American Motorcycle Dealer 308 March 2025 AMD308 March 2025 | Page 16

Sources : AMD , IDN , FT , Reuters , PSB , MPN , BDN , MCN , AP , Bloomberg , MSNW , Electrek , electricmotorcycles . news , RideApart . com , Motor1 . com , Cycle World , motorbikewriter . com

NEWS

BRIEFS

New Zealand based EV bike maker UBCO has filed for bankruptcy protection . Known for its 2x2 all-wheel-drive bikes , UBCO has been a well-respected entrant in the EV space . While it is not known whether its prior involvement with the now liquidated Tucker Powersports distributing operation is the direct cause of its problems , it can ' t have helped . An exhibitor at AIMExpo in recent years , the company was not slated to be at the Las Vegas show in February this year . RideApart reports that UBCO ' s funding is said to have dried up , with the startup now in receivership , having burned through a previously raised $ 70m in investment funding . Production has been suspended and all employees ' let go '.
The MIC reports that before leaving office President Biden signed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences ( EXPLORE ) Act , which will increase public land access , address barriers for veterans and people with disabilities , streamline small-business permitting , and more . " The EXPLORE Act will supercharge the outdoor recreation industry ," said Jessica Wahl Turner , President of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable . " This transformative new law will help ensure every American has access to world-class outdoor experiences – from their backyards to the backcountry – while supporting the businesses , workers , and communities who make those experiences possible ." The bill was introduced in 2024 by Representative Bruce Westerman , Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee . The MIC supported the bill and wrote to the committee last year , stating : " Passage of the EXPLORE Act will help ensure that our nearly $ 50bn powersports industry , and the recreation economy generally , continues to grow and serve our everexpanding constituencies ."
In January 2025 , RideApart reported that the US Federal Trade Commission , together with the state attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota , officially filed a federal lawsuit against John Deere over ongoing ' Right to Repair ' complaints . The suit alleges a decades-long throttling of both farmers ' and independent repair shops ' abilities to repair and / or maintain equipment manufactured by Deere . Such actions are prevented , says the suit , by increased computerization of Deere machinery through increased reliance on electronic control units ( ECUs ), which are then only accessible via special software tools that John Deere also controls access to .

Michael Kennedy Out as RumbleOn Changes CEO Again

The latest twist in what seems like a perpetual game of deck chair rearranging has taken another turn at Texas based RumbleOn ( NASDAQ : RMBL ), with respected former Harley and Vance & Hines man Mike Kennedy no longer the company ' s CEO ( or a member of the Board of Directors ). This news comes less than 15 months after his November 2023 appointment . The new occupant of the Hot Seat is Michael Quartieri , Chairman of the Board of Directors , who is additionally now appointed as Chief Executive Officer . Quartieri is described as a " tenured C- suite executive with significant leadership and strategic planning experience , in addition to having strong financial acumen and corporate governance expertise ." He will be assisted by Cameron Tkach , Promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer , and Becca Polak , formerly the Chair of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors , as newly named Vice Chairman and Lead Independent Director . Cameron Tkach is the son of RideNow
Michael Quartieri , Chairman of the Board , appointed as Chief Executive Officer
co-founder Mark Tkach ( along with Bill Coulter ) who took a senior role in RumbleOn and got involved in what quickly deteriorated into a disruptive relationship with RumbleOn . The online reseller bought out the brickand-mortar dealer store network to morph itself into an ' Omni Channel ' powersports vehicle retailer in 2021 . Cameron had been Sales Manager , Finance Manager , General Manager , Operations Director , and , since the acquisition of the RideNow stores , the VP of Retail and Dealership Operations
at RumbleOn . Becca Polak is described as a " seasoned executive and board advisor who brings a demonstrable record of driving business strategy and execution , as well as technology transformation ." Becca stated , " On behalf of the Board , I am extremely excited to have Mike Quartieri serve as RumbleOn ' s next CEO . As a key member of the Board , Mike has had a tremendous impact on our financial planning , recent recapitalization efforts and the continuation of the development of our business strategy ." Quartieri stated " I want to thank Mike Kennedy for his contributions and dedication to RumbleOn . We are grateful for his leadership and wish him well in all of his future endeavors ." RumbleOn Inc was found in 2013 and was listed on the NYSE ( NASDAQ : RMBL ) in June 2016 . The opening price of around $ 4 had steepled to $ 177.26 by the fall of 2018 . However , that has proven to be its high watermark , dropping as low as
Cameron Tkach , promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
$ 3.31 as little as 18 months later . Following a modest recovery to $ 46.39 a year later the share price has spent the last two years in mostly single figures territory and was again trading at around $ 4 at the time that this most recent of the changes in management was announced in January 2025 . Co-founded by Marshall Chesrown , the original RumbleOn concept was that of an online only used motorcycle sales platform . However , having additionally embraced new
In the latest twist in the management saga that has been rumbling on at RumbleOn for the best part of a decade ( one way or another ), former Harley-Davidson and Vance & Hines man Mike Kennedy has left his position as CEO of ' Omni Channel ' powersports vehicle retailer RumbleOn after less than 15 months in the job .
powersports vehicles , automotive and brick and mortar dealerships ( in addition to RumbleOn it acquired Freedom Powersports from Kevin Lackey in 2022 for $ 130m ), the company has failed to secure a solid identity for itself . Its search for that socalled ' Omni Channel ' had not yet convinced Wall Street , and the ousting of Chesrown has raised questions about its stability and how management had been conducted . RumbleOn ' s Q3 , 2024 fiscals revealed -12.7 % net loss of $ 11m , though that
Becca Polak named as Vice Chairman and Lead Independent Director
compared to a $ 16.5m loss for the year-ago period . The company was involved in another round of refinancing that closed in December , funding round of $ 10m . It was stated that the cash was to be used for general operating expenses - though much of it appears intended for settling prior issued promissory notes that were due on January 01 , 2025 . Other background music has involved a Proxy battle , with Tkach senior and Coulter fighting for control . www . rumbleon . com
16 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - MARCH 2025