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NEWS
BRIEFS
Former MAG, S & S, Bitubo and Race Winning Brands man David Zemla has signed on with Beaverton, Oregon based SW-Motech USA, the North American HQ for the German luggage and touring accessories manufacturer. All SW-Motech products are made in Europe in its own facilities. Recent news also includes the appointment of Parts Canada as distributor there. SW-M products are also available through Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties in USA and Parts Europe in Germany; www. sw-motech. us
Drag Specialties has a new Central Ohio area Sales Rep Jack Johnson joins the North East Region team following several years of parts sales experience on the dealer level as well as over 10 years of riding expertise, on Harleys and dirt bikes.
H-D has confirmed the successful conclusion of its ' Strategic Partnership ' with investors KKR and PIMCO with the Completion of Sale of Residual Interests in Securitized Consumer Loan Receivables. The strategy is designed to reduce the amount of capital that is required by HDFS to fund its loan book and remove debt from the H-D balance sheet. The deal has raised a pretty meagre $ 230m through sale of residual interests in certain securitized consumer loan receivables at a premium to par. The residual interests sold represented aggregate retail loan receivables of approximately $ 2bn and related debt of approximately $ 1.8bn at June 30, 2025.
Finnish E-bike manufacturer Verge Motorcycles has expanded its U. S. retail presence with a new retail showroom inside the Bike Shed Moto Co. in downtown Los Angeles. This marks Verge ' s first major retail footprint in Southern California. " Expanding our retail presence in the USA, especially with Bike Shed Moto Co. in a dynamic market like Los Angeles, is a significant step for Verge. Customers will now be able to see, feel, and experience our bikes in an authentic environment that reflects our shared passion for motorcycling," says Pekka Parnanen of Verge Motorcycles. BSMC LA is located at 1580 Industrial Street, LA; www. bikeshedmoto. com, www. vergemotorcycles. com
Having made its name in the 1950s with snowmobiles, 2025 sees Polaris celebrate 40 years in the ATV market- initially with the threewheel Scrambler before the four-wheel Trail Boss paved the way for the 4 × 6 Big Boss in 1989 / PSB
2026 H-D Bagger World Cup
Unlikely though it may be, and despite speculation to the contrary, the plan to run Harley-Davidson Road King ' Bagger Racing ' at select MotoGP rounds in 2026 is, in fact, going ahead. It remains to be seen what the incoming new CEO may make of the plan, but since he only learned to ride in April this year, he ' ll be almost entirely dependent on the opinions of his subordinates- he is unlikely to have the context to properly understand what on earth is going on, or just how absurd a proposition it is for a company taking desperate measures to preserve its dwindling cash pile and dealer network confidence. Harley and MotoGP( Liberty Media subsidiary Dorna Sports) chose the Austrian GP at the Red Bull Ring, Speilberg, Austria, in August, to formally unveil the plan for the 2026 Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup- essentially a ' Company Cup ' with their Race prepared Road Kings
2026 RACE CALENDAR
Former U. S Galfer Master Distributor Introduces GBrakes
Carson City, NV-based Giocar America Inc., formerly Galfer USA and master distributor for Galfer Spain for over 30 years, has announced the official launch of GBrakes, a new high-performance line of brake products. With an accumulated braking expertise of over 70 years, spanning three generations in the Milesi family, the GBrakes team includes riders and racers who use their collective knowledge and experience to define product lines, model applications and ensure each product fits and functions flawlessly. The launch includes an all-new website, a one-stop destination for premium brake rotors, pads, and lines for V-twin, Sport and Street, Dirt, and Dual Sport motorcycles. Customers can find a custom rotor and line configurator on the GBrakes as the ' spec ' bikes. The series feature six rounds at circuits in the U. S. and Europe. The premise is to bring ' Bagger Racing ' to nonbelievers and convert them- at time when the company is actually reducing production numbers and running dealer inventory levels down just as quickly as it can. What could possibly
Grand Prix of The Americas- Circuit of the Americas: Mar 27 – 29 Grand Prix of Italy- Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello: May 29 – 31 Grand Prix of the Netherlands- TT Circuit Assen: June 26 – 28 Grand Prix of the United Kingdom- Silverstone Circuit: Aug 7 – 9 Grand Prix of Aragon- MotorLand Aragón: Aug 28 – 30 Grand Prix of Austria- Red Bull Ring: Sept 18 – 20, Champ Round
website where they can explore V-twin rotors configurations and order brake lines made-to-spec for a range of applications. " We are excited to announce our strategic shift to focus solely on developing our own brand of braking systems," said Sandro Milesi, CEO of GBrakes. " We ' ve taken everything we ' ve learned over the past seven decades from my father and grandfather and evolved it into something new with GBrakes- while still maintaining the same commitment to performance, same passion for supporting rider communities and, of course, delivering the best customer service." Distributed by Drag Specialties, " GBrakes isn ' t just a new name, it ' s the continuation of a legacy built over three
go wrong? " Based on Harley-Davidson ' s Grand American Touring platform, Harley- Davidson Bagger World Cup race bikes will be radically transformed for speed, agility, and spectacle, offering fans a visceral new kind of racing experience unlike anything currently on the MotoGP schedule. " The series kicks off in the United States before making its way across Europe and onto the global stage. From the hills of Mugello to the historic straights of Silverstone, the Harley- Davidson Bagger World Cup will bring distinctive American performance and international competition together in a thrilling, six- round championship." Austria ' s Red Bull Ring will host the final and title-awarding round, honoring the country ' s deep motorsport heritage and growing prominence on the global racing stage. Carlos Ezpeleta, now titled as Chief Sporting Officer of MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports: " We ' re always looking for ways to innovate and expand- staying faithful to what fans love about MotoGP but finding ways to connect with new audiences. The Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup fulfills the brief. " Prospective teams, riders, and sponsors are now invited to engage with the series as preparations accelerate for the 2026 debut season."
generations. The Milesi family ' s roots in braking innovation date back to 1952, when Maffio Milesi founded Galfer in Barcelona, Spain. " Riders, builders, and dealers can expect a robust product offering that includes precision laser-cut rotors, highperformance pads, steel braided brake lines, and full brake kits, all backed by U. S.-based customer service and technical support " www. gbrakes. com
8 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- OCTOBER 2025 www. AMDmag. com