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NEWS
BRIEFS
The US Marine Corps has awarded Polaris ' government and defense division a five-year a $ 98m contract to continue production and delivery of the MRZR Alpha ultra-light tactical vehicle, Polaris ' most advanced light tactical UTV.
The MIC, ROHVA and SVIA backed Right Rider Access Fund awarded $ 597,209 in grant funding to 21 projects across the United States in 2025, supporting trail maintenance, rider education, safety initiatives, and efforts to preserve and expand access to off-highway vehicle recreation.
USA- As previously announced, Polaris Inc. will close its Osceola, Wi. plant this year- in part as a result of the sale of Indian Motorcycle. It is now known that 189 employees will be idled starting in the summer of 2026 and running through January 2027. The Osceola plant plays a role in Polaris ' powertrain manufacturing operations and specializes in producing high-performance engines and components that power Polaris ' off-road vehicles. The plant also has produced engines for Indian Motorcycle / MBJ.
BRP has posted " strong results " for Q1, " driven by higher off-road vehicle shipments, favorable product mix and disciplined inventory management." However, the company says it must still navigate ongoing tariff pressures and that its Q1 performance is in the context of a-7 % drop in sales. The parent company of Can-Am, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo and Lynx generated revenue of CA $ 2.39bn during the quarter ended April 30, a 29.5 % increase from the same period a year ago.
More debt than GDP- As forecast likely to be the case this year, WSJ( May 01, 2026) reported that total U. S. government debt( all $ 31.265tn of it) does now eclipses the size of the entire U. S. economy. " Over the past several decades, leaders and lawmakers from both parties have aggressively added to the deficit by spending much more money than they have brought in through taxes. The annual deficit just adds more and more debt, and it is projected to add a further $ 1.9tn in 2026." This will mean increased borrowing, with total Federal interest payments alone projected to breach $ 1tn in 2026- roughly $ 1 out of every $ 7 spent by the government in 2026 will go toward interest on the debt. At 100.2 % of GDP, the U. S. national debt is on course to exceed the historic 106 % recorded in 1946 during demobilization.
Bonneville 2026
Weather and track conditions permitting, the 2026 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials( BMST)- owned and operated by Delvene Reber( Deliciate Promotions, LLC) and costaged with the AMA backed FIM Land Speed World Records( LSWR)- will be held from 23-27 August on the worldfamous Bonneville Salt Flats in the American state of Utah. The five-day celebration of speed is the premier event of its kind for motorcycles on the global calendar and attracts a large entry of riders hoping to power their way into the record books on a wide variety of machinery. All record categories are genderneutral and determined by the method
S & S says that there has been a lot of talk within the industry of struggles to find replacement and hop-up parts for older Harley-Davidson models. " S & S Cycle has been continuously supporting the vintage world since opening our doors in 1958," says industry veteran VP Marketing Howard Kelly. " As a new engine family is released, our engineers get busy building a line of parts to support it, while continuing support of our existing product lines. Uniquely, this cycle has been ongoing at S & S for decades. " Most people think of us as the leader in ' Proven Performance ', which we are, but we do also have a soft spot for keeping the older iron on the road for many more years and miles to come. Our current catalog contains performance and replacement parts for every H-D engine family going back to 1936.
by which the motorcycle is propelled- engine displacement, fuel type, cylinder count, and whether the bike has partial or full fairings. Riders aiming to set new FIM World Records are measured over a timed kilometre and after their initial down run they have two hours to complete a return run with the times combined and an average calculated to determine the official speed. The BMST is based around two Bonneville Salt Flat courses- the
" With 590 pages of S & S Cycle parts for H-D models from 1936-2026, it is the most complete source for parts in the industry. So, if you need to rebuild an engine, or come across a great deal on an older bike that needs a horsepower boost, you can find help within those 590 pages.
Mountain Track and the longer International Track. The 2025 event saw three riders set four new FIM World Records, although adverse weather did impact on the number of attempts. The most high-profile casualty of the weather was Chris Rivas who, piloting Denis Manning ' s BUB Seven Streamliner, had hoped to break the FIM-accredited motorcycle absolute Land Speed World Record of 376.156 mph( 605.697 km / h). His attempt had to be abandoned due to track conditions, but the Floridian is expected to return this year as he continues his quest to break the 400 mph( 643.738km / h) mark. Events While Bonneville is the most famous, similar land speed trials occur globally. Other notable events include Australia Speed Week, held on the dry salt beds of Lake Gairdner and the World Speed Trials- held occasionally at locations like the Lausitzring in Germany. www. bonnevillemst. com
S & S Cycle continues support of H-D engines from 1936 to 2026
" While much of the world is going digital, we know our dealers and our end-user customers like a printed catalog, so we created one- again. Whether at consumer or dealer shows, when people see a catalog on our display table, they pick it up and ask if they can have it. " Usually there is a story about how many of our older catalogs they have at the shop or in their garage and the excitement of a new version is really rewarding for us to see ", said Kelly. " From oil pumps to rocker arms to pistons, cams, cylinders and flywheel assemblies, whatever you need for a rebuild- or a performance upgrade- S & S Cycle is there for your older model H-D customers, all the while having a full line of replacement and hop-up parts for the new M8 series engines as well." www. sscycle. com / dealercenter / catalog
14 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- JULY 2026 www. AMDmag. com