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NEWS
BRIEFS
October saw Indian owner TVS hand its Birmingham, UK based Norton subsidiary a € 290m(£ 250m /$ 335m) investment programme. Reports suggest that it could result in some 7,000 jobs, with 500 of them near Norton ' s UK home.
The Piaggio Group has boosted its presence in the Asia Pacific region with the establishment of a new direct sales subsidiary in the Philippines. With a market of 2.3 million scooters and motorcycles sold annually, the Philippines is the thirdlargest market in Southeast Asia( after Vietnam and Indonesia), and fifth largest worldwide( after India and China), with the strongest growth in the premium segment. Philippine per capita income has risen by 40 % in the last ten years, with growing customer interest in the premium segments. The new subsidiary will import Group scooters( Vespa, Piaggio and Aprilia), Aprilia and Moto Guzzi motorcycles, and spares and accessories.
The PSB Accelerate Conference will be staged at Lake Buena Vista, FL., on January 18-20, 2026. Sessions will include Leadership & Workforce, Profitability & Performance, Technology & Operations and Consumer Trends & Experience.
Brainerd, MN based Wild Ass Seat Cushions is celebrating " 10-years of comfort innovation." Using medicalgrade materials and proprietary adjustable / inflatable and collapsible air-cell technology, " Wild Ass seat cushions has set the standard for pressure-relief comfort across multiple industries "; www. wildass. com
Among the slew of recent authorized Harley dealership transactions, Young Powersports has added Grand Teton Harley-Davidson in Idaho Falls. The newly re-branded Young Grand Teton H-D the 12th Powersports and second Harley dealership in the Idaho, Utah and Montana network. Jim Wilson is GM.
The RideNow Group( formerly RumbleOn), which says it owns more than 50 powersports dealerships across the U. S., is merging and rebranding its two Harley-Davidson dealerships in Tucson, Arizona. Old Pueblo H-D will relocate to Saguaro H-D ' s 60,000 sq ft with both dealerships rebranded to H-D of Tucson( Saguaro ' s original name). Reg Obie, formerly GM at Old Pueblo becomes GM of the combined operation.
Indian Motorcycle Partners With Vance & Hines for KOTB Race Team
Commencing in 2026, Indian Motorcycle and Vance & Hines are back in partnership with a multi-year deal to operate a new ' Wrecking Crew ' Factory Race Team effort to make an assault on the Moto America King Of The Baggers Championship. The three-man team will include 2024 Champion Troy Herfoss, 2023 Champion Hayden Gillim, and Rising Star Rocco Landers to Pilot All-New Vance & Hines-Built Indian Challenger Race Bikes. The Indian Factory Race Team will be supported by J & P Cycles, MOTUL, Progressive Insurance, Drag Specialties and Performance Finance. " Indian Motorcycle is entering a new era in its historic journey in 2026, and the first place we plan to prove it is on the racetrack. This partnership is a reminder of what American performance looks like when you
Mike Kennedy- the ex H-D, ex-V & H man is new owner Carolwood LP ' s CEP choice.
refuse to back down," said Mike Kennedy, Indian Motorcycle CEO, and former President of Vance & Hines. " As the leading aftermarket supplier for V-Twin performance, with nearly 50 years of innovation and racing success, Vance & Hines is the ideal partner to drive the next era of Indian Motorcycle racing, and we couldn ' t be more excited to get started." The news appears to be framed in such a way that KOTB may be followed by additional race efforts. The " partnership commences with Vance & Hines spearheading the Indian Motorcycle-Vance & Hines factory racing program in the 2026 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers series." This apparently leaves open the option to return the Indian brand to racing endeavors such as AFT in the future- raising the possibility of a new performance production bike platform
Dripping with S & S ' Proven Performance '( Indian Motorcycle ' s race partner at the time) the limited edition 2022 Indian Challenger RR released to mark Tyler O ' Hara ' s 2022 KOTB Championship win was originally offered at $ 92,299 in the United States and limited to 29 examples. Newly acclaimed in Europe as Manuel Grandi ' s inaugural 2025 European BRL Championship winning race bike, the race ready winner is now being quoted at around $ 100,000 by independent sellers in UK and elsewhere.
to pick-up the slack created by the retirement of the FTR750 under Polaris ' ownership. The announcement went on to state that " with an all-new Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew, the Indian Motorcycle-Vance & Hines factory racing team enters 2026 with a singular goal: dominating the 2026 King of the Baggers series. At the heart of the factory race team is an all-new, Vance & Hines-modified Indian Challenger, powered by the Indian Motorcycle PowerPlus engine." Since the inaugural King of the Baggers race in 2020, the Indian Challenger and Vance & Hines have combined for four of the six King of the Baggers championships. " Armed with the industry ' s most decorated performance bagger and an unmatched rider lineup, the team is poised to write the next chapter in American racing history beginning with the season opener at Daytona International Speedway March 5-7, 2026. Indian Motorcycle is entering a new era in its historic journey in 2026, and the first place we plan to prove it is on the racetrack. This partnership is a reminder of what American performance looks like when you refuse to back down," said Mike
Kennedy, Indian Motorcycle CEO. " As the leading aftermarket supplier for V- Twin performance, with nearly 50 years of innovation and racing success, Vance & Hines is the ideal partner to drive the next era of Indian Motorcycle racing, and we couldn ' t be more excited to get started. " The partnership represents nearly 150 years of combined racing history and success. Indian Motorcycle was founded through racing in 1901 and forged a legacy of domination on the track that has carried the brand for more than a century. Since 1979, Vance & Hines has carved a racing legacy of its own, managing successful race programs and capturing championships across road racing, flat track and drag racing for Ducati, Suzuki, Yamaha and Harley- Davidson." Indeed, new Indian Motorcycle CEO Mike Kennedy ' s race program credentials are without parallel in the space. As a former senior Harley executive he had been point-man for their own partnership with Vance & Hines and subsequently oversaw the race relationship he had built from the ' other side of the track ' when he was President of Vance & Hines. What goes round comes round?
20 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- DECEMBER 2025 www. AMDmag. com