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German registrations to August
2025 2026 180,000
+ 24.75 %
120,000 + 17.51 %
60,000
p. 30
127,297
158,800
78,245
91,946
PTW MOTORCYCLE
NOVEMBER 2026(# 328)
COMMENT: V-Twin Racing at an Inflection Point?.................................................... 4
This is another of our ' race heavy ' AMD editions, and it comes at a critical juncture for the race industry itself- both V-twin and ' Mainstream '. In ' Mainstream ' terms ' Sino creep ' sees Yamaha in particular taking a kicking lately- from CFMoto and QJ Motor. In V-twin terms? Indian Motorcycle takes the honors for 2026 as KOTB has a last hurrah on center stage before Harley-Davidson effectively retires the MotoAmerica championship in favor of MotoGP, its new bessie!
HARLEY-DAVIDSON: Increasing investment in Bagger World Cup.................................... 10
Can evolution sometimes be a backward step? That is the question mark hanging over Harley ' s decision to can its MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers series involvement. The back story is never as straight forward as presented, but the ' Mo-Co ' is making no secret of its intent on throwing everything it can at more teams and more rounds of its MotoGP hosted HD Bagger World Cup series in 2027; with plans for added ' Grass Roots ' racing investments too.
VANCE & HINES: EPA Settlement........................................................................ 16
Vance & Hines has announced final resolution of a multi-year inquiry by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency( EPA) regarding the Clean Air Act- stating that it regards the final resolution as signalling " a new era of performance for the motorcycle industry ". Formalized through a Consent Agreement and Final Order( CAFO), the resolution concludes a process that began in 2018. Pursuant to the CAFO, Vance & Hines has agreed to a nearly seven-figure payment to resolve the allegations.
AMA HALL OF FAME: Class of 2026................................................................ 20
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inducted six distinguished motorcyclists into its hallowed halls during the 2026 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Pickerington, Ohio. The Class of 2026 includes off-road racers Russell Bobbitt and Damon " Beast From The East " Bradshaw; Road Racer, Drag Racer and ' Go Fast ' parts maker Eraldo Ferracci; Dirt Tracker Jake Johnson; Leadership and Rights Advocate Gary Selleers; Designer and Engineer Dale " Holeshot " Walker.
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE: Indian, Jack Daniels, Brian Klock Reunite.................... 14
Indian Motorcycle and Jack Daniel ' s Tennessee Whiskey have reunited in a multi-year partnership, reviving a past collaboration that spanned from 2016 to 2023, where the two American brands collaborated with Klock Werks Kustom Cycles of Mitchell, South Dakota for an Award-Winning series of Indian Platform Custom Specials.
AMRA: Beach Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, Ky........................................ 24-25
The September 25-27 PennGrade 1 D. C. Jones Memorial Fall Nationals at Bowling Green, Kentucky fell just three weekends before the Rockingham finals at which S & S and AMRA announced their new partnership. More on that, and our review of ' The Rock ' in the December edition.
STATZONE: Germany and Italy.......................................................................... 9,22
Two of Europe ' s ' Big Five ' national markets reported YTD new motorcycle registration statistics recently. In Italy the market was up by + 4.71 % for the first nine months of the year, at 321,032 total PTWs sold. Meanwhile Germany is on a major economic and Euro 5 + ' Pre- Reg ' triggered downturn, being up by + 17.51 % to September with 158,800 total new PTWs registered.
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AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- NOVEMBER 2026 3