AMD266 September 2021 Aftermarket Moto Design 266 September 2021 | Page 32

" Not your father ' s sawicki speed shop "

It has been two years since British Columbia based custom bike builder and parts designer Tyler Sawicki sold his exhaust business . In Doylestown , Pennsylvania based Jason Browne he found someone who was determined to champion the brand ' s styling heritage , but take the manufacturing to a new level …

Ihad " got to the point where I wanted to do something of my own in the motorcycle industry - either start my own business or partner with someone - but when the opportunity to buy the Sawicki Exhaust program came along , it was too good an opportunity to pass up ," says Jason . In many respects , Tyler had been a victim of his own success . The popularity of his designs and the positioning that his brand had in the V-twin market consciousness meant that , if anything , sales grew too quickly and there was no question that quality and service had suffered . " My first plan was to give myself a year , without initially having changed much at all ," Jason told AMD . " I wanted to experience where the brand was for myself , before jumping to judgement about how to redirect it . " The very first thing I did was to make sure that we honored any warranty issues or other disquiet about the product , ironing out all the glitches with a

exclusive distributor and its support for the brand has been awesome . " We quickly moved manufacturing to North Carolina and initially stayed with most of the existing designs - they had been Tyler ' s strength , so until I knew more about the opportunities , I didn ' t want to risk destabilizing the brand identity , and that has proven to be a good decision ." All Sawicki exhausts are now made in the United States . " We start with laser CAD supported engineering , and have re-engineered the entire line from the ground up . We use 304 stainless across our entire line , with ceramic black coating as well as electro polishing as finish options . All fabrication is TIG welded , by hand . Components such as the billet aluminum end caps are precision CNC-machined and black powder-coat finished - meaning they are fully serviceable . Their sealed cap / slash-cut mufflers are non-serviceable . " Anybody who contacted us to say they had issues with the anodized finish of the old end cap designs
Softail Long Cannon simply received a durable , high-quality replacement from us at our own cost . " We reached out to our 50 or so direct dealers to get their feedback and input to guide us in the direction to take . Mike Beland at A1 Cycle ( Maiden , North Carolina , has been especially proactive with us and has assisted in R & D - he has been excellent , and his view that the Sawicki Bagger Shorty is one of the best M-8 exhausts on the market has been a valuable indicator that we have been headed in the right direction ." no-nonsense lifetime warranty policy , with no questions asked . " That policy , and that experience , gave me the foundation I needed . A basis on which I could rebuild and move the Sawicki brand story forward with confidence and without the negative baggage . Throughout that process , HardDrive remained the
Softail Short Cannon
Adding newer mid length and full length options to sit in the range alongside the ' shorty ' exhaust has meant that Sawicki now has a strong offer for late models right out of the gate - ushering in a new era for the brand . " Once I felt that we ' d put any negative brand baggage in our rear view mirror , getting up to speed with M-8 options has given us and our dealers the opportunity to take a big step forward with Sawicki with riders in their local areas . In reality , there was a lot less negative baggage than some may have figured , but our ' no quibble ' make-it-right policy has turned any nay-sayers around . " The M-8 Cannon that we additionally now have for M-8 Softails has added to the opportunity dealers have with Sawicki , and having refined the design to
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