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NEWS
BRIEFS
Royal Enfield North America has announced a new partnership with Alexandre Zurcher ' s Black Hills, SD. based Vintage Rides, expanding the brand ' s international involvement with the adventure motorcycle travel partner, bringing guided and self-guided motorcycle tours on Royal Enfield motorcycles to riders across the United States for the first time. Already offering curated adventures across global destinations including the Himalayas, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, Royal Enfield and Vintage Rides are now extending their successful global partnership to North America.
Ducati delivered a record 34,976 motorcycles globally in the first half of 2026, marking a + 5 % increase compared to the same period in 2025. The UK saw exceptional growth with a + 31.3 % increase; Spain was + 1.5 %; USA-0.9 %, Germany-4.9 % and Italy-12.7 %.
Zero Motorcycles is claiming a new Guiness World Record for the longest distance travelled on an electric motorcycle on a single charge- 436.5km( 271.2 miles) on a production Zero DS. One of three Zero models to make a run in Europe, on a route that took them from Les Claux, Vars, in the French Alps to the Mediterranean. The previous record was 310.689 km( 193.05 miles). " This wasn ' t a closed-circuit test under controlled conditions. There were real roads to navigate, traffic to contend with, and occasional stops for snacks and bathroom breaks throughout the night." The other two models were a DSR / X that made 384 km( 238.6 mi) and an SR / S that made 350km( 217.5 mi).
The MIC reports that the domestic U. S. powersports retail marketplace has reached $ 48.2bn in economic value in 2024, supporting 112,221 dealership jobs and $ 5.6bn in payroll across 10,632 powersports retailers nationwide. The report also estimates that more than 1.1 million new powersports vehicles were sold. These figures measure the direct powersports retail ecosystem, including new and used vehicle sales, financing and insurance, parts and accessories, and dealer service across motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, and recreational off-highway vehicles.
Saddlemen- Full Focus on FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup
After competing in MotoAmerica ' s King of the Baggers since the series ' very first race in 2020, Saddlemen Race Development will direct its undivided attention to the new global FIM-sanctioned Bagger World Cup The Long Beach, CA based " leader in motorcycle seating comfort and creator of the Gel-Core technology platform " followed up on Harley ' s own announcement about " Evolving " its race efforts away from the King Of The Baggers series and fully into their burgeoning FIM Bagger World Cup
program, by themselves announcing a similar focus. Saddlemen Race Development say they will focus its " undivided attention on the FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup, the new global championship for V-twin bagger road racing co-developed by Harley- Davidson, MotoGP( Dorna Sports), and the FIM." The decision follows six full seasons of competition in MotoAmerica ' s Mission King of the Baggers series, where Saddlemen Race Development has been a fixture since the very first King Of The Baggers race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 2020. Saddlemen ' s 2026 domestic program fielded riders Cory West, Jake Lewis, and James Rispoli aboard Saddlemen Drag Specialties Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited motorcycles in King of the Baggers, alongside a championship-caliber Super Hooligan effort on the Harley-Davidson Pan America ST. " Racing has always been our proving ground- it ' s how we test, refine, and validate the products our customers ride every day," said David Echert, CEO of Saddlemen Corporation. " The Bagger World Cup puts bagger racing on the world stage, alongside MotoGP and in front of a global audience. That is where Saddlemen belongs, and it is where we will focus all of our racing energy going forward." In announcing its own exit from KOTB and Super Hooligans, Saddlemen extended its " sincere thanks to MotoAmerica and everyone involved with the Mission King of the Baggers series for six seasons of exceptional support, professionalism, and partnership. " MotoAmerica believed in bagger racing when it was an idea, and they built it into one of the most exciting championships in American motorsport," Echert continued. " We were on the grid for the first race at Laguna Seca in 2020, and everything we ' ve learned competing in King of the Baggers- as a team and as a product company- we carry with us to the world stage. We are grateful for every round, every competitor, and every fan who made the series what it is." www. saddlemen. com
12 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- NOVEMBER 2026 www. AMDmag. com