment
opportunity.
As has been widely reported,
and especially compared to
European markets, new
motorcycle sales have seen less
decline in USA during the first
four months of 2020 than
elsewhere. Indeed, MIC data
puts off-road machine sales at
+30% for the year to April 30,
with dual sport vehicles down
only -5%, street bikes -23% and
scooters - 24%. Overall PTW
sales were down -9% YTD.
Comoto, owner of J&P Cycles,
RevZilla and Cycle Gear, got off
lightly in CARB (California Air
Resources Board) penalty terms with
some $1,937,500 payable to settle a
slew of P&A sales infractions by its
trading subsidiaries between 2015
and 2018. The total could have been
way, way higher. Net of payments to
environmental impact mitigation
programs in California, $968,750 will
be paid directly to CARB as a fine.
The infractions revolve around some
7,000 plus instances of nonexempted
parts being offered for sale
without appropriate consumer use
advisories (A&R).
Tucker Powersports to Stage
2021 Dealer Show at AIMExpo
Fort Worth, Texas based Tucker
Powersports has announced that it has
"set a new direction" for its 2021
dealer show by staging it at the MIC's
AIMExpo at Columbus, Ohio.
The agreement integrates the Tucker
Show, "an expo and training event for
powersports dealers", into AIMExpo,
which is the sole remaining
independent powersports industry
trade expo in the United States now
that it has decided on a dealer only
format.
By reverting to a spring selling season
date - widely touted by AIMExpo as
being late when the original show
concept first staged at Orlando,
Florida, in 2013 - the MIC has moved
to fill the industry void left by the
failure of Advanstar's long-running
Indy Dealer Expo. The Tucker Show has
hosted dealer attendees annually
since 2008, having itself originally
been conceived as a trade and public
'combo' event in July each summer.
"Our dealers love the great connection
they have with our suppliers and our
brands, and now we'll deliver that
experience better than ever," said
Marc McAllister, President and CEO of
Tucker Powersports.
"Partnering with the Motorcycle
Industry Council and AIMExpo allows
us to do far more for dealers and
suppliers than we could do on our
own. Dealers who purchase products
from Tucker are significant
beneficiaries of the new partnership.
Tucker dealers will enjoy a vast array of
product training programs, a separate
check-in experience, discounted hotel
rooms, VIP activities and an exclusive
lounge on the show floor."
Tucker says that an expanded list of
Tucker suppliers will be invited to the
show to exhibit products and host
product and brand-specific dealer
training during the event.
"The partnership with Tucker
Powersports exemplifies one of the
core values of AIMExpo – uniting our
industry," said Motorcycle Industry
Council President and CEO Erik
Pritchard. "The tremendous presence
of Tucker dealers and Tucker suppliers
in the exhibit hall and training rooms,
along with the Tucker leadership team
and representatives, will help set the
tone for the industry in 2021.
"Now more than ever it's important
that we share resources and come
together to leverage the strengths of
our collective businesses. This is a
perfect example of the show's theme,
Together We Rise." Dealer registration
for AIMExpo will begin in June 2020 at
both the Tucker Powersports and the
AIMExpo websites.
The elephant in the room remains how
other industry distributors will react to
the move, especially Parts Unlimited
and Drag Specialties, given that their
annual cycle would, in theory, see
them staging their VIP Dealer Expo at
Louisville, Kentucky, in February.
"As AIMExpo evolves and hones its
focus on dealers and the greater
powersports industry, it's imperative
that we recognize iconic brands and
develop key relationships that will help
the industry as a whole," said
Cinnamon Kernes, Vice President and
General Manager, MIC Events.
"Collaborating with Tucker in such a
meaningful way further allows dealers
and aftermarket brands an
opportunity to connect in one place, at
one time. The benefit of attending
AIMExpo has been increased
exponentially."
However, announcing the partnership
with Tucker during an online MIC
symposium at the end of May, Kernes
was asked directly about other
distributors, and she stated that she
hoped (if not exactly expected) that
they would still participate. She also
stated that the MIC hoped that
motorcycle manufacturers would also
now still see AIMExpo as a potential
business platform.
Asked specifically about the V-twin
sector, Kernes appeared to be living in
hope rather than expectation -
uncertain as to whether or not the
profile of the show was one that the
"outspoken" custom parts and
accessory market would find
convincing.
While recognizing that the traditional
battle lines between business rivals
inevitably become ever more deeply
entrenched in a market under
pressure, we here at AMD Magazine
certainly do hope that the market's
other distributors are able to see the
bigger picture of this at all times.
It is also to be hoped, now that
AIMExpo is an exclusively B2B expo,
that MIC Events can learn to 'speak V-
twin' in a way that strengthens the
channels. Like a good trade journal, a
trade show's job is to act as a business
enabler and not try to be a lifestyle
shop window.
64 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JULY 2020 www.AMDchampionship.com